finding gold among the clutter of ai pitches
The more traction Devious Web gains in the marketplace, the more AI-crafted phony pitches I receive for everything from publishing offers to social media campaigns. While some of these pitches are artfully done, they typically come from a personal email address rather than the company they claim to represent, and lack credible contact information.
The downside of people leveraging AI for exploitation is that legitimate requests to present at book clubs or other opportunities may be overlooked. But there are gold nuggets to be found in the phony pitches, and other benefits to be gained from the world of AI.
An AI gem
A pitch I received via email said my brand identity is “Intelligent Suspense Master” so how could I resist asking ChatGPT to create a super-person avatar from one of my author photos?! All joking aside, some of the pitches I’ve received have ideas and descriptions worth leveraging like this one:
“Your strengths include—
complex, fast-moving plots with unexpected twists
deeply realized characters navigating high-stakes personal and professional dilemmas
insightful exploration of trust, loyalty, and deception
atmospheric tension grounded in real-world business and social dynamics.
Readers trust your storytelling because it blends intellectual rigor with emotional engagement, keeping them invested in every twist and revelation.”
That’s some gold worth saving for a rainy day.
AI as editorial assistant
AI platforms like ChatGPT can be a great tool for factchecking and research, completed in minutes versus many human hours of effort.
I also use AI to track my progress within the mystery genre, providing insight on my ranking within sub-categories like ‘international mystery and crime books’, ‘suspense thrillers’, and ‘political/psychological thrillers’.
The good, the bad, and the ugly
All that said, those who pretend to be writers but who are merely developing content via AI are doing a disservice to the publishing industry. Many authors and other creators rightfully lament pretenders generating AI-driven content that circumvents and even disrespects original human creativity.
For my part I’m grateful for the editorial assist that AI has brought to my role as an author and, while the distraction of phony pitches can be annoying, I’ll continue to dig for gold in my inbox.
