I Set a Trap for a Book-Marketing Scammer

Global Business Sun, 23 Aug 2026 04:08:50 GMT Moderate confidence — 64/100

This is the story of a traditionally published sci-fi author who received more than fifty scam book-marketing pitches in thirty-three days, all hoping to prey on his desperation to sell books and net his next publishing deal.
It’s also the story of a plucky, persistent, puzzled AI named Veronica and a scammer who steals real authors’ identities in order to get their marks’ guards down.
But mostly, it’s the story of what happens when an entire industry is drowning, and the people holding out life preservers are running a con.

This is the story of a traditionally published sci-fi author who received more than fifty scam book-marketing pitches in thirty-three days, all hoping to prey on his desperation to sell books and net his next publishing deal.
It’s also the story of a plucky, persistent, puzzled AI named Veronica and a scammer who steals real authors’ identities in order to get their marks’ guards down.
But mostly, it’s the story of what happens when an entire industry is drowning, and the people holding out life preservers are running a con.

Sources: Substack