Scams—The Part of Writing You Don’t See Coming Act Two

Full disclosure: This is an updated rerelease of a post from 2020. Because of suspicious activity my fellow authors and I have been encountering lately, I figured it’d be a timely refresher, especially in view of how crazy the world was at the original posting. I’m including some extra resources this time, as well as information about the recent schemes I’ve run across.

Besides, if Taylor Swift can rerecord her masters, why can’t I rerelease a blog?

Not long after I finished my first manuscript, I also stared down my first unscrupulous opportunity. A few months into querying publishers, an official-looking envelope arrived for me, but instead of being from a publishing company I’d queried, it came from a record company, who said they’d like to record my song. But there was one snag…

I’d never written a song.

“I’ve always wanted to, though,” my twenty-one-year-old mind thought. “Why not seize the day? They believe in me.”

Before I sat down to compose my apparent masterpiece, I looked the company up online. Sure, they’d record your song, but not to earn you a Grammy nomination. I found reports of people who’d been approached just like me for a song they hadn’t written. Some learned the hard way the scheme was a waste of time and lots of money. Exit the red carpet, enter the red digits on your checking account.

In truth, it doesn’t take long for your pursuit of writing to be discovered and exploited by money grabbers. A simple web search for tips or publishers can set you up for a barrage of emails and ads to come across your screen, just like with any other product or service you research. Does that mean it isn’t worth the risk? No, it means you need to develop and keep your web and street smarts.

The first tip I shared in my original post was to pay attention to the way the sender addresses you and your work. It used to be unusual for them to use your name and the title of your book. Nowadays, however, they’ve changed course on that, often referring to you and the work by name. Still, if it’s in bold lettering or a different font, you can reasonably deduce it’s a form letter, not a personal correspondence.

In an industry as flooded as the publishing world is, a reputable agent/editor isn’t going to seek you out. We all know how many times we’re rejected or don’t even receive a response, so does it stand to reason that one needs to query you? Thus, don’t trust any who appear in your inbox, and be wary of services that companies employ to amass submissions. I once experimented with the latter and received an acceptance letter from a company who didn’t have the best track record.

The same logic applies to the bigwigs across the business. I recently read that some shady characters are alleging to be interested in teaming up with you to convert your book into a script for a movie or such. Sure, there are legitimate opportunities like that, but again, it almost never happens just out of the blue. Also be wary of phone calls. In nearly a decade of working with publishers, I’ve never received a legitimate phone call from an editor or even a book fair organizer.

Regardless of what form an opportunity comes in, research the company or individual as thoroughly as possible before you enter an agreement. A search engine is a good place to start; a lot of times I even follow the name up with “scam”. That way, if it nets no viable negative results, you’re likely to take it as a thumbs-up to proceed. Further, check out sites like writerbeware.blog, absolutewrite.com, and Reddit. If you’re a part of any writers’ networks, consult fellow authors. This spared me from falling prey to a current scheme that’s going around.   

In all I’ve experienced, a common tool I observed scammers utilize is flattery. They appeal to your ego, blanketing you with compliments about your work, even if they haven’t read a word of it. Thus, it’s important not to be drawn into that. Sure, it’s gratifying to be commended, but all too often, flattery can give way to foolery.  

Finally, scammers target desperation. Hence, don’t be desperate about your dreams. Believe in your talent, and one day, you’ll convince the right agent/publisher of it, too.