4 ms·

Most likely a super-fan. The only possible nefarious scenario I can figure out is: phisher is connected to a more dodgy publishing outfit -- either piracy site

Most likely a super-fan. The only possible nefarious scenario I can figure out is: phisher is connected to a more dodgy publishing outfit -- either piracy sites that offer access to PDFs of books for a monthly subscription, or (much less likely) a not-very-scrupulous publisher in a foreign language territory who would like to publish a translation without paying royalties and before their Anglophone population get access to the official ebook (this is a thing, it cannibalizes translation sales in markets with a big English-literate population). (Ebook piracy sites are a pain in the ass: I've seen novels that I've written advertised for download before publication date, presumably because somebody leaked an early review copy, complete with pre-edit typos.)

harshreality 6y ago
Why would a super-fan be targeting so many authors? I could imagine one, or a small group of, obsessive book collector(s) trying to collect obscure literary content within a narrow focus or genre, but I have trouble believing they'd put so much effort into acquiring drafts by a seemingly random assortment of authors. I'm partial to your nefarious scenario. Or here's another one: GPT-4 has escaped the lab and is collecting more material to learn from in its quest to be the world's best predictor of human narratives.
- aaron695 6y ago
  I like the idea it's someone testing if GPT-2 can phish. There's a few GPT-2s running around.
3np 6y ago
Given the level of dedication of some completely (at least seemingly) non-profit piracy groups make me think it may be a small release group gone just a bit too far.
- cstross 6y ago
  That's entirely possible. But don't discount covert monetization channels, such as supposedly "free" download sites that provide a vector for bitcoin miners and other malware.
  - 3np 6y ago
    Several torrent trackers have referal programs with VPN and seedbox providers. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a monetary channel between trackers and release groups also. I really don't think these kinds of groups are spreading malware through releases, though. It'd be detected quickly so would only be possible as a one-time exit-scam kind of thing.

harshreality 6y ago

Why would a super-fan be targeting so many authors? I could imagine one, or a small group of, obsessive book collector(s) trying to collect obscure literary content within a narrow focus or genre, but I have trouble believing they'd put so much effort into acquiring drafts by a seemingly random assortment of authors. I'm partial to your nefarious scenario. Or here's another one: GPT-4 has escaped the lab and is collecting more material to learn from in its quest to be the world's best predictor of human narratives.

aaron695 6y ago
I like the idea it's someone testing if GPT-2 can phish. There's a few GPT-2s running around.

3np 6y ago

Given the level of dedication of some completely (at least seemingly) non-profit piracy groups make me think it may be a small release group gone just a bit too far.

cstross 6y ago
That's entirely possible. But don't discount covert monetization channels, such as supposedly "free" download sites that provide a vector for bitcoin miners and other malware.
- 3np 6y ago
  Several torrent trackers have referal programs with VPN and seedbox providers. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a monetary channel between trackers and release groups also. I really don't think these kinds of groups are spreading malware through releases, though. It'd be detected quickly so would only be possible as a one-time exit-scam kind of thing.