ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Author mill

Okay kiddo, so let me explain the concept of an "author mill" in a way that you can easily understand.

You know how people like to write books and stories, right? Well, sometimes there are companies or websites called "author mills" that want to make a lot of money by churning out as many books as possible, as quickly as possible.

They hire a bunch of writers and tell them to write as many books as they can, as fast as they can, without worrying too much about quality or creativity. These books are usually quite short and simple, and often follow the same basic formula. The authors are paid very little for each book, but because they are writing so many books, they can make a decent amount of money overall.

Now, some people might say that this is not a very good way to create books, because the stories might be boring or uninspired. But others might argue that it's a good way to get books into the hands of people who might not otherwise be able to afford them, or to provide easy-to-read stories for kids who are learning to read.

Either way, the important thing to remember is that an author mill is a company that hires lots of writers to create lots of books quickly and cheaply.