The FTC is looking into Publishing.com for potential deceptive practices in selling courses on AI-generated books
The company, started by twin brothers Rasmus and Christian Mikkelsen, reportedly made around $50 million last year. But they’ve been under fire for flooding Amazon with AI-generated content and facing a ton of customer complaints. People are saying they use high-pressure sales tactics and make it super hard to get refunds.
The FTC usually steps in when they think a company is pulling a fast one on consumers, like with sneaky marketing or hidden fees. They can hit companies with fines or make them change their ways.
Business Insider found out about the investigation through a public database that mentioned Publishing.com, which led to the FTC hiring an expert witness. When they reached out, the FTC quickly removed the company’s name from the database. They did confirm, though, that it was indeed for an investigation.
Interestingly, two former FTC officials mentioned that it’s not common for the agency to spend big bucks on expert witnesses unless they think the case is solid. They need to have a clear idea of what they’re looking for.
There have been 62 complaints filed with the FTC from customers who spent thousands on these courses. Many said they were sold on the program during intense sales calls, without a clear picture of the actual costs involved in self-publishing. One customer even mentioned being pushed to use credit cards and go into debt to afford the program.
Publishing.com was founded in 2019 and has also gone by names like Publishing Life and AI Publishing Academy. The Mikkelsen twins like to portray themselves as successful digital nomads who’ve figured out a secret income stream.
Their website showcases glowing reviews and stories from students claiming to have made six figures from self-publishing. However, they also state that the average income for their students is around $1,801 a month, which is a lot less impressive.
After initially agreeing to chat with Business Insider, the COO of Publishing.com went silent, and the Mikkelsen brothers didn’t respond to emails either.
Interestingly, Vox reported last year that the twins have been linked to a lot of low-quality online content. Back in 2018, Amazon even restricted their selling abilities after discovering they were using Google Translate to repackage books. Inc. Magazine noted that Publishing.com is one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. right now.
