AI Detector for Publishers
Updated
An AI detector for publishers can help triage a large inbox of submissions, from magazine pitches to manuscripts. It checks up to 150,000 characters at a time, gives a probability that the text reads as AI-generated and highlights the sentences behind it. What it cannot do is replace a clear submissions policy.
Limitations: Every result is a probability that can be wrong, not proof of how something was written. How results can be wrong →
3 free scans in total, shared across all five tools (not per day or per month). No signup needed to start.
Using an AI Detector for Publishers' Submissions
- Sample chapters: check a chapter or two rather than a whole manuscript; long books can be split into sections.
- Short fiction and pitches: stories and pitches under 300 words can't be checked.
- Translated work: the site supports English only, and translated text can read differently from the original.
- Record keeping: note the score with the date; detectors change over time and results may not repeat exactly.
Why Policy Comes First
Whatever your position on AI-assisted writing, state it in your guidelines: whether AI-assisted work is accepted, whether it must be disclosed, and what happens if undisclosed use is suspected.
A detector is a screening aid under that policy. Contracts and author warranties are what actually allocate responsibility.
Fairness to Authors
Research on GPT detectors found that essays by non-native English writers were flagged as AI far more often than essays by native speakers. Publishers that work with international authors should be especially careful not to act on a score alone.
Give authors a way to respond, such as drafts or notes, before a decision is made.
Checking Pitches, Queries and Sample Pages
Query letters and pitches are often too short for a detector to run. For those, the pitch's specificity is the better signal: a clear premise, a real comparison title and a voice that matches the sample pages.
Sample chapters are long enough to check. If a score is high, compare the chapter with the query and synopsis; a mismatch in voice is worth a question to the author or agent.
Frequently asked questions
Up to 150,000 characters per check. Most novels are longer, so check representative chapters.
We don't recommend it. Scores can be wrong; use them under a published policy and give the author a chance to respond.
Only for texts of 300 words or more, and unusual forms such as poetry can give unpredictable scores.
Signed-in scan history keeps the first 200 characters. The text is sent to the detection provider listed on the How It Works page.
Sources
- GPT detectors are biased against non-native English writers (Liang, Yuksekgonul, Mao, Wu, Zou) (arXiv 2304.02819, read on )