I have never written a book before, and the whole process of writing, publishing, and marketing A Memorable Honor has been an education. One thing I’ve learned: there are a lot of scams out there targeting aspiring authors.
I’ve received one to two scam emails a week since the book was published. They look real and often seem to be from real people in the publishing industry. They have detailed information about me and my book. They are well written and professional. At first glance, they seem to be real opportunities to market or promote the book.
But they are lies. Most of these scams come from generative AI platforms. They don’t ask for money or access to bank accounts in the first email, but that request comes later. They are sophisticated cons, targeting poor, unsuspecting, and naive authors - like me, poor snowflake.
Up to this point, I have not fallen for one of these scams. I have identified the scams before it’s too late, in part by fighting fire with fire: I have run the emails through ChatGPT and learned that they are likely created using AI. Game recognizes game, I guess. Take that, Skynet!
This week, Andy Kessler wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal called “America’s Zero Trust Reality” in which he talked about the breakdown of trust in our society, a trend that has gone into overdrive with the advent of AI. In his column, Mr. Kessler advises his readers to “[g]et good at spotting fakes – hone your own ‘phony filter.’”
Good advice. In the past few weeks, I’ve learned a few tricks to spot scam emails; in fact, it’s now at the point where I don’t believe anything that pours over the electronic transom. Paraphrasing Falstaff, they haven’t yet tempered me between their fingers and their thumbs and sealed with me. I’m nevertheless nervous about being hooked by one of these phishing expeditions.
So what would Will say about all this? Shakespeare understood con men. Falstaff, Iago, and Toby Belch, among other Shakespearean characters, were in different ways con men who manipulated their “marks” for profit or malice. In A Winter’s Tale, the con artist Autolycus fakes being beaten and robbed in order to pick the pocket of a gullible country rube and peddles worthless trinkets at a festival while stealing from the locals. His schemes even inadvertently catalyze the redemptive final act of the play (something I do not expect from the AI scam artists filling up my in-box).
Shakespeare understood the charm and danger of sociopathic scam artists in part because he shares one trait in common with them: both Shakespeare and con men are actors on a stage of their own making. But the difference between them is as profound as it is simple: the con man obscures the truth; Shakespeare’s art reveals it.
That is why Shakespeare provides timeless insights into great leadership: he uses theater to reveal the truth.
That’s also why you should consider buying my book, A Memorable Honor: Shakespeare, Lincoln, and the Art of Leadership. It’s available today on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can find a link to purchase the book below. And while you’re there, please leave the book a glowing five-star review, if you liked it. I’d really appreciate it.
Until next time,
Snowflake Frank
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