Human Authored Usage Guidelines

Human Authored is a certification mark owned by the Authors Guild that may be used to indicate that a book was written by a human and not generated by AI. The mark, illustrated below, consists of the words Human Authored in a circle around a human silhouette. To use the Human Authored certification mark, an author or publisher must register the works they wish to certify as Human Authored and agree to the terms of the license.

The certification mark may only be used in connection with literary works for which the text itself was fully authored by one or more human beings and not generated by AI, except for a de minimis amount (such as through the use of AI-powered spelling and grammar check applications). Use of generative AI to create a table of contents, indices, or other auxiliary parts of a book, or for researching, brainstorming, outlining, or any purposes other than generating text does not disqualify a work from being Human Authored.

Below are guidelines for the proper use of the Human Authored certification mark on a registered work. Violation of the usage guidelines is violation of the license agreement.  

• Location: You may use the certification mark:
  • Anywhere on the front or back cover of the registered work, though typically on the bottom right or left of the back cover;
  • In connection with a description of the registered work on any distribution or retail platform;
  • On any author/publisher website in connection with the registered work; or
  • On any marketing/promotion materials for the registered work, so long as the certification mark is clearly identified as connected to the title.
  • We also recommend that you include the logo and your registration number on the copyright page as shown above. We have provided a separate text-sized version of the logo in the Human Authored portal that should only be used on the copyright page.
• Size: Do not show the certification mark bigger than 1 inch or smaller than 1/4 inch in diameter.
• Position: Place the certification mark in a location that does not overlap with any other text. On a book cover, it can overlap non-text elements of the cover design provided the text of the mark remains legible.
• Color/contrast: Black and white versions of the mark are available. Choose the color that provides the best contrast between the certification mark and the cover design.
• Unacceptable usage:
  • Do not apply any filters or effects to the certification mark, including drop shadows or emboss effects.
  • Do not rotate, scale, or distort the certification mark.
  • Do not crop the certification mark.
  • Do not extend the certification mark off the edge of the page.

Learn more about the Human Authored certification here. You can also email questions to humanauthored@authorsguild.org.