I received the most wonderful-sounding email yesterday. It praised my children’s book, The Wrong Monster, in just the way authors love to be praised. If it wasn’t a scam, likely written by AI, I would have been thrilled, even though, they are clearly looking to sell me a service. But I strongly suspect the entity on the other end of this email would only take my money and not come through with any promised service.
The subject line was: “The warmth and courage at the heart of The Wrong Monster”
Here is the email in its entirety:
Hi Tristram,
I recently discovered The Wrong Monster and was so impressed by how you turned a child’s universal fear into a story about connection. The gentle humor, paired with Jiyoon Shin’s warm illustrations, makes the book both reassuring and imaginative, the kind of story that sticks with kids long after bedtime.
I work with authors who create emotionally intelligent children’s books, helping them expand their reach to families, educators, and parenting communities who crave meaningful storytelling. For The Wrong Monster, there’s incredible potential in connecting with bedtime anxiety groups, parenting influencers, and early childhood reading advocates who celebrate stories that help kids face fears with courage and curiosity.
Would you be open to talking about strategies to grow your audience and help The Wrong Monster become the go to bedtime story for parents seeking comfort and adventure in one?
Warmly,
Amy Brown
Sounds so great, right? It actually makes me happy to read it. It’s the kind of email I dream of getting, exactly how I would love to hear that book praised. And there’s this little part of me that still hopes that maybe, just maybe, it’s real.
But the email address is amybrown with a bunch of numbers after it @gmail, not a very professional email address. An internet search for that address turned up nothing. As did a search for the name associated with children’s book promotion. And there is no website link to show that it is a legit business and to detail what services she offers. Highly sus.
It’s not real. Can’t be.
I have not responded to this email, though I’m kind of curious to see what “she” says if I do.
What do you think? Just report it as phishing and move on or explore further with a cautious response?
I received another one about ten days ago supposedly from a book club in Germany. Book club scams are becoming common too. More on that soon.
Ugh. We authors just want our work to be appreciated, right? And now we have this BS to deal with all the time.
We have to stay strong. With persistence, the legit rewards will come.
Tristram Lowe 