I was a full-time self-published author for years, and now I’m not—and yes, AI is the reason. In this video I break down what happened to my Amazon KDP income after having my best year ever in 2024 (and my best month ever in December). Going into 2025 I thought I was set with that “passive” royalty stream, especially because it supported me through years where caregiving made flexibility everything. Then I watched my rankings and royalties slide hard—because the categories my books used to dominate (like eBay, Amazon, YouTube, Etsy money) are now packed with “how to make money with AI” books…many of which are written by AI. My royalties are down about 50–60% depending on the month, and even my low-content ancestry journals didn’t pop the way I expected in December. I talk about how the market is shifting back toward shorter, tutorial-style books (which AI can crank out fast), plus the reality that Amazon seems to be suppressing some low-content titles while the market gets flooded. The big takeaway is the same one I’m always preaching in self-employed life: nothing is guaranteed, and you have to pivot. For me, that pivot has been TikTok Shop—thank God—but even that has its own algorithm/ownership changes, so I’m staying realistic and keeping multiple income streams.