Writer denies it, but publisher pulls horror novel after multiple allegations of AI use

One of the first controversies of its kind. Shy Girl, a horror novel by Mia Ballard, was one of those buzzy books that leapt from self-published prominence into full-on trade publication. Until yesterday, that is, when publisher Hachette pulled the book from the UK market and canceled plans to bring it to the US. The move came after a New York Times investigation suggested that AI had been used in significant parts of the work. Shy Girl was self-published in 2025 and quickly found an audience on social media. The novel follows a depressed, OCD woman named Gia who, down on her luck, encounters a “sugar daddy” who pays off her debts. All she has to do? Live as his literal pet. Eventually, of course, living like an animal makes her into an animal, and things apparently get nasty. Creepy. And the prose? “I’m obsessed with the way Mia Ballard writes,” said one reviewer on Goodreads. Not everyone thought the book was good, though, or even well-written. Another reviewer on the site called the book “absolute f—ing garbage. overwritten, repetitive, poorly executed, atrocious formatting. nothing to do with actual feminine rage and revenge.” Soon, the questions moved beyond the literary. Had