Online scams against authors are on the rise and becoming increasingly sophisticated—fueled by the widespread use of generative AI, which excels at mimicry. Nearly every day, we hear from authors who have been scammed or would have been had they not first reached out to the Authors Guild to confirm whether an “offer” was real. Authors—as well as publishers, agents, and filmmakers—must remain alert.

The first rule of thumb is that if someone solicits you out of the blue with an offer that seems too good to be true, it probably is. This page details some red flags to watch for and information about specific scams that have been reported to us.

• The Impact of Publishing Scams
• Common Publishing Scams
• Is it a Scam? Rules to Keep in Mind
• All Resources
• Report a Scam

The Impact of Publishing Scams

Despite our efforts to get the word out and take action against scammers, more and more authors are being impacted. Examples include:

• One member recently reported that he had been approached by someone claiming to represent a prominent film director who was interested in adapting the author’s book. The author paid thousands of dollars in fees to the scammer based on these misrepresentations. We brought this scam to the attention of the director’s attorneys, who have stated that they will be taking action against the perpetrators.
• A self-published author was defrauded by someone claiming to be an employee of Hachette Book Group, who told the author that an agent had given him a copy of her book. Despite the fact that the author did not actually have an agent, she paid the scammer more than $14,000 for purported “printing” and other fees. The author only learned that she has been scammed when she flew from California to meet with the fraudster at Hachette’s New York office—where no one had heard of her, her book, or the names of the supposed Hachette employees she has spoken to.
• An elderly author was approached by someone claiming to be a senior literary agent at PageTurner Press and Media, who told the author that Basic Books was interested in acquiring his book. Despite online warnings about PageTurner, the author made several payments to get the book published—including a final payment of $150,000, at which point someone claiming to be the editorial director of Basic Books called the author to confirm their interest and convince him that the publisher intended to finalize the agreement. In the end, the author was reportedly defrauded of $800,000.

Common Publishing Scams

Scammers commonly impersonate legitimate entities to engender trust. These include:

• Well-known authors
• Publishers, especially the Big Five publishers
• Agents and agencies
• The Authors Guild
• Film and TV studios, producers, and directors
• Podcast hosts and producers
• Book clubs
• Amazon
• Bookstores

One scammer might offer to get your book published by a Big Five publisher, including a large advance—but then you find out you must first pay a fee; when you pay, you never hear from them again, or they ask for additional payments. Others make false promises to actively market your book and generate huge sales in exchange for an exorbitant fee.

It is important to view any unsolicited offers to publish, market, or adapt your books with caution. We have an ongoing list of specific reported scams here.

Is it a Scam? Rules to Keep in Mind

We continue to push the federal and state governments to take action to protect authors, especially elderly and vulnerable authors, and work with publishers and other entities to keep an eye out for and fight against scammers. At the same time, we want to make sure that authors everywhere are aware of these scams so they can be on the lookout and protect themselves and their loved ones from falling victim to them.

Here are some basic principles for recognizing publishing scams that authors should keep in mind:

1. Legitimate publishers and agents do not charge a fee to review your manuscript. Anyone seeking to collect such a fee is most likely fraudulent. Please note that some legitimate literary magazines or small presses run contests for which they charge a small reading fee, such as $25, but if the contest or its sponsor is unfamiliar to you or the fee seems high, do the appropriate research before submitting your work and the fee.
2. Traditional publishers will not ask you to pay them up front, so beware of any request for a fee from a publisher—with the exception of hybrid publishers, which do split costs. It is important to do your research on hybrid publishers, however, and make sure you are dealing with a reputable entity, as there are many scammers that bill themselves as hybrid publishers but provide little to no added value while charging excessive fees. Review the IBPA hybrid criteria checklist when in doubt.
3. Credible book publicists and marketers generally are fee-for-service providers, meaning they shouldn’t charge you until after they have performed the work. Some may ask for half their fees up front; if so, make sure you have a carefully worded agreement outlining what tasks they will perform, when the tasks will be completed, and your ability to terminate the agreement should they fail to provide the agreed-upon deliverables. The AG legal team will review the agreement for you if you are a member.
4. Whether by phone, email, or postal mail, traditional publishers, movie studios, and directors rarely approach authors out of the blue with incredible opportunities. As always, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Look carefully at the sender’s email address. Some scammers create domain names that resemble those of legitimate companies. Confirm domain name accuracy by going to the legitimate company’s website for comparison; for example, “macmillan.com” is Macmillan’s genuine web address, while “macmillanpublishing.com” is a counterfeit.
6. Investigate all supposed “opportunities” that you may be offered. Please feel free to email us at staff@authorsguild.org with any questions about such opportunities. Guild members can also post and ask other authors in our online community. You can also check the many fraud alerts linked before.

All Resources

Authors Guild Resources

Resource Type	Title
List	Publishing Scam Alerts (updated regularly)
List	Publishers to Avoid
Article	Alert: Rise in Email Scams Targeting Authors
Webinar	Helping Authors Detect Cyber Scams
Webinar	Inside an Author Scam: What Happened at PageTurner Press
News Update	FBI Arrests Individuals Behind PageTurner Scam
News Update	Authors: Protect Your Facebook Account from Hacking

Publisher Resources

The Big Five publishers all have pages on their websites warning against scammers using their names:

• Hachette Book Group
• HarperCollins
• Macmillan
• Penguin Random House
• Simon & Schuster

Writer Beware

Writer Beware is an excellent resource for looking into potential scams in the marketplace. In addition to regular posts about new and evolving types of scams, Writer Beware maintains comprehensive lists of company names used by scammers:

• Impersonation List
• Overseas Scam List

Report a Scam

If you’ve come across or done business with a publishing scam, please email us at staff@authorsguild.org so we can assist you and let our members know to avoid it.