Scams have long awaited the unwary in the writing world. Historically, most have consisted of pitches to get a manuscript reviewed or published, with would-be authors being led to unqualified editors or reviewers who demand inflated fees for what proves to be substandard work, "agents" who have no track record for anything but separating writers from their money through up-front fees, or unscrupulous vanity presses that are anything but clear and upfront regarding the services they provide. Unfortunately, an increasing number of scams target established authors who (not unreasonably) want to increase their sales or branch out into another area of writing.
Two of the most common scams out there are the fake "book club" and the out-of-the-blue contact from someone who claims to represent a major publishing house. The first type contacts an author with a complimentary assessment of one of the author's books, followed by an offer to increase awareness of the book by having it presented before a book club that supposedly has several hundred to several thousand members. If the author expresses interest, the scammer will then attempt to inveigle the author into paying a fee of at least several hundred dollars and sometimes more for "presentation costs," "professional reviews," or any other plausible-sounding term that translates to coughing up money for the privilege of being presented before a probably nonexistent book club. The bottom line is that legitimate book clubs don't charge authors for the clubs' discussing their books or for making appearances before a club on-line or in person.
The second type of scam depends on an author's overlooking the fact that major publishing houses don't generally go headhunting for anyone who isn't already a high-profile author; they get far more submissions than they can ever use from lesser lights and from previously unpublished writers, and they are very careful about it when they do try to recruit established talent, since they don't want to run afoul of contract disputes. The "out-of-the-blue" scam targets self-published authors and those who have been published through smaller houses that don't require representation by a literary agent. The initial pitch may come from someone impersonating an actual acquisitions editor from the company. After some initial flattery and some probing regarding the author's past work and present projects, the hook is then thrown out: the editor will either give hope that a contract for a project may be offered or may offer a referral to a literary agent who can help you develop and sell your project. The reality, of course, is that the contract will never materialize and the "agent" is either the scammer's partner or an AI-generated front for the impersonator. What the scam is fishing for is either up-front fees that reputable editors and agents do not require or your sending in an unpublished manuscript that can be pirated for rewriting via AI---or both.
One of the major tells for this second type of scam is that the initial contact comes from a personal Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or similar account rather than from an address indicating corporate affiliation. For example, legitimate staff members at my own publisher, the University Press of Kentucky, use an address in the form of [email protected] when transacting professional business. If impersonating an actual staff member, scammers will also often use a title that the actual person does not or may misspell the person's name. If a search comes up with a webpage purporting to belong to the staff member, look for signs of sloppy or hasty construction, along with evidence suggesting AI generation. Look for similar signs regarding a supposed "agent"---legitimate agents use professional addresses affiliated with their companies (or addresses that are clearly separate from their personal email accounts if self-employed), have webpages that are clean and well-constructed, and can generally be found in professional directories maintained by reputable sources such as Writer's Digest. "Agents" who tout their involvement with nonexistent books and authors (or authors who have been dead for a while) are also not that uncommon, so do your homework regarding an agent's claims.
For more information about scams targeting authors, check out Writer Beware - Shining a small, bright light in a wilderness of writing scams. It's a great resource (it's sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association) and comes recommended by some of the major publishing outfits. And if you have been unlucky enough to be stung by a scam, don't be too upset with yourself. Scammers are experts at using your emotions and intellect against you, so put the blame where it belongs---on them. Learn from the experience and, if you can bear to do so, share it with others in your writing circle so that they don't fall victim too.
Two of the most common scams out there are the fake "book club" and the out-of-the-blue contact from someone who claims to represent a major publishing house. The first type contacts an author with a complimentary assessment of one of the author's books, followed by an offer to increase awareness of the book by having it presented before a book club that supposedly has several hundred to several thousand members. If the author expresses interest, the scammer will then attempt to inveigle the author into paying a fee of at least several hundred dollars and sometimes more for "presentation costs," "professional reviews," or any other plausible-sounding term that translates to coughing up money for the privilege of being presented before a probably nonexistent book club. The bottom line is that legitimate book clubs don't charge authors for the clubs' discussing their books or for making appearances before a club on-line or in person.
The second type of scam depends on an author's overlooking the fact that major publishing houses don't generally go headhunting for anyone who isn't already a high-profile author; they get far more submissions than they can ever use from lesser lights and from previously unpublished writers, and they are very careful about it when they do try to recruit established talent, since they don't want to run afoul of contract disputes. The "out-of-the-blue" scam targets self-published authors and those who have been published through smaller houses that don't require representation by a literary agent. The initial pitch may come from someone impersonating an actual acquisitions editor from the company. After some initial flattery and some probing regarding the author's past work and present projects, the hook is then thrown out: the editor will either give hope that a contract for a project may be offered or may offer a referral to a literary agent who can help you develop and sell your project. The reality, of course, is that the contract will never materialize and the "agent" is either the scammer's partner or an AI-generated front for the impersonator. What the scam is fishing for is either up-front fees that reputable editors and agents do not require or your sending in an unpublished manuscript that can be pirated for rewriting via AI---or both.
One of the major tells for this second type of scam is that the initial contact comes from a personal Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or similar account rather than from an address indicating corporate affiliation. For example, legitimate staff members at my own publisher, the University Press of Kentucky, use an address in the form of [email protected] when transacting professional business. If impersonating an actual staff member, scammers will also often use a title that the actual person does not or may misspell the person's name. If a search comes up with a webpage purporting to belong to the staff member, look for signs of sloppy or hasty construction, along with evidence suggesting AI generation. Look for similar signs regarding a supposed "agent"---legitimate agents use professional addresses affiliated with their companies (or addresses that are clearly separate from their personal email accounts if self-employed), have webpages that are clean and well-constructed, and can generally be found in professional directories maintained by reputable sources such as Writer's Digest. "Agents" who tout their involvement with nonexistent books and authors (or authors who have been dead for a while) are also not that uncommon, so do your homework regarding an agent's claims.
For more information about scams targeting authors, check out Writer Beware - Shining a small, bright light in a wilderness of writing scams. It's a great resource (it's sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association) and comes recommended by some of the major publishing outfits. And if you have been unlucky enough to be stung by a scam, don't be too upset with yourself. Scammers are experts at using your emotions and intellect against you, so put the blame where it belongs---on them. Learn from the experience and, if you can bear to do so, share it with others in your writing circle so that they don't fall victim too.