Early Saturday morning, I caught up with the usual boatload of emails and posts, including an email summary from Sisters in Crime. As a member, I get a daily roundup of author-related conversations, and one thread caught my eye. An author asked about a publishing company that had offered her a too-good-to-be-true deal.
Have you experienced offers like this? If so, then you know it's hard to resist. The company name sounds similar to a traditional publishing house or a legitimate service business. And the contact message—via email, Instagram, Facebook or any other social media platform—comes wrapped in flattery, with the scammer ooohing and aaahing over your work, and dangling big rewards in front of your eyes if you pay them a 'low' fee or give them your credit card or PayPal account info.
Instead of jumping at the deal, however, stop and check with your writing group. (It doesn't matter what type of group you're in.) Ask your writing buddies if anyone has heard of the company or individual that's making the service or product offering. The answers might surprise you. The message that assured you your work was unique could be the exact same message that other people received, too. But even if no one has heard of this particular offering, your writing group will have another point of view to put the promises into perspective. In addition, your experience may help someone else in the group.
Authors are vulnerable and author scams pose significant risks. So, here are a few links, providing information about author scams to watch out for:
The Sisters in Crime member I mentioned at the start of this post? Other members described similar experiences, confirming the message was a fake.
So, if you're in this situation, talk it over with your writing group before you hand over any personal information or money.
And if you have a scam story or more useful info to share, leave a comment below!
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