Authors are increasingly being targeted by publishing scams. Scammers may impersonate publishers, literary agents, famous authors, book promotion services, or other legitimate organisations in an attempt to steal money, personal information or sensitive data.
As many authors and publishing professionals will tell you, this issue is only becoming more pervasive. Utilising new AI tools, these scam artists are finding more sophisticated ways to try and manipulate authors. Staying vigilant is incredibly important to protect you and your work. Here are six quick tips to help keep you safe! But first…
What to Do If You’ve Been the Victim of a Publishing Scam
If you’ve been the victim of a scam, your first step should be to call your bank. Freeze your card and, where possible, block or dispute any unauthorised payments, protecting yourself from any further financial transaction. If your accounts have been compromised, change your passwords across your accounts, not just the compromised one. If they have accessed your technology in any way, please run a virus and malware scan.
After taking the immediate steps you can to control the impact, please report the scam to the relevant authorities in your country to help protect others. Additionally, you may wish to let your peers know what to look out for.
If you are based in the UK, you can report fraud here. If you are based in the US, you can report fraud here.
Remember: Being scammed is not something to be ashamed of. Scammers are experts at what they do and find methods to confuse and manipulate. Anyone can be a victim of a scam. The better equipped you are to recognise the signs, the safer you’ll be.
Six Warning Signs of a Publishing Scam
1. Be wary of unsolicited contact
Don’t automatically trust people getting in touch out of the blue. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is. All unsolicited contact should be treated with caution. Before you get excited, make sure to thoroughly check the credibility of the person reaching out. Remain sceptical until given reason not to be! Remember, with new access to technology, scams are becoming more complex and detailed. An official-looking website doesn’t necessarily mean that the contact is legitimate. Check for warning signs, research the company, and authenticate thoroughly using the steps below.
2. Check the details — not just the spelling.
One of your first steps when checking for scams is to check the spelling! If an email is filled with errors, it likely isn’t from a reputable source. However, double-check emails that look like they’re free of errors as well for small spelling errors in company names, titles, or in the sender’s name. For example, if you are contacted by someone claiming to be from a certain company, it may be that there’s an actual human working for that company with the same name, but the employee’s name is Erica and the scammer is using Erika to impersonate her. Small errors can make a big difference when uncovering scammers.
AI tools can make fraudulent messages appear more polished and convincing than they once were. Scammers may use AI to imitate professional writing, create convincing websites or generate realistic-looking promotional materials. As a result, spelling mistakes and poor grammar should no longer be treated as the only warning signs. Even if an email looks completely professional, check the sender’s identity, email domain, claims, and contact details independently.
3. Verify the email address and domain
Whilst you check spelling, you should also check the sender’s email address. Is it from an official email address associated with the company? Or is the address a slight variation and not a reputable email address? Thankfully, this is easy to check using a search engine. An example of this would be receiving an email from Penguin Author House instead of Penguin Random House.
Furthermore, an email from Gmail or another personal email service should prompt additional caution, particularly if the person claims to represent an established publisher, literary agency or other company. Verify their identity independently before responding or sharing information.
You may also receive unsolicited contact via social media; be sure to treat that with the same seriousness as any unsolicited email contact!
4. Don’t click before you verify
Avoid clicking links, downloading attachments or opening documents in an unsolicited message until you’ve independently confirmed who sent it. Instead, visit the organisation’s official website by typing the address into your browser or using a trusted bookmark. This will help you avoid the risk of phishing, a common cybercrime where scammers steal your information, sensitive details, and, potentially, your financial information.
5. Never pay unexpected upfront fees
If they’re asking for money, do not provide your financial details or make any payment. There should be no reason for an individual to reach out to you offering collaboration and demanding an upfront payment. Be thoroughly critical of any exchange that asks for a financial transaction.
In addition to this, do not provide any sensitive or personal information, such as passport details, ID, any account details, passwords, or unpublished work, without first authenticating the contact and also understanding the reason for the demand.
Take the time to research, authenticate, and hesitate, which leads to…
6. Don’t let scammers rush you
Urgency is a quick indicator for scam behaviour. There should never be a need for immediate transactions, confirmation, or other actions on your behalf. Do not trust any outreach that has a tight deadline or is encouraging you to act quickly. There is no incentive for this behaviour in an unsolicited email other than to speed you through the process of authentication. If it’s now or never, pick never.
Publishing scam warning signs to watch out for
- Unexpected contact from a publisher, agent or promoter
- Pressure to respond immediately
- Requests for upfront payment
- Requests for bank details or personal information
- An unfamiliar or slightly altered email domain
- Spelling mistakes or unusual wording
- Links that don’t lead to the organisation’s genuine website
- Attachments you weren’t expecting
- Claims that you’ve been “specially selected”
- Promises of guaranteed publication, sales or bestseller status
- Requests to keep the opportunity confidential
- Refusal to let you independently verify their identity
- An unnecessary rush or fast demands
What to Do If You’re Unsure Whether an Opportunity Is Legitimate
If it doesn’t feel right, please trust your gut! Authors are targeted as scammers know that writers are passionate about their work and want to succeed. As a result, we advise that you stay cautious. If you’re in doubt and it doesn’t feel right, please research the contact and platform, and pay attention to the small details, as listed above. Never be afraid to ask for help!
The more you know about common scam tactics, the better equipped you’ll be to spot them. Other publishers and major literary platforms are also encountering these problems. Hachette Book Group has released a fraud guide to help you stay informed. In addition to this, there are also fraud prevention pages and resources from Penguin, Bloomsbury, HarperCollins, Pan MacMillan, and Simon & Schuster. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent a major publishing company, please research your contact and contact the organisation using an independently verified official email address to confirm the validity if you are unsure.
You can also find out more about how to avoid scams as an author by reading The Authors Guild’s ‘Avoiding Publishing Scams’ and ‘Publishing Scams’ by Writer Beware.
How to Verify a Genuine Sapere Books Contact
We are aware of the fact that scammers may impersonate Sapere Books. Please be cautious if you receive any unexpected contact from ‘us’. Genuine emails from Sapere Books will always come from a @saperebooks.com email address. In addition, authors and readers are encouraged to verify the identity of anyone claiming to represent Sapere Books by checking our About Us and Team page. You can also contact us directly at amy@saperebooks.com to verify any contact.
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