Authors are increasingly targeted by sophisticated scams involving artificial intelligence, with fraudsters impersonating literary agents, publishers, and marketers to extract money from unsuspecting writers. Ian Gardiner, a 76-year-old former Royal Marine and military history author, received an email from an individual claiming to represent the global Silent Book Club. The message, which included an AI-generated image, praised Gardiner’s work and offered to promote his book at clubs in New York, requesting payment for a promotional video. Gardiner paid approximately £700 for the video, which he later described as of very poor quality. When the scammer sought to promote another of his books, Gardiner reported the incident to the Society of Authors, which confirmed the approach was fraudulent.
Similarly, Diane Upton-Hagan, a 76-year-old American conservation artist and writer, reported losing $200,000 in scams. The fraudsters promised services such as securing New York Times book reviews, copyright registrations, German translations supposedly targeted at the Frankfurt market, and contracts with major publishers—all later denied by the named companies. The scam also involved forged documents, including a fabricated U.S. Department of Justice notice threatening seizure of her royalties unless she paid the scammers.
These schemes, which began within the self-publishing industry, have been intensified by advances in AI technology. AI enables scammers to craft highly personalized emails, create fake images and documents, and build convincing websites, increasing their ability to deceive even tech-savvy authors. Eleanor Dawson of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain highlighted the growing sophistication of these tactics, noting that many members who previously considered themselves immune to scams have fallen victim to fraudsters who appear well-informed about their work.
Victoria Strauss, co-founder of the Writer Beware website, explained that scams proliferate because of the large number of writers globally and the scammers’ ability to exploit authors’ aspirations and emotions. Strauss has traced many scams back to Nigeria, with additional operations originating from Pakistan and the Philippines. She called on technology companies like Google to enhance efforts in detecting such fraudulent activity, noting that many scams are initiated through Gmail accounts.
Some authors have taken legal action to combat these frauds. Canadian writer Raymond Love incurred nearly $50,000 in losses after falling victim to a scam while seeking to publish a children’s book. He successfully sued the involved companies, which operated partially in the U.S., and secured legal judgments totaling $265,000, including claims under racketeering laws.
The rise of AI-enabled literary scams warns authors to exercise caution when approached by unsolicited offers and highlights the necessity for continued vigilance and support within the literary community.