Protecting Yourself from Publishing Scams

Publishing a book puts your name, your work, and often your contact information out into the world. That’s a good thing—but it also means you may start hearing from marketers, reviewers, awards programs, book clubs, publicists, publishers, and other people offering to help promote your book.

Many of those opportunities are legitimate. Some are simply overpriced or ineffective. And some are outright scams.

Unfortunately, they’re getting harder to spot. Scammers can copy real company branding, impersonate real publishing professionals, pull information directly from your website or Amazon page, and use AI to create an email that sounds surprisingly personal.

Before you reply, send a manuscript, click a link, or pay for anything, take a few minutes to investigate.

Start With the Basics

🔎 Who is contacting me?

🔎 How did they find me?

🔎 What exactly are they offering?

🔎 Can I verify who they are somewhere other than this email?

🔎 What do they want from me right now?

If those questions are difficult to answer, don’t let flattering language or a sense of urgency push you into responding.

A legitimate opportunity should be able to withstand a little research.

“But They Know My Book!”

This used to be one of the easier ways to separate genuine outreach from mass solicitation. If someone could discuss your book specifically, there was a reasonable chance they had actually looked into it.

That isn’t necessarily true anymore.

Your book description, author biography, reviews, interviews, social media posts, website, and other information may all be publicly available. Someone can collect that material—or simply give it to an AI tool—and generate an email that sounds as though they have carefully researched you and your work.

An email might mention your characters by name, compliment the themes of your book, reference your professional background, or explain why your story would be “perfect” for a particular audience.

That sounds personal. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is.

TRY THE SOURCE TEST

🔎 Look at the specific things the sender says about you or your book.

Then ask: Could they have learned all of this from my Amazon page, website, author bio, or social media?

If the answer is yes, the personalization isn't proof that someone has read your book or genuinely selected you for an opportunity. Someone who has actually read your work can usually go beyond the information contained in your public marketing copy.

Scammers Are Getting Smarter: AI, Impersonation, & Copied Branding

AI itself isn't the scam. Plenty of legitimate businesses—including publishing professionals—use AI tools in their work. The problem is that those same tools make it much easier for scammers to create convincing messages quickly.

🚩 Repackaged book copy

The message restates your book description in polished, flattering language without adding any original observation.

🚩 A suspiciously familiar bio

The sender references details from your author biography almost word for word.

🚩 Lots of praise, few specifics

The message is elaborate about how wonderful your work is but strangely vague about the actual opportunity.

🚩 Odd formatting

Asterisks, Markdown formatting, strange spacing, or other artifacts may indicate text was generated or formatted elsewhere and copied into the email.

🚩 An organization you can't find

The sender claims to represent a reader community, agency, publisher, media outlet, or organization you can't independently verify.

🚩 They know everything about you—but you know nothing about them

The message contains extensive information about you while providing very little verifiable information about the sender.

None of these things alone proves that an email was generated by AI or that it is fraudulent. Think of them as reasons to investigate further.

Instead of asking: “Was this written by AI?”

Ask: “Can I verify that the person and opportunity behind this message are real?”

A Real Example

REAL SCAM. REAL EXAMPLE.

Recently, Mission Point Press received a message from an author who had been contacted by someone claiming to be a member of our team.

The name was real. The team member was real. The email included a Mission Point Press-style signature. The message appeared to be knowledgeable about publishing and invited the author to submit his manuscript for consideration.

There was just one problem: Our employee hadn't sent it.

The sender was using a Gmail address created to resemble a Mission Point Press account rather than the team member's actual @missionpointpress.com email address. The message also contained formatting clues consistent with text that had been generated or formatted elsewhere and copied into the email: asterisks around the title of his book instead of italics, language that seemed overly formal.

Fortunately, the author noticed the unusual email address. Instead of replying or sending his manuscript, he found Mission Point Press independently and contacted us through our official email address to ask whether the message was legitimate. It wasn't.

WHAT HE DID RIGHT

✓ He checked the actual email address.

✓ He didn't send his manuscript first and ask questions later.

✓ He found our legitimate contact information independently and contacted us directly.

The key: He didn't use the suspicious email itself to verify the suspicious email.

Something Seem Fishy? Run Through This Checklist.

✓ 1. Check who actually sent it.

Don't rely on the display name or email signature. Look at the sender's full email address. If they claim to represent a company, does the domain match the company's official website?

Remember: names, logos, signatures, job titles, and other branding can all be copied.

✓ 2. Look them up yourself.

Don't start with the links in the email. Search for the person, company, award, book club, reader community, or organization independently.

Try searches like:

🔎 “[Company Name] reviews”🔎 “[Company Name] scam”🔎 “[Person's Name] publishing”

You should be able to find some evidence that they are who they say they are.

✓ 3. Ask yourself how much they really know about you.

A message that mentions your characters, themes, background, or biography can feel incredibly personal—but could all of that information have come from your Amazon page, website, author bio, reviews, or social media?

With AI, publicly available information can quickly become convincing personalized outreach. Specific doesn't necessarily mean genuine.

✓ 4. Figure out exactly what they're offering.

Words like exposure, visibility, promotion, reach, and discoverability sound impressive, but what are you actually getting?

A legitimate offer should clearly explain the service, the cost, and the deliverables. Be especially cautious with vague “reader communities,” review networks, book clubs, media opportunities, or promotional audiences you can't independently verify.

✓ 5. Watch for promises nobody can really make.

🚩 Guaranteed bestseller status

🚩 Guaranteed sales

🚩 Guaranteed positive reviews

🚩 Guaranteed awards

🚩 Guaranteed media coverage

🚩 Guaranteed bookstore placement

🚩 Guaranteed film or television interest

A professional can promise what they will do. They generally can't guarantee how readers, reviewers, booksellers, journalists, award judges, or producers will respond.

✓ 6. Pay attention to pressure.

“Only a few spots remain.”“This opportunity expires today.”“Payment is required immediately.”

Real opportunities sometimes have deadlines. But you should still have enough time to ask reasonable questions and understand what you're agreeing to. Pressure to stop researching and act immediately is a reason to slow down—not speed up.

✓ 7. Still not sure? Don't respond yet.

If you've gone through the list and something still doesn't add up, trust that instinct enough to investigate further.

And don't use the suspicious message itself to verify whether it's legitimate. Find the organization's real contact information independently—or ask someone you trust to take a look.

When in Doubt, Send It to Us

Sometimes an offer isn't obviously fraudulent. It just feels…off. That's enough reason to check. Mission Point Press authors are always welcome to forward questionable marketing offers, review requests, award invitations, publishing opportunities, or other solicitations to our team before responding.

We'd much rather spend a few minutes helping you evaluate an opportunity than see you pay for something misleading—or send your manuscript or personal information to someone who isn't who they claim to be.

Not every unsolicited offer is a scam. But every legitimate opportunity should be able to withstand a little research.

Need help determining if something is sketchy? Click here to email Terese DiMercurio, Mission Point Press Marketing Manager.