A designer wrote and illustrated a children's book with ChatGPT and Midjourney in a weekend and sold 841 copies
It cost him nothing beyond a Midjourney subscription, but artists' backlash and an Amazon pause showed the risks.
Subject: Ammaar ReshiSelf-published book on Amazon KDP
Case Overview & Background
Ammaar Reshi, a product design manager in San Francisco, used ChatGPT to write "Alice and Sparkle" and Midjourney to illustrate it, then self-published it on Amazon within 72 hours. His Twitter thread went viral and drew both praise and anger from artists. He had sold 841 copies before Amazon paused sales.
How AI Is Used
Step-by-Step Process
The story of a girl and her robot friend.
All images generated.
Paperback in hand the next day.
Customer Acquisition & Distribution
Limitations, Risks & Failure Modes
What may not apply to you, and what could go wrong:
- Artists accused AI art tools of using their work without permission
- Amazon paused sales citing suspicious review activity
- No income figure was published
- Viral attention is not a repeatable channel
Key Takeaways
- AI can make a book fast, but reputation risk is real
- Platform action can stop sales without warning
- A sales count is not the same as profit
Sources
Business Insider: A man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend
Note: Reports the tools, cost, backlash, Amazon pause and 841 copies sold.
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