A scam warning... please read this!

Edition 26

Hello lovelies!

Thank you again for choosing to spend a few moments with me.

As a person, I do my best to see the good in the world and people. But unfortunately, there’s a whole lot out there that’s not good.

And we as writers, are not immune to scams. Way back, during my early days of writing, entering competitions and attending workshops, tutors talked about scams. At that time, it was mostly about ‘vanity publishing’. Which still exists today.

For example, if you do a google search for publishers, when you get to the results list there are often ads for ‘self-publishing’ publishers at the top of the list (e.g. it might say ‘sponsored’). These may look legitimate. When aspiring authors submit to them, they’ll often get a positive response that goes something like…

‘Thanks for your submission. We really love it. To have it published we’d like you to contribute $X,X00…’

In terms of self-publishing, that doesn’t sound unreasonable (please note traditional publishers NEVER ask for money*). However, this is just a hook. Because after you’ve agreed (and maybe signed a contract) vanity publishers ask for several 1000s more for marketing, more for distribution and even more for a film script because they have a film studio who are keen to do a film adaptation (not).

Sorry lovely people, this is a con.

It appears that scammers are becoming more wily.

Ages ago I was put onto a blog called Writer Beware. I subscribe to their free blog and receive a monthly email. It’s based in the US so some of it doesn’t apply to me as I’m only looking for publication in Australia. Writer Beware is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and is ‘concerned not just with issues that affect professional authors, but with the challenges and pitfalls that face aspiring writers… (including) tracking, exposing, and raising awareness about schemes, scams, and other bad practice in the publishing industry, with the aim of providing writers with tools to protect themselves from exploitation.’

I read their most recent post entitled ‘Book Festival Scams, Interview Fakes: Two New AI-Driven Impersonation Scams to Avoid’. And within a couple of days, I’d received two of the very emails that they wrote about.

IF you receive emails about appearing in Book Festivals or for interviews, please read the post above!

Here is the scam email I received, from ‘mrschloerichard@gmail.com’.

Hello

I hope you are well

I recently came across your book while exploring new titles, and I must say it genuinely stood out. I really enjoyed learning more about your work, and it inspired me to reach out to you personally.

My name is Eleanor, and I’m part of the coordination team at 48 Book Club a growing community where books come alive through engaging readers, thoughtful discussions, and shared reflections.

We are currently curating selections for our upcoming reading challenge, and your book feels like a perfect fit for the kind of meaningful and interactive experience we create for our audience.

Through this challenge, selected books are introduced to an active community of readers who not only read but also engage deeply sharing insights, reviews, and conversations that help amplify each work.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, I would be happy to walk you through the full details, including how the process works and what you can expect.

Please note that there is a participation fee involved. I’ll ensure everything is explained clearly and transparently so you can make the best decision for yourself.

Feel free to reply to this message, and I’ll send over the complete information.

Warm regards,

Chloe

A couple of things to note: the scammer/AI doesn’t know whether they are Chloe or Eleanor! Nor do they understand that I haven’t published a book yet! I do have a website and a Substack though, which do include ‘book’ and ‘author’ and ‘writer’ which is probably how they found me.

My advice is: before you sign on the dotted line, and especially before you pay any money, look for reviews. Check out Writer Beware. Talk to other authors/aspiring authors and have your contract checked out by the ASA.

*Traditional publishers usually don’t ask for any financial contribution although I have heard of a situation where authors were asked for a financial contribution in publishing a non-fiction book on a specialised topic (i.e. with a very small readership). Self-publishing with reputable companies will still cost you thousands of dollars. Getting something traditionally published is very competitive these days.

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Opportunities

I’m excited to be teaching more workshops soon! New ones! I’d love for you to join me!

Historical Fiction Writing at Glyde In, East Fremantle, 3 sessions in June/July

Historical Fiction Writing at Stirling Street Arts Centre, Bunbury, morning and afternoon 17 July

And I’ve got something special happening at the Albany Summer School in January! More to come soon.

Happy writing!

Rosemary

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