A retired Australian teacher spent eight years writing a novel about the Armenian genocide, inspired by his wife's grandmother, a survivor.

Then he lost AUS$10,000 to AI-powered publishing scams.

The pitches didn't hook him with generic flattery.

They referenced the specific emotional and historical weight of his work. They told him his years of dedication deserved a global audience. That his message needed to reach the world.

The Guardian's piece on this is worth reading in full. But the line that stuck with me was this: the emotional investment is the attack vector.

AI now scans millions of low-selling titles, identifies authors, and generates personalized outreach at industrial scale. The scammers aren't guessing. They're targeting exactly what you care about most, and telling you it deserves more.

Newsletter creators are the same profile. Your about page, your mission statement, your recent posts, all of it is scrapeable. The pitch just changes shape:

collaboration opportunity, media feature, podcast placement, distribution partnership.

As always, a healthy dose of skepticism goes a long way.

Note: Video created with revid.ai