With all the confusion surrounding Covid-19, what better time to overwhelm Amazon with self-published cookie-cutter guides which copy government guidelines. These guides are frequently riddled with spelling errors and poor grammar and are nothing more than just cash grabs trying to profit from Covid-19 fears

Many of these books are less than 100 pages, and the content is often lifted directly from web pages. Though the information may not be 100% incorrect, the ‘authors’ of these guides are still monetising of free content and exploiting scared people. This is harmful, especially at a time when many people are losing their jobs and are financially unstable.

Since late January, hundreds of Covid-19 related titles have popped up for sale online, and many of them are written under false or misleading names, for example, one title Coronavirus and Face Masks: The Truth claimed to be co-authored by a Dr Zoe Gottlieb. However, when going onto their author page on Amazon, it looks suspiciously empty and a search of their ‘extensive publication record in immunology and infectious disease outbreaks’ ends up with zero results.

However, while some people are brazenly creating fake pseudonym to make a quick profit, some are trying to find ways to explain the quarantine to children. For example, Nosy Crow resealed a free information book, illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler. It was made for primary school-age children, who may feel anxious about a disruption in their schedule or that fact that they now have to stay inside. It explains the coronavirus and the steps taken to control it.

Unlike the fake Amazon guides, Nosy Crow had input from Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine as well as a child psychologist and two head-teachers. Professor Graham Medley commented that ‘this pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all’. Which suggests that the world needs adequate resources of information from credible sources, and not just fake Drs on Amazon and other online book stores.

There is the unfortunate circumstance of publishing an original novel during the pandemic, and not being able to promote it without feeling guilty. Or, like Peter May, release a book entitled ‘Lockdown’ which is about a global pandemic. Obviously, this was just unlucky timing as the novel had been written 15 years ago, however from reviews so far, it does not seem to matter.