How Authors Can Avoid Scammers or Fake Accounts
Event news for Spring, a chance for a free copy of my book, and Indie Reads
The online world is a wonderful place where authors have the opportunity to connect with readers around the world, truly allowing them to expand on their possible audience.
However, despite this positive outlook on the connectivity that the web provides authors, there is a high risk of encountering scammers and fake accounts. By this, I refer to people online who offer promises for payments, pretend to be someone else for personal gain, or pester authors to use their services.
So the questions are, how do we know how to spot them, and what to do when we do encounter them?
How do we spot fake accounts or scammers?
Too-Good-To-Be-True Offers
If someone promises bestseller status, thousands of reviews, or massive book sales for an upfront fee, be wary.
Scammers often use high-pressure tactics, claiming an offer is “limited time only.”
Requests for Upfront Payments Without Transparency
Legitimate professionals provide clear contracts and portfolios.
Be cautious of vague promises like “We’ll make your book a success!” without explaining how.
Unverified or Newly Created Accounts
Check when the account was created. If it’s brand new with few followers or posts, it might be fake.
Look for engagement history — real professionals interact with their audience over time.
Check for when their posts started and how many original posts they have. Many fake accounts share other people’s posts and rarely have original posts.
Poor Grammar, Odd Wording, or Generic Messages
Many scams originate from automated bots or non-native speakers using awkward phrasing.
Common scam messages include:
“Hello dear, I love your book! Can we discuss a business opportunity?”
“I am a marketing expert. I can make your book famous!”
Impersonation of Industry Professionals
Scammers often pretend to be literary agents, editors, or famous authors.
Verify their identity by checking their official website or social media presence.
Ask for money upfront to publish your work (you shouldn’t have to pay a publisher to publish your work).
Real professionals also don’t typically follow many people but have lots of followers.
Unsolicited DMs or Emails Offering Services
If someone randomly messages you about book promotions, reviews, or publishing deals, be skeptical.
Always research their company before responding.
What to Do When You Encounter a Scammer
Don’t Engage or Respond
The best way to deal with scammers is to ignore them. Responding, even to call them out, signals that you’re willing to engage, which may encourage more scams.
Scammers often use emotional manipulation or pressure tactics to get a response. Don’t fall for it.
Verify Before You Trust
If the person claims to be an industry professional, search for their website, social media accounts, or client reviews.
Cross-check their name against scam reports in writing communities or forums like Writer Beware or Absolute Write.
Report and Block
Most social media platforms allow you to report scam accounts. This helps protect other authors from falling victim.
Block the account to prevent further contact.
Alert Your Writing Community
Scammers often target multiple authors in the same circles.
Consider posting a warning to help others avoid falling into their trap.
Protect Your Information
Never share personal details, bank information, or unpublished work with strangers online.
If someone asks for sensitive information, it’s a red flag.
Be Cautious of Fake Reviews & Paid Promotions
Some scammers offer paid reviews, which violate Amazon’s policies and can lead to account penalties.
If someone claims they can “guarantee” reviews or sales, walk away.
Trust Your Instincts
If something feels off, it probably is. A legitimate opportunity will never require urgent decisions, vague promises, or pressure to pay upfront.
Be aware that as amazing as meeting people in the industry online can be as an author, there are many people out there doing anything to make a dollar, including scamming you.
Be sure to:
Fact check anyone who seems off
Trust your gut
Don’t jump into any situations too soon or give away your work without proper process
Warn the writing community when situations like ones mentioned arise.
Do all of these things and you can keep your work and your accounts safe.
Event News
I will again be a vendor at the Lancaster Native Plant and Wildlife Festival this spring.
At this event I will be selling Dandelion and The Day the Gnomes Moved In, as well as offer some freebie items for kiddos. In addition to this, the event has food trucks, wildlife sanctuary’s that do wildlife presentations with animals, and nurseries attending.
Where: OVERLOOK ACTIVITY CENTER (301 Golf Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601)
When: Saturday, April 26th from 8 to 1 (Rain or shine)
I really hope to see you there or to meet in person! (and I will sign any copies of books you have if you’d like)
Secrets They Never Told
I have a big ask.
I have been going around social media asking if anyone would be interested in receiving a free copy of Secrets They Never Told via email in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads. And so far, doing so has gotten me four more reviews for it.
If this is something you would be interested in, please let me know! My goal is to get more Goodreads reviews so they will show up on Amazon next to the Amazon reviews.
Indie Reads
Welcome to Eden Academy. Safe haven. Melting pot of preternatural beings from shifters to extraordinary humans.
Carmen had been attending Eden Prep since before she knew her multiplication tables, and she was ready to graduate, do her time at the Academy and then get the hell out of dodge. She was sick of having a best friend who still saw her as a little kid despite the fact she was seventeen. She was sick of her Alpha older brother telling her what to do. She was sick of always being compared to Enit, her omega and incomparable littermate.
The only place she felt free was fighting, and if her parents knew that? They'd kick her ass and keep her locked up in the tiny town of Dark River forever. Well, except her dad X. Carmen was pretty sure he was proud that she could kick ass.
Carmen needed to get out into the world and live life on her own terms. But her first semester at the Academy brings more surprises than she expected. A fiery runaway with a quick smile and even quicker hands. Not to mention the arrival of a boy, no a man, with dark eyes and an even darker past.
Hell, maybe Eden was living up to its name after all.
For fans of One Dark Window and From Blood and Ash comes a haunting, slow-burn fantasy romance about villains. It follows a formerly magicless elf as she suddenly comes into powers that her kingdom has never seen and the duplicitous prince she must bargain with to save them at whatever cost—even her soul.
After her grandmother's execution, a formerly magicless elf is suddenly the most powerful witch in her village. Magic is disappearing, though, and Imani is thrust into the treacherous court of her kingdom, forced into trials against the most lethal witches in the world.
As she unravels the perilous plan her grandmother plotted before her death to save magic, Imani unwittingly dives deeper into a web of magical and political intrigue that puts her on a collision course with dangers beyond anything she imagined.
But Imani is harboring illicit knowledge of her own—a forbidden dark magic that’s getting more difficult to hide by the day. Now, she must decide whether to make herself a threat and an enemy to her country or risk becoming a pawn and the realm losing magic forever.
Stuck in this predicament, Imani sees only one path forward: a dangerous deal with the duplicitous prince—one she might be falling for.
Josie Scott swore off men after one too many heartbreaks, perfectly content with her camera, her career, and a nice bottle of red wine. But when a broken elevator traps her with Toronto’s hottest hockey player, Wyatt Boone, what starts as a little flirtation turns into a steamy romance.
Wyatt Boone is left doubting his future on the team after a season-ending injury and the pressure to win another Cup Championship bigger than ever. Being a star hockey player isn’t as glamorous as it seems with constant paparazzi and women seeking fame, so meeting Josie Scott in the broken elevator might just be the unexpected twist he needs.
With the media and fame threatening their relationship, Josie and Wyatt have to decide what's worse: their fear of falling for each other or letting outside forces tear them apart.