How to spot author-services scams

Authors are a steady target for companies that sell marketing, publicity, and publishing packages. Many of those companies are legitimate. Some are not, and the difference is rarely obvious from a polished website. The checks below apply to us as much as to anyone else you are considering.

Warning signs

• Guaranteed reviews, bestseller status, rankings, or sales. No service provider controls those outcomes.
• Unsolicited contact by phone, email, or direct message, often with praise for a book they cannot describe in detail.
• Pressure to pay quickly, a limited-time discount, or a price that shifts depending on how you react.
• Vague deliverables such as exposure, promotion, or visibility, with no list of what will actually be done.
• Requests for your passwords or full access to your Amazon, Goodreads, or publishing accounts.
• Paid reviews presented as organic ones, or review swaps that break a platform’s rules.
• Offers of film rights, translation deals, or bookstore placement that require you to pay a fee first.
• No named people, no verifiable business details, and no way to speak to a real person before you pay.
• Claims of a connection to Amazon, a major publisher, or a well-known outlet that you cannot confirm independently.

What reputable providers do

• Put the scope, deliverables, timeline, and fee in a written agreement before you pay.
• Name the people doing the work and are willing to talk with you first.
• Show you the outreach list and pitch wording before anything is sent.
• Report honestly on what was done, including declines and non-responses.
• Keep third-party costs such as advertising, printing, and postage separate and ask for your approval.

Questions to ask before you pay

1. Exactly what will be done, by when, and by whom?
2. Can I see an example of the deliverables, such as a sample report or outreach list?
3. Can I speak with a past client or see completed work?
4. What happens if something agreed is not delivered?
5. Which costs are not covered by the fee?
6. Will you need access to any of my accounts? Usually the answer should be no.

Do some research

Search the company name together with words such as complaints or reviews, and look at what other writers say in author communities. Writer Beware, a long-running watchdog project associated with the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, documents common problems in the author-services market and is a good place to check.

If you have already paid someone

Keep every email, contract, and receipt, and ask in writing what has been delivered. If you believe you were misled, contact your card issuer or payment service promptly, because dispute processes usually have time limits. In the United States you can also report suspected fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.

We have written this guide so that you can hold us to the same standard.