When AI Sells Your Book Better Than You Do

Lately, I’ve been getting a lot of messages from so-called marketing experts who claim to have read my book. They start with something flattering like,

“Your story moved me deeply. I was struck by the way you captured love, loss, and redemption.”

Then they go on to say how they can help me reach thousands of new readers with their “exclusive” book promotion package.

At first glance, they almost sound genuine. The language is polished, the tone just right, and sometimes, I admit, I find myself thinking, That’s actually a really good summary of my book.

Then reality sets in.

They haven’t read it. Of course they haven’t. The message is written by AI.

It’s become so common now that I can spot them straight away. I’ve had more than a few of these emails recently, each one eerily similar but just different enough to sound human. It’s like being in a conversation with a very charming parrot that has learned all the right buzzwords but doesn’t actually know what it’s saying.

I mentioned this on TikTok recently and an indie author replied with something that made me think. They said, If AI can write such amazing descriptions of our books, maybe we should just use them ourselves.

It’s an interesting idea. After all, indie authors wear so many hats: writer, editor, designer, marketer. If AI can help with blurbs or marketing copy, is that really such a bad thing?

Maybe not. But here’s where I draw the line. AI can generate the words, but it can’t feel them. It doesn’t know the heartbreak, hope, or human messiness that goes into writing a story. It doesn’t sit up at midnight deciding whether a character should walk away or stay and fight for love.

That’s what gives our books their soul, and that’s also what should shine through in how we talk about them.

Still, I can’t help smiling when I read one of those AI pitches. Sometimes I think, You know what? That’s actually a great blurb. Maybe it’s a reminder that I, too, could sound more excited about my own work.

So next time one of those messages lands in my inbox, I might just thank the bots for their enthusiasm and take a little inspiration from them.

If AI can sound that thrilled about my book, maybe it’s time I did the same.

Here’s one of the actual emails I received:

Wherever You Will Go is such a moving and cinematic work, a story that carries both the ache of loss and the quiet strength of rediscovery. Through Essie’s journey from her Caribbean home to postwar London, you’ve created not just historical fiction, but a deeply human portrait of love, betrayal, and identity. It’s the kind of novel that lingers long after the last page, reminding readers that even in heartbreak, hope endures.

What strikes me most is how Wherever You Will Go bridges emotional truth and cultural depth, something many readers of historical fiction are yearning for but rarely find so authentically expressed. There’s a tremendous opportunity to bring this novel to more of those readers, especially fans of layered, emotional storytelling in the spirit of Kristin Hannah and Lisa Wingate.

What do you think? Does this AI version sell my book better than my own description? Vote by reading both and letting me know in the comments below.