How to make money writing books with AI?

Let me share a recent real case I saw, the main character is a 19-year-old American kid.
He showed us a screenshot from the Amazon backend, with a monthly income of $34,917, roughly 250k RMB.
This kid is only a freshman in college, and in less than 8 months, he quietly published over 100 books using 7 pen names. The most incredible part is, he didn't write a single word himself, all generated by AI.
Why is he able to earn this money?
He leveraged Amazon's KDP self-publishing platform. The logic of this platform is very straightforward: you are responsible for uploading content and covers, Amazon handles all the rest.
For each physical book sold, Amazon deducts printing costs and a 30% commission, leaving 70% as your royalties. The clever part is, he doesn't focus on long novels; he specializes in low-content books.
What are low-content books?
For example, schedules tailored for people with ADHD, caregiver logs for specific professions, or even small diaries for pets. These items are in high demand in Western markets; people buy them to record and use.
AI in this scenario is like a dimensionality reduction attack. He uses Claude 3.5 to set frameworks, GPT-4o to generate content, and Midjourney to create covers. What used to take a professional team half a month, he can now produce in just a few minutes.
Why can't others imitate this?
Actually, there's a very subtle technical threshold involved. He mentioned a 0.625-inch margin rule.
Many beginners excitedly generate a bunch of content with AI and upload it directly, only to have it all rejected. Because AI doesn't understand printing, if the inner margin isn't reserved properly, the printed text will be cut off or the book won't open properly.
This kid wins not only because he understands AI but also because he knows the standards of the publishing industry.
Amazon has already sensed this mass AI production. According to internal sources, policies will be significantly tightened by January 2027.
In China, platforms like Tomato Novel, Qimao Novel, Qidian, and WeChat Reading support AI-assisted creation, earning money through daily updates, reading rewards, and signing bonuses based on views and tips.
Free reading platforms rely on ad revenue and paid chapters. After signing, there are guaranteed minimums plus revenue sharing. Actual tests show monthly income of 4,000 to 5,000 RMB.