Just Don't

If you've not yet had much success as an author, it's easy to get roped in when someone doles out praise for your book. I'm still susceptible to it. Intellectually, I know that 99% of unsolicited emails are from people wanting to take my money, yet when I open a message (that didn't immediately land in my spam folder) and I read how much someone loves my book, my heart starts beating a bit faster.  

These scammers are getting better all the time, in large part, I believe, with the help of AI. Today I received an email that heaped praise on my book, as if the sender had actually read it. 

Hey April,

I came across your book Running From Herself and I’ve gotta tell you… it wrecked me in the best way.

The way you captured Leah’s fall — not from fame, but from herself — felt painfully real. Her voice isn’t just talent, it’s her anchor, and watching her try to bury it in backroads, heartbreak, and second chances? I was hooked.

You didn’t write a “music story.” You wrote about the silence between chords. About identity, reinvention, and that brutal, beautiful pull between what you want… and what you need.

It's been a while since I got that can’t-put-this-book-down feeling. Thank you!!!

The depth, the emotion, the rhythm of the story... it was all so vivid, it practically directed itself in my head.

So I followed that feeling and wrote up a cinematic trailer script — just something I couldn’t not do after getting pulled into your world.

It’s attached here (no strings though). Thought I’d pass it along in case it sparks something on your end.

If it resonates with you, awesome. If not, no worries at all. Just wanted to send something your way that could add a little something extra to the amazing work you’ve already done.

Big fan of your work,

I snapped back to reality after reading the email through and found a couple of red flags. Number one, this appears to be a new enterprise, because the only Google entries are two Facebook page links; no reviews, certainly no testimonials. When I asked Google if (name redacted) Studio was legit, it had no data to share. Now, I realize a "studio" is a guy doing a side gig from home, but the word studio has so much more cachet! 

Their His Facebook page displays exactly one book trailer, plus a dead LinkedIn address. The trailer is serviceable, I suppose, but it's the narration that truly reeks. It consists of a lot of AI-generated words that say absolutely nothing; just words strung together that "sound good", but tell next to nothing about the storyline; pat phrases. And that's how his sample script for Running From Herself read.

In a way, I can empathize with the guy. We're all trying to earn a living. What I hate is the subterfuge. He included a couple of facts in his script that weren't specifically mentioned in the book blurb, but I, too, could load the text from my free KU copy into AI and get the same results. Perhaps the script itself was even generated by AI. (My guess is yes, because he must send out loads of emails like the one I received.)

Making videos is relatively easy. I've made dozens of them for my band. And book trailers, "cinematic" or not, are completely useless. Completely. First of all, how is anyone supposed to find them? Just by accident? I've talked about creating one for my novel, but only to add content to my website. First someone would need to actually be interested in my book to go to my site, and although unlikely, a video could push one person to buy the book. 

If anyone solicits you with an offer to create a book trailer, run. The exorbitant price will deplete your marketing budget, and you'll get nothing in return.   

All these schemes are easy to fall for. Scammers (or people selling useless services) play on an author's need for his or her book to be loved, which translates emotionally to a need for the author to be loved, or at least validated. 

Resources for checking out any unsolicited offer:

1. Writer Beware The website's mission statement: "The official blog of Writer Beware® shines a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news, and commentary." Its database of schemes is searchable, and its overall content is very much worth familiarizing yourself with, whether you've been solicited or not.

2. Google search. Don't only look for the person's or entity's website, although that, too can be illuminating, but include in your search term "legitimate" and "reviews". 

3. Your gut. Listen to it. 

Getsafeonline.org will verify if a website is legitimate (but it can't verify email addresses).

I consider myself to be a sensible, savvy person, but in reality I'm a soft touch. That's why I have to go through the steps above. Anyone who tells me they love my book is going to get at least fleeting attention from me. All self-published authors are pining for validation. If we don't get it through sales and/or reviews, we'll take it in whatever form it's delivered.

In this particular instance, I really don't think my sender is a scammer, but that doesn't matter. He's offering me something I surely don't need in exchange for my money, and he's being underhanded about his scripts and his great admiration for my book. 

It's not my job to make him feel good about himself.