A while ago, I happened across a post in a popular writing group I belong to.
It was by an author who had slipped into a pit of despair. Earlier that day, she had received a threatening message from some sleazebag via her website and sought the advice of her fellow scribes.
Good job she did, because it saved her from being scammed.
Here's the message she received:
(If you have allergens to all-caps, you might want to skip this part.)
[AUTHOR NAME REDACTED], WARNING: STOP YOUR PROMOTIONS ON GOODREADS AND SOCIAL MEDIA IMMEDIATELY! WE HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR BOOK. WE GIVE 24 HOURS TO VANISH. IF YOU DON'T STOP, WE WILL RE-PUBLISH IT USING AI TECHNOLOGY. INSTEAD OF YOUR NAME, YOUR BOOK WILL BE 'AUTHORED' BY ONE OF US. AN EXACT REPLICA OF YOUR BOOK WILL BE SELLING ON AMAZON UNDER OUR NAMES AND YOU WON'T LIKE IT! AMAZON CANNOT DETECT THIS TECHNOLOGY YET AND YOUR LAWS CAN'T HARM US! IN ADDITION, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY'S INFORMATION WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO CRIMINALS (THUGS AND RAP*STS) AND SCAMMERS IN YOUR AREA!
I mean, you can see why this distressed the author.
However, if you've been on the internet for longer than 5 minutes, you can also see…
It's a blatant (albeit nasty) scam.
And look, I have to be honest…
I was a little green with envy when I read this post.
Had I received this message, I'd have milked this puppy for all it's worth.
Like replying to the scammer in real-time and pretending to comply with their demands, only to then use said replies as free email fodder here at the Legion.
Or running a sale about how utterly riveting my book is, that a criminal is threatening to release my family's names and addresses to thugs (and worse) if I do not take it down in the next 24 hours.
The possibilities are endless.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Until then, you'll have to take the word of the many readers and listeners heaping praise on The Divided Region on a near-weekly basis.
To see what's being said about this fast-paced epic fantasy, go here:
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/TDR-Bundle
DJJW