Kobo, a rocate subsidiary that sells e -boxes and editors, has made a name for being a more open and writer friendly version of the Amazon burning. However, the recent change in the company’s self -publishing business is concerned with some authors that credibility may change. Last month, the company updated it The publication platform, which opened the door to AI features on the platform. After the implementation of the language of this new agreement on June 28, the authors do not see what will be meaningful for their future on the authors.
For authors who have not broken the traditional publication (or not beyond) and offer a way to sell books without the need for a representation or publication contract. If they can provide information needed to create their work and store page – and are willing to serve not only as the author but also a marketer – they need to sell their books.
Agreeing to sell on one of these platforms comes with a list of terms. The largest is divided into sales. If an writer sells his novel at Kobo Righting Life in 99 2.99 or more, he retains 70 % of his earnings. There are two royalty options – 35 % and 70 % – but both of them are confused, some of which can significantly reduce the revenue of the authors. The fee vs. Calculus creates strong priorities for the authors for their selected platform. But the terms of the service under which their work is published are also important – and it can be changed with a little warning.
Enjett spoke to three authors who were surprised by the decision to experiment with Kobo AI. They all saw that the company published new terms of service due to a simple banner notification to the Kobo Writing Life Dashboard. Still, a month after changing the terms, the company is unable to make it clear how the new terms will apply to the current work. There is no way to opt out for the authors. If anyone on Kobo is strictly against any amount of AI use, their best and sole option is to close the post there, and maybe pull their current work from the platform.
The authors we spoke were surprised that Kobo did not reach about the proposed changes, but also that the company was choosing to work with AI. Michelle Mans, an imaginary author on Kobo’s platform, wrote on an email on an email. “I think the extent to which they considered the least was to the extent that their user dislikes AI.”
The new terms of Kobo are clear, saying that the company does not intend to use the authors’ work for Generative AI training. However, it reserves the right to write for numerous non -training purposes for “artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning algorithm or similar technologies” reading, analyzing and implementing “.
“Increase the discovery of tasks” with tagging and targeted customer recommendations
“To evaluate the appropriateness of tasks” for sale in Cobo Store
“Creating resources” such as “Key words, promotional content, targeted advertising, customer engagement strategies and other content”
“Recaps, helping to read and provide accessories of leases”
The authors have raised the issue with a clear lack of facilities provided to them. What happens when a job is wrongly tagged as a gender when its author believes it fits directly on another? Or what will happen if the “promotional metal” produces a cobo, involves any fraud? The biggest problem for the authors Angijet was that Kobo was likely to deploy AI-Infield Recipes. Amazon used the Generative AI to help readers return to a series or remember where they were in a novel, and some authors have already found examples of the company’s AI.
“We go right away. ‘Ah, okay, we see what you are trying to do, but we don’t think what you are suggesting is going to work to solve the problem you are trying to solve,” a fantasy author and YouTube creator, Della Van. Since self -published authors are more responsible for their audience, such matters can actually endanger this relationship. Manas wrote, “The authors are frequently pushed by readers about the plot selection, and I can only imagine the level that if they are receiving the wrong recovery of what happened in the book, it can grow at this level.”
All the authors Angijet praised Kobo for their efforts to deal with complaints. On Bluesky, the company’s CEO Michael Timblin posted Including the logic of adding AI clause to company terms. Basically, Timbon wrote, trying to simplify readers with Kobo authors and smooth the moderate process that goes to maintain the Cabo Store, while avoiding copyright trafficking. “We are not fully interested in producing new content using authors’ books, and do not do something that we are allowed to do,” “And we do not want anyone else to do it either because we are in the business of selling books and want to keep doing so.”
The author’s work is the only one to agree to train Generative AI, which has been encouraged by all professional authors to demand publishers. A professional organization that advocates the authors and is currently participating in Case against Openi. By choosing not to train Generative AI on books, Kobo is starting at the right foot. However, the suspicious nature of what material is fed in the AI ​​model still leaves many questions. “Keep in mind, all models are illegally trained now, and I mean all the big LLM (big -language models),” says Mary Masanberg, authors Guild CEO Mary Masanberg. “So they may be using an AI system that is not one of the big LLMS, but whatever system they are using may be based on one of the larger LLMs.”
Kobo did not respond to any request for information about which it intends to use LLM. Whichek of work that can be misrepresented or misrepresented, the company encouraged the authors to contact them by email to support it, which the authors say has so far been responsible for the complaints. The company says it has not begun to test what it has described as a “beta feature” to create a “personal recovery” in the Kobo app. It states that “is not interested in the entire summary of the books.” Instead, Kobo plans to recover for each reader about the length of about 150 150 words based on both pages and these two pages to enter their last reading session.
The eBook platform is widely taking careful approach to AI. Authors who publish via the Apple Box platform Can Born from their work, but it is absolutely optional. The Barnes and Noble Press platform does not currently offer AI products. The recovery of Amazon is currently the most unpleasant use of AI in the book markets, and its authors, Wan said. “It doesn’t matter how much money we are making from Amazon. We all hate dealing with it.” He made it clear that self -publishing authors are afraid to change the change because it is currently a friendly response to most of its Amazon products. “I can’t describe how successful we want to, as we are rooting for them,” he said.
Each company wants to continue to advance the boundaries of where and how it can implement AI in an unpleasant way. Wan’s hope is now engaged in some kind of open forum with Kobo authors that he has used about its proposed use for technology. “As the author, it is really difficult to decide,” Will I draw my books? “Van said. “Because when you draw your books, this is a complete headache, because you have to update all the links. If you have ads, you will draw them. It is not as easy as the light switch is to turn off.” This may be difficult, the decision will be forced to make the authors itself.
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