Author Ego: The Scammers’ Best Tool

“Compliments can get you the world.”

Dr. Burl Randolph, Jr.

            Everyone likes to receive compliments. Compliments humble some people, while they create hubris in others. Authors refer to compliments as book reviews. Whether formal or informal, any positive feedback on their work is received with gratitude for the platitudes. Surely, there must be more where this came from, or is there? Author ego is the best tool for scammers looking to make a few bucks.

The Author Online Scam

Scamming is as old as the world: Lazy people fooling hard-working people out of their hard-earned money. Authors have become the latest targets of these unscrupulous slugs. Why are my descriptions so derogatory of this group? Because of the amount of time it takes an author to expose the scam. What does the scam look like?

1. The Approach. Someone contacts the author about one of their books.
2. The Compliments. The email is immediately filled with flattering praise, some of which the authors have heard before, some of which is new.
3. The Close. An offer to help promote this work of literary genius so that the world may benefit from the author’s greatness, for a small fee.  

I have experienced this phenomenon and received notification emails from author groups I subscribe to. But there is a way to identify and beat the swindle.

Identifying the Scams

Once an author gets past the phony adoration, there are a few things to look for and do to expose the rip-off. These scams come in all shapes and sizes.

1. The Book Club Scam. Someone contacts the author, posing as the book club moderator, offering to feature their wonderful work of wisdom. The promotion and facilitation can be accomplished for a nominal fee.
2. The Promotion Scam. The scammer contacts the author, promising to expand the reach of their book(s). They will do this using everything from using Goodreads Listopia to increase rankings and sales to creating promotional graphics and advertising to draw readers in.
3. The Referral Scam. Using a fake email from a prominent publisher or author alliance executive, praising the author’s work and urging them to use their service for their book to receive “the acclaim it deserves.”

Now that an author has identified the scams, they can take steps to expose them.

Exposing the Scams

What can an author do to expose the scam? What are the cheaters’ techniques?

1. Using a Gmail address. Many people use Gail for their businesses, and there is nothing wrong with that on the surface. However, most of the legitimate book clubs have their own websites with organizational email addresses.
2. Not using a point of contact in the email. If you must ask for a POC name, run. Logically, a person would use their name when contacting someone else, not just the organizational name in the Gmail address.
3. The Signature Block is Fake. The signature block has a picture, phone number, and Gmail address, but when you contact the book club, all the moderators tell you the same thing: I DON’T CONTACT AUTHORS.
4. Repeating Phrases. Once an author receives a few Emails, they will notice a pattern in the writing, such as “Your book will bridge the generational gaps for years to come.”
5. Urgency to Act. The fraud tells the author that time is of the essence, or they set a date for a book club meeting or to advertise. Typically, the date they select is too short to put together a suitable event, or their schedule is too packed to meet with you.    

Some Advanced Techniques

1. Will Not Meet with you on Zoom. Authors respond to the sense of urgency by scheduling a Zoom meeting, but the scammers do not attend.
2. Using a Publishing Company Name. Some scammers will use a legitimate publishing company name, but no one there has heard of them.
3. Using a Fake Website. The author goes to a website that has nothing but stock photos and no way to contact anyone.
4. The Referral Notice. The executive whose identity has been used sends an email to their contacts, informing them that someone is running a scam using their name with a Gmail address.
5. The No-Fee Fee. The author is told that “Authors are not charged for our services; however, a small fee of $$$ is applied to help defray printing costs.  

There may be a hundred other techniques to expose and identify online scams against authors. After receiving a few scam emails, I thought it helpful to share what I am seeing and to place my own author ego in check.

Have you received an email praising your book?

Was there a request to help you catapult your sales?

Was there an indirect mention of sending a small payment for specific services?   

#scams #onlinescams #onlinescamsagainstauthors #bookscams