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Dec 4, 2007 · Scam publishers and their bogus publishing contracts feed on the dreams of would-be authors. If you´re representing an author - or even yourself - learn how to spot and steer clear of a publishing scam.
Never give out identification information like a social security number, date of birth, or credit card number. If the person says you cannot tell anyone about the interaction, threaten you, or request payment of any kind, you are most likely the victim of a scam. Click here for more information.
- By Anne R. Allen
- Here’s One of The Latest “Deals” from The Publishing Scammers
- If You Want to Self-Publish
- If You Want A Traditional Publisher
- Publishing Scammers Have Dodgy Websites
- Other New Stuff from The Publishing Scammers
- How Do These People Find You?
- How to Protect Yourself
- Update!!
On Friday morning at 7 AM a couple of weeks ago, the landline phone woke me with a call from a woman who wanted to know if I was the author of Food of Love.I said yes, it’s one of my titles, along with 14 other books. Why did she want to talk about a 20-year-old novel at 7 in the morning? She hung up. But the next Friday morning at 7 AM, the phone ...
The “Publishing Agency” will “republish” your already-published book (generally self- or small press-published.) They will re-edit it and design a new cover. Then they will produce a marketing plan and a book proposal. This proposal, along with their “endorsement’ will be sent along with your newly printed book to a Big 5 Publisher. They will also ...
Then self-publish. Never use a vanity press. Vanity press books will cost you so much you’ll lose money trying to re-sell them. And the publishing scammers will hound you forever, trying to get you to buy obscenely priced junk marketing packages. Here’s an overview of self-publishing from Jane Friedman, complete with charts and infographics. You ca...
If you’d like to see your book in a Barnes and Noble window someday, or get reviewed in a well-known print journal, you want a traditional publisher. For great info on traditional publishing,Jane Friedman’s blog is also an excellent place to start. (She’s the former head of Writer’s Digest Books and editor ofThe Hot Sheet, the respected publishing ...
TIP: Never choose a “publisher” you find on the first page of a Google search. Publishing scammers have bought most of the SERP (Search Engine Results Page.) When people contact me to ask if their latest “acceptance” or “book offer” is a scam, I always check the website. I can usually tell at first glance I’m in the country of publishing scammers. ...
The Goodreads Extortion Racket
Goodreads has always been a haven for trolls. But now the GR trolls have formed their own mafia. They’ll approach a writer, demand a large sum of money for a fake review, and if the author doesn’t pay, they’ll bomb the author’s books with dozens of one-star reviews. There was a big expose of the Goodreads review-troll mafia in Time magazinelast month. Pay attention. Whatever promotions you’ve been able to do in spite of the trolls are no longer worth the risk. Goodreads used to be Lord of the...
The Newest Anthology Scam
Anthology scams are the granddaddy of all publishing scams. They’ve been around at least a hundred years. But the current one is especially cruel. Publishing scammers join Facebook groups for grieving spouses, disabled people, caretakers of children with disabilities, etc. and they present them with the “opportunity” to submit a creative nonfiction piece to an anthology. It appears to be a Chicken Soup for the Soultype of publication. But once a piece is “accepted” the writers are asked to “c...
Co-Author a Book with James Patterson! Or Somebody Kinda Like Him
Writers have been getting snail-mailed letters from a “Monica Susan Main” saying she met them at an (unnamed) writers conference, and she loves their ideas so much that she wants to let them join in a new venture. She’s inviting the writer to co-author with a famous bestselling author who probably isn’t James Patterson. But s/he’s just like Patterson and the name is a secret. When I first read the letter, posted to a writers FB group, I knew this didn’t pass the smell test. But later this wee...
My 7 AM scammer probably found me via Amazon. Probably an old, cached list of Amazon slow-sellers. Maybe it’s a “sucker list” from Author Solutions, , the mother of all the publishing scammers in the Philippines. It looks as if “Monica Main” found her marks though the subscription list of a writers’ magazine But these days, trendy scammers find tar...
Screen Your Phone Calls
No publisher or film company will cold call an unknown author. Of course at 7 AM, you probably just pick up the phone to stop it from ringing the way I did. But if they start pitching something, hang up and block the number. I know occasionally a fan will get your phone number and decide to call to chat about the book and tell you why they hate the ending. I’ve had a handful of those over the past decade. But it’s only a handful. 99% of my readers will send emails or DMs. And is a fan who wou...
Do Your Research.
Writer Bewareoffers the gold standard for anti-scam info. Google the name of the company with “Writer Beware” and see if anything comes up. If it does, run. Alli, the Alliance of Independent Authors, offers lots of info on good, bad, and iffy publishing services Reedsy has some helpful infographics and other info on scammers. Check out their page Author Scams and Companies to Avoid David Gaughran, whose bookLet’s Get Digital, I recommended earlier, has blogged extensively about publishing sca...
Turn on Your Common Sense
Cut through the flattery and urgency (with publishing scammers, everything needs to be done yesterday because ____ fill in the blank.) Then use your noggin. 1. Penguin Random House is not going to tell you they are “a traditional publishing company.” They are Penguin Random House. If you don’t know who they are, you need to get back into your space ship and return to the Delta Quadrant. 2. They are never going to contact you personally unless you just won the California governor’s race and yo...
I just received this comment on the blog from Dianne Hill. Somehow it keeps disappearing from the blog (!) This is the scam I talk about at the beginning of the post. But I didn’t know they were actually taking money out of bank accounts with illegal “virtual contracts.” This is looking more like organized crime, especially since they seem to be mo...
Apr 6, 2023 · This page contains an overview of common publishing scams and rules to keep in mind when evaluating whether a potential offer is a scam. You can also read a frequently-updated list of publishing scam alerts here. Online scams against authors are on the rise and becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Aug 13, 2020 · It’s a scam: reputable agents rarely reach out to writers directly, but for scammers, it’s their main M.O. Other scam signs: – Real literary agents don’t approach publishers on behalf of authors they don’t represent.
Dec 15, 2023 · Wisconsinites have lost $50 million to scammers between Jan. 1 and Sept. 21 this year, the majority of which came from imposter scams, according to fraud reports tracked by the Federal Trade...
People also ask
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May 14, 2021 · Two Scams to Watch Out For: Writers’ Conference Phishing Scheme, Goodreads Extortion Scam. POSTED BY VICTORIA-STRAUSS FOR WRITER BEWARE® ON MAY 14, 2021. “We are Seeking Qualified Writers and Poets for our Conference” This is an active, ongoing scam. See the updates below.
