"If only!" (Marketing and public relations division)

[Catrin Lewis]

The message below showed up in my author inbox this weekend. Hope it's not too fuzzy to read:


I have to admit, whoever produced this is a lot more clever than the typical miracle-marketer/scammer. Either they've actually read some of my novel (which I doubt) or they had an AI scan it for them. Because ye gods, isn't that first paragraph the most seductive of ego-boosts? Who doesn't secretly believe her novel is a "masterpiece" full of "depth, tension, and moral complexity"? Who doesn't want to see herself as an author who can capture the imagination of her readers so they can't get her story out of their heads?

It scares me that, just for a moment, I wanted to believe this blather. Could it be true? Did they actually read the book and do they really feel that way about it? Is it really all that, and a bag of chips???

Of course not. It's total rot, a romance scam for gullible authors. A real offer of marketing services wouldn't have a copy-and-paste signature (all tiny down there in a different font like she's ashamed of herself) from a random person with no title. It wouldn't omit the name of the firm, or fail to link to their website, or offer no references from satisfied clients.

But again, I give them credit. This is much more sophisticated than the fishing expeditions I get in my Facebook DMs. Those people don't even know what my book's called.

What book marketing scams have you seen (and avoided) lately? Have you, as an independent publisher, worked with anyone who actually helped your sales, at a reasonable cost?

 

[Homer Potvin]

They just swapped your character names into the boiler plate statement, easily obtained for a Kindle look inside, if you're on there, which I believe you are. I get 10 of these a day at work, usually from web developers. It reads identically with the adjectives flipped from the literary to the culinary. Most aren't "scams" in the legal sense, just crappy services.

 

[Catrin Lewis]

They just swapped your character names into the boiler plate statement, easily obtained for a Kindle look inside, if you're on there, which I believe you are. I get 10 of these a day at work, usually from web developers. It reads identically with the adjectives flipped from the literary to the culinary. Most aren't "scams" in the legal sense, just crappy services.

It did smell of template to me, yes. And their taking the "specifics" from the Amazon Look Inside/Preview--- that makes sense.

From what I read (like on Writer Beware), they're scams in the sense that they render no or marginal services in return for a lot of money upfront. Though they could say marketing's always a gamble, right?

 

[big soft moose]

yeah they've not read the book or even scanned it, all they've done is take the character names and title from the blurb... you can tell because it doesnt say anything unique about your book or what happens to sandy and eric etc,

the standard rule of thumb here is to never buy markeyting from someone who relys on spam/cold calling to sell you their services, becauyse if they can't effectiverly sell their service why would you want them to sell your product?

Also the margins are so smallon books that even with a fully legit markett8ing service its hard to break even when their fee is factored in

 

[Homer Potvin]

spam/cold calling

Yeah, that's the wiener. You can't get a plumber, dentist, or tailor to even call you back these days. Anyone who knows what they're doing has more business than they can handle.

 

[Set2Stun]

This kind of stuff really pisses me off. The sad thing is, I'm absolutely certain that it works. I think this might be worse than vanity publishers or author mills. It's preying on people who got past those scams, correctly identifying that self-publishing is far more profitable, yet aren't getting the sales they were hoping for. Cassidy better be hoping for Mercy if I ever cash her ousside.

 

[Catrin Lewis]

This kind of stuff really pisses me off. The sad thing is, I'm absolutely certain that it works. I think this might be worse than vanity publishers or author mills. It's preying on people who got past those scams, correctly identifying that self-publishing is far more profitable, yet aren't getting the sales they were hoping for. Cassidy better be hoping for Mercy if I ever cash her ousside.

Setting to more than stun?

 

[Naomasa298]

I have to admit, whoever produced this is a lot more clever than the typical miracle-marketer/scammer. Either they've actually read some of my novel (which I doubt) or they had an AI scan it for them. Because ye gods, isn't that first paragraph the most seductive of ego-boosts? Who doesn't secretly believe her novel is a "masterpiece" full of "depth, tension, and moral complexity"? Who doesn't want to see herself as an author who can capture the imagination of her readers so they can't get her story out of their heads?

It scares me that, just for a moment, I wanted to believe this blather. Could it be true? Did they actually read the book and do they really feel that way about it? Is it really all that, and a bag of chips???

It's not that different to all the marketing emails I get for my ecommerce website. In fact, it's almost identical - they usually go "I took a look at your site <blah> and your <your products> are great they <insert AI generated bull here>. But I noticed a few things wrong <insert generic blurb>. Would you be open to a quick call about it? If it comes from a generic gmail, outlook or hotmail email address, it goes straight into the bin. If it comes from a company address, it gets a resigned sigh, then it goes into the bin.

 

[JT Woody]

I get stuff like this in my library email, too. not for my writing, but for the services i provide.
I got one yesterday and it was hilarious because the email came from an "@skynetdotcom.com" email address.

 

[Naomasa298]

I get stuff like this in my library email, too. not for my writing, but for the services i provide.
I got one yesterday and it was hilarious because the email came from an "@skynetdotcom.com" email address.

Skynet hasn't quite achieved self-awareness yet then. But it'll be back.

 

[JT Woody]

it'll be back

 

[Catrin Lewis]

I got another of these "unrefusable" offers this past weekend.

This time, the scammer assumed the identity of the real-life coordinator of a real-life British bookclub. Supposedly all one thousand-plus of them are about to buy my book and make it their featured study. All he wants to know before they do is how my sales volume and earnings are going.

Right. Like that should matter, if he thinks the book is so good.

Like my little novel is the type of thing they read. Which, going by their MeetUp page, it is not.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

Occasionally I get genuine requests for interviews/appearances via my website contact page even though there is a clear path to the publicist who deals with setting up interviews and appearances. I respond by politely directing people to the publicist. Did so with one request and immediately got another message looking to set up a date for the radio interview, and oh, by the way, there is an $X fee to help support our program. Ah, illumination. Over the next couple of weeks, several more such messages arrived in my contact box, all assuring me that the fee was not more than I could pay and they'd never dream of asking for a fee if it was not to Support Art.

I'm better at spotting the scams now and just delete anything the least bit questionable. Even so, I'll get increasingly shrill demands to know "why have you not responded?" Then there are all those concerned individuals who want to help me improve my website and boost my circulation and feature my wonderful novel on an influencer site for only an arm- no legs need be severed.

 

[Madman Starryteller]

It's sadly become a big business to scam writers. A lot of people just want to get out there and be read, and the scammers know that. They will use any trick to boost your confidence falsely and lure you into a trap.

Between vanity publishers, "marketing services", and fake agents, someone not informed of these scams may go into a really bad deal where they will lose a lot of money.

 

[Catrin Lewis]

It's sadly become a big business to scam writers. A lot of people just want to get out there and be read, and the scammers know that. They will use any trick to boost your confidence falsely and lure you into a trap.

Between vanity publishers, "marketing services", and fake agents, someone not informed of these scams may go into a really bad deal where they will lose a lot of money.

Funny thing is, with my psychology and the way I was raised, if that last email was true it'd scare me half to death. Find me a hole where I can hide!

 

[JT Woody]

i get newsletters from an indie author. yesterday she sent this email to all subscribers:

 

[JT Woody]

I respond by politely directing people to the publicist.

-sighs-
Well if I must....

 

[JT Woody]

Between vanity publishers, "marketing services", and fake agents, someone not informed of these scams may go into a really bad deal where they will lose a lot of money.

@Set2Stun and I were just talking about this this morning!
I'd gotten 2 follows on X/Twitter from really big best selling authors. the accounts were fake (one author even said on his FB account that he doesnt have an X and anyone on there asking for stuff pretending to be him is fake).

I called them out on X with screenshots and whatnot.

 

[Homer Potvin]

Everything and everyone is fake now. I've had to route all correspondence to my stores through my office over the last months to mitigate the scammers' target area. They mimic phone numbers, letterheads, invoice formats, everything. You can't tell a real bill from a fake anymore.