Jon Cocks, a retired South Australian teacher, spent eight years researching and writing his debut historical novel, Angel of Aleppo, inspired by his wife's grandmother who survived the Armenian genocide. But instead of literary acclaim, he found himself ensnared in a sophisticated AI-powered publishing scam that preyed on his emotional investment.
These scams, which have surged globally since last year, mirror old romance cons but promise literary success instead of love. Fraudsters, often operating from south Asia, the Philippines and Nigeria, use AI to trawl through millions of titles, targeting low-selling authors with personalised solicitations that flatter and manipulate.
“It still makes me angry – I rant for a bit, then I calm down again. I’m 70, I don’t want to bring on an episode,” Cocks said, reflecting on how the scam exploited his desire for his work to reach a global audience.
Intellectual property attorney Kathryn Goldman noted that while scams have always existed, AI has caused an explosion. “It’s easy to set up these websites. It’s easy to create fake people. It’s easy to create fake videos,” she said. Self-published authors, who produced 2.6 million titles in 2023 compared to 563,000 traditionally published ones, are particularly vulnerable.
The scams involve fake marketing packages costing thousands, often including worthless services such as “guaranteed bestseller” status, non-existent book fair appearances, or poorly Photoshopped billboard images. Some authors have been charged for fictitious “book returns insurance” or “author’s licenses”. Angela Hoy, founder of Writers Weekly, said her site has identified more than 2,500 scam publishers in the past year.
