Please Don’t Buy That Bridge
Last week, I wrote about the barrage of “fantastic” offers I’ve been receiving, offers that promise to increase the visibility and sales of my books. Most of these, I simply delete. Occasionally, when an offer sounds professional and refers to a book I might have reason to invest in financially, I pass it on to my daughter, Beth-Alison Berggren. She isn’t just my daughter; she is a professional marketer. She handles my website and any other marketing I take on for myself, as well as the websites and marketing of some other established writers. She is thoroughly trained in AI and has been invaluable in protecting me from the appealing scams AI can generate. Because the primary purpose of this blog is to offer whatever wisdom I can to writers coming up behind me, I asked Beth-Alison to give us more information. Here is what she had to say:
Lately, my mother has been inundated with relentless book-marketing offers. A few looked promising enough that we tried to learn more. But every time I pushed for a simple virtual meeting, the whole thing crumbled. The most recent “representative” had no online footprint whatsoever, not a LinkedIn profile, not a publishing tie, not even a trace on Google. The headshot they used? It traced back to a site that generates fictional faces. In other words, the person didn’t exist. That’s why I’m writing this: to help authors understand what’s happening, how to spot these AI-driven scams, and what to do to protect your time, money, and peace of mind.
The Rise of AI Book Marketing Scams: What Authors Need to Know
If you’re an author with a book listed anywhere online, Amazon, Goodreads, or your own website, chances are your inbox has been lighting up lately. Daily emails promising:
“Guaranteed Amazon reviews!”
“Top rankings with SEO magic!” (Search Engine Optimization or how your book is found online)
“Book club placements across the U.S.!”
At first glance, these messages look like legitimate book-marketing outreach. But dig a little deeper, and the pitch falls apart. Why? Because many of these unsolicited “book marketers” aren’t people at all, they’re AI agents scraping the internet for author names, book titles, and publishing metadata, then firing off auto-generated offers.
And my clients, real authors who have spent years crafting stories, are feeling harassed, overwhelmed, and frankly, insulted.
What’s Really Going On?
These AI systems scrape publicly available data and then:
Auto-populate templated emails
Offer generic services that sound impressive but lack substance
Blast those offers to thousands of authors at a time
They don’t research the author.
They don’t read the book.
They definitely don’t understand publishing.
Some of the worst examples we’ve seen:
Offering to market books that are out of print
Promising mass review placements that would violate Amazon’s rules
Claiming they can boost sales on platforms where the book doesn’t even exist
Charging thousands of dollars for “services” most authors never need
They Don’t Understand How Authors Actually Earn
Most authors — even traditionally published ones — are not sitting on piles of royalties.
Here’s the reality:
The median U.S. author writing full-time earns less than $10,000/year from their writing
Many debut books sell fewer than 1,000 copies total
Marketing budgets from publishers are often minimal to nonexistent
So, when an AI agent aggressively upsells a $2,500 “visibility package,” the disconnect is painful. These services are priced for a fantasy version of publishing, one that ignores how tight, unpredictable, and competitive the book business actually is.
Why This Matters
This isn’t just annoying spam. It’s:
Predatory — exploiting authors’ hopes and vulnerabilities
Misleading — making promises that are impossible or non-compliant
Wasteful — pushing authors toward expensive noise instead of strategic support
Emotionally draining — constant reminders that the market is tough and confusing
Authors deserve marketing partners who understand their book, their goals, and their budget, not a bot with a mailing list.
So What Can Authors Do?
Protect yourself with a few simple rules:
Default to skepticism
Ask how they discovered your book
Demand case studies and real author references
Avoid services that promise “guaranteed reviews”
Consult a professional who knows the industry before spending
And most importantly:
Trust your instincts.
If it feels automated, pushy, or too good to be true, it is.
A Final Word to Authors
You worked hard to bring your book into the world. Marketing it deserves the same thoughtful, human approach.
AI can be a powerful tool when used ethically and transparently, but authors are not datapoints to be exploited, and book marketing is more than a template email and a checkout button.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure how to navigate book promotion safely, reach out. There are real people who care about your success, who understand authors’ realities, and who tailor marketing to what actually moves the needle.
Until then, don’t let the bots bully you.
Download this free checklist of how to spot marketing scams.
