May 14, 2025
Are you about to fall for one of the many book scams out there? Just like romance scammers who prey on lonely people looking for love, publishing scammers prey on writers who dream of being published. They lure writers in with big promises, but they’re the only ones who profit.
As a rule, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some tips to help you avoid book scams and become a successful independent publisher.
Vanity publishing is sometimes confused with legitimate self-publishing, and it’s easy to see why. They share some similarities. Vanity publishers are open to everyone, and you must pay to get your work published with them. Typically, they charge a fee for a package that includes design, editing, and printing.
How is this different from going through a legitimate self-publishing site? The main difference is that so-called vanity publishers aren’t transparent about what they’re offering. Their fees are high, and it’s not clear what you’re getting for all that money. The contracts they offer may lock you into unfair terms.
When you choose a legitimate self-publishing route, you work directly with your editors, designers, and printing company. You send your work through a legitimate self-publishing site. Those companies may also offer editing, design, and printing services, but they are clear and transparent about your costs and fees. They’re also honest about what you can expect as a self-published writer.
Vanity publishers prey on your vanity, which is why they got that name. They may say they “discovered” you. They might say you’re too talented to be stuck in the traditional self-publishing route, and publishing with them will get you the success you deserve. It sounds great, but make sure you read the fine print. Read it twice, and have a lawyer look at it for good measure.
Some vanity publishers create fake competitions. In these book scams, they invite authors to submit their work with a promise that it will appear in an exclusive collection of prize winners. Writers send their work in, often accompanied by a processing fee, and a few weeks later, they get the exciting news that their work has won a prize.
Of course, then the pitch comes. You must pay to get your copies of the book. If you’re still following the scammer’s game plan, you order your copies of the book, only to realize that it has hundreds of thousands of entries. Everybody who entered the competition was a “prize winner.”
Vanity publishers are some of the oldest book scams around. They’re part of the reason that self-publishing still has a stigma attached to it. Many people, unfortunately, think that writers who must pay to get published just aren’t as good as those who get publishing deals. If you’re determined to take the independent publishing route, make sure you work with professional editors, designers, and printers.
Some book scams involve people pretending to be literary agents or representatives of publishing companies. They may hint at their exclusive connections to the publishing world or to Hollywood producers who want the rights to your novel. Some of these scammers claim that your unknown novel has received a six-figure publishing or movie deal. Most likely, their message conveys a sense of “act now or lose out” urgency.
Some book scams involve people who impersonate real people. In 2023, Hachette Book Group had to publish a warning that someone was impersonating one of its agents and targeting self-published writers with a fake publishing offer.
If you think writers are too smart to fall for these scams, look at the number of people sending their hard-earned money to other types of con artists. When people are out to get your money, they can become very crafty.
In 2024, people lost more than $1 billion to romance scammers, and most of the victims were over 50. In publishing scams, authors have reported paying $500 to $10,000 to these cheats.
Before you respond to one of these enticing invitations, take a pause. To avoid book scams from phony agents and producers, ask yourself these questions:
Most literary agents and Hollywood producers have enough work to do without sending unsolicited queries to random, unknown writers. There is little chance they’re going to want your book unless your book is already successful. Those are hard facts, but they’re important to keep in mind to avoid book scams.
These book scams involve fake promises to help you boost your book marketing through the “hidden marketplace” that only they know about. They may claim to have secret “insider knowledge” on marketing and selling your book. The scammers might brag about their “exclusive contacts” that make it easy to get reviews for your book, get your book nominated for awards, or shoot your book to the top of the best-seller list.
It’s easy to see why these marketing book scams work. The truth is that every self-published writer knows how important marketing is. You also know how hard it is to promote your book in a large crowd of contenders. It would be nice to think you could hand off all that work to an expert who can guarantee you’ll be successful.
You can do that, but you must do it through a legitimate book marketing company. If you want to hire a marketing company, choose one with a track record in book promotion. It will cost money, and it will still require work on your part, but it’s a professional relationship built on legal contracts. Don’t hand your book or your money over to an unknown company that has nothing to offer but empty promises of success.
The Authors Guild offers these tips to avoid book scams and protect your work. You can check their website for the latest scammers who are trying to rip off hardworking writers.
It’s always smart to be suspicious of any offer that sounds too good to be true. That’s true for your publishing career, and it’s true for every aspect of your life. Con artists and scammers are getting smarter all the time, but you can outsmart them and avoid book scams.
Are you a first-time, self-published writer? At Publishing Xpress, we specialize in helping writers like you get into print. Contact us to learn more about our top-notch service and affordable rates.
© 2025 Publishing Xpress. All Rights Reserved.
