Authors, beware! Publishing scams are on the rise. In recent months, some of my editing clients have received requests from “literary agents” who want to represent them, and “editors” from big five publishers saying that if they’ll just pay a small fee up front, they can get the book deal of their dreams.
As authors, we can be vulnerable to moments when it finally feels like the universe is saying yes to all of the hard work we’ve poured into a book manuscript.
In this article, I’m going to provide you with examples of scams to look out for. Keep an eye out for these red flags, and do your fellow writer friends a favor by giving them a heads up, too.
Also, if you’ve been the target of a scam, please share it in the comments below to help educate other writers in our community.
If something feels off, it probably is.
Scams are everywhere. Trust your instincts.
Scammers prey on your emotions. They boost your ego and make you feel chosen. If you’re feeling desperate for your big break, or struggling with self-doubt and low self-confidence, you’re more susceptible to being the target of a scam.
Even if you’re facing rejection, you deserve to feel proud of yourself and your work. Being a part of a supportive writing community, talking to friends about your author journey, and even working with a coach or therapist are all great ways to boost your self-esteem and stay empowered.
If someone reaches out to you who you suspect could be a scammer, trust your instincts. Ask yourself:
Does this feel too good to be true?
Are they asking me to buy something?
Did I get a weird feeling in my gut about this person?
Who’s in my circle that has publishing expertise and can take a second look at this and help verify if it’s a scam or not?
Even savvy, experienced authors can be targeted, so stay educated on the latest scams and trust your gut if something phishy shows up in your inbox.
Are they claiming to be from a big five publisher?
If someone reaches out to you claiming to be from Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, or Simon & Schuster, be wary.
It is very rare that a big five publisher would reach out to you first about a book deal or movie deal, especially if you don’t have a huge platform or project that just went viral. And if someone claiming to be from a big five publisher asks for money, it’s a scam. They should never ask you to pay upfront fees for editing, cover design, printing copies of the book, or marketing. Traditional publishers don’t charge fees.
What email account is this message coming from? Are there typos or broken links?
One simple thing to watch for is whether the message is from a free email account like Gmail, Yahoo, or AOL rather than an official company address.
With the rise of AI, there are more and more fake email messages, websites, and social accounts out there, so look closely. Does the message include any broken links, weird typos, or odd wording? If so, it could be a publishing scam.
Are they asking for personal or banking information?
Alarm bells should be going off in your head if someone is asking for your personal details, banking information, or upfront fees before a contract is signed. Are they pressuring you to hand over a full copy of your manuscript right away, with no vetting or discussion first?
Legitimate editors and agents don’t ask for payment to represent or publish you, and they definitely don’t need your banking info during the inquiry stage.
Is the tone of the message… off?
A scammer will often try to bait authors with exaggerated flattery and glowing praise.
If the message you receive is rambling and vague, and compliments your work over and over…not only was it probably written with AI, but it could also be a scam.
Look for phrases like:
“I came across your book and wanted to introduce myself…”
"I was genuinely impressed by the way you…"
“Our book scouts have recommended your work…”
“Your book has unique traditional publishing potential…”
“We stumbled across your masterpiece on Amazon…”
If it reads as over the top, and if you can quickly tell that they haven’t even read your book, beware.
Is there time pressure? Are they asking you to pay a fee?
If the message is rushing you to make a decision quickly, pay a fee, sign a contract, or send an immediate response, be cautious. Scammers often add urgency, saying that their offer won’t be available for long.
Verify who contacted you
Scammers are getting more and more sophisticated at impersonating real people, and that’s why you see a lot of disclaimers and warnings on publisher websites now. (Messages like “Our company will never request payment or banking information. If you receive any communication claiming to represent us that requests money, please verify its authenticity before responding.”)
The sender may be impersonating a real book editor, literary agent, publicist, book club, reviewer, or media organization. Be sure to verify who contacted you by reaching out to the real person through their website.
Common Publishing Scams
Fake literary agents.
Someone claiming to be a literary agent reaches out and says they want to charge you a fee to read your manuscript. Or they say something like, “I've had the pleasure of reviewing your work, and I must say your storytelling is exceptional,” then recommend you reach out to a different literary agent. Sometimes they’ll pretend to be a “retired” agent recommending you to an active agent. You can check if a literary agent is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA).
Remember, reputable literary agents don’t charge upfront fees. They work on commission, which means they only get paid once they’ve sold your book to a publisher. Agents rarely reach out to writers first.
Manuscript phishing.
Someone posing as an editor or agent asks you to send your full unpublished manuscript. They may impersonate a real publishing professional or use a convincing-looking email address that’s one letter off from the real email. A legitimate agent or editor will typically request pages as part of a query or submission process you initiated, not randomly approach you. If someone contacts you out of the blue, verify them independently through the agency or publisher’s official website before sending anything.
Unsolicited republishing offers.
A “publisher” contacts you out of the blue wanting to traditionally republish your self-published book, then asks you to pay for it. Remember, traditional publishers don’t charge fees.
Fake interviews on podcasts or requests to be featured in a media outlet.
You're invited to appear on a podcast or in a magazine, but the “opportunity” turns out to be something you have to pay for.
PR/marketing upsells.
A company offers press release distribution, a guaranteed bestseller campaign, or a paid “award” submission that has little real value. They may promise bestseller status, major media coverage, bookstore placement, or thousands of guaranteed readers… then string you along and keep up-selling additional services when those results aren’t delivered.
Foreign rights or translation offers.
A foreign publisher offers to translate and distribute your book, then bills you for the costs. This is a scam. A legitimate foreign publisher would pay you for the rights to publish your book and cover the costs of translation, production, and distribution.
Bulk book club or buy-in offers.
Someone claims a book club wants to buy your book in bulk but asks for a “processing fee” per copy first.
ISBN scams.
There are unlicensed websites that sell “cheap” ISBNs and shady third-party resellers that register the number under their own company name. Bowker is the standard in the U.S. for ISBN numbers, so start there if you need to get an ISBN number.
Social media impersonation.
Be on the lookout for accounts posing as real, well-known agents or publishers that DM you with an offer.
Acquisition inquiries.
If you receive an unsolicited message saying someone wants to buy the rights to your book, but then they ask you to pay a fee, it’s a scam.
Book marketer Scams.
There are a lot of scams out there claiming to get your book into conferences, in the hands of book clubs, or into other marketing opportunities. Watch for red flags like a complimentary offer that quickly turns into a “participation fee” or “book return insurance.”
What to Do If You Are a Victim of Scams
If you’ve experienced a scam, end communication with that person immediately. Secure your accounts, change passwords for added security, and download any bank or credit card statements showing payments. Screenshot any emails, direct messages, or social media accounts as evidence, too.
You can file a report with your bank or credit card company to dispute fraudulent charges, and file a report with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), FTC, or Fraud.org. Report fake literary agents to the AALA. If needed, hire an attorney for support, especially if there was a contract involved.
Stay vigilant, my writer friends! I hope this post helps you avoid the latest frauds and scams out there, and when in doubt, ask a fellow writer, editor, or industry professional to take a second look at any offer that comes your way.
Information on scams that fellow Writers in The Storm co-hosts have been sent can be found here.
Are there any other scams you’ve seen that you’d add to this list? Please share them in the comments below!
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About Rachel
Rachel Warmath is a ghostwriter, book editor, and writing coach. Her mission is to serve writers, dreamers, and badass humans who are committed to healing and transformation. You can connect with her at www.RachelWarmath.com.
I’m getting this question a lot these days as it seems that paid newsletters for authors are having a moment, largely because platforms like Substack make monetization feel simple and creator-economy success stories make it look like easy recurring income. But “simple to start” is not the same as “easy to sustain.” If you are thinking about charging for your author newsletter, the first question is not pricing. It is whether you can deliver ongoing, repeatable value that readers cannot get free somewhere else.
In book marketing terms, a paid email list only works when it strengthens reader loyalty, deepens your author brand, and supports your long-term platform. If it becomes another exhausting content obligation that steals time from writing, book promotion, or reader engagement, it may be costing you more than it actually earns.
What Are You Trying to Accomplish?
Before you choose a platform, set a price, or start planning bonus content, you need to start with a simple question – and that is: what do you want this newsletter to do?
If the goal is recurring revenue, the strategy will look very different from a newsletter designed to deepen reader loyalty between book releases. If the goal is selling more books, I would want to know whether putting some of your best content behind a paywall actually helps that goal—or whether you have simply created another barrier between a prospective reader and your author brand and, more importantly, your books.
This matters especially for newer authors. Visibility is usually the bigger challenge. If hardly anyone knows who you are yet, monetizing access to you may be solving the wrong problem.
A Paid Newsletter Is an Actual Product, Not Just a Marketing Tactic
This is where authors need to make an important mental shift: a paid newsletter is not simply your regular newsletter with a price tag attached. Much like your book, it’s another product.
Products need positioning, promotion, customer retention, and a clear reason to exist. That means you now have two marketing jobs. You still need to market your books, but you also need to market the newsletter itself—convincing free subscribers to upgrade, reminding paid subscribers why they should stay, and attracting enough new readers to offset inevitable cancellations.
That does not make paid newsletters a bad idea. But it does mean they are not passive income, and I would be very wary of any advice that frames them as an easy income.
What Would Someone Actually Pay You For?
Why would someone pay you for your content? That’s a good question to start with because there’s a lot that we can get online and via services like ChatGPT and others. So, what makes your information special? Well, maybe a lot because sometimes users want one curated place to get information from someone they trust. Other times it could just be to get more from you – more of your stories, more character deep dives, etc. I have fiction authors I read who I would absolutely pay for to get more content in between releases. But sometimes it’s mission support: they believe in the creator and want to help fund the work. Sometimes it is true exclusivity, meaning members get something that is not posted publicly and not recycled across social media.
The strongest paid newsletters usually have a very specific value proposition. “More of my thoughts” is rarely enough. “A weekly breakdown of what changed in my industry and what you should do next” is much stronger. So is “one exclusive short story every month,” “early access to every new release,” or “monthly office hours with me.”
If you cannot explain the paid value in one sentence, readers probably will not understand why they should subscribe.
Fiction and Nonfiction Authors Have Different Opportunities
I alluded to this earlier but nonfiction authors generally have an easier path to making the economics work because expertise itself can be the product. Readers may pay for industry analysis, commentary, templates, research, recommendations, or access—particularly when the information helps them make money, save money, avoid mistakes, or save time.
Fiction authors have a different challenge. Your readers primarily came to you for stories. So before promising a weekly paid newsletter, ask whether what they really want is more newsletter—or simply more of your fictional world. If you already have a strong fan base, this could work very well for you! Consider things like bonus novellas, serialized fiction, exclusive epilogues, deleted scenes, character backstories, or early chapters – you get the idea! It’s doable, but my recommendation for both fiction and nonfiction is start with a base of readers already in place, because building a paid newsletter while you’re still trying to cultivate your fan base is a steep climb.
The Platform Matters—But Not for the Reason You Think
Platform choice matters more than most writers expect. Substack is plug-and-play, which helps authors who do not want to wrestle with website setup, email tools, landing pages, or payments. The downside is that you are building inside someone else’s ecosystem, competing in a crowded marketplace, and potentially pulling attention away from your own website, which for search engine optimization reasons (SEO aka showing up in Google) should absolutely be a consideration.
For the revenue model let’s consider the math first. Substack currently allows creators to publish for free, but it takes 10% of paid subscription transactions, with Stripe processing and billing fees layered on top. Other platforms use different economics. For example, beehiiv promotes 0% platform fees on paid subscription revenue, though its more advanced plans carry monthly software costs.
For an author testing an idea with a very small audience, that distinction may not matter much. If the newsletter becomes a meaningful revenue stream, it absolutely does.
If discoverability and SEO are part of your strategy, publishing newsletter-like content on your own site can also support Google visibility, keep readers in your ecosystem, and strengthen your overall search footprint. So, in this case a hybrid model can make sense: keep the broad author newsletter free while offering a paid tier for readers who want deeper access.
AI Has Raised the Bar for Paid Content
There is another issue that matters much more now than it did even a few years ago: AI has dramatically increased the supply of perfectly acceptable free information.
Generic advice has never been harder to charge for.
If your paid newsletter offers broad writing tips, generic productivity advice, or information a reader can get by asking an AI tool a question, your perceived value is going to be low. Information is abundant. Trusted interpretation is not.
That is also why personality and specificity matter so much. The more generic the newsletter feels, the more replaceable it becomes.
The Hidden Cost of a Paid Newsletter: Feeding the Content Machine
The biggest hidden cost is still the content demand. A paid newsletter raises the bar on consistency, quality, and uniqueness. Subscribers are not just fans anymore; they are customers, and customers expect delivery.
That means you need a realistic production plan: frequency, format, topics, and a backlog strategy for busy weeks. You also need a defensible differentiation statement: what do subscribers get that they cannot just Google, pull from AI, or find in fifteen other newsletters?
If your paid content becomes generic, cancellations follow. If it becomes too time-consuming, you risk burnout or you start skipping issues, which erodes trust and retention.
Before launching, I would map out at least two or three months of content. But if that exercise already feels exhausting, pay attention to that signal.
Now Let’s Do the Math
I know, we all hate math – or at least I do, but the numbers matter and, frankly, this is where many paid-newsletter dreams quietly start to collapse.
Beehiiv’s 2026 analysis of thousands of paid newsletters reported a median free-to-paid conversion rate of 0.62%. In practical terms, that is about six paying subscribers for every 1,000 free subscribers. The top 25% of publishers across many categories do considerably better—roughly 2% to 5%—but I would not build a business plan around being an outlier from day one.
The same report found that $10 per month and $100 per year remain common paid-newsletter price points. Put those numbers together and the reality check gets very clear: 1,000 free subscribers converting at the median rate produces about six paid subscribers. At $10 a month, that is roughly $60 in gross monthly revenue before fees.
Suddenly the question is not, “Wouldn’t recurring revenue be nice?” but rather, how many hours a month are you willing to work for that $60 while you grow the audience?
That can still be worthwhile if the newsletter deepens loyalty, creates a high-value reader community, supports book sales, or feeds other revenue streams. But you need to define what success looks like at three months and twelve months—and be honest about the opportunity cost.
So, Should an Author Start a Paid Newsletter?
I would consider it if your free list is already engaged, readers routinely ask you for more, you can describe the paid value in one sentence, you have content that genuinely belongs behind a paywall, and you can sustain the commitment for at least a year without sacrificing the work that actually drives your author career.
I would hold off if you’re considering launching one primarily because everyone on Substack seems to be making money, or because your existing newsletter is not growing and you hope charging will somehow fix that, or because you need another revenue stream immediately.
The goal should not be to monetize every interaction you have with readers. The goal is to build an author platform that keeps getting stronger.
Sometimes a paid newsletter can do exactly that. Sometimes your best marketing move is to keep the newsletter free, make it excellent, grow the audience, and let the books remain the product readers pay for.
Monetization magnifies an engaged audience. But it rarely creates one.
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About Penny
Penny C. Sansevieri, is a powerhouse in the publishing industry. As the Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., she has revolutionized book marketing, shaping the careers of authors and guiding them to bestseller status. Penny's influence is undeniable—named one of New York Metropolitan Magazine's Top Influencers of 2019, she's known for her cutting-edge Amazon campaigns and innovative strategies that catapult exceptional books onto bestseller lists. She is also the author of 24 books and the co-host of the Book Marketing Tips and Author Success Podcast!
I've been thinking about stories lately. Not plots, exactly, and not character arcs or structure or any of the things writers tend to gather around and discuss with great seriousness. Those things matter. They help us build the house.
What I've been thinking about instead is the soul of a story. I realize that sounds like the sort of thing a person says before everybody quietly backs away from the conversation, but stay with me for a minute.
Because I think every story has a soul. Not a theme. Nor a moral. Not even the thing the author later says they meant to write about. I'm talking about something deeper than that. A pulse. A living center. The thing that keeps drawing us back long after we've forgotten most of the details.
You know how sometimes you'll finish a book and somebody asks what it was about? You can explain the plot, the characters, and maybe even the theme. Yet somehow none of those things fully explains why that particular story moved in and made itself at home inside you.
And the funny thing is, I don't think writers always know what that deeper thing is when they begin.
I certainly don't.
Usually I start with a confident idea of what I'm doing. I build outlines. I tell myself this story is about forgiveness or belonging or courage. Then somewhere along the way, after I've become thoroughly attached to my own brilliance, the story gently informs me that I've misunderstood the assignment.
I've revised outlines, rearranged scenes, and convinced myself the problem was pacing or structure. Then eventually, usually while washing dishes or driving somewhere completely unrelated, I realize the story isn't about the thing I thought it was about. The deeper thing has been sitting quietly in the corner the whole time, waiting for me to notice it.
Honestly, I find this mildly irritating.
I'd prefer stories to arrive with instructions.
Instead, they behave more like people. You think you're having one conversation and then discover there's another conversation happening underneath it. The real one.
Maybe that's why the soul of a story tends to hide in such ordinary places.
Not in the dramatic speech. Not in the chapter where everything explodes. The soul usually appears somewhere quieter. Two people making coffee. Someone looking out a window. A conversation in a parked car. A moment that doesn't seem important until suddenly it is.
I think that's because we work that way too.
Most of us don't change because of big speeches. We change because of conversations. Because somebody says one sentence at exactly the right moment.
I've had entire stories reveal themselves through a line of dialogue I almost deleted.
That's always humbling.
You spend months constructing a story only to discover that its heart was hiding in twelve words spoken by a secondary character while reaching for a coffee mug.
The older I get, the less writing feels like building and the more it feels like listening.
The soul leaves clues. A recurring image. The memory that won't go away. A scene that should be minor but somehow refuses to stay minor. You don't entirely understand why it matters, but you know enough not to rush past it.
And I don't think that's unique to storytelling.
Love works that way. Grief works that way. Faith certainly works that way. We live through things long before we understand them. A child knows she is loved long before she can define love. We fall in love before we understand why. We walk through grief long before we understand what it changed inside us.
Meaning is often the last thing to arrive.
Stories seem to follow the same path.
Readers are drawn to particular books.
Maybe that's why readers connect so deeply with certain books. They're not simply recognizing events. They're recognizing experiences they've lived themselves. A reader may never have traveled to Oz or flown away in a house carried by balloons, but they know longing and loss. They know hope. They know what it feels like to search for home or to love someone they can't keep.
I think the soul of a story connects to something deeper than our intellect. At least that's what it feels like to me. And maybe that's the closest I can come to describing what I'm talking about.
The soul of a story is the thing that remains after the plot has been explained. It's the part that follows you into ordinary life. The part that shows up while you're folding laundry, driving across town, or standing at the kitchen sink staring out the window.
Maybe try this the next time you're revising: make a list of the images, memories, conversations, and questions that appear more than once. Don't analyze them yet. Just look at them.
Sometimes the soul of a story becomes visible simply because you've finally gathered all the clues into one place.
Because the soul of a story rarely announces itself.
It waits.
And if you're willing to slow down long enough to listen, it usually reveals itself.
Just enough to keep you following.
For a free video with more information, click here.
What's the soul of your story?
Sarah (Sally) Hamer
Sarah (Sally) Hamer is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two RWA Golden Heart finals.
A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online at both margielawson.com and nostresswriting.com and blogs for writersinthestormblog.com/ and thewriteconversation.blogspot.com. Sally is a free-lance editor and book coach at Mind Potential, with many of her students and clients becoming successful, award-winning authors. Find her at sally@mindpotential.org
