That flattering email says someone loves your book and wants to feature it in a book club or perhaps turn it into a movie.
Great news…or a scam?
In this episode author and Writer Beware co-founder Victoria Strauss about the rapidly changing world of publishing scams and what writers need to know before responding to an unexpected opportunity.
Victoria explains how Writer Beware began after she encountered stories of writers exploited by dishonest literary agents, vanity publishers, and editing services. What she and her colleagues once hoped might serve a temporary mission instead became more important than ever.
Today, generative AI makes it easier for scammers to produce highly personalized emails in enormous quantities. Sometimes they appear to know surprisingly specific details about an author’s book. Victoria shares the warning signs writers should watch for and what to investigate before responding.
In This Episode
How Writer Beware Began
Victoria started out as a fantasy author who became intrigued, and alarmed, by stories from scammed writers.
When the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association sought someone to create a resource about writing scams, Victoria volunteered. She later joined forces with the late author Ann Crispin, beginning what became Writer Beware.
How Publishing Scams Have Changed
The original scams often involved:
- Fee-charging literary agents
- Dishonest vanity publishers
- Crooked editing services
Those problems didn’t disappeared. But the growth of self-publishing created entirely new opportunities for scammers targeting authors who need editing, publishing, marketing, and promotional services.
How AI Makes Scams More Convincing
Victoria says generative AI “turbocharged” publishing scams.
Writers may now receive highly personalized messages that appear to come from someone who actually read their book. The email may summarize the plot and offer elaborate praise, but that personalization is probably generated by AI.
Red Flags Writers Should Watch For
Victoria identifies several warning signs:
🚩 An unsolicited publishing or movie-rights offer from a Gmail address
🚩 Extremely long emails summarizing your book
🚩 Over-the-top praise
🚩 Conversations that drag on without getting to the point
🚩 Requests for fees where legitimate professionals normally don’t charge them
🚩 Websites with broken social media links
🚩 Unverified testimonials
🚩 Stock or AI-generated images
A Gmail address alone doesn’t prove something is fraudulent, but combined with other warning signs, it deserves extra scrutiny.
Should You Respond to a Suspicious Email?
Victoria’s recommendation is straightforward:
Block and delete.
Even responding negatively tells scammers they’ve reached a real person and may encourage them to continue contacting you.
Do Your Own Detective Work
Before trusting a person or company, investigate.
Victoria recommends reverse-image searches to see whether a supposed professional’s photo is actually a stock or stolen image. Google Lens is particularly useful for this. She also suggests examining websites carefully rather than assuming a polished design means a legitimate business.
The Publishing Scams Victoria Is Seeing Now
Among the most common current schemes are:
- Fake book club invitations
- Book marketing solicitations
- Impersonation of editors at traditional publishing houses
- Literary agent impersonation
- Fake producers and production companies
Impersonation scams fall among the most frequent problems reaching Writer Beware.
AI, Copyright & the Anthropic Settlement
Lisa and Victoria also discuss the Anthropic copyright settlement and the complications authors encountered during the claims process.
Victoria explains issues involving competing author and publisher claims, rights that reverted to authors, and incorrect percentages assigned during the process.
The conversation also raises an important question for writers:
Should you upload your entire unpublished manuscript to an AI platform?
Victoria says she personally doesn’t recommend it. For writers who consider doing so, she recommends carefully reading the terms of service and privacy protections and making sure they fully understand how the platform will handle their material.
Knowledge Is an Author’s Best Protection
One of Victoria’s strongest recommendations is deceptively simple:
Learn how publishing actually works.
Scammers often exploit writers’ lack of experience. Understanding how legitimate agents, publishers, editors, and publishing services normally operate makes it much easier to recognize when something doesn’t feel right.
Writer Beware provides information about literary agents, publishers, self-publishing, common scams, and links to resources it considers trustworthy.
Key Takeaways
- AI now makes publishing scams more personalized, convincing, and plentiful.
- An unsolicited offer that sounds wonderful deserves investigation before you respond.
- Legitimate literary agents and publishers don’t charge authors upfront fees for representation or publication.
- Don’t assume a professional-looking website proves a business is legitimate.
- Reverse-image searches help uncover fake identities.
- Take caution when uploading an entire manuscript to an online service without understanding its terms and privacy policies.
- Learning how legitimate publishing works is one of the strongest defenses against exploitation.
Memorable Quote
“Knowing about how things should work and also knowing about how scams work is empowering because the two things together can keep you safe.” — Victoria Strauss
And despite everything she sees through Writer Beware, Victoria ends with an encouraging message: legitimate agents, publishers, and publishing professionals are out there. Writers navigate the industry safely by educating themselves, investigating opportunities, and staying cautious without becoming discouraged.
About Victoria Strauss
Victoria Strauss is an author and co-founder of Writer Beware, a resource dedicated to educating writers about publishing scams, questionable business practices, and other risks in the publishing industry. For decades, she investigated complaints, documented schemes targeting writers, and helped authors better understand how legitimate publishing works.
Subscribe:
 