Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
By Marissa DeCuir
Recently one of our Books Forward authors Susan Fletcher received a strange email from someone she didn’t recognize, which began:
Subject: A captivating retelling of The Little Mermaid, let’s help it shine on Goodreads
Hi Susan,
Sea Change is a gorgeously layered YA romance that explores identity, love, and the courage to make impossible choices. Turtle’s struggle between her Mer life and her growing connection with Kai feels so authentic and achingly relatable, especially for readers navigating their own sense of belonging. The novel’s world-building and ethical questions about genetic evolution are equally compelling, elevating it beyond a love story into something much more resonant.
As a professional book marketer who works closely with YA and middle-grade authors, I’d love to help extend the reach of Sea Change. At Boundless Book Promotion, my campaigns focus on long-term discovery, high-engagement spaces like Goodreads, and community placements that connect with readers, both young and adult, hungry for books like yours…
The email went on to outline a “tailored visibility strategy”, and was signed by “Jenny J. Conwell - Founder, Boundless Book Promotion”, with a Gmail address.
A quick Google search led to a barren website (little more than a Wordpress “Contact” page) and a Reddit thread which seemed to confirm what Susan suspected: Boundless Book Promotion is part of the new wave of AI scammers aggressively targeting authors.
The most common type of AI scams we’ve been seeing
include:
- Fake publicity firms with bogus marketing services (Victoria Strauss at Writers Beware has a great post on this, warning about LitFlare Marketing, Abdull Pro, and Book Niche)
- Fake Bookstagrammer accounts promising reviews (see my article in Writer’s Digest)
- Fake online book clubs that engage enthusiastically with authors but inevitably ask for money (author Jason Sanford wrote about witnessing this firsthand in his Genre Grapevine newsletter)
- Impersonations of real agents, editors, publishing executives, and even other authors (see Writers Beware’s report)
And that’s not even scratching the surface of indie authors who hire an editor, cover artist, or audiobook voice actor, only to receive AI-generated results in return.
Photo by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash
So how do you protect yourself from the AI scam onslaught?
1). Be wary of unsolicited emails or DMs from publicists, reviewers, and publishing executives.
Real publicists and publishing execs don’t cold-message authors in order to represent them (in fact, it’s the other way around!). Book reviewers are sent dozens of books every week; they don’t have to chase authors. If you receive an unsolicited message, don’t click on attachments or links (google their website instead). And if the sender starts asking for money (a fee, a tip, etc) then that’s a HUGE red flag!
2). Do some sleuthing to make sure the person who is contacting you is who they say they are.
Impersonations can be convincing. See if you can independently verify the sender’s contact details by googling them before you respond. Professional publishing execs and publicists do not email authors from generic Gmail accounts. If you do respond, remember that book clubs, agents, publishers, and event organizers will not require a fee for working with you. If they mention a fee, you are most likely dealing with a scammer!
3). Check their website to confirm which authors they’ve worked with.
Publicists and publishing professionals will usually list which authors they’re working with, or have worked with the past. And they’ll often showcase their authors’ testimonials, case studies, news updates, event notices, or social media tags. If they claim to represent certain authors, double check those authors’ social media pages to confirm they are real, and that the relationship is legitimate.
Photo by Shahadat Rahman on Unsplash
4). Check the sender’s social media and tags for recent and authentic activity.
Have they tagged or been tagged by real author accounts? Do their posts feature photos of real people and books? Do they have engagement (comments, etc) from real accounts? A quick check through their social media will give you a better sense of who you’re dealing with!
5). Set up a call.
A short video call can help you confirm the person’s identity, and give you a better sense of whether they are legitimate.
AI scams can be hard to spot at first glance. But with a little caution and savviness, you can spot them, protect your money and time, and ensure that your book ends up where it belongs: in the hands of authentic readers and advocates who want to celebrate your work.
Marissa DeCuir is a real person, as far as she knows. She’s the president of Books Forward, a veteran author publicity and book marketing firm that represents real bestselling and debut authors from all over the world. As a former award-winning journalist, she approaches book promotion with a reporter’s mindset—and feels particularly passionate about helping authors differentiate fact from fiction.
