Publishing.com Legit? Mikkelsen Twins’ AI Academy Review

If you’ve been researching ways to make money online, chances are you’ve come across Publishing.com and the Mikkelsen Twins. Their flagship program, the AI Publishing Academy, is marketed as a step-by-step system for self-publishing books on Amazon using AI.

The ads and testimonials promise a streamlined process, but is Publishing.com legit, or just another expensive online course hyped up by clever marketing? I dug into the background, training modules, costs, and criticisms to give you the full picture.

Before I start…

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Key Takeaways

Publishing.com, formerly Publishing Life, was founded by Christian and Rasmus Mikkelsen.
Their AI Publishing Academy teaches students how to publish books on Amazon KDP using AI tools and outsourcing.
They also offer Publishing.ai, a tool that generates outlines and manuscripts up to 30,000 words.
Some students do see success, but there are concerns over quality, account bans, and heavy reliance on AI-generated content.
The program is expensive, and critics argue it profits more from selling the course than from actual publishing.
Verdict: Publishing.com is legit, but not the best model if you care about long-term quality or sustainability.

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What Is Publishing.com?

Publishing.com started out as Publishing Life, founded by twin brothers Christian and Rasmus Mikkelsen. They first found success publishing audiobooks on Audible, which led to their early course Audiobook Impact Academy in 2018. By 2020, they had rebranded to Publishing.com, and their business grew rapidly during the pandemic, reportedly crossing $10M in revenue.

Their main product today is the AI Publishing Academy. The course walks students through seven modules covering:

Mindset and getting started
Choosing profitable niches
Creating books with AI tools or ghostwriters
Editing and design
Launching on Amazon KDP
Running ads and scaling
Converting ebooks to audiobooks for Audible

Alongside the course, they promote Publishing.ai — a software that helps with research, topic generation, and even full manuscripts.

This positioning taps into the hype around AI, but it also raises red flags around quality and sustainability.

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How It Works in Practice

The strategy taught is essentially:

Pick a niche – using their market research process.
Produce a book – either through AI-generated drafts or outsourcing to freelancers.
Polish and publish – editing, cover design, formatting.
Launch on Amazon – leverage ads and reviews to climb rankings.
Scale – repeat across multiple niches and formats (ebooks, print, audio).

On paper, this is a real process. People do make money with Amazon KDP. But the way it’s presented — heavy on outsourcing and AI churn — risks flooding the market with low-quality books.

Amazon has already cracked down on AI-generated content in 2023–2024, and account bans are not uncommon for publishers seen as gaming the system.

This makes the model riskier than it first appears.

The Good Side

Publishing.com does have positives:

Structured training – The modules are well laid out for beginners.
Community support – Private groups and coaching calls give students accountability.
Success stories – Some students have built publishing businesses that generate real income.
Refunds – Purchases are often backed by ClickBank’s 60-day refund policy, which adds a layer of safety.

The Problems

However, there are major drawbacks to weigh:

Expensive course – Pricing is steep compared to the free self-publishing content available online.
Quality concerns – Heavy reliance on AI and outsourcing often results in generic, low-quality books.
Amazon bans – The Mikkelsen Twins are known for pushing loopholes in Amazon’s system, which carries real risk.
Customer service issues – Some reviews mention billing disputes and unhelpful support.
Course vs. results – As with many programs, the question remains whether more profit comes from selling the course than from publishing itself.

This aligns with criticisms I’ve also seen in other “business in a box” style programs like Blog Growth Engine, where the marketing often oversells the simplicity.

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Is Publishing.com Legit?

Yes — Publishing.com is a legitimate business. You do get structured training, community access, and tools that can help you publish on Amazon. Some students do make money following the system.

But legit does not mean risk-free. You’ll face:

Competition in saturated niches.
Ethical concerns over pumping out AI-generated content.
Amazon’s unpredictability if they tighten rules against mass publishing tactics.

It’s not a scam, but it’s also not the straightforward “path to passive income” the ads make it sound like.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Structured course and community support
Step-by-step publishing system
Some documented success stories
Access to AI tools like Publishing.ai

Cons

High cost compared to free resources
Reliance on AI and outsourcing risks low quality
Possible Amazon account bans
Mixed reviews on support and billing
More profits may come from course sales than publishing

Better Alternatives

If your goal is to build a reliable income online, you don’t need to risk Amazon account bans or depend on churning out AI-generated books.

A stronger alternative is local lead generation. The model works like this:

Build simple websites targeting real local services (local marketing vault and digital rental method)
Rank them on Google for high-intent keywords.
Rent the leads to businesses for $500–$2,000 per month (Ippei Lead Gen)

It’s asset-based, not loophole-based. You’re building something sustainable, and unlike Amazon publishing, you control the platform.

If you want the shortcut to getting started, this is the best option:

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Final Verdict – Should You Join Publishing.com?

Publishing.com and the AI Publishing Academy are legit, but they’re not the golden ticket the ads suggest. The training is structured and the community is supportive, but the reliance on AI and loopholes makes it risky. It’s expensive, not beginner-proof, and sustainability is questionable as Amazon continues to tighten its policies.

If you’re brand new to publishing and want a structured guide, it could be useful. But if you want a model that compounds and doesn’t risk account bans, there are better options.

Before You Go…

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Mark

Mark is the founder of MarksInsights and has spent 15+ years testing online business programs and tools. He focuses on honest, experience-based reviews that help people avoid scams and find real, sustainable ways to make money online.

See Mark’s No.1 Recommendation Here