"In every one, the author is asked to pay a fee that seems to max out at a few hundred dollars. (While the price to pay a reviewer in these scams is only about $20 to $30, as Strauss points out in her report, you have to commit to a specific number of reviewers, which can sometimes be up to 50)."
"They each received flattering emails from fans who attend or organize book clubs and, after the sender profusely compliments the authors on their books, the sender lets them know that they want to feature their book in one of their upcoming book club meetings - both real book clubs, verifiable through social media or meet-up pages, and made-up book club names have been used."
AI-generated cloned versions of already-published books are appearing on Amazon and causing problems for libraries. A new scam uses flattering emails from alleged book club organizers to entice writers into paying a 'spotlight fee' to appear at meetings. Scammers use both real, verifiable clubs and fabricated names to appear legitimate. Fees for spotlight appearances can reach a few hundred dollars, while paid reviewer schemes charge $20–$30 per reviewer but require commitments to many reviewers. The emails exhibit AI-like communication patterns, including excessive flattery and comments that are either oddly specific or vague, prompting writers' communities to share experiences.
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