How Did They Find Me?

Raise your hand out there if you have gotten an email or text telling you what an amazing writer you are and how they can help further your career? Ok – 845, 846 – too many to count.

And really, how flattering! They noticed MY books? They made the effort to contact ME?

Or sometimes it is not all that personal:

Hi there, I hope you don’t mind me reaching out. Are you the author I’m trying to connect with?

So this was written by a human because AI knows not to end a sentence with a preposition!

Or slightly better:

Hi robin.currie1,
Hello,
I’m Peter. I wanted to get in touch about a possibility that could help your book reach readers in a different way through audio. Would you be the right person to speak with about this?
Best regards,

Susan

So do Peter/Susan realize I wrote How to Dress a Dinosaur, a total of 198 words? A very short audio.

Or this:

Hello Robin,
I came across your book and wanted to reach out because there’s something many authors are dealing with right now: having a good book isn’t enough if the right readers aren’t being consistently brought into the buying journey.
One of the biggest opportunities for authors today is building a targeted reader-acquisition system: one that not only puts the book in front of potential readers, but also encourages them to buy, review, and discover the rest of the author’s work.
That’s an area I specialize in.
I focus on helping authors create a strategy around their ideal readers, book positioning, outreach, and conversion, so their marketing has a measurable purpose beyond simply getting impressions.
I took a look at your book and already have a couple of ideas that could be worth implementing.
Would you be open to me sharing it with you?  

This has all the AI buzzwords it can string together. But still no mention of any book I wrote.

So here is the AI letter that did some work:

The Very Best Story Ever Told: The Gospel with American Sign Language caught our attention because it combines children’s storytelling with an accessible way to engage families with the Gospel.

The use of American Sign Language also creates a distinctive opportunity to reach families, educators, and communities interested in accessible Christian resources.

I’m Doris from Horizon Literary Group LLC. We help authors improve book discoverability and connect their work with relevant audiences.

For this book, I see six areas worth exploring:

1. Accessible Christian-book positioning: Highlighting its Gospel-centered message and American Sign Language component.
2. Family and educator outreach: Identifying families, teachers, and caregivers interested in accessible faith-based children’s books.
3. Church and library discovery: Exploring suitable church libraries, Sunday school programs, and inclusive children’s ministry resources.
4. Industry and supply chain marketing: Researching Christian retailers, independent bookstores, and relevant institutional purchasing channels.
5. Consumer and trade reviews: Identifying Christian family reviewers and children’s literacy platforms.
6. Book endorsement outreach: Exploring appropriate recommendations from Christian educators, children’s ministry leaders, and professionals working in accessible education.

The opportunity is to help families and educators discover a book that combines Gospel storytelling with an accessible reading experience.

Would you like me to send you the outline?

Best regards,

Doris

Horizon Literary Group LLC

I paused after that one, because – wow – they researched my book and made some pretty good suggestions. Then I remembered, The Very Best Story Ever Told is out of print. So, in the end, I did what we all need to do with anyone who contacted us with an offer that is “too good to be true”: DELETE.

There is a terrific source for checking on potential SCAMS: Writer Beware – Shining a small, bright light in a wilderness of writing scams. It includes a back list of complaints about companies and publishers and unmasks the most recent scams. Bookmark it!

Stay safe!

Award-winning author Robin Currie (MLS U of Iowa; MDiv, DMin, LSTC) led the children’s departments of Midwestern public libraries before being called to ordained ministry. She traditionally published more than 45 picture books. Robin’s Christmas book is Just Enough Room for Christmas (Good Books/Sky Horse, 2025). She writes stories to read and read again!