Coping With Scams: Suggestions for Changing Your Mindset
By Victoria Strauss | February 23, 2024 |
Recently, a writer contacted me to ask about the legitimacy of an email they’d just received, from someone claiming to be a literary agent interested in representing them.
All by itself, the solicitation itself was a warning sign: reputable agents, who are drowning in submissions, have no need to drum up business and don’t typically cold-call writers to hawk their services. But I’d also gotten several complaints about this purported agent, so I knew for sure this was a “beware”.
I informed the writer–who had contacted me several times before to ask about what also turned out to be scams, and had themself been scammed by a predatory vanity publisher–and apologized for yet again being the bearer of bad news. “I guess everyone’s a bad guy,” the writer responded sadly, “and it’s pointless even to try.”
I understand this mindset. Especially for self-published authors, who are the primary target these days for the extremely numerous and highly aggressive solicitation scams I wrote about in my very first post for Writer Unboxed, it can certainly seem like publishing a book is equivalent to diving, unprotected, into a shark tank.
The reality, however, is not quite that awful. Yes, there are a lot of bad actors in and around publishing…not just scammers and predators, but people and companies who are well-intentioned but don’t have the skills to do the job (schmagents, unqualified freelance editors, amateur publishers). But that doesn’t mean there aren’t also plenty of reputable, competent people. They definitely exist. The constantly expanding universe of scams and pitfalls hasn’t changed that.
The writer’s response got me thinking, though. My standard advice for how to cope with the prevalence of scams is to educate yourself: learn as much as possible about publishing and self-publishing–and do it before you start trying to snag an agent, or querying publishers, or assessing self-publishing platforms and service providers. The more you know about how things should work, the easier it is to recognize bad practice when you encounter it. (The Writer Beware website is a good place to start.)
But it’s not just about being prepared with adequate knowledge. Mindset is also important: your default assumptions about, and responses to, the people and situations you encounter along your publication journey. Such expectations can help you, or they can hinder you–like my writer friend, whose bad experiences caused them to conclude, falsely, that no one can be trusted.
Following are some of the common damaging mindsets I see in my work with Writer Beware, along with suggestions for, hopefully, shifting them.
MINDSETS TO ABANDON, AND SOME TO ADOPT
Mindset 1: Everyone is a scammer. The writer mentioned above is far from the only one with a paranoia problem. I regularly hear from authors who are so traumatized by a scam experience, or even just the prospect of stumbling into one, that they don’t know which way to turn.
Believe me, I get it. Especially if you’ve been ripped off before, or are being hounded by a parade of solicitation fraudsters, or had a terrible experience with a publisher that wasn’t intentionally dishonest but screwed you anyway and behaved badly when things began to go wrong, it can seem like it’s not safe to trust anyone. But if trusting no one eliminates bad choices, it can also eliminate good ones. And that’s self-defeating.
Scams exist. You need to be careful and aware. But they are entirely avoidable, once you know the signs. Trust that there are plenty of reputable people out there, and that you can find them. (Again, Writer Beware can help.)
Mindset 2: Sure, scams are bad, but they aren’t all that common. The flip side of too much paranoia is too little paranoia.
Often when I post something about a scam on social media–such as a screenshot of an agent impersonation scam, or a bookstore scam–someone responds along the lines of “Wow, people really do that?” or “That’s terrible, but how common is it really?”
Pretty common, actually. If you don’t know this, you may not realize that you need to be proactive about scam avoidance. And if you don’t accept that scams are a risk to you (as opposed to other, presumably less savvy people), you may be more inclined to trust where you should question. Bait and switch scams, for example. Or writing job offer scams. Or predatory vanity publishers posing as “hybrids”.
The first step to scam avoidance is scam awareness.
(Yes, I know it seems like I’m telling you to do two different things–don’t be scared of scams/be scared of scams! The point is to find a balance between two extremes, where you’re neither paralyzed nor complacent.)
Mindset 3: Scams only threaten stupid people. Another frequent response, when I talk about scams: “Who actually falls for that?”
It’s a common assumption that writers who get scammed are stupid. (In the nastier version of this attitude, they also deserve it.) That’s 100% false. Many of the writers who contact me to report a fraud are accomplished professionals from non-writing fields who’ve fallen for a scheme because they aren’t familiar with the publishing industry, and don’t know what standard practice is (for example, that traditional publishers don’t charge fees and reputable agents don’t sell marketing services). Not investing enough time in preparing yourself is definitely a mistake, but it doesn’t make you stupid.
Maybe you’re not that person, though. Maybe you know a good deal about publishing; maybe you responsibly embrace the “scams exist” mindset. Even so, you can be caught. The recent incredible story about the business journalist who was scammed for $50,000 is a cautionary tale: a high-level professional who was expertly groomed and thoroughly fleeced. (And if you think writing scams can’t be that elaborate, check this one out.)
Don’t assume you’ll always be smarter than a scammer.
Mindset 4: It’s an honor to be chosen, even if the publisher charges a fee. Not necessarily.
Whether it’s a predatory vanity publisher that accepts anyone who is willing to pay, or a self-described hybrid that claims to be selective, paying to have your book published means that you are not simply an author negotiating with a publisher, but a consumer buying services from a vendor.
It’s easy to remember the consumer-vendor relationship if you’re dealing with an assisted self-publishing service or a straightforward fee-for-service provider. But when the fee-charger presents itself as a publisher, with all that that implies, or brands itself a “hybrid” to encourage you to believe that but for the fee, it is just like a traditional publisher, it can be much harder hang on to a consumer mindset. Regardless of context, when you pay a fee you are purchasing a service–which means you should be scrutinizing it with a customer’s eye, and negotiating where you can. Don’t allow the publisher’s praise of your work, or its enticing promises about what it can achieve for you, to nullify your good sense: while they may be genuine, the publisher also wants you to buy. How it presents its offer is tailored to that end.
This is one of the more damaging mindsets I see in my work with Writer Beware, and predatory and otherwise questionable publishers take full advantage of it. Writers in the Christian market are particularly vulnerable: there are many scams and predators in this space, and they are well aware that Christians tend to be more trusting of other Christians.
Mindset 5: Phone solicitors can be convinced to take no for an answer. This one is specific to the publishing/marketing/fake literary agency scammers that are especially aggressive phone callers. I often hear from authors who are at their wits’ end thanks to constant repeat calls from scammers they’ve tried over and over to refuse.
The negative mindset here is the belief that you owe the scammer a response, whether that’s an explanation for saying no, or reasoning with them to leave you alone. You don’t. You aren’t interacting with a person with job title, but with a sales rep in a boiler room overseas who is chasing the commission they hope to receive if they can bamboozle you into purchasing whatever services they’re hawking. Every time you engage, you give them a new foothold for chipping away at your resistance.
It’s not just a matter of avoiding annoying calls, either. Scammers sometimes resort to threats and insults upon being told no. That sort of thing can be scary (even though the scammers have no way of following through), and continuing to engage with them ups the chances that it will happen.
You owe them nothing. Just hang up. Block the number. It may take a while–solicitation scammers are crazy persistent–or they may try to get around a block by calling you from a different number (all such phone calls are spoofed). But if you consistently refuse to engage, they will eventually give up.
Have you been targeted by a scam? Did any of the assumptions described above play into the experience–either positively or negatively? What, in retrospect, do you think you might have done differently?
Victoria Strauss is the author of nine novels for adults and young adults, including the WAY OF ARATA epic fantasy duology (THE BURNING LAND and THE AWAKENED CITY) and PASSION BLUE and COLOR SONG, a pair of historical novels for teens. In addition, she’s written a handful of short stories, hundreds of book reviews, and a number of articles on writing and publishing that have appeared in Writer’s Digest, among others. In 2006, she served as a judge for the World Fantasy Awards.
She is the co-founder, with Ann Crispin, of Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group that provides information and warnings about the many scams and schemes that threaten writers. She received the Service to SFWA Award in 2009 for her work with Writer Beware.
She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Too true.
Mindset 4 really is the worst of both its worlds. Getting a publisher *is* an honor (in theory), because it simply is convincing gatekeepers to use their money and clout for your book. And self-publishing is the reverse of that: no gate to clear, but then no free rides in expenses or exposure. A “publisher” who allows our money into the selection “decision” almost certainly won’t have the exposure network we’d be paying for… because they don’t need to sell books when they can collect fees from more writers. To a writer, “paid publisher” is a total contradiction in terms.
Sadly, I would say that only one in 500 traditionally-published writers actually have their publisher decide to put money and clout behind them. Otherwise, you’re signed (usually for a token amount) and you are on your own. The same dynamic applies in the music industry. A lot of publishers just buy writers to make sure the competition doesn’t get them, slap your name and book on their list, and then hope that lightning strikes. It’s like throwing cooked spaghetti on the wall and hoping that something sticks. This can be extraordinarily frustrating to a writer. The good news is…. eventually, you can get your rights back to your work and you will have a reader base you can leverage if you decide to continue a series on your own, for example, or publish independently. But if you want your publisher to actually put money into publicizing your book? You better get enough of an advance going in that they want to protect their investment by doing so. Otherwise? Forget about it. Most writers don’t get any support from their traditional publishers. I live for the day there’s a new system put in place. I know it’s coming, but it’s taking a while.
Too true. That would be the “in theory.”
Thank you, Victoria for all you do! This post is so helpful. I get phone calls once a year from a company (with a garbled name) that leaves a message telling me how much they love my “novel” Between the Darkness and the Dawn (which is not a novel at all but is a free short story on Amazon) and offering their book marketing services. The pitch was gushing on how talented a writer I am and how they can get this novel to thousands of readers, blah, blah, blah. She even commented about the character in the story (Nathaniel Hawthorne), which made me pause, but then I realized, it was just a pitch. I never returned the calls. I ended up blocking the phone number but she keeps changing their number! I also get emails from unknown book reviewers offering to review my novels; I never reply because my information is that this is how people pirate books via fake reviewers. The wiser we all become about all this, the better. Again, thank you for keeping the light on.
Oooh, Nathaniel Hawthorne? A master! I’ll look up the not-novel story!😏
Regarding so-called “hybrid” presses, IBPA (the Independent Book Publishers Association) has developed criteria and guidelines for assessing the integrity/quality/trustworthiness of a press that calls itself “hybrid.” It is an excellent resource—developed in 2018 and updated in 2022— prepared by an organization with no skin in the game, simply to help consumers navigate what can be murky waters. See: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher Some “hybrid publishers” are excellent and authentic; others use the word as a front for deception. Jane Friedman offers another clear and specific framework, See: https://janefriedman.com/key-book-publishing-path/
I agree that the IBPA’s hybrid criteria are a reasonable starting point for evaluating hybrids. But they also rely on self-reporting, which means they are relatively easy for dishonest self-styled hybrids to game–simply by lying, for example, about the degree to which they vet submissions, or making false claims about sales. These are things that writers have no way to independently verify.
This isn’t a theoretical concern. Many predatory so-called hybrids lie openly on their websites about their business models and benefits. When all you have to go on is what the hybrid says about itself, and what it says is exaggerated, obfuscatory, or simply false, applying the IBPA criteria won’t necessarily protect you.
I’m not saying don’t use them. Just be aware that they have a weakness.
I too recommend Jane Friedman’s discussion of hybrids. Jane always provides a deeply-researched and balanced view.
Totally agree that guidelines are just a start, not hard evidence, and that a company’s own website is not necessarily objective! Another “best practice” is to look at their list of titles, check out some of the books on Amazon, contact the authors, directly and have a conversation about their actual experience/s with the press. We would do this before hiring someone to clean our gutters or repave our driveway!
We have emailed on a couple of occasions and I always find your information invaluable. I great piece of advice that I have passed on to other authors is to take your time – “Take the Long Way Home.” It will be worth it.
Agreed! Many a mistake has been made by a too-hasty decision. Pretending you have to decide fast or that there’s a limited window to get in on the deal is classic scam tactics.
Exactly, good deal today is a good deal tomorrow:)
Thank you Victoria! I and over 1000 other writers and music artists were ripped off by Tate Publishing. Tate was apparently a legitimate company for years before father and son got greedy, stealing royalties and defaulting on their contractual commitments. I sued and was awarded $75,000 in criminal court. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma AG let them plea bargaintheir way out of jail by promising to pay back the initial investment made by each artist (mine was $8500) over 20 years. My great grandchildren will still be collecting when I’m gone. I get a check for about $400 a year. I spent over $10,000 in legal fees, plus airline tickets and hotel expenses to testify in court twice. The culprits didn’t even show up to court. Even legitimate companies can go bad, so be careful.
I’m very sorry about your Tate experience–I heard from so many Tate authors as the company was going under (and wrote several blog posts about it). In my opinion, Tate was always a predator, and like many predatory vanity publishers, ultimately became a Ponzi scheme which collapsed of its own weight. The restitution the Tates were ordered to pay is paltry compared to the money they took from authors–but Tate is one of only very, very few publishing scams that has ever faced legal accountability. Most go completely unpunished.
Thank you for a welcome discussion.
Thank you for writing and sharing this. My publisher, The Regency Publishers, 17th Floor, 521, 5th Ave, New york 10175 has had to change its name several times in order to hide the deception, only employs filipinos. I srongly suspect they use an phone app, and are based in the Philippines. I went to London, UK in April, and physically went to their international office: 7 Bell Yard, and get angry each time I see an email signature still claiming this is one of their offices (it never was registered at Companies House, which is opposite, and 7 Bell Yard is a cosmetic dental place.)
I haven’t actually been to the New York address, as I live in Canada. If anyone reading this lives close enough to the New York office address and could check back with me or Victoria Strauss, this would save potential published authors (with Regency) a lot of money and heart-ache. Best wishes, Victoria (Fabling)
Hi, Victoria–we’ve corresponded, and as I’ve shared with you, The Regency Publishers is a scam, one of several scam companies that operates from the Philippines as Marken Dream Catchers (aka Marken DC). Marken DC, along with its satellite business names, can be found on this list of overseas scams.
Victoria, this post belongs at the TOP of the very FIRST page of the Writer Beware site! So valuable and comprehensive. Writers everywhere are in your debt.
I’m so glad you find it useful! Thank you.
Hi Victoria. If I had been aware of your site two years ago, it would have saved me nearly $5,000AU. Penculture contacted me for publishing rights to a small handbook I had written, and had previously been produced by Xlibris. They kept asking me for more and more money, until I finally said enough was enough. The last straw was when they asked me for over $2,000AU for a company to write a Query letter and $8,000AU per book for a buy back scheme. At that innocent stage of my life, I didn’t know what a Query letter was, but thought that amount to get somebody to write a letter for me was extravagant. Despite asking them for a copy of this expensive letter, I never obviously received it, nor have I ever seen anything for the money I paid them. Now I read your list every time it is updated. It keeps me safe. I have now written a novel, which I have sent off to two traditional publishers, but haven’t heard back yet. The last contact I have had, was from a company representative called Andrea Parker from Word Talk Press telling me she represented Harper Collins, Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster. I was informed my novel had been successfully acquired. I sent a copy of this email to my mentor, who advised me that it was not only a scam, but extremely cruel. Putting my hopes up like that. When I checked your site, sure enough Word Talk Press was there. Thank you Victoria.
Ugh, I’m so sorry about Pen Culture Solutions. I’ve gotten multiple reports and complaints. I’m glad you’re finding my scams list useful! (Do keep in mind, though, that it only lists one type of scam–there are many, many others you may encounter. Most of the data Writer Beware has collected isn’t public–though I provide it on request.)
Another dodgy solicitation is from companies wanting your help training AI conversations. A new page in an old book.
I’ve been scammed only once and learned a few things in the process.
1. A do it all company for those who self publish is going to cost you more than learning to do it your self. You can hire a cover designer, an editor for developmental through proof reading and publish for less than any of those companies.
2. Author Solutions and any one is associated or has been associated with them are a scam. (the one I got caught in when I first started writing and publishing.)
3. If you did not contact the person for information, send it to spam.
4. Agents for publishing or film will NOT contact you unless you are at the top of all the best seller lists. Send to spam.
5. If they call you out of the blue, the minute they start their spiel, say “No thank you. Not interested and don’t all me again.:” Then hang up.
6. Publicity isn’t that hard to do. You get to know those who work in the newspaper or magazines you would fit in and keep in touch with them with offers of helping them when they need an article. Most of the “self-publishing” companies who promised to do publicity will send out publicity but to companies who will trash it without reading it.
7. None of the companies will do marketing. That is something you need to learn no matter how you publish or be prepared to pay someone to do it for you.
There is more, but those above will keep you out of trouble. I keep getting calls and emails on a book I published back in 2015. One quick question will tell you if they are legit–What is the book about? When they can’t answer, it’s a scam. Jaded. Maybe. But I haven’t gotten caught in one since. Like the one who named the company he was “working” for–only that was a Canadian company in bankruptcy. (the search function on the computer is wonderful)
My rule of thumb–if they contact you, it’s 99% likely to be a scam. I haven’t hit the 1% while one guy did. Sold a MS and wrote several articles for the company that bought the book.