# Spotting predatory marketing and publishing scams

The scams aimed at authors right now, the red flags they share, two real cases, and exactly what to do and where to report if you're targeted.

Facts last checked 28 September 2026. https://bervet.com/guides/spotting-predatory-services

Once your book is on sale, the emails start. Someone loves your book. A book club wants to feature it. A film producer is interested. An editor at a big publisher wants to know if you have an agent.

Almost all of these are scams. They're aimed at self-published authors because our names, titles and contact details are public, and because a first book leaves most of us hopeful and a bit unsure what normal looks like. Being targeted doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It means your book is visible.

This guide covers the patterns doing the rounds over the past year, the red flags they share, and what to do.

### The patterns, by date

Scams change their costumes often, but the script underneath stays the same. These are the main patterns reported by Writer Beware, the Authors Guild and others since late 2025.

| When reported | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | Bot-driven "book marketing": AI-written praise, fake reviewers and fake reader communities, then a paid promotion pitch |
| Nov 2025 | Impersonation of well-known authors, reaching out as if to a peer |
| Nov 2025 | A firm pushing authors to "opt out" of the Anthropic copyright settlement (the judge ordered its misleading statements corrected) |
| Jan 2026 | AI-written flattery about your book; fake book-club "spotlights"; fake Amazon warnings about a "review penalty" |
| Feb 2026 | Authors Guild alert: fake book clubs, fake publicity, impersonation, fake publishing deals, and threats including extortion attempts |
| Feb to Mar 2026 | Impersonation of editors at major publishers, opening by asking whether you have a literary agent, then referring you on to a paid "book doctor" |
| May 2026 | Fake book festivals; fake interview and radio requests |
| Aug 2026 | Lookalike web domains impersonating real literary agencies |
| Aug 2026 | Fake film production companies and fake agents, including German-language approaches |

Two things stand out. First, the scammers now borrow real names: real authors, real editors, real agencies. Second, AI lets them write a message that mentions your characters and plot, so "they obviously read it" no longer means anything.

### The red flags

Any one of these is a reason to slow down. Two or more, and you can be fairly sure.

1. **The email address doesn't fit.** A Gmail address claiming to be a company, or a domain that's almost right (an extra letter, a different ending, a hyphen the real firm doesn't use).
2. **Unsolicited, gushing, plot-specific praise.** The Authors Guild says cold outreach is a practice publishers and literary agents principally don't use. Real agents, editors and producers rarely cold-email self-published authors to rave about chapter 12.
3. **No money up front, then fees later.** The first contact is free and flattering. The fees arrive once you're invested. In the cases Writer Beware and the Authors Guild have written up, they were for things like a book club appearance, a festival or interview "placement", editing from a "book doctor" a fake agent recommended, or distribution agreements, "copyright proof" and insurance.
4. **Odd payment methods.** Writer Beware lists wire transfer, PayPal Friends and Family, Zelle and CashApp; Scamwatch says a demand for payment by gift card is a scam, and lists gift cards and cryptocurrency among the unusual payment methods that signal one. Invoices with no business contact details are another warning sign.
5. **Phone calls fishing for a "yes".** The Authors Guild warns that even the word "yes" can be recorded and used later.
6. **Urgency.** The offer closes Friday. The slot is the last one. The producer flies out tomorrow.
7. **A warning that you're in trouble.** An "Amazon" message saying your account or reviews are at risk unless you pay someone to fix it. Log in to your KDP account directly to check, and never pay an outsider who says they can fix it.

### Two real cases

These cases are worth reading because they show how the scams escalate, and how hard it is to get money back afterwards.

#### PageTurner Press

PageTurner Press and Media presented itself as a US publishing company. According to US prosecutors, it was one of several fake publishing and film companies worked through a call centre in the Philippines, and the scheme took more than $48 million from 893 victims, many of them older, between 2017 and 2024. Writers were promised their books would be published and marketed through reputable publishers or picked up for film and television. Writer Beware described victims being pushed from one expensive package to the next.

In 2026 the CEO of the Philippine company behind the call centre pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges covering fraud and money laundering. His plea agreement provides for restitution of at least $48.7 million. A guest post on Writer Beware pointed out that about $42 million was sent to bank accounts in the Philippines, so victims may never see most of it.

#### Love v. Wiley Book Writers

A Canadian author, Raymond Love, answered an online ad from Wiley Book Writers, a company that said it was based in Illinois, in January 2023 and paid $3,200 for a "premium publication package". (Wiley Book Writers is not the publisher John Wiley & Sons.) Over time he was drawn into further payments: fake distribution agreements, "copyright proof", a book fair showcase, insurance, and printing linked to a made-up offer from HarperCollins. In total he paid around $50,000 and received 50 hardcover copies and a single $3,000 payment.

He sued in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to Writer Beware, four defendants agreed a settlement in February 2026 that allowed judgment to be entered against them if they didn't pay by 30 April, and in August 2026 a $75,000 judgment was entered against all four. Two others never responded, and the court granted a default judgment of $190,025 against them. Writer Beware called it a rare comeuppance, but noted that the challenge will be collecting the money.

The lesson from both cases: the first payment is small and looks reasonable. Everything after that is built on it.

### What to do when a message arrives

1. **Don't reply, and don't click links.** Replying tells them your address works and that you're interested.
2. **Look the company up independently.** Type its name into a search engine yourself, find its real website, and compare the domain letter by letter with the one that emailed you.
3. **Contact the real organisation through its own website.** If "an editor at a big publisher" emailed you, find that publisher's official contact page and ask whether the person exists and sent the message.
4. **Search the name plus "scam"**, and search Writer Beware's blog. Many of these outfits have been written up already.
5. **Ask someone you trust.** Another author, a writers' group, or a professional body. Scams work on people who feel they have to decide alone and quickly.
6. **Never pay by wire, Zelle, CashApp, gift card or crypto** to someone who contacted you out of the blue.

If you do want to hire someone (an editor, a cover designer, a publicist), find them yourself. Ask other authors for names, check the Alliance of Independent Authors' Partner Member directory of vetted services, look at their past work, and get a written contract that names a real, registered business.

#### About the Anthropic settlement

The court granted final approval of the Anthropic copyright settlement on 20 July 2026. The official settlement site says it expects to send the first round of payments on or before 15 November 2026, for works where the claimants agree on the split and have provided all the payment information needed; disputed works are paid later. The claim deadline was 30 March 2026. Because it involves real money for real authors, it has already attracted a firm urging authors to opt out, which the judge ordered to correct its misleading statements. If you're contacted about it, don't reply. Go to the Authors Guild's own guidance or the official settlement site (anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com) directly.

One genuine problem to know about: Writer Beware reported in September 2026 that some publishers have filed incorrect claims on authors' shares, including books whose rights had reverted to the author. If you've had a book traditionally published, check what's been claimed in your name. Writer Beware says you have 60 days from your allocation notice to dispute it.

### If you've already paid

It happens to careful, intelligent people. Act quickly and without embarrassment.

1. **Stop paying.** Don't pay any further fee to "release" your money or your book, and stop all contact with the scammer.
2. **Call your bank or card provider** straight away, using the number on its official website or your card, not one from the scammer's messages. The Australian Cyber Security Centre says your bank may be able to stop a transaction.
3. **Keep everything.** Emails, invoices, contracts, phone numbers, receipts, screenshots of websites.
4. **Change passwords** if you gave them any login details.
5. **Report it** (see below). Reports help authorities spot patterns and warn others.

### Where to report

| Where | Who it's for | How |
|---|---|---|
| Writer Beware | Everyone | Email beware@sfwa.org. They track publishing scams and warn the community. |
| Authors Guild | Everyone, especially US authors | Forward suspicious emails to staff@authorsguild.org. It publishes scam alerts at authorsguild.org. |
| FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center | Anyone, including people outside the US, especially if the scam used a US-based operation | ic3.gov. IC3 doesn't investigate itself; it passes reports on to law enforcement. |
| Scamwatch | Australians | scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam. Part of the ACCC's National Anti-Scam Centre. |
| ReportCyber | Australians who've lost money | cyber.gov.au. A national policing initiative for reporting cybercrime. |

A Scamwatch report isn't a police report. If you've lost money in Australia, the Australian Cyber Security Centre says to report the transaction to your bank straight away and make a report through ReportCyber. Reporting to Scamwatch as well helps it warn others.

### The short version

- Real opportunities rarely arrive as unsolicited flattery.
- If they want money to give you money, walk away.
- Verify through the real organisation's own website, never through the message.
- Tell someone, and report it.

### Sources
- https://writerbeware.blog/2025/10/20/army-of-bots-deeper-into-the-vortex-of-nigerian-marketing-scams/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/if-a-famous-author-calls-hang-up-anatomy-of-an-impersonation-scam/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2025/11/07/predatory-opt-outs-the-speculators-come-for-the-anthropic-copyright-settlement/
- https://annerallen.com/2026/01/new-scam-alerts-for-authors/
- https://authorsguild.org/bulletin/rise-in-email-scams-targeting-authors/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/03/27/watch-out-for-this-scam-impersonating-editors-at-major-publishing-houses/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/05/08/book-festival-scams-interview-fakes-two-new-ai-driven-impersonation-scams-to-avoid/
- https://authorsguild.org/news/scam-alert-increasingly-believable-impersonation-scams/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/08/28/production-companies-literary-agents-foreign-languages-ai-driven-scams-continue-to-morph/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2025/01/03/karmas-a-bitch-the-law-catches-up-with-pageturner-press-and-media/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/06/19/guest-blog-post-can-a-flawed-us-legal-system-discourage-fraud-a-look-at-the-pageturner-scam-prosecution/
- https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/defendant-pleads-guilty-48-million-nationwide-book-publishing-scam-targeting-hundreds
- https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/05/19/regions/cebuanio-ceo-pleads-guilty-in-multi-million-dollar-scam/2346259
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/09/18/love-v-wiley-book-writers-a-publishing-scam-gets-a-rare-comeuppance/
- https://selfpublishingadvice.org/alli-self-publishing-services-directory/
- https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/
- https://authorsguild.org/news/court-grants-final-approval-anthropic-copyright-settlement/
- https://authorsguild.org/news/anthropic-settlement-update-91-percent-of-books-claimed/
- https://writerbeware.blog/2026/09/04/anthropic-copyright-settlement-publishers-are-making-incorrect-claims-on-authors-payouts/
- https://writerbeware.blog/contact/
- https://www.ic3.gov
- https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FAQ
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/about-us/news-and-alerts/payment-demanded-by-gift-card-its-a-scam
- https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/types-of-scams/buying-and-selling-scams
- https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/report
- https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/recover-from/scams

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From Bervet (bervet.com), indie books straight from the people who wrote them. Page: https://bervet.com/guides/spotting-predatory-services
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