Another Scam for Authors: Delete & Don't Respond

Here is what AI has to say about this email message:

The email you received from the "Readary Book Club" in Bangalore is a coordinated, AI-driven phishing and fee-charging scam. Independent, self-published, and traditionally published authors are being heavily targeted worldwide by scammers using fake or impersonated book clubs to exploit their need for book promotion.

How this Scam Works

Target Scraping: Scammers use AI tools to scrape data from Amazon, Goodreads, and publisher websites to gather author contact info, book titles, and descriptions. 

Flattering Opener: You receive an unsolicited, warm email from a generic address (usually Gmail or Yahoo) praising your work. The text reads like they genuinely loved your story, but the text is actually generated by AI to appeal to your emotions. 

Fake Credentials: They claim to be an exclusive, highly active book club in a specific location (like Bangalore, London, or New York) consisting of "hundreds" or "thousands" of eager readers.

Financial Bait (The Catch): If you reply, they will shift to a proposal. They will offer to make your book their "monthly feature" or "spotlight selection," but they will demand a "spotlight fee," "participation fee," or "shipping fee" (typically between $55 and $350 USD). 

Red Flags to Look For: Free Email Domain: The sender uses a generic email address (@gmail.com) rather than a professional domain linked to an official website. 

No Online Footprint: Searching for the specific book club yields no active local website, distinct Meetup group, or verified social media presence. 

Upfront Demands: They ask for money via untraceable or non-reversible channels like PayPal "Friends and Family" or third-party contracts. 

A Real Book Club Never Charges Authors: Legitimate reader communities select books because they want to read them; they never invoice the author for the privilege of being discussed.

What You Should Do Next: Do not reply to the email. Engaging with them confirms your email address is active, which will trigger even more spam. Do not send files or free digital manuscript copies (PDFs/EPUBs).

Mark as Spam and block the sender immediately.