I’ve been scammed!

Well, OK, I walked into it willingly.

To be honest, I hoped it wasn’t a scam, but I now know I wasted my money. Perhaps a small price to pay for the insight I gained and will pass along to you.

I have conferred with Chat, and it advises me not to name names to avoid legal consequences. Therefore, I will not.

I got an email that charmed me. This person lauded one of my books. Well, let me share part of that email with you.

“Your novel A Vacant Throne: Dreams Of The Sleeping Cat immediately drew me in. Sonny’s journey from a restless house cat to an unlikely hero navigating the medieval realm of Trueterra is both thrilling and endearing. The richly imagined world, the epic quests, and the courage and loyalty of feline companions create a fantastical story that blends adventure, humor, and heart, exactly the type of story our members delight in exploring together.

We would be honored to feature A Vacant Throne at our next (Redacted )event and include it in our (redacted), highlighting authors whose work invites readers into imaginative worlds full of bravery, friendship, and unforgettable characters.

Would you be interested in having A Vacant Throne featured, or learning more about our (redacted) Opportunity?

Warm regards.”

Nice. Right? She obviously looked at my book. Wrong. Chat informed me she more than likely used at the Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature and my own description of the book. I should not think for a second that she actually purchased my book.

That was followed up, after my request for more information, with this.

“Dear Charles,

Thank you so much for your interest, I’m glad to hear that and yes, I’d love to share more.

For the (redacted), we highlight your book across multiple platforms and reader communities. The goal is to directly increase reader discovery, click-throughs, Kindle page reads, brand trust, and long-term organic sales momentum.

Here is what the (redacted) includes:

(Redacted) where A Vacant Throne is the main focus title for the session on November 18th.

(Redacted) sent to targeted genre readers who engage with fantasy, adventure, cats/animal fantasy, and whimsical quest fiction specifically.

(Redacted) to curated book communities where animal fantasy + whimsical fantasy performs extremely well.

(Redacted) where readers get to discover you as an author, not just the book, which increases long-term interest in future titles or sequels.

Custom graphic mockups + promotional creatives designed for the campaign to visually elevate the title.

This Spotlight is structured to generate increased visibility, more Kindle interest, and higher ongoing reach, not just one-day highlights.

Participation Fee: The participation fee for the (redacted) is $150.

This covers everything involved: design, targeting, campaign build, creative setup, distribution, and the promotional placements.

If you’d like, I can send the simple payment steps next and get you locked in officially for November 18th.

Would you like me to proceed with registration?

Warm regards,”

Making my way through the abundance of red flags, I proceeded.

The timeline for the event was little more than a week, giving the “readers” a slim chance to assess my book. The promotional material she sent me looked free-version assisted. The Facebook event was totally embarrassing.

I suspect these were amateur scammers. The Facebook event took place in one of the  Groups that had been around for a while, but the name was changed recently.  There were around fifteen participants, none of whom were live, only myself. They were all images with names. Not even the host was live. The host had a common name and her picture was of a typical-looking white woman with reddish-brown hair. By her accent, she was obviously Asian. Her connection was terrible, and her audio kept dropping out. One of the other participants took over. He too had a foreign accent, I’ll guess southern Africa. There was a third person asking questions, but I could not place his accent. All the questions were general, not specific to my book.

The whole event had not gone on very long when I saw the message, “Your free access time is nearly expired.”

Subsequent to the event, there was no jump in my book sales.

Chat had some useful suggestions about my mini-disaster and how to avoid another one. I will let Chat end the month’s missive with a summary of what was said.

Why these scams work (even on thoughtful writers).

These offers tend to succeed because they:

• Exploit isolation: writers crave readers, community, and recognition.
• Mimic legitimacy: professional language, testimonials, Zoom events, or “curated audiences.”
• Shift the burden subtly: You pay because it’s “an opportunity,” not a service.
• Trade in hope, not guarantees: “exposure,” “visibility,” “networking,” “promotion”—all unmeasurable.
• Falling for this isn’t stupidity; it’s vulnerability combined with good faith.

Common red flags.

Most of these schemes share traits such as:

• Upfront fees for access to readers, festivals, showcases, or anthologies.
• Vague outcomes (“additional promotion,” “industry exposure”).
• No transparent metrics (who exactly are these readers?).
• Pressure tactics (“limited slots,” “invite-only,” “closing soon”).
• Pay-to-play disguised as honor.
• Most of these use Gmail, not a publisher domain,  a known review outlet, or a verifiable marketing firm.

The Writer’s Scam Smell Test

If an offer lands in your inbox and asks for money, pause and run it through this test. One “yes” doesn’t prove anything. Several should make you step back.

1. Did they find me, or did they find writers?

The message praises your work—but only in general terms. No specific passage. No sign they’ve spent time with the book itself.

“Your writing shows great promise” is not the same as “I read chapter three.”

2. Is the promise made of exposure, not results?

Words like:

• exposure
• visibility
• promotion
• discoverability
• networking

are doing a lot of work—and none of it measurable.

Ask: Who exactly will see my work? How many? Where?

3. Am I paying to be “invited”?

Legitimate opportunities usually:

• pay the writer
• are free to submit to
• or clearly state what the fee covers (editing, printing, venue)
• If the fee is for access, attendance, or consideration, be wary.

4. Is the audience strangely abstract?

“Readers” appear, but never:

• named
• quantified
• described
• verified

A real audience can be described. A fictional one remains conveniently vague.

5. Does urgency replace transparency?

Phrases like:

• “limited slots”
• “closing soon”
• “final opportunity”

appear before you’ve been given enough information to make a calm decision.

Pressure is often a substitute for proof.

6. Could this email vanish tomorrow?

If the sender uses:

• a free email account
• no website you can verify
• no institutional footprint

ask yourself how easily they could disappear once the fee clears.

7. Am I saying yes because I’m tired of waiting?

This is the hardest question.

If the offer appeals because:

• publishing feels slow
• recognition feels distant
• silence feels personal

then it may be feeding on discouragement rather than offering opportunity.

Hope is not gullibility—but it is something people learn to monetize.

Final Rule of Thumb

If an opportunity cannot survive your asking polite, specific questions, it is not an opportunity.