The Current Scam Landscape — What's Actually Happening

In late 2025, indie authors experienced what author-protection blogger Anne R. Allen described as an 'explosion' in AI-enhanced scam emails. Scammers are using AI tools to scrape author data from Amazon listings, Goodreads, author websites, and social media — then generating personalised, professional-looking outreach that quotes your own reviews back to you and addresses you by name.

The volume is staggering. Some prominent author bloggers report receiving 30–40 scam emails per day. The personalisation makes them harder to dismiss — they know your book title, your genre, and your reviewer quotes. But the patterns are consistent once you know what to look for.

🚨 IMPORTANT: The scam explosion accelerated in 2025. If you have a book on Amazon, you will receive these emails. They are not a sign that you're successful — they are automated outreach to every author in their database. Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware (writerbeware.blog) tracks these operations in real time and is your best ongoing resource.

The Five Most Common Author Scams in 2026

1. The Fake Book Club ('engagement fee' scam)

Format: An email from a 'book club' (often with a city name — 'Manhattan Book Club,' 'Edinburgh Book Club') gushing about how your book 'deeply resonated' with their members. They invite you to participate in a Q&A, get featured in their newsletter, and connect with 'thousands of readers.' Then they ask for an 'engagement fee' of $200–$800.

How to spot it: Legitimate book clubs don't charge authors. Legitimate book clubs don't cold-email authors they haven't personally chosen. The email will praise your specific book but the praise is templated AI content — identical structure sent to thousands of authors.

2. The Fake Film Studio ('adaptation offer' scam)

Format: An email or call from someone claiming to be an executive at a major or minor film studio (sometimes using the real name of a real executive, found through LinkedIn), expressing interest in adapting your book for film. They ask for a 'rights registration fee' or 'adaptation review fee.'

How to spot it: Real film studio executives do not cold-email indie authors asking for fees. Real adaptation offers come through literary agents, not cold outreach. The FBI's Los Angeles Field Office issued a report on this specific scam scheme in 2023.

3. The Fake Publisher/Marketing Agency

Format: A glowing unsolicited email from a 'publishing company' or 'book marketing agency' offering to get your book into bookstores, onto bestseller lists, or in front of major media. Requires a payment upfront.

How to spot it: Legitimate publishers pay authors. Legitimate marketing agencies have verifiable track records and client lists. Search the company name in quotes on Google — if it's a scam, you'll find author forum warnings.

4. The Author Impersonation Scam

Format: A message that appears to come from a well-known author (sometimes the email spoofs the author's actual address) asking for help with something, or offering to collaborate on a project — eventually requesting money or a gift card.

How to spot it: Established authors do not cold-message other authors asking for money or gift cards. If you receive a message from a 'famous author' you've never interacted with, verify directly through their official social media or website before responding.

5. The PageTurner/Vanity Press Variation

Format: A publishing company that approaches you unsolicited, offers to publish your book, but requires significant author payment upfront. They may promise bookstore placement, marketing, or awards consideration.

How to spot it: Bloomberg Businessweek investigated one major operation (PageTurner Press) in 2025, and three individuals behind it were arrested and charged in January 2025. Check any unsolicited publishing offer against the ALLi Watchdog Desk and the Absolute Write Bewares board before engaging.

Your Scam-Checking Toolkit — Free and Reliable

• Writer Beware (writerbeware.blog) — Victoria Strauss's continuously updated database of known scam operations. Search before engaging with any unsolicited offer.

• Authors Guild Scam Alerts (authorsguild.org/resource/publishing-scam-alerts/) — the Authors Guild maintains a current list of reported scams with dates and specific schemes

• ALLi Watchdog Desk (allianceindependentauthors.org) — vetted and cautioned service providers. Check any company offering you services here first.

• Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares Board (absolutewrite.com) — community experience with specific publishers, agents, and service providers going back 25 years

• Google the exact email text in quotes — scammers reuse templates, and past victims often post warnings that show up in search results

• Reverse image search any profile photo sent to you — stock photo faces are a common tell

💡 TIP: When in doubt about any unsolicited offer: ignore it. You lose nothing by not responding. A real film studio, real publisher, or real book club will find you again through legitimate channels if they're genuine.

How to Respond (Or Not Respond)

Do not reply to scam emails — even to unsubscribe or tell them off. Replying confirms your email is active and monitored, which puts your address on higher-value scam lists.

Mark as spam (not just delete) in your email client. This trains your spam filter and, in aggregate, helps email providers identify and block these sending domains.

Report film studio impersonation scams to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Report publishing scams to the Authors Guild (staff@authorsguild.org) and Writer Beware.

⚠️ WARNING: Anne R. Allen (annerallen.com), whose blog is named one of Writer's Digest's best author resources annually, reports receiving up to 40 scam emails per day as of May 2026. The AI enhancement of these scams has made them significantly more personalised and harder to spot at a glance. The patterns above are your best protection.

How ScribeCount Helps

ScribeCount will never send you unsolicited emails requesting fees, asking you to 'verify' your account through an external link, or offering paid promotional opportunities you didn't initiate. Legitimate ScribeCount communications come from @scribecount.com addresses and are related to your actual account activity. If you receive anything that looks like a ScribeCount email but seems unusual, log in directly at scribecount.com — never follow links in suspicious emails.