Bauer Media’s monthly Take a Break-branded fiction magazine has told writers it is pausing commissions as it introduces the use of AI tools to help produce more content in house.
According to AI-checking service Pangram, short stories appearing in the title credited to the in-house team are 100% AI generated.
Take a Break Fiction Feast contains short stories aimed at women, written by external writers and members of an in-house editorial team, as well as puzzles.
The magazine costs £3.50 in shops or subscribers can get three issues for £5 and then pay £14.99 for six issues.
Press Gazette understands an email was sent to regular Fiction Feast writers on 12 June announcing a pause in commissions as too many had been received. AI was not mentioned.
Fiction writer Patsy Collins shared a second email sent on 1 July which indicated the magazine would rely on in-house stories using “AI tools” rather than commissioning new work.
The email said: “We were in touch recently to let you know about the pause in commissioning on Fiction Feast, and I wanted to share a further note with you as several writers have asked me about what will happen to the magazine.
“We have been reviewing how best to support its long-term future and exploring opportunities in our current editorial and operational approach.
“So, the July issue of Fiction Feast has been created using a combination of stories – some writer commissions and some in-house creations from the Fiction Feast team.
“We have also introduced the use of AI tools exclusively for our in-house stories, so our editorial team has more time to do what they do best and focus on quality and creativity. And we will be exploring this further in the coming weeks.
“Again, I wanted to tell you how much we all value the enormous contribution you have made to Fiction Feast, and your kind words to the team.”
The July 2026 issue contains nine stories credited to the “The Fiction Feast Team” alongside 20 stories by named authors, with 13 individual writers featured overall.
Stories by the Fiction Feast Team included plots such as a woman who cooks a meal that goes wrong in an attempt to rekindle her relationship with her partner, two neighbours bonding over gardening, and a woman painting to help with her grief.
Press Gazette tested several stories credited to the Fiction Feast Team using AI-checking service Pangram and they were all found to be 100% AI-generated.
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Contributors ‘disappointed’ and ‘really sad’ by plan
Regular Fiction Feast contributor Gabrielle Mullarkey, whose work featured in the latest issue, told Press Gazette she was “disappointed” but “not surprised” as she understands “the staffing pressures” facing companies like Bauer.
Bauer Media is currently making an unknown number of cuts across its digital publishing brands in the UK, and has closed its German digital business, as part of a major restructure partly due to reduced clickthroughs from Google.
Regular Fiction Feast writer Patsy Collins, who shared the email in a blog post, wrote: “I’m really sad about this development. AI doesn’t create fiction, and what it does produce is sourced from real writers work, used without their consent.”
A user named Sharon at A Quick Read commented: “It’s a lack of integrity and respect for both writers and readers. I hope the decision to use AI by Bauer will come back and bite them.”
Nicola Martin, a short story and non-fiction author, wrote in a separate blog post that she was “100% certain that this cost-cutting move will backfire for TAB:FF. I think readers will be turned off by subpar stories and stop buying the magazine.”
She claimed that the Fiction Feast Team stories in the latest issue featured characters that were “simply names on a page, rather than actual characters”, plot twists that were “extremely predictable”, a “dearth of atmosphere”, no jokes, stories tending towards “confusion, with lapses in continuity” and plots that don’t make sense.
Bauer Media has been contacted for comment.
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