The Latest Literary Scam: Emailing the Long-Dead Giants of 20th-Century Literature
In these first few years of the AI era, tens of thousands of published writers have received emails that begin something like this: “Dear Fred, “I’ve long admired your novels, but feel that Windsong Malaise is the best yet. You
In recent years, thousands of authors have received emails praising their earlier works, claiming to represent a federation of book clubs. The emails suggest a fee for promoting the books. One author received such an email from someone claiming to represent a federation of 137 book clubs interested in promoting their 2010 book, Windsong Malaise.
The email writer praised the recipient's novel, likening it to works by notable authors such as Barthelme, Barth, and Pynchon. The email also stated that the federation wants to make the recipient's book their next choice to read. However, the author is skeptical, wondering if their name was mistakenly used in place of a less famous individual whose name appeared on the cover.
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