How I Almost Ignored a Real Reader…
In today’s digital world, authors face a strange and exhausting reality — fake admiration. Every morning, my inbox lights up with 10–15 emails praising my books. At first, it felt flattering. Then I noticed a pattern.
The compliments were always followed by the same sales pitch:
“Promote your book in our exclusive reading circle.”
“We’ll share your work with thousands of book lovers.”
“Guaranteed reviews and exposure…”
And my favourite — a Goodreads review magically appears (the book was never purchased, of course). Refuse the service, and the review quietly disappears. It’s marketing theatre at its worst — staged applause, followed by a pitch.
After months of this, I developed a reflex: if an email started with praise, I deleted it.
Compliments became suspicious. Appreciation became a red flag.
Ironically, that’s exactly how real marketing scams work — they turn something good into something we learn to distrust.
The Email I Almost Deleted
Then, recently, I nearly missed something precious: a genuine message from a passionate reader.
He wasn’t trying to sell anything. He was reaching out for writing advice — polite, earnest, inspired by my work. A real human connection.
But the email started with praise. And so, instinctively, my finger hovered over Delete.
Luckily, I paused. Something about it felt different. I read it again — and I’m glad I did. Behind those words of appreciation was a real person, someone who believed in my writing enough to seek guidance.
Imagine nearly deleting that — just because scammers have turned admiration into bait.
A Lesson for Authors (and Anyone With an Inbox)
If you’re an author or creator, you’ve probably seen these emails too. Some are harmless marketing attempts, some are scams, and some are just noise.
But here’s my takeaway — and I hope it helps someone else:
Read every email with a discerning eye, not a dismissive one.
Yes, many will be fake. Some will be irritating.
But amid that digital clutter, a genuine message from someone who values your work may be hiding.
We live in a time where authenticity is rare and praise often comes with a price tag. Yet, those few real connections — those are priceless.
And we owe it to ourselves, and to our readers, not to miss them.
To that reader — thank you.
You reminded me why I write.
And why it still matters to listen — even in the noise.
Pic Source — Pixabay
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