Q –
Hi Angela,
Hope you are well.
Just looking for some advice
Would the below be a scam email?
Thanks.
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: James Patterson <jamespatterson.info@gmail.com>
To: (REMOVED BY WRITERSWEEKLY)
Sent Tuesday, 30 June 2026 at 13:24:19 BST
Subject: Re:
Hi,
I’m reaching out because your Amazon profile was recently recommended to me. There’s a raw honesty and uniqueness in your writing style that really stands out it’s the kind of “pulse” the industry is currently looking for.
I actually tried to have my Scouting Team add you to my internal 2026 Reading Circle shortlist, but the entry was rejected by our auditors. To be blunt: the work is being “ghosted” by the retail architecture.
If you have another story you’re currently working on or one you’ve already published, I’d be glad to include it in our review list. I’m not looking for a formal pitch; I’m much more interested in the heart of your story and what inspired you to write it.
You can find more about my work and my focus on character-driven suspense right here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B000APZGGS
If you’d like to chat more, feel free to share the title or a link to where I can find it. I’m also happy to share a bit more about my own process and books like the Alex Cross series or my recent psychological thrillers if that helps
Best,
James Patterson
Author | Thriller & Crime Fiction
Character-Driven Suspense | Psychological Thrillers
A –
Hi Andrea,
It’s a scammer pretending to be international bestselling author James Patterson. I can assure you that James Patterson does NOT reach out to authors in this manner, and he doesn’t use a gmail email address. 😉
See:
“Celebrity Author” Impersonators Are Fooling Unwary (Real!) Authors
Most celebrities have their own websites with a contact button. Those go to their reps, publisher, or someone else. Those folks are usually happy to confirm that, yes, the email you received was indeed fake. (They always are.)
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I’m a very lazy writer/poet here in England. I once set up a Writers Group, and once it was up and running, I hardly bothered going to it anymore because it involved physically inconveniencing myself to get there and back.
I have a hunger for success, but apart from creating work, I have very little surplus energy left to promote it; I pay other people to do this for me. I’d like to be able to make enough money from my efforts as I can so I could finally have my own place to live. (I’m 79 now.) All I want is a pre-build ‘log cabin bungalow’ on a half acre of land, so I can watch the sunrises and sunsets, and follow the seasons right here in ‘little old England’, before I can die a lonely old man and finally shake off ‘The thing inside’ that’s dogged me all my blighted life.
Zebras would be welcome to keep the grass short, and their fertiliser would act as compost for my vegetable patch; not too far away from my front porch.
Hi, Angela,
Just wanted to tell you that I’ve been asked to do a book-signing event of my latest medical mystery “They Called It Zebra” at the Bird in Hand Bookstore in Baltimore, near Hopkins U. The woman who actually has the disease around which the mystery is built will be there in “conversation” with me. We are both going to wear black-and-white striped outfits (!!) She is already contacting other “Zebras” who have the disease…genetic, rare and hard-to-remember.
August 7. Yay!
That’s awesome!!! Be sure to take pictures to post to promote your book more!!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear how it goes!! 🙂
Angela