Common self-publishing scams

In this article I’m going to outline the common scams you will see in the self-publishing world. For an overview of the steps involved, see my guide to the self-publishing process. These are scams that I have seen over my twenty-five years in the industry. Some are more common than others, but as an author you must be constantly on the lookout for scammy operators. I keep this article updated and regularly add content as new scams pop up.

Vanity presses posing as publishers

Let us start with the most common ‘scam’ you are likely to come across as a self-publishing author: the vanity press.

These are companies that take a writer’s manuscript and turn it into a book. One thing that is really important to understand is that many of the companies mentioned here will do what they say. They are not necessarily lying about the service; it is the business model that is the scammy part of the process.

The real issue is that vanity presses will present themselves as legitimate publishing companies, preying on authors’ lack of understanding about the publishing world.

A legit traditional book publisher will never ask a writer for money. You can learn more about the traditional publishing process in this article. A vanity press will expect the writer to pay for the publication process up front, often asking for thousands to cover the costs.

A traditional book publisher makes money from selling books. A vanity press makes money from selling services.

Now… a little word of warning. There are companies that help writers to self-publish their books, but they will do it in a legit and ethical manner, informing the author from the start how their business model works. This is called hybrid publishing. You can read this article to [find out more about hybrid publkishing].

A vanity press will start the process by making the author think they are selective about what books they publish (they are not). They use selective-sounding language while accepting nearly every manuscript submitted. They will then offer expensive publishing packages, compulsory services and inflated fees. This will result in the unsuspecting writer paying out more than was needed to create a book that has little chance of success.

Examples of the pattern

A typical encounter looks like this:

1. You submit a manuscript or receive an unsolicited approach.
2. The company responds with lavish praise and an “acceptance.”
3. Only afterward does it offer a “partnership,” “contributory,” or “hybrid” contract.
4. You’re asked for several thousand dollars toward publication.
5. The basic package is followed by expensive marketing, book-fair, Hollywood-pitch, review, or bookstore-placement offers.
6. The book may technically be available online, but little meaningful marketing or bookstore distribution occurs.

There are several of these companies in existence. The website Writer Beware specifically identifies the following as “prolific vanity publishers” based on author reports and the organizations’ fee-charging models:

• Austin Macauley Publishers.
• Pegasus Elliot Mackenzie.
• Olympia Publishers.
• Morgan James Publishing.
• Page Publishing.
• Christian Faith Publishing.
• Newman Springs Publishing.

Another prominent example is Author Solutions, whose brands have included:

• AuthorHouse.
• iUniverse.
• Xlibris.
• Trafford Publishing.
• Palibrio.
• Booktango.

It has also operated services carrying established publishing names, including Balboa Press, WestBow Press, Archway Publishing, and LifeRich Publishing.

Writer Beware has criticized its hard-selling, solicitations, and marketing practices, while warning that buying one of these services does not give an author meaningful access to the associated traditional publisher. Read Writer Beware’s Author Solutions discussion.

There are several documented cases of vanity presses, which include:

• Press-Tige Publishing: Its owner took nearly $750,000 from more than 200 authors and was later convicted.
• Tate Publishing: Charged four-figure author fees while portraying itself as a conventional publisher; it eventually closed amid extensive complaints and legal judgments.
• Vantage Press: A longstanding vanity operation that disappeared in 2013, leaving authors unable to obtain answers or services.
• PublishAmerica/America Star Books: Presented itself as traditional while using author purchases and paid extras as important revenue sources; it later closed.

These cases are summarized in Writer Beware’s vanity-publishing guide.

Sites containing names, ratings or warnings

You will find lots of websites that list publishers you should avoid. Here are a few to check out.

• ALLi Self-Publishing Services Ratings — Searchable directory of companies evaluated for value, service, quality, and integrity.
• Writer Beware — Detailed investigations, named examples and current scam warnings.
• Authors Guild: Publishers to Avoid — Named publishers associated with documented complaints.
• Authors Guild: Publishing Scam Alerts — Current reported scams and impersonation schemes.
• WritersWeekly: Publishers and Services to Avoid — A frequently updated named list; cross-check its entries with another source.
• Absolute Write forums — Search the “Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check” section for authors’ experiences with a particular company.
• Poets & Writers: Vanity Publishers — A straightforward explanation of the model and its warning signs.

Fake traditional publishing offers

This nasty little scam can go eat a bag of dicks as far as I am concerned. It always feels particularly cruel.

These schemes begin by making the author believe they have received a genuine, selective publishing offer. You will often see evidence of these on social sites, such as Reddit, where authors will ask the community if the offer is too good to be true.

The “publisher” may praise the manuscript, describe it as commercially exceptional, or claim that an acquisitions committee has approved it. Only after the author becomes emotionally invested does the company introduce a required payment—for editing, production, marketing, insurance, taxes, certifications, or some other supposed prerequisite.

Again, we are back to that adage: if the publisher is asking for money, it’s probably a scam.

A legitimate traditional publisher assumes the financial risk. It pays the production costs, pays the author royalties, and may also pay an advance. Smaller legitimate presses do not always offer advances, but they still do not require the author to fund publication.

For example, Penguin Random House expressly states that it never charges authors or requires them to purchase outside services before considering a manuscript. PRH fraud guidance

How the offer is manufactured

This is one of those evolving scams, and how an author is approached can vary. Writers often receive a direct message on social media, which should also be a red flag.

A typical approach might say:

“Our editorial board was deeply impressed by your manuscript. We have selected it for our upcoming publishing season. Because only two places remain, please respond within five days. Your contract is fully funded, although the manuscript must first receive a professional editorial certification from our approved editor.”

The supposed certification then costs $2,000. After that, the author may be told that publication requires another payment for marketing, returnability, copyright registration, printing, book-fair representation or a guaranteed order.

If an author engages with the company, the pressure tactics will increase. These often include:

• Excessive praise that says little specific about the manuscript.
• Claims that an acquisitions board unanimously approved the book.
• References to “limited publishing slots” or an expiring offer.
• Promises of unusually large advances, royalties or sales.
• A fee disguised as an author “investment,” “commitment” or “contribution.”
• A requirement to purchase hundreds of author copies.
• A requirement to use an editor, publicist or marketing company selected by the publisher.
• A promise that the fee will be refunded after a particular number of sales.
• Requests for payment before an advance, acquisition or rights sale can be released.

One little note here. It is easy to be tricked into purchasing ‘author copied’ of a book. Here’s where the confusion lies. When you are traditionally published, the contract will stipulate how many copies of the book the author will receive for free. If the author then wants more copies, they will have to pay. That’s standard. I have found that when buying author copies, you are normally expected to pay half the cover cost. This is the same as a bookseller.

A compulsory bulk purchase of author copies is a scam and is still author-funded publishing. Writer Beware calls this back-end vanity publishing: the author pays at the end of the process by purchasing finished books instead of paying an openly stated production fee. Writer Beware’s explanation

Documented examples

Unfortunately, there are many examples of writers being tricked by this scam. Here are a few…

• PageTurner Press and Media: A 2025 federal indictment alleged that authors were falsely told publishers or film studios had selected their books, but that taxes, transaction costs and other fees had to be paid first. Prosecutors reported more than 800 alleged victims and approximately $44 million in losses. US Department of Justice case announcement

• Edit Ink: This historical operation claimed that only a “select few” manuscripts were referred to it and that professional editing was needed for publication. Writer Beware documented undisclosed connections and referral payments between fee-charging agents and the editing company. Writer Beware case studies

• Press-Tige/New Millennium Publishing: Martha Ivery operated fee-charging agencies under another name, pushed authors toward paid editing, and then referred them to publishing businesses she secretly controlled. Authors were charged thousands of dollars. The operation eventually resulted in a federal prosecution. Writer Beware case studies

• Big-publisher impersonations: Scammers have impersonated employees of Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette and HarperCollins, sometimes producing contracts and acquisition letters carrying authentic-looking logos. The real publisher is not involved.

  • Simon & Schuster fraud alert and known aliases
  • Penguin Random House fraud alert
  • Hachette Book Group fraud alert
  • HarperCollins/Mills & Boon fraud alert

Simon & Schuster’s alert identifies names previously used without its permission, including Ace Publishing Services, Book Solutions Press, Cadmus Literary, Independent Book Agents, The Literary Firm, Victoria Fox Literary, Writer’s Torch, and several misleading Simon & Schuster lookalike domains.

How to verify an offer

So how do you know if an offer is legit? I’d start by saying that publishers do not reach out to authors. This means that if you get an unsolicited offer, it’s probably a scam.

Here are a few steps you can take to check an offer…

• Find the publisher’s official website independently.
• Contact the publisher through the address published on that site.
• Verify that the sender’s domain matches exactly; a Gmail address or a subtly misspelled domain is a major warning.
• Look for the employee on the publisher’s official staff directory.
• Examine the publisher’s catalogue. Check whether the books are professionally produced and have genuine reader sales—not merely Amazon listings.
• Contact several authors from its catalogue privately.
• Check its previous publishing deals and submission history.
• Ask who distributes its books to physical bookstores. “Available through Ingram” only means a store can theoretically order the book; it does not establish active trade distribution.
• Read the contract for required purchases, recoupable charges, affiliated services, rights transfers and termination provisions.
• Refuse artificial deadlines. A legitimate publisher will allow time for an agent or publishing lawyer to review the contract.

Sites listing warnings and reported companies

There are several sites you can visit to learn more about this scam…

• Writer Beware — Investigations of fake publishers, impersonators, fee schemes and suspicious contracts.
• Authors Guild publishing scam alerts — Named and recently reported schemes.
• Authors Guild publishers to avoid — Publishers associated with documented contractual, payment or business concerns.
• ALLi service ratings — Searchable ratings for publishing and author-service companies.
• Absolute Write — Search its “Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check” forum for company names and author experiences.
• WritersWeekly companies to avoid — Named publishing and author-service businesses; allegations should be cross-checked.
• Writer Beware’s small-press guide — Advice for checking catalogues, fees, personnel, experience and distribution.

Guaranteed bestseller packages

This scam is less common than it once was, but you do see it raising its ugly head from time to time.

No ethical publisher, publicist or marketing company can guarantee bestseller status, a particular number of sales, media coverage or positive reader reviews. Those outcomes depend on readers, retailers, journalists, reviewers, competing books and algorithms that the marketer does not control.

In fact, I have written a whole article on why [publishers are so bad at spotting bestsellers]. It explains how the whole business model is built on a small percentage of published books making a profit while the rest fail.

A responsible marketer can guarantee only the work it will perform—for example, creating advertisements, contacting a defined media list or running a campaign for 30 days. It cannot honestly guarantee how third parties will respond.

The Authors Guild specifically warns that no publisher can guarantee sales or bestseller status. Authors Guild contract guidance

How a “bestseller” can be manufactured

One little sidestep some of these scammers will use is to redefine the term ‘bestseller’.

Some packages use it in an extremely narrow sense:

1. The book is placed in a small or loosely relevant Amazon subcategory.
2. Its price is temporarily reduced, sometimes to $0.99, or it is offered free.
3. Purchases are coordinated within a short period.
4. The resulting sales burst briefly moves the book to the top of that particular category.
5. A screenshot is captured before the ranking falls again.
6. The author is subsequently advertised as an “Amazon bestselling author.”

Amazon explains that its rankings are relative, weight recent activity heavily and are calculated separately for different formats.

A single sale can substantially affect the rank of a low-volume book. Amazon also maintains separate paid and free charts. Amazon’s official ranking explanation

Consequently, these statements could describe very different achievements:

• “Number one bestselling book”
• “Number one in a Kindle subcategory for several hours”
• “Number one free download in a small category”
• “Number one New York Times hardcover nonfiction bestseller”

They are not interchangeable. A temporary Amazon category badge may be genuine within its limited context, but it does not necessarily indicate substantial revenue, national sales or an enduring readership.

Amazon also warns that purchasing or borrowing activity intended to manipulate its services can result in lost royalties or account termination.

And here’s your problem as a writer. These companies know that when they say ‘bestseller’ you are hearing ‘long term sucess’. What they are actually offering is a short-term blip with no lasting value. It is this ‘misunderstadning’ that is the real scam here.

Bulk-purchase campaigns

If you have the money, getting your book to rank on a bestseller list is very possible and happens all the time. Some campaigns concentrate thousands of purchases during the reporting window used by a bestseller list. For example, Amazon has a policy that any pre-sales count as day one purchases. You need to pre-sell fewer books than you would imagine to get to the top of the lists. The books may be bought by the author, a sponsor or the campaign organizer and processed in ways intended to resemble ordinary consumer sales.

A well-known historical example involved ResultSource, which sold campaigns designed to place books on bestseller lists. Reporting documented arrangements in which large quantities of books were purchased during a carefully selected week. Such a campaign can create a chart appearance without demonstrating that thousands of independent readers wanted the book. Forbes’ account of the practice

A coordinated launch is not inherently improper. Authors routinely encourage genuine readers to purchase during release week. The warning signs are concealed bulk buying, irrelevant categorization, fabricated transactions or promises that a particular list placement is certain.

Here are some notable examples:

• Mark and Grace Driscoll — Real Marriage. Mars Hill Church spent roughly $210,000 on a ResultSource campaign that included purchasing 11,000 copies through methods designed to influence bestseller reporting. Mark Driscoll later said he regarded the strategy as manipulation, stopped calling himself a New York Times bestselling author and apologized. Christianity Today’s account and details of the campaign

• Soren Kaplan — Leapfrogging. Kaplan publicly disclosed purchasing approximately 2,500 copies through ResultSource for about $55,000. The book reached number three on the Wall Street Journal business list and reportedly fell 99 percent the following week. Kaplan subsequently described these campaigns as allowing people with enough money and knowledge to buy their way onto bestseller lists. Background on the ResultSource system

• Donald Trump Jr. — Triggered. The Republican National Committee spent $94,800 buying copies shortly before the book reached number one on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction list. The listing carried a dagger indicating reported bulk orders. This was an organizational purchase, not proof that Trump Jr. personally bought the books; reporting also indicated that the book probably would have entered the list without those purchases. CBS News and Axios’ qualification

• Lani Sarem — Handbook for Mortals. The novel unexpectedly appeared at number one on the New York Times young-adult hardcover list. Booksellers reported unusual orders, including callers allegedly asking whether their stores reported sales to the Times. Following an investigation, the Times removed the book because its sales did not meet the list’s criteria. The Times did not publicly state exactly who arranged every purchase, so this should be described as a suspicious-sales case—not a proven personal purchase by Sarem. Publishers Weekly’s report

• Ted Cruz — A Time for Truth. The New York Times initially excluded the book, saying its sales reflected strategic bulk purchases intended to influence rankings. Cruz denied manipulating sales, while Amazon and HarperCollins said they found no evidence of manipulation. This remains a disputed example. TIME’s contemporary report

Bulk purchasing itself can be legitimate. A company might buy 5,000 books for employees, or a political organization might distribute books to donors. The troubling version involves breaking bulk purchases into apparently independent retail orders, targeting reporting stores, concealing who funded the purchases, or presenting the resulting ranking as evidence of widespread reader demand.

Worthless marketing bundles

This scam has become increasingly common in the AI era, when scammy marketers can generate generic information with little effort.

I’d also add here that book marketing is hard. If it were easy, book publishers would make every book a bestseller. That’s not to say marketing has no value. It does, but finding the marketing that will work for your book is not a given. It requires insight, hard work and luck.

Many author-service companies sell expensive bundles combining press releases, social-media posts, email campaigns, book trailers, online advertising and promises of “global exposure.”

The company may perform every listed activity and still accomplish almost nothing because activity is not the same as reaching likely readers.

A marketing bundle is not necessarily fraudulent simply because it produces few sales—marketing always involves uncertainty. The problem arises when inexpensive, generic deliverables are sold at a large markup, the audience is irrelevant or nonexistent, or the company presents meaningless activity as evidence of success.

Writer Beware describes this as “junk book marketing”: one-size-fits-all services that are cheap to perform, heavily marked up and frequently ineffective. Writer Beware’s marketing guide

What these bundles commonly contain

The exact nature of the book marketing bundle will vary. In fact, the contents are not always the scam; it is often the inflated price.

A package costing several thousand dollars might promise:

• A professionally written press release.
• Distribution to hundreds of media outlets.
• A “global” email campaign.
• Daily social-media promotion.
• A cinematic book trailer.
• Search-engine optimization.
• A featured author interview.
• Placement at an international book fair.
• Submission to reviewers, libraries or bookstores.
• A report showing thousands or millions of impressions.

The number of deliverables makes the package appear substantial. In reality, many can be generated from templates, stock footage, automated distribution systems and scheduled social posts at minimal cost.

Press releases

God, I hate these things! They feel like they should work, but unless you have something newsworthy, they are a complete waste.

A press release is useful when there is genuine news, the recipients have been selected carefully and someone follows up with relevant journalists. Simply uploading a generic release to a distribution service rarely generates meaningful coverage.

A company may claim that a release appeared on “200 media sites.” Frequently, this means the same release was automatically copied onto lightly visited syndication pages. That is not the same as 200 journalists independently covering the book.

If you are being promised a press release, ask:

• Why? What is newsworthy about my book?
• Who will write the release?
• Can I see examples written for comparable books?
• Which journalists or publications will receive it?
• Is distribution automated or individually pitched?
• Does “placement” mean an independent article or a syndicated copy?
• Will the company follow up with journalists?
• How will referral traffic and resulting sales be measured?

Writer Beware has cited an assisted-publishing press-release service priced at $1,299 that provided a release written by an unidentified staff member and uploaded to PRWeb. Its concern was that the release would sit among thousands of others without targeted pitching or follow-up. Prices may change, but the example illustrates the markup problem. Writer Beware’s analysis

Social-media campaigns

This is, by far, the most common upsell. Authors are told over and over again that they need to use social media. Many writers either have no real social media following or have no working knowledge of how to gain traction. That can make these types of campaigns feel attractive. Please be wary.

A campaign promising 50 or 100 posts has little value if those posts appear on accounts followed mainly by other authors, bots or inactive users. Reposting the cover with generic phrases such as “a must-read book” is activity, not an audience strategy.

Before paying, inspect the accounts yourself:

• How many reactions, comments and shares does a normal post receive?
• Are comments genuine and relevant?
• Are followers located in markets where the book is available?
• Does the account promote hundreds of unrelated books?
• Do posts send readers to a trackable sales or landing page?
• Will you receive platform-generated statistics rather than screenshots?
• Is paid advertising included, and how much money actually goes to the platform?

The reality is that ten engaged readers in the right genre may be more valuable than 50,000 nominal followers who ignore every post.

Email campaigns

Email still works! People open and read emails. However, they only open and read emails they want. Promises of mass email campaigns should be viewed with caution.

“Your book will be emailed to 100,000 readers” sounds impressive, but the number means little without information about the list.

Ask:

• How did subscribers join the list?
• Did they consent to receive book promotions?
• Which genres do they read?
• In which countries are they located?
• How recently have they engaged?
• What are the list’s typical click and unsubscribe rates?
• Will the campaign be a dedicated email or one item among dozens?
• Can the provider show results from comparable books?
• Will you receive unique clicks and attributed sales—not merely the number of emails sent?

An untargeted message to 100,000 addresses may generate fewer sales than a dedicated recommendation to 2,000 enthusiastic readers of the appropriate genre. It may also be spam.

So here’s a little personal tale to put things in perspective. I currently have a mailing list of 15,784 emails. I say emails because these aren’t people. Most of the people that join my list do so because they have downloaded my free writing eBook. To get the eBook you have to confirm your email. It’s called ‘double opt in’ and is designed to ensure that my list only includes people who want to be on it. So here’s the thing: I can see how many people submitted their email and didn’t confirm it. You know how many it is? 3908. That means nearly a third of my list are scammy emails. Just be wary of list numbers. Emails and active people are not the same thing. For most lists an engagement rate of 5% is considered good.

Book trailers

There has been a boom in book trailers. They seem to be something that authors like to have. How effective they are for book sales is debatable at best. However, whatever your view on the value of a book trailer, marketing companies like to offer and push them.

A competent trailer can be an attractive asset, especially if the author already has an audience and a plan for using video. But many bundled trailers consist of stock images, generic music, templated text and synthetic narration. The video is then uploaded to a channel with almost no genuine viewership.

If you are thinking of a trailer, here’s what to request from the creator:

• Examples produced by the actual editor who will make yours.
• A treatment or creative concept before production.
• Confirmation that music, images and footage are properly licensed.
• The final high-resolution file and editable source files.
• A distribution plan identifying actual channels and audiences.
• Watch time, completed views, clicks and attributed sales.

Writer Beware specifically warns about stock-image trailers with automated narration placed on little-watched YouTube channels. Its “junk marketing” investigation

Meaningless marketing reports

If you are thinking about marketing your book, you will certainly come across the idea of a marketing report. The content can vary, but normally this will be an examination of the market, a look at the strengths and weaknesses, and a strategy for how your book can gain visibility and traction.

Ten years ago this was the first step for a marketing guru. It would take days or weeks of work. Today, it’s pretty much AI slop for scammy marketing people.

Weak campaigns often end with polished reports containing large numbers but no connection to sales. Common vanity metrics include:

• Impressions: The content was displayed; this does not establish that anyone noticed it.
• Potential reach: Often calculated by adding follower counts, regardless of whether those followers saw the post.
• Press placements: May be automated copies of the same release.
• Video views: May include autoplay, very short views, purchased traffic or bots.
• Emails delivered: Says nothing about whether recipients opened or clicked.
• Website visits: May include automated crawlers or irrelevant overseas traffic.
• Social engagements: May consist of low-quality reactions from promotional accounts.
• Advertising clicks: Meaningless without knowing their cost, quality and conversion rate.

Warning signs in a report include unexplained graphs, screenshots instead of platform exports, missing dates, no links, no audience demographics, no separation of paid and organic traffic, and no connection between activity and book purchases.

A credible report should provide:

• Named platforms and accounts.
• Campaign dates.
• Actual advertising expenditure separated from management fees.
• Audience targeting settings.
• Unique reach, clicks and landing-page visits.
• Click-through and conversion rates.
• Cost per click and cost per sale.
• Sales or newsletter subscriptions attributable to the campaign.
• Raw exports or direct access to the advertising account.
• An explanation of what did not work and what should change.

A marketing report should be a clear, actionable document. If it’s a confused mess of vague promises and actions, you’ve been scammed.

Sites for checking marketing providers

• Writer Beware: marketing and publicity services — Detailed warnings about press releases, trailers, social campaigns, paid interviews and book-fair displays.
• Writer Beware blog — Current investigations of publishing and marketing schemes.
• Authors Guild scam alerts — Named reports involving publicity, visibility and marketing offers.
• ALLi service ratings — Searchable evaluations of self-publishing service providers.
• Absolute Write — Search the “Bewares, Recommendations & Background Check” forum for provider names.
• WritersWeekly companies to avoid — Named warnings that should be cross-checked independently.
• Authors Guild marketing resources — Educational material on realistic publicity, newsletters, social media and events.

Paid-review schemes

This is a scam that pops up for authors who have already published a book. It preys on the fact that authors are always looking for more sales, and reviews are an important part of this process.

Let me start by saying that not every paid book review is improper. The key distinction is between a professional editorial review whose source and commercial nature are identifiable and a customer review purchased to look like an independent reader’s opinion.

An author can legitimately pay an established editorial outlet to read and assess a book. The payment guarantees that the book will be reviewed but not that the verdict will be favorable. This practice has been going on for donkey’s years. By contrast, paying people to post five-star ratings on Amazon, Goodreads or another consumer platform creates a false impression of spontaneous reader approval. It’s also a breach of their terms of service and can lead to a book and author getting banned.

Legitimate editorial review versus purchased customer review

Legitimate editorial review	Manipulated customer review
Appears under the reviewer or publication’s name	Presented as an ordinary reader’s independent opinion
Payment secures an assessment, not a positive verdict	Payment depends on posting or giving a favorable rating
Can contain criticism or an unfavorable conclusion	Five stars or positive language is guaranteed
Used as an attributed quotation, blurb or editorial review	Posted in a retailer’s customer-review section
Commercial relationship is stated or discoverable	Payment, refund or other incentive is concealed
Reviewer follows an editorial process	Reviewer may not read the entire book—or any of it
No guaranteed sales or ranking improvement	Often sold as a way to manipulate visibility or rankings

Examples of established fee-for-review models include Kirkus Indie, Foreword Clarion and BookLife Reviews. This is not an endorsement of their value, but each openly describes its commercial model and says that paying guarantees a review rather than a positive conclusion.

Kirkus, for example, states that its reviews can be positive, negative or somewhere in between. Kirkus Indie’s explanation Foreword describes Clarion as an objective fee-for-review service rather than a source of guaranteed praise. Foreword Clarion

The word “guaranteed” therefore needs careful interpretation:

• “We guarantee that a qualified reviewer will deliver a 400-word assessment” can be legitimate.
• “We guarantee twenty five-star Amazon reviews” is a serious warning sign.

How purchased-review schemes work

It’s often easy to spot these scammers by the language they use.

Common offers include:

• “Ten verified Amazon reviews for $299.”
• “Fifty guaranteed five-star reviews.”
• “Real US and UK reader accounts.”
• “Verified-purchase review packages.”
• “Positive Goodreads ratings delivered within seven days.”
• “Refund provided after you purchase the book and review it.”
• “Join our review club and exchange reviews with other authors.”
• “Negative reviews will be rewritten or replaced.”
• “Reviews are guaranteed to remain online.”

The provider may use fake accounts, paid freelancers, review exchanges, automated text or people who purchase the ebook and are privately reimbursed. Some services instruct reviewers to wait a certain number of days, vary their ratings slightly or include details from the description to make the reviews look authentic.

These measures do not make the reviews independent. They are attempts to conceal the commercial arrangement.

Questions to ask a review provider

If you are thinking about using a paid review service, here are some questions to ask to ensure you are not being scammed.

Before paying, ask:

• Is this an editorial review or a retailer customer review?
• Where exactly will it appear?
• Is the payment disclosed?
• Is the reviewer guaranteed to read the complete book?
• Can the review be unfavorable?
• Does the author have any power to alter its conclusion?
• Are reviewers paid, reimbursed or given gift cards?
• Is posting a review required after receiving the book?
• Does the service comply with the named platform’s current rules?
• Can it provide the policy language supporting that claim?
• What happens if the retailer removes the reviews?
• Who owns and operates the service?

Examples of reported schemes

There have been countless examples of paid reviewers getting caught. Here are just a few…

Writer Beware documented solicitations from supposed private reader communities claiming to contain thousands of genre readers. Authors were asked to pay each reviewer a “tip” of approximately $20–$30 and commit to packages of 30–50 reviewers. The claimed community size and other details changed between solicitations, and the scheme used payment intermediaries and unverifiable identities. Writer Beware’s investigation

Another variation sends an author an unsolicited, highly flattering “professional review.” The supposed reviewer then uses that praise to begin selling publishing, marketing or representation services. Writer Beware found that some of these reviews appeared to be generated from publicly available book descriptions rather than genuine reading. Examples of fake review bait

Fake-review brokerage is not limited to books. Amazon has sued businesses and operators accused of organizing compensated reviews through websites and social-media groups. In one action, Amazon targeted administrators associated with more than 10,000 Facebook groups allegedly used to arrange fake reviews for money or free products. Amazon’s account of that action

Useful resources

• Amazon Community Guidelines — Current rules and possible enforcement consequences.
• Amazon KDP customer-review guidance — Reasons book reviews may be rejected or removed.
• Goodreads review guidelines — Rules concerning paid reviews, disclosures and rating manipulation.
• FTC Consumer Review Rule — US rules governing fake and sentiment-conditioned reviews.
• FTC guidance for marketers — Practical advice about incentives, disclosures and review services.
• Writer Beware — Investigations of review, marketing and publishing schemes.
• Authors Guild scam alerts — Current warnings for authors.

Copyright and ISBN upselling

I see this scam most often in companies offering authors a bundle of services. It seems to hinge on two things. The first is the writers’ lack of understanding of the process. The second is the fear that a book’s idea, or even text, will be stolen.

Copyright registration and ISBNs are legitimate publishing tools, but dishonest companies often make them sound more complicated, expensive, or legally essential than they really are. It is very possible to self-publish a book and never have an ISBN and never register for copyright.

The scam usually involves taking an ordinary administrative task, adding frightening claims about piracy or ownership, and charging the author hundreds—or sometimes thousands—of dollars to handle it.

Copyright, registration and ISBNs are different things

It’s really easy to get ISBNs and copyright mixed up.

Item	What it does	What it does not do
Copyright	Gives the creator legal rights over an original work	It does not depend on buying an ISBN
Copyright registration	Creates an official record and may provide additional legal benefits in countries that offer registration	It does not normally create the copyright itself
ISBN	Identifies a particular edition and format of a book in the book trade	It does not prove authorship or protect the text
Barcode	Allows retailers to scan an ISBN and sometimes a price	It does not provide additional legal protection
Publishing account	Controls publication, payments and book metadata on a platform	It does not determine copyright ownership by itself

Under the Berne Convention system followed by most countries, copyright generally arises automatically when an original work is recorded in a fixed form. WIPO explains that most countries do not require copyright registration, and WIPO itself does not operate an international copyright registry. Some countries offer voluntary registration systems that provide useful evidence or legal benefits. WIPO copyright FAQ

In the United States, for example, copyright exists automatically once the work is created and fixed. Registration is not required merely to own the copyright, although registration provides important enforcement benefits and is generally necessary before bringing a US infringement action. US Copyright Office: What Is Copyright?

An ISBN has an entirely different purpose. It identifies a particular version of a book so that retailers, libraries, distributors and databases can distinguish it from other books and formats. A paperback, hardcover and substantially revised edition will normally require separate ISBNs. An ISBN does not register the manuscript, establish copyright ownership or prevent copying.

In fact, if you are only selling on Amazon you don’t need an ISBN. They use their own, self-applied, internal number.

When an author may need copyright registration

That said, sometimes you will want to copyright a book. Whether registration is worthwhile depends on the author’s country, publication plans and level of risk.

A US author publishing a book commercially may decide to register because timely registration can affect available remedies in an infringement case. Authors in countries without a registration system may already receive automatic protection without having an equivalent application to file (e.g. UK). Legal deposit requirements, where they exist, are separate from copyright registration.

Registration is generally less urgent for an unpublished manuscript being shown privately to editors, beta readers or legitimate literary agents. Authors should nevertheless keep dated drafts, correspondence, contracts and source files. These materials can help document the development and authorship of the work.

Authors should consult the official authority for their country rather than assuming that advice written for US authors applies everywhere.

One thing to remember is that if you do get tied up in a copyright case (which is very rare), all you will have to do is prove that you published the work first. Easy when you have a Word doc with an encoded date.

When an author may need an ISBN

The same goes for ISBNs. You might get away with never needing one. Alternatively, it might be the solution to a particular problem.

An ISBN is usually useful when a book will be distributed through bookstores, libraries, wholesalers or multiple retail platforms. It helps the book enter commercial catalogues and ordering systems. In other words, distribution systems use ISBNs.

However, an ISBN is not required in every situation:

• Amazon KDP does not require an ISBN for a Kindle ebook.
• KDP can supply a free ISBN for eligible paperback and hardcover books.
• A free KDP ISBN can be used only through KDP and lists the imprint as “Independently published.”
• An author who purchases an ISBN from the appropriate national agency can normally use it with multiple publishing and distribution services for that same edition and format.
• Each format or materially different edition generally requires its own ISBN.

Amazon explains these distinctions in its official KDP ISBN guidance.

Authors planning to operate under their own publishing imprint may prefer to obtain their own ISBNs. Those publishing only a Kindle ebook, or using a platform’s free print ISBN and accepting its limitations, may not need to purchase one.

Common upselling tactics

So, with that clear, how do you know when you are being scammed? And before you read on, let me remind you that you can easily apply for your own ISBN online. It’s easy. Copyright is a little more complicated.

Watch for companies claiming that an author must purchase:

• An “international copyright certificate”
• A “global copyright seal”
• An “international book seal”
• A “copyright activation” or annual copyright renewal
• An expensive “book licence” or “publishing rights order”
• A blockchain certificate presented as official government registration
• A new ISBN merely because the book is moving to another retailer, even though the edition and publisher have not changed
• An expensive barcode package without explaining that a barcode can often be generated inexpensively
• A copyright-and-ISBN bundle without itemising the official fees and the company’s service charge

There is no worldwide copyright registration system operated by WIPO. Claims that an author must purchase an “international copyright registration” before a publisher, film producer or literary agent can consider the book are a serious warning sign.

Writer Beware has documented schemes selling fictional services under names such as “Separation of Book Rights Order,” “Legal Registration for IP Protection” and “Independent Publishing Registration.” In one reported case, an author was referred to an affiliated service that charged $5,000 for a package involving supposed relicensing, copyright, ISBN and distribution permits. Writer Beware: The latest fake literary agencies

Inflated registration fees

The most common ISBN scam is to inflate the cost of registering one.

An intermediary may legitimately charge for completing an application, but it should disclose:

1. The official government or ISBN-agency fee
2. Its separate administrative or professional fee
3. Exactly what it will submit
4. Whose name will appear on the application
5. Whether the author will receive the official receipt and certificate

In the United States, the Copyright Office publishes its fees directly. At the time of checking, electronic registration was listed at $45 for an eligible Single Application and $65 for a Standard Application, while paper filing was $125. Authors should verify the latest amounts on the official Copyright Office fee schedule.

An online company charging several hundred dollars may be doing little more than copying information into the same form. More seriously, some private “registries” issue their own certificates rather than filing with the Copyright Office. Those certificates are not substitutes for official US registration.

Writer Beware documented one private service that charged substantially more than the official filing fee while using government-like imagery and terminology that could make customers believe they were dealing with an official authority. Writer Beware: Online copyright registration services

Paying a transparent professional to help with a complicated application is not automatically improper. The warning signs are hidden markups, false claims of necessity and failure to distinguish an official filing from a privately issued certificate.

Questions to ask before paying

Before buying a copyright or ISBN package, ask:

• Which official national authority handles this?
• What is the official fee if I apply directly?
• How much of your price is your service fee?
• Are you submitting to an official authority or issuing your own certificate?
• What exact legal benefit does your certificate provide?
• Who will be named as the copyright claimant?
• Who will be listed as the ISBN publisher?
• Will I control the official account and its login details?
• Will I receive the application, receipt and registration certificate?
• Can I verify the filing directly with the responsible agency?
• What happens to my records and accounts if I stop using your company?

Pressure to pay immediately—particularly when accompanied by warnings that the author will “lose the copyright,” become unable to publish or miss a supposed legal deadline—is a strong reason to stop and verify the claim independently.

Useful official and independent resources

• WIPO copyright FAQ — international overview and explanation of automatic protection
• US Copyright Office — official US registration information and applications
• International ISBN Agency — directory of authorised national ISBN agencies
• Bowker/MyIdentifiers — official US ISBN source
• Nielsen ISBN Store — official source for the UK and Ireland
• ISBN Canada — Canadian ISBN programme
• Amazon KDP ISBN guidance — requirements and limitations of free KDP ISBNs
• Writer Beware: Copyright — warnings about private registries, timestamp services and registration scams
• Writer Beware: The scam of “book licensing” — examples of invented licences and rights-related charges

Predatory editing and design services

As a full-time developmental editor with twenty years’ experience, this one is close to my heart. I find that I am constantly having to compete with scammy editors who are looking to make a quick buck. AI has made it worse, and I am seeing more and more authors paying out for sub-standard feedback.

Professional editing and book design can be valuable investments, but they are also difficult for inexperienced authors to evaluate before seeing the finished work. Predatory providers exploit that uncertainty by demanding large payments, exaggerating what they can accomplish or concealing who will actually perform the work.

A high price alone does not prove that a service is predatory. A full developmental edit or professionally illustrated cover can legitimately cost thousands. The danger is a large financial commitment combined with vague deliverables, unverifiable qualifications, missing contracts or pressure to pay immediately.

Know what service you are buying

“Professional editing” is not a sufficiently precise description. An agreement should identify the type of editing being provided.

Service	Typical purpose
Editorial assessment	Evaluates the manuscript and recommends priorities without editing every page
Developmental editing	Addresses structure, plot, character, pacing, argument or organisation
Line editing	Improves language, clarity, rhythm, tone and sentence-level expression
Copy editing	Corrects grammar, usage, consistency, continuity and style
Proofreading	Finds remaining errors after editing and typesetting
Fact-checking	Verifies factual claims and sources; often a separate service

An author expecting a detailed line edit may be disappointed to receive a short editorial letter. Likewise, proofreading cannot repair fundamental problems with plot, structure or argument.

Design work should be equally specific. “Complete book design” might mean only a front-cover image, or it might include:

• Front, spine and back-cover design.
• Ebook-cover adaptation.
• Interior typesetting.
• Print-ready PDF files.
• EPUB formatting.
• Social-media and advertising graphics.
• Source files.
• Corrections after receiving a printer’s proof.

If these items are not stated in writing, the author and provider may have very different ideas about what the quoted price includes.

Large advance payments and vague scopes

A request for a deposit is normal, particularly when a freelancer is reserving several weeks of work. A demand for the entire fee upfront is riskier when the provider has not supplied a contract, schedule, samples or verifiable identity.

Writer Beware recommends contracts that identify the scope, charges, payment dates, schedule, responsible editor, revision arrangements and termination provisions. It specifically flags demands for full payment upfront because authors lose much of their leverage if the provider fails to perform. Writer Beware: Editors and editing services

Warning signs include:

• “Complete editing” with no definition of the editing level.
• A quote issued without asking for the manuscript’s word count or a representative sample.
• No named editor or designer.
• Refusal to provide a portfolio or references.
• A promise to make the book a bestseller or guarantee publisher acceptance.
• Full payment required by wire transfer, cryptocurrency or another difficult-to-reverse method.
• A price available only if the author pays that day.
• Unlimited revisions promised without defining what counts as a revision.
• Important deliverables mentioned in conversation but omitted from the contract.
• Additional fees introduced after the manuscript or design files have been handed over.
• Refusal to release completed files until the author buys another package.

A professional quote should explain what is included, what is excluded and what circumstances could increase the price.

Compare the price with the defined work

For a detailed breakdown of rates and what affects them, see how much developmental editing costs.

Editing rates vary by manuscript type, editing level, complexity, turnaround time and the professional’s experience. A low quote may mean the provider is performing only a mechanical spelling check—or running the manuscript through software or generative AI.

The Editorial Freelancers Association’s rate estimator provides survey-based ranges for different editorial services. These are not compulsory prices, but they can help an author determine whether a quote is plausible.

Extremely low prices deserve scrutiny, but inflated prices do too. Ask the provider to connect the price to measurable work:

• Manuscript word count.
• Type and depth of edit.
• Estimated schedule.
• Deliverables.
• Number of passes.
• Follow-up consultation.
• Revision allowance.
• Specialist research or fact-checking.
• Rush fees.

“Premium publishing quality” is not a measurable deliverable.

If your budget is tight, my guide to how to hire an affordable book editor explains how to assess lower-priced services.

Check the person, not just the company

A polished website does not prove that the person doing the work is qualified. Some services advertise senior editors and experienced designers but quietly subcontract the work to anonymous freelancers, trainees or low-cost production teams.

For an editor, check:

• Their full name and professional history.
• The types of editing they specialise in.
• Experience with the author’s genre or subject.
• Titles they have worked on.
• Training, publishing employment or professional memberships.
• References from recent clients.
• Whether they personally perform the work.
• Whether they use subcontractors or AI systems.

For a designer, check:

• A substantial portfolio rather than a few isolated images.
• Published books that can be independently located.
• Credits on the designer’s website and elsewhere.
• Experience with the relevant genre.
• Knowledge of print specifications, bleed, trim, colour profiles and spine calculations.
• Ability to prepare files for the intended printer or distributor.
• References from authors whose books appear in the portfolio.

Do not rely solely on testimonials displayed on the provider’s own website. Contact at least one or two previous clients through independently located contact details. Ask whether the work was delivered on time, whether surprise charges appeared and how the provider handled corrections.

A portfolio can also be stolen. Reverse-searching several cover images and checking the copyright pages of the corresponding books may reveal whether the claimed designer actually received credit.

Examine the work, not just the client list

A recognisable book title in a portfolio does not establish what the provider contributed. One company may have proofread the book, while another later claims to have “edited and produced” it.

Ask specific questions:

• What did you do for this title?
• Did you edit the entire manuscript or provide an assessment?
• Did you create the cover artwork or only arrange the typography?
• Was the interior typesetting included?
• May I contact the author?
• Is the work shown the final published version?

For editing samples, look at whether the editor explains changes instead of merely rewriting the manuscript in their own voice. A competent editor should preserve the author’s intended voice while identifying problems and offering proportionate solutions.

Plagiarised and recycled covers

A dishonest designer may copy an existing cover, download artwork without permission or reuse the same nearly unchanged design for multiple clients.

Warning signs include:

• Artwork that appears in another designer’s portfolio.
• Famous photographs, film characters or celebrity images.
• Watermarks that have been cropped or imperfectly removed.
• AI artefacts concealed by heavy filters.
• A designer who cannot identify where an image originated.
• A “custom illustration” that can be found in a stock-image library.
• Typography, layout and imagery that closely reproduce another book’s cover.
• Refusal to provide licence documentation.

Visual inspiration is normal; reproducing another designer’s distinctive work is not. Before approving a cover, reverse-search the complete image and its major elements using services such as Google Lens or TinEye.

Stock imagery is not necessarily a problem

Many legitimate designers use properly licensed stock photography, illustrations, textures and fonts. Stock use becomes a problem when the designer:

• Has not obtained the correct commercial licence.
• Claims stock artwork is an original custom illustration.
• Uses an editorial-only image commercially.
• Exceeds a licence’s print-run limit.
• Cannot produce proof of licensing.
• Uses a licence that cannot be transferred or used on the author’s behalf.
• Promises exclusivity even though the stock image remains available to other buyers.

For example, Adobe permits eligible stock assets on book covers but imposes licence conditions and does not transfer ownership of the underlying image. Its standard licence also has a stated print-run limit. Adobe Stock licensing FAQ

Shutterstock similarly distinguishes between Standard and Enhanced licences, including different print-run limits and uses. Shutterstock licence comparison

The contract should identify all significant third-party assets and require the designer to supply:

• The asset provider.
• Asset identification or receipt.
• Licence type.
• Permitted uses.
• Print-run or distribution limits.
• Model or property releases where applicable.
• Any attribution requirements.

The author should keep these records after the project ends.

Fonts need licences too

Fonts are software, and their licences can impose limits. A designer may have permission to use a font while creating a cover but may not have permission to transfer the font file to the author. Ebook embedding, print use, websites and advertising may also be treated differently.

The agreement should state whether the author receives:

• Only the finished files.
• Editable source files without the font software.
• A list of fonts the author must license separately.
• Properly outlined or embedded type.
• Permission to use the design in advertisements and merchandise.

An author should not assume that receiving an editable file automatically includes a licence to every font or asset contained within it.

AI-generated editing and artwork

Using AI as a disclosed supporting tool is different from secretly substituting automated output for the bespoke work the author purchased.

For editing, ask whether the provider will upload any part of the manuscript to an AI system. The agreement should address:

• Whether AI use is permitted.
• Which tools may be used.
• Whether data may be retained or used for training.
• Whether confidential manuscript material will be uploaded.
• Whether a human editor reviews every change.
• Whether the author must approve AI use in advance.

A provider advertising a human developmental edit should not quietly return an automated summary and generic rewrite suggestions.

For artwork, require the designer to disclose whether generative AI will be used and to what extent. AI-generated imagery is not automatically unlawful, but it can raise questions about provenance, platform rules, commercial licences and copyright protection. In the United States, copyright protection generally applies only to sufficiently human-authored contributions, not to material produced entirely by an AI system. US Copyright Office: Copyright and artificial intelligence

The Authors Guild recommends requiring express author approval before AI-generated cover art is used. Authors Guild AI model clauses

A useful contract term can require the provider to disclose:

• Any generative-AI tools used
• Which elements were AI-generated
• The extent of human alteration
• The applicable commercial-use terms
• Whether prompts included protected characters, living artists’ names or client materials
• Whether the finished work can be registered or protected as intended

Selling AI-generated imagery as an entirely hand-drawn, bespoke illustration is a misrepresentation even if the image can legally be used.

Why a written brief matters

The creative brief establishes what the author is commissioning. For editing, it might cover:

• Genre and intended readership.
• Manuscript length.
• Editing level.
• Style guide and spelling convention.
• Voice or stylistic features that should be preserved.
• Sensitive-content considerations.
• Required deliverables and file formats.

For a cover, it might cover:

• Genre and market positioning.
• Trim size and page count.
• Print and ebook formats.
• Title, subtitle and author name.
• Back-cover copy and barcode area.
• Visual direction and prohibited imagery.
• Comparable covers.
• Stock, illustration and AI preferences.
• Accessibility and legibility requirements.

Without an agreed brief, a provider can deliver something technically complete but unsuitable for the book’s audience.

Use milestones and staged payments

A milestone structure reduces risk for both parties. A cover-design project might use:

1. Deposit and approved creative brief.
2. Initial concepts or mood boards.
3. Selection of one direction.
4. Refined design.
5. Final corrections.
6. Delivery of production files and licence records.

An editing project might use:

1. Paid or free sample edit.
2. Confirmed editorial scope.
3. Deposit.
4. First portion or editorial assessment.
5. Full edited manuscript.
6. Author questions or agreed second pass.
7. Final payment.

Payments can be tied to these milestones instead of the entire project being paid before any work is shown. The contract should also say what happens if either party ends the engagement early.

Define revisions carefully

“Unlimited revisions” sounds generous but is often meaningless without a definition.

The agreement should state:

• How many revision rounds are included.
• How long the author has to request them.
• What constitutes a correction.
• What constitutes a new creative direction.
• The hourly or fixed price for additional changes.
• Whether printer-required corrections are included.
• Whether errors caused by the provider are corrected without charge.

The Authors Guild’s legal guide recommends specifying design requirements, delivery formats, rights, termination terms and responsibility for correcting the designer’s own errors. Authors Guild: The Writer’s Legal Guide

Clarify ownership and usage rights

Paying for a design does not automatically mean the author owns every underlying element or receives every possible right.

The agreement should distinguish between:

• The designer’s original work.
• Licensed stock assets.
• Fonts.
• Author-supplied material.
• AI-generated elements.
• Editable source files.
• The final combined design.

It should grant the author sufficient rights to reproduce, distribute and promote the book in all intended formats and territories. If the author expects to use the artwork for audiobooks, translations, merchandise, advertisements or future editions, those uses should be included.

The contract should also address whether:

• The designer may display the work in a portfolio.
• The designer may resell or reuse the concept.
• The design is exclusive.
• The author receives layered source files.
• Copyright is assigned or merely licensed.
• The author may modify the design later.
• The provider warrants that the work does not knowingly infringe third-party rights.

“Bespoke” does not necessarily mean exclusive, and “exclusive” does not necessarily include ownership of stock images or fonts. These terms need precise definitions.

Useful places to research providers

I have a detailed article about how to spot red flags when hiring an editor. I suggest you start there if you need more information.

• Writer Beware: Editors and editing services — warning signs and vetting guidance
• Editorial Freelancers Association — rate information and member directory
• Editors Canada directory — searchable professional directory
• Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading — UK-based directory of editorial professionals
• Authors Guild — contract and rights guidance
• US Copyright Office AI resources — copyrightability guidance for AI-assisted work

Membership in a directory is not a guarantee, but it provides more information to verify than an unsolicited email or anonymous publishing package. ## Book-fair and bookstore-placement scams

This is another scam that sounds far more impressive than it actually is.

You will be contacted by a publishing or marketing company and told that they can represent your book at a major international book fair. They might mention the London Book Fair, Frankfurt Book Fair, Bologna Children’s Book Fair or another well-known industry event.

It sounds great.

Your book is going to be at the London Book Fair.

The problem is that being physically present at a book fair and actually being represented to publishers, agents and rights buyers are two completely different things.

Major book fairs are primarily trade events. Publishers, literary agents, scouts, distributors, booksellers and rights professionals attend to arrange meetings, negotiate rights and conduct business.

Simply putting your book on a shelf somewhere inside the building does not mean any of those people are going to look at it.

Writer Beware has been warning about this for years. Publishing and marketing companies sell authors book-fair packages that may include a copy of the book on a shared shelf, an entry in a catalogue, an advertisement or some vague promise of “representation.” The author can end up paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for something that generates almost no meaningful exposure.

What does “representation” actually mean?

This is the question you need to ask.

If someone tells you:

“We will represent your book at the Frankfurt Book Fair.”

Ask them exactly what that means.

Does it mean:

• Your book will sit on a shelf?
• Your cover will appear in a catalogue?
• Someone will hand out a leaflet?
• Your book will be displayed with hundreds of other books?
• A representative will actively pitch your rights to named publishers?
• Meetings have already been arranged with rights buyers?
• You will receive a report showing who was approached and what they said?

These are very different services.

A physical copy sitting on a shelf surrounded by hundreds of other books is not meaningful representation.

Think about it from the other direction.

A rights buyer attending Frankfurt may have dozens of meetings arranged before they even arrive. They are not normally wandering randomly around thousands of stands hoping to stumble across an unknown self-published novel.

Writer Beware notes that paid displays can contain large numbers of books with little to distinguish one title from another, sometimes in areas with relatively little useful foot traffic.

So when someone says your book will be “shown to thousands of publishing professionals”, be very careful.

Technically, there might be thousands of publishing professionals in the building.

That doesn’t mean thousands of them are going to see your book.

Book-fair catalogues

Another common offer is inclusion in a book-fair catalogue.

Again, this sounds impressive.

You might be told that the catalogue will be available to publishers, agents and rights buyers from around the world.

That may even be true.

What matters is whether anyone has a reason to look at your listing.

If a catalogue contains hundreds or thousands of books and your title receives a tiny entry alongside all the others, its commercial value may be close to zero.

Ask:

• How many books are in the catalogue?
• Who receives it?
• Is it printed or digital?
• How many people actually open it?
• Can you see last year’s catalogue?
• How will your book be categorized?
• Are individual books actively pitched?
• Can the company show rights deals generated from previous catalogues?

The last question is particularly useful.

Do not ask how many books they have “represented.”

Ask how many publishing or translation deals resulted directly from that representation.

Those are very different numbers.

Bookstore-placement scams

You will see a similar problem with promises of bookstore placement.

An author is told:

“We can get your book into bookstores.”

This is deliberately vague.

There is an enormous difference between a book being available to order through a bookstore and actually being stocked on the shelves.

Many print-on-demand books are available through wholesalers and can theoretically be ordered by a bookstore. That does not mean the bookstore has purchased copies or that customers will see the book on a shelf.

Even genuine shelf placement needs to be examined carefully.

Ask:

• Which bookstores?
• How many stores?
• For how long?
• How many copies per store?
• Where in the store will the book appear?
• Is it face-out or spine-out?
• Is it in the correct genre section?
• Is the placement guaranteed in writing?
• Who supplies the books?
• What wholesale discount is required?
• Are the books returnable?
• Who pays for returned copies?
• What happens to unsold stock?
• Will you receive actual sales figures?

The word placement on its own tells you almost nothing.

Writer Beware has documented paid shelf-space schemes where authors are charged simply for having copies displayed. It points out an important distinction: an independent bookstore choosing to charge for a particular promotional opportunity is one thing; a publishing or marketing operation using a supposed bookstore primarily as another way of selling expensive services to authors is something very different.

“Guaranteed bookstore placement”

Be especially wary of the word guaranteed.

No marketing company can sensibly guarantee that ordinary independent bookstores or major chains will stock a book indefinitely simply because the author has paid them money.

Bookstores are businesses.

Shelf space has value.

Books that do not sell eventually disappear.

For normal trade publishing, several things affect whether a bookstore is willing to stock a book, including:

• The distributor.
• The wholesale discount.
• Whether copies are returnable.
• The publisher’s reputation.
• Existing sales.
• Local interest.
• Publicity.
• Genre.
• Expected demand.

If someone promises nationwide bookstore placement but never asks about any of those things, start asking questions.

Verify the placement yourself

Here’s the simplest protection.

Go around the company selling you the service.

If they say your book will be displayed at a particular fair, contact the fair organizer using the contact details on the event’s official website.

Ask whether the company has a stand.

Ask where the stand is.

Ask whether the type of author display you have been promised actually exists.

If a company says your book will be placed in a particular bookstore, contact the bookstore independently.

Don’t use the phone number or email address supplied by the marketing company.

Find the store yourself and ask:

“I’ve been told that Company X can place my book in your store for three months. Is that correct?”

That five-minute check can save you thousands.

Questions to ask before paying

If you are considering any book-fair or bookstore-placement package, get answers to these questions in writing:

• What exact event or bookstore is involved?
• What are the exact dates?
• Where will my book physically appear?
• How many copies will be displayed?
• How many other books will share the display?
• Who will represent the book?
• Which publishers, agents or rights buyers will be approached?
• Are meetings being arranged?
• What follow-up takes place after the event?
• What reporting will I receive?
• Can you show me deals generated for previous clients?
• Can I contact those authors independently?
• What part of the fee goes to the fair or bookstore?
• What part is your own service fee?

And most importantly:

What am I actually buying?

If the answer ultimately comes down to your book will be sitting on a shelf somewhere, make sure you understand that before handing over your money.

There is nothing inherently wrong with paying for advertising, exhibition space or even promotional shelf space if you know exactly what you are buying.

The scammy part comes when a simple display is sold as meaningful industry access.

Rights-grab contracts

This one is slightly different from many of the scams in this article because the company might not be trying to steal your money.

They might be trying to take something potentially far more valuable:

your rights.

Whenever you sign a publishing contract, you are giving another party permission to do particular things with your work.

That’s normal.

A legitimate publisher needs certain rights in order to publish your book.

The problem comes when the rights being requested are massively broader than the service being offered in return.

The Authors Guild describes the grant of rights as the heart of a publishing contract. It determines what the publisher is allowed to do with the work, and therefore what the author is giving up.

Understand what you are actually giving away

Imagine a tiny publisher offers to release your novel as an ebook and paperback.

Fair enough.

Why, then, does its contract also demand exclusive worldwide rights to:

• Audiobooks.
• Translation.
• Film.
• Television.
• Stage adaptations.
• Merchandise.
• Games.
• Serial rights.
• Enhanced ebooks.
• Future formats not yet invented.

What exactly is this little company going to do with all those rights?

That is the question.

Rights should generally have a purpose.

If a publisher has no audiobook programme, why does it need exclusive audiobook rights?

If it has never sold a translation licence, why does it need translation rights?

If it has no experience selling film rights, why should it control them?

You should not automatically hand over every conceivable right simply because a contract puts them in a long paragraph.

The Authors Guild’s contract guidance specifically separates rights by format, territory and term and advises authors to pay close attention to precisely what is being granted. Its model agreements also distinguish subsidiary rights such as audio, electronic editions and other uses.

Watch for ridiculously broad language

Be cautious when you see phrases such as:

• “All rights.”
• “All media.”
• “All formats now known or later devised.”
• “Throughout the universe.”
• “In perpetuity.”
• “Exclusive worldwide rights.”
• “All derivative works.”
• “Any and all adaptations.”

Some of these phrases can appear in legitimate entertainment contracts. Their presence alone does not prove you are being scammed.

The question is whether the scope makes sense for this deal.

If someone is formatting and uploading your paperback to Amazon, they do not need film and television rights.

If someone is producing an audiobook, they don’t automatically need the right to translate your novel into French.

Match the rights to the job.

Do not forget subsidiary rights

Writers understandably focus on the book itself.

However, books can generate value in other ways.

These are often described as subsidiary rights and can include things such as:

• Translation rights.
• Audiobook rights.
• Large-print rights.
• Serial rights.
• Book-club rights.
• Film and television rights.
• Stage rights.
• Merchandising.
• Anthology rights.
• Permissions and extracts.

For most books, many of these rights may never be sold.

But occasionally one becomes extremely valuable.

If your novel unexpectedly attracts a film producer, you really don’t want to discover that you handed the film rights to a tiny publishing service five years earlier for nothing.

The Authors Guild warns authors to consider carefully which subsidiary rights they grant and which they retain. Its guidance on film agreements also demonstrates just how broad adaptation and ancillary rights can become once film, television, sequels, merchandise and related uses enter the equation.

Look at the territory

Another little phrase writers overlook is territory.

A publisher might request:

“Exclusive worldwide English-language rights.”

Again, ask why.

A publisher with genuine international distribution may have a perfectly good reason.

A tiny publisher that sells almost entirely through Amazon.com might not.

The broader the territory you give away, the fewer opportunities you retain to license the book elsewhere.

The same is true of language rights.

If a publisher is only producing an English edition, think carefully before giving it control over every translated edition as well.

How long do they keep the rights?

This is massive.

Do not just ask what rights are being granted.

Ask for how long.

A contract might last:

• A fixed number of years.
• For as long as the book remains “in print.”
• For the full term of copyright.
• Until one party terminates.
• Indefinitely unless a particular condition is met.

Modern print-on-demand and ebook publishing makes old-fashioned “out of print” language particularly dangerous.

A publisher can theoretically keep an ebook available forever at almost no cost.

That means a contract saying rights revert only when a book is “no longer available for sale” could make it extremely difficult for the author ever to recover those rights.

A much more useful reversion clause connects rights to meaningful commercial activity—for example, minimum sales or revenue—rather than merely whether a digital file technically remains available.

The Authors Guild’s model contract contains a specific reversion of rights provision precisely because authors need a mechanism for recovering rights when a publisher is no longer meaningfully exploiting the book.

Automatic renewal clauses

Look carefully for automatic renewal.

A contract might say something like:

“This agreement renews automatically for successive five-year periods unless written notice is received between 90 and 120 days before expiration.”

Miss that tiny window and you are stuck for another five years.

Put any termination deadline in your calendar the moment you sign a contract.

Better still, negotiate terms that do not depend on remembering a tiny cancellation window years in the future.

Termination should actually be possible

Ask yourself a simple question:

How do I get out of this agreement?

Look for:

• The notice period.
• The circumstances allowing termination.
• Penalties for leaving.
• Outstanding fees.
• What happens to unsold stock.
• What happens to files.
• When rights revert.
• Whether licences already granted to third parties continue.
• Whether the company can continue selling the book after termination.

Be especially cautious if the publisher can terminate easily but the author cannot.

The Authors Guild’s model contract specifically includes termination rights for failures such as non-publication or non-payment and separate mechanisms for rights reversion.

Can the contract be transferred?

Here’s another clause writers skip.

Assignment.

This determines whether the company can transfer your contract to somebody else.

Imagine signing with Publisher A because you trust the owner.

Two years later the company sells its contracts to Publisher B.

Suddenly someone you have never dealt with controls your book.

The Authors Guild’s model contract addresses this directly and seeks to limit assignment without consent, while recognizing that transfers may occur as part of legitimate mergers or acquisitions.

Read this clause.

You want to know who can end up controlling your rights.

Beware contracts that can change themselves

A particularly nasty term allows a company to change the agreement or its policies whenever it wishes.

Online platforms need to update terms of service from time to time. That’s normal.

A bespoke publishing contract is different.

Be very cautious about clauses allowing the other party to materially alter royalties, rights, fees or obligations without your agreement.

If you signed one deal, you should not wake up three years later to discover that the company has effectively created another.

Get the contract checked

If a contract involves significant rights, spend some money having it reviewed.

This is one of those places where trying to save a few hundred dollars can become incredibly expensive later.

You can use resources such as the Authors Guild’s Model Trade Book Contract to understand the terminology, but general guidance is not a substitute for advice on a specific contract.

You may need:

• A publishing lawyer.
• An experienced literary agent.
• The Authors Guild or a comparable writers’ organization.
• Another suitably qualified publishing-contract specialist.

And please remember:

You can negotiate.

Writers sometimes treat a publishing contract as though it has been handed down from God on stone tablets.

It hasn’t.

It is a business agreement.

Cross things out.

Ask questions.

Request changes.

And if a company wants enormous rights while offering almost nothing in return, walk away.

Impersonation scams

This is one of the fastest-growing and nastiest scams aimed at writers.

The scammer doesn’t invent a publishing company.

Instead, they pretend to be somebody you already trust.

That might be:

• Amazon or Kindle Direct Publishing.
• Penguin Random House.
• HarperCollins.
• Simon & Schuster.
• Hachette.
• A respected literary agency.
• A film or television production company.
• A named literary agent.
• A book scout.
• A rights manager.
• A well-known editor.

The advantage for the scammer is obvious.

They get to borrow someone else’s reputation.

How the approach works

You receive an email or phone call.

The person knows your name.

They know the title of your book.

They might know the ISBN.

They may know where it is sold.

They may even mention details from the book description.

Then comes the exciting bit.

A major publisher is interested.

A film producer has noticed your book.

Amazon needs to fix something with your account.

A literary agent has a buyer waiting.

Your book has been “selected” for international representation.

This information feels convincing because it is specific.

But here’s what you need to remember:

Most of the information about a published book is public.

Your title is public.

Your author name is public.

Your ISBN is public.

Your Amazon listing is public.

Your book description is public.

Your cover is public.

In many cases, your email address or social-media account is public too.

Knowing these things proves nothing.

Fake email addresses

Always inspect the actual email address.

Not the display name.

The address.

An email might display:

Penguin Random House Acquisitions

while actually coming from something like:

acquisitions@penguin-random-house-books.com

That looks convincing when you glance at it.

It doesn’t mean Penguin Random House owns the domain.

Scammers register domains that look very similar to real company domains, adding or removing words, hyphens or letters.

Amazon’s own KDP scam guidance specifically warns authors about companies impersonating KDP and about domain names deliberately designed to resemble legitimate publishers. Amazon also stresses that KDP is a free self-publishing service and does not sell authors editing or book-design packages.

Logos mean nothing

Don’t be impressed by:

• Company logos.
• Letterheads.
• Email signatures.
• Staff photographs.
• Contract templates.
• Official-looking seals.
• Copyright notices.

All of these can be copied in seconds.

A scammer can download the Penguin Random House logo from the internet just as easily as you can.

They can copy the name of a genuine employee from LinkedIn.

They can create a fake email signature.

They can use AI to generate a staff photograph.

Writer Beware specifically warns about fake publishers using misleading names, appropriating brands such as Penguin and Amazon, and creating staff pages using false or unverifiable identities.

Caller ID is not proof either

Phone calls feel more genuine.

They aren’t.

Caller-ID information can be spoofed.

A screen displaying a New York, London or Los Angeles number does not prove that the caller is physically there or represents the company named on the screen.

Writer Beware has documented publishing scams using spoofed telephone numbers, false addresses and fabricated identities to appear as though they are operating from the US, UK or Canada.

The film-rights version

Authors love the idea of their book becoming a film.

Scammers know this.

You may be contacted by someone claiming to represent a film studio or production company.

They love your book.

It has “cinematic potential.”

A producer is interested.

All that stands between you and Hollywood is a small problem.

Perhaps you need:

• A screenplay.
• A treatment.
• A cinematic book trailer.
• A legal certificate.
• A rights-registration document.
• A new edition.
• A marketing package.
• An “industry-standard” evaluation.

Conveniently, they know somebody who can provide it.

For a fee.

Amazon itself warns authors that major traditional publishers, movie studios and directors rarely approach authors unexpectedly with incredible opportunities.

If Netflix genuinely wants your book, Netflix does not need you to pay $4,000 to have a screenplay written by some company that cold-called you.

Never verify someone using the details they give you

This is the single most important rule in this section.

Suppose someone phones and says:

“I’m Sarah from Amazon KDP. If you’re worried, call us back on 555-1234.”

Calling that number proves nothing.

You are calling the scammer back.

The same applies to links.

If an email says it comes from HarperCollins and contains a link labelled “HarperCollins Author Verification”, don’t use that link to determine whether the email is really from HarperCollins.

Instead:

1. Close the email.
2. Search for the company’s official website yourself.
3. Find its official contact page.
4. Use the telephone number or email listed there.
5. Ask whether the person who contacted you actually works for the company.

Do not use the telephone number in the suspicious email.

Do not use the website link they supplied.

Do not reply to the message asking whether they are genuine.

Go around them.

Check the person as well as the company

If someone claims to be a literary agent, editor or rights manager, look them up independently.

Ask:

• Are they listed on the company’s official website?
• Does the company’s website use the same email domain?
• Does their professional history make sense?
• Are there previous publishing deals?
• Does Publishers Marketplace, the agency website or another reputable industry source show evidence of their work?
• Can the main company switchboard connect you to them?

Even then, remember that scammers can impersonate real people.

Finding a genuine literary agent with the same name does not prove the person emailing you is that agent.

You need to verify the communication channel.

Never send account details

Be particularly careful when someone claims to represent Amazon or KDP.

Amazon says KDP representatives will not ask authors to disclose their Amazon password or full banking details outside the proper Amazon/KDP systems, and KDP does not charge authors for services such as editing or book design.

If someone claiming to be Amazon wants:

• Your password.
• Full bank information.
• A credit-card payment for “KDP support.”
• Payment to fix your ISBN.
• Payment to restore your account.
• Money for mandatory editing.

Stop.

Go directly to your KDP account and contact Amazon through the official support system.

The golden rule

The bigger and more exciting the opportunity, the more slowly you should move.

Scammers rely on excitement.

They want you thinking:

“Oh my God, Penguin wants my book!”

instead of:

“Why is a multinational publisher emailing me from Gmail?”

Take twenty-four hours.

Check everything independently.

A genuine publisher, literary agent or producer will still exist tomorrow.

Recovery scams

If there is one type of scam in this article that really makes my blood boil, it is this one.

You have already been scammed.

You’ve lost money.

You are embarrassed and angry.

Then somebody comes along and says:

“We can get your money back.”

And they scam you again.

This is generally called a recovery scam or refund scam.

The US Federal Trade Commission specifically warns that people who have already lost money to scams are deliberately targeted a second time by criminals promising to recover the original loss.

How do they know I was scammed?

Sometimes it feels mysterious.

A stranger contacts you and appears to know:

• Which company took your money.
• How much you paid.
• What service you purchased.
• When it happened.
• Your telephone number.
• Your email address.

That knowledge creates trust.

You think:

“They must be legitimate. How else could they know?”

Unfortunately, the answer can be very simple.

Information about previous victims can be sold or passed between scammers.

The FTC warns about lists containing details of people who have previously paid scammers. That makes those victims particularly attractive targets because the scammer already knows what happened and which story is likely to get their attention.

In the publishing world, the same author can also end up dealing with several apparently different companies that are actually connected.

The first company sells you publishing.

The second sells marketing.

The third suddenly appears offering legal help or recovery.

Different name.

Same ecosystem.

The recovery pitch

The exact story varies.

You might be told:

• Your old publisher is under investigation.
• A government compensation fund has been created.
• A class-action settlement contains money belonging to you.
• Your royalties have been located.
• A court has frozen the company’s assets.
• Your publishing rights can be restored.
• Your stolen copyright can be recovered.
• A law firm is representing other victims.
• A payment has already been approved in your name.

Then comes the catch.

To release the money you need to pay something first.

It might be called:

• A processing fee.
• A retainer.
• An administrative fee.
• A filing fee.
• A tax.
• A court charge.
• A transfer fee.
• A bond.
• An insurance payment.
• A recovery commission.

Whatever they call it, the pattern is the same.

You must send more money before receiving the money supposedly waiting for you.

The FTC warns specifically about this pattern and says genuine government agencies will not ask victims to pay upfront in order to receive a refund.

Fake government officials

This version is particularly convincing.

Someone may claim to represent:

• The FTC.
• A state attorney general.
• A court.
• A consumer-protection agency.
• A regulator.
• An international fraud department.

They may have your case details.

They may use official-looking paperwork.

They may even spoof the telephone number of a genuine organization.

Then they ask for money or financial details.

Again, don’t use the contact information they give you.

Find the organization independently.

For example, the FTC states that genuine FTC refund programmes do not require victims to pay an upfront fee or provide sensitive banking or Social Security information to receive a refund.

Fake lawyers and recovery specialists

Another version uses a supposed law firm.

You receive an email saying:

“We are currently acting for several authors who were defrauded by XYZ Publishing. Our investigation indicates that you may be entitled to compensation of $18,750.”

Then they request a retainer or filing fee.

Now, real lawyers obviously charge money.

So the presence of a fee does not automatically make a lawyer fraudulent.

What matters is whether the lawyer and case actually exist.

Before paying:

• Search for the law firm independently.
• Check the relevant professional or bar register.
• Find the firm’s official website yourself.
• Call the publicly listed number.
• Ask for the lawyer by name.
• Check whether the supposed lawsuit or settlement exists.
• Ask for the court and case number.
• Look up that case independently.

Do not rely on documents supplied by the person asking for money.

“We can restore your rights”

Authors can also be targeted with rights-recovery schemes.

Someone says your previous publisher incorrectly controls your copyright or ISBN.

For a fee, they can:

• Restore your copyright.
• Transfer your ISBN.
• Recover your publishing rights.
• Remove your old edition.
• Issue a legal rights certificate.
• “Clean” the title’s publishing history.

Some of these may refer to genuine publishing problems.

But a real problem does not make the offered solution genuine.

Ask exactly what legal or contractual mechanism is being used.

If the answer is vague nonsense about “rights activation”, “international publishing databases” or secret industry procedures, stop.

If you have already lost money

This is the point where people are most vulnerable.

You want to undo what happened.

That makes promises of guaranteed recovery extremely powerful.

Unfortunately, sometimes the money cannot be recovered.

Anyone promising otherwise should be treated with extreme caution.

Instead, contact organizations independently.

Depending on how you paid and where you live, that might include:

• Your bank.
• Your credit-card provider.
• PayPal or the payment processor.
• The platform through which the transaction occurred.
• Police or the relevant fraud-reporting service.
• A national or local consumer-protection organization.
• A qualified lawyer.

If you paid by card, bank transfer or payment service, contact that provider as quickly as possible and ask whether the transaction can be disputed, recalled or investigated.

Do this yourself.

You do not need a stranger who cold-called you to make the first approach.

Warning signs

Be extremely cautious if a supposed recovery specialist:

• Contacts you unexpectedly.
• Already knows details of the original scam.
• Guarantees recovery.
• Says money has already been found in your name.
• Claims to have access to a secret settlement or compensation fund.
• Claims to represent a government body but asks for payment.
• Requires an upfront fee.
• Wants payment by cryptocurrency, gift card or wire transfer.
• Asks for online-banking credentials.
• Creates an urgent deadline.
• Says you must keep the recovery confidential.
• Refuses to provide a verifiable case number.
• Tells you not to contact your bank, lawyer or authorities yourself.

The FTC also warns that recovery scammers may call the upfront payment a retainer, processing fee, administrative charge, tax or similar official-sounding expense.

The second scam often feels more convincing than the first

This is worth remembering.

The recovery scammer has an advantage the original scammer didn’t have.

They know you have been scammed.

That lets them construct an incredibly convincing story.

They know the company.

They know the amount.

They know what you want.

They may even agree with you that the original company was fraudulent.

That apparent insider knowledge does not prove they are here to help.

It may simply prove that your information has been passed from one scammer to another.

So if you have lost money, be particularly suspicious of anyone who suddenly appears offering to recover it.

Go directly to your bank, payment provider, consumer-protection body or a lawyer you have found independently.

Don’t let the people who stole from you sell you the cure.