Writer Beware

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Dogging the Watchdog Redux: Someone Else is Impersonating Writer Beware

Header image: WOOF in cartoon lettering on a cartoon explosion background (credit: Kapitosh/Shutterstock.com)

NOV 15, 2024November 15, 202428 COMMENTS

A bit over a year ago, a scammer (I never was able to determine which one, but it's highly likely it was someone on this list) sent out a large number of emails under my name, using a fake address (writerbewaree@gmail.com), offering to provide "guidance" to authors to protect them against scams and help them "connect with well-known traditional publishing houses".

The aim, it turned out, wasn't to rip anyone off, but to troll me. Since trolling isn't any fun unless the trollee knows about it, the scammer also sent the emails directly to me (twice), with the subject line "Writer Beware, the Watchdog and Dog Victoria Strauss" (hence the title of my post about the episode, which also used the graphic above). Maybe because I didn't respond, or maybe because I mocked them publicly, the troller never dogged me again and I never got any other reports of those particular fake Writer Beware emails.

Unfortunately, there's now another Writer Beware/Victoria Strauss impersonation attempt. And this one seems designed not just to troll, but to defraud.

EDITORS AND EDITING

Edioak and House of Pages: Lots of Questions, Questionable Answers

NOV 1, 2024January 13, 202521 COMMENTS

I've heard from a number of writers recently who've been invited to join a venture called House of Pages. The contacts, which mostly seem to be via contact forms on the authors' websites, look like this:

What is House of Pages? According to its website, it's a cross-promotion network where authors can pair with other authors to expand their visibility to different audiences. This isn't a new idea, nor is House of Pages the only group cross-promotion venture; still, it appears to have signed up a lot of writers already, and cites various success statistics. And it's free to join.

At the moment, House of Pages doesn't appear to be fully open (there's a contact form, but no way to sign up directly)--but according to contact person Melissa Smith, to whom I reached out for comment, it will fully launch next week. (You can see Melissa's full response, along with her response to several other questions I asked, at the bottom of this post).

BUSINESS OF WRITING

Just for Authors: Writer Beware’s Go-To Online Resources

Header image: A black and white photograph of a cat sitting in front of a computer screen, watching images of other cats

OCT 25, 2024October 25, 20247 COMMENTS

I'm blogging over at Writer Unboxed today.

Writers often ask me why, with all of Writer Beware’s warnings about bad actors in the publishing world, we don’t also provide recommendations or endorsements of the good guys. “You’ve got this gigantic list of scammers on your blog; wouldn’t it also be helpful to recommend reputable agents and publishers?”

There are several reasons why we don’t do this.

OVERSEAS SCAMS

Some Rare Accountability for a Fake Literary Agency Operation

Header image: screenshot of SunStar Cebu news headline:

A Lapu-Lapu City BPO was shut down for operating without permits and allegedly engaging in online scams.

OCT 5, 2024October 5, 202411 COMMENTS

The vast bulk of the publishing/marketing/fake literary agency/impersonation scams on which I've expended so many words are based in the Philippines (though they do their best to make themselves look local to their preferred American and Canadian victims by maintaining fake business addresses and phone numbers).

Many operate in their home country as Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies, innocuously claiming to be third-party vendors that provide business-related services (such as staffing, call center operation, customer support, and the like) to companies that don't want to perform those services themselves or want to save money by employing lower-priced workers overseas. This is just a facade, however. The real business is running writing and publishing scams in the USA and Canada, under one or more entirely different names.

Example: Innocentrix Philippines, which operates or has operated more than 20 publishing, marketing, fake literary agency, and fake movie company scams (you can look them all up here). It's an insanely lucrative business.

BOOK MARKETING SCAMS

Wolves in Authors’ Clothing: Beware Social Media Marketing Scams

Engraving of a wolf wearing a sheep's coat as a disguise (Credit: Alexander_P / Shutterstock.com)

SEP 20, 2024October 17, 202541 COMMENTS

For authors, one of the (these days, increasingly few) positives of social media is connecting with other authors. Especially if no one else in your family/social circle is involved in the arts (raises hand), it's great to be able to find a community where you can discuss craft, business, the ups and downs of querying, the challenges of self-publishing--both sharing your own experiences and learning from others'.

But...what if that friendly author who just DM'd you on one of your social media accounts isn't actually a writer, but someone who wants to sell you worthless "marketing" services?

I'm getting an increasing volume of reports from writers who've been targeted by this bait-and-switch scheme. It starts with a private message from a profile that appears to be that of another writer--often, a real writer whom the scammer is impersonating--just saying "hi" and claiming to want to connect. A short back-and-forth follows, with the scammer quickly getting to the point: a referral to a terrific marketer or "agent" who, they claim, produces fantastic results! If the targeted author reaches out the recommended person, they receive a heavy pitch for some sort of marketing package or service...for which, of course, they have to pay. If they do, the odds are high that they will never see their money again.

VANITY PUBLISHING AND PAY TO PLAY

Facing Author Lawsuits, Shawline Publishing Re-Brands as New Found Books

SEP 13, 2024December 21, 202462 COMMENTS

I first heard of Australia-based Shawline Publishing in 2021, thanks to a question from an author who'd been offered a contract.

Shawline was (and still is, under its new name) a self-styled hybrid, meaning that it charges fees. Its website loudly touts the "affordability" of its services, without mentioning specific amounts or revealing that required author "investments" are in the mid-four figure range. As of 2021, Shawline was charging AUD 4,500 (at the time, equivalent to approximately USD 3,380), with company documents claiming investments were "mutual" and Shawline said to be "the larger investor" (a frequent, though not necessarily true, claim by fee-based publishers). As is common with such publishers, the initial fee had the potential to be considerably higher thanks to add-ons such as website creation, printed materials, book videos, audiobook creation, ad campaigns, and more.

Contracts shared with me in 2022 and 2023 revealed the evolution of Shawline's fees, which increased to AUD 5,450 (USD 4,133) and then to AUD 6,990 (USD 4,997). The contract itself, on the other hand, stayed largely the same (you can view the most recent version I've seen here).