Beware of Scams!

It's very exciting having released my SECOND novel . . .

But let's just say the scamming has intensified into a never-ending game of Whac-A-Mole this time around. All thanks to AI that was not quite so prevalent at the time of my first release in 2023.

Don't get me wrong, I experienced one very specific kind of "scam" early on with my first book, which I go into more detail a little later on, but the things I'm seeing now and the rate at which they occur has me, and I'm sure other authors, VERY frustrated.

I'm forced to do things I never had to do during the entire first three years since my first book's release—blocking accounts daily. Hold on, let me correct that . . . blocking FAKE AI ACCOUNTS!

The following information is to help warn other authors, and I figured since I show you so much behind the scenes, I'd also share with you the downright annoying things we authors have to contend with on a daily basis. ;) When all we're trying to do is an honest work of toiling away on a book, sometimes for years of our life, and these con artists just want to come in and rob us blind.

So settle in for me to take you on a little journey of my personal experience, complete with very real examples . . .

So, when it came to my first book, Malice Aforethought, I was used to getting fake solicitations through the Contact Me form on my website to inform me that my book had been chosen for a well-known book club. Now, I'm not talking about local ones but rather national or international ones—I'm talking the Book Swap Brunch 20–30s, The Pan Afro Book Club, and most recently Lit 'n Libations. The problem is . . . I'm not hearing from the REAL clubs. They're phony impersonators who use an AI-generated script and often a Gmail account. I'll go into more detail on this a little later.

Then it finally happened for my second book . . . BEFORE its release!

I'm talking generative AI that used flattery and praise for the book . . . when the joke was on them! The book hadn't even been released yet. I will educate you more on how I'm able to spot them a little later on in this post.

So when people ask me what some of the downsides or worst parts of publishing, especially self-publishing, is . . . one of them is definitely the scammers and solicitations that plague us. If you're not receiving daily and weekly emails and comments from these sorts, count yourself lucky.

You see, these con artists prey on a self-published author's possible desire for recognition or count on them being gullible and clueless . . .

More than half of the submissions I receive from my website contact form are from these phishy book club people. ;) Here is a recent example:

Okay, so a few red flags . . .

First off, the contact email is literaryladiesbookclub4@gmail.com which, even though I'm sure there is a Literary Ladies Book Club, I'm guessing they would not have a generic Gmail address or require the 4 in the address.

Another red flag is the line that reads: "Your book, All Manner of Evil, immediately caught our attention. Its storytelling and thematic depth . . . blabbity, blabbity, blah."

Umm, yeah, at the time my book was not available to the public, and I can name all the individuals who had access to an early copy. So there's no way this person could have any inkling as to the storytelling or its so-called "thematic depth."

So off I go to Google to see if this is a known scam, entering: "literary ladies book club scam" which lets me know that the "Literary Ladies Book Club" scam is a phishing tactic targeting indie and self-published authors. Scammers use AI to send flattering, unsolicited emails claiming a book club wants to feature your book. They then request a fee—usually between $95 and $2,000—to cover "book club expenses," "event reservations," or to get the book in front of members.

Ha, just as I suspected! Of course, I am unaware of the requesting of a fee since I have NEVER engaged with one of them in order for it to get that far!!

Then you got to love the people that pretend to have read your book and wish to offer their services as a "Visibility Specialist." Here's one I received concerning my first book recently:

Hi Avree, I hope your day is filled with the same intensity and intrigue that pulses through Malice Aforethought. Your book is not just another true crime retelling it’s a chilling reconstruction of two nineteenth‑century murders that horrified New England, brought vividly to life with fresh theories and narrative drive.

What struck me most is the way you anchor the story in historical detail while maintaining the suspense of a modern thriller. The disappearance of the beloved schoolteacher in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1874, followed by the gruesome discovery in the woods, sets the stage for a community gripped by fear. When news arrives of an eerily similar crime in Pembroke, New Hampshire, in 1875, the tension escalates, raising haunting questions about whether these young women were targeted or simply victims of circumstance.

The strength of your book lies in its duality: it’s both a historical account and a gripping narrative. By weaving together the voices of detectives, townspeople, and the broader cultural context, you capture the atmosphere of mounting fear and relentless pursuit of justice. At the same time, your willingness to share an exciting theory never before explored gives the book originality, distinguishing it from podcasts and blogposts that have covered the case.

I manage a Goodreads space where readers actively discuss new releases and share feedback. Your book has already caught attention, and I’d like to provide you with insights into how readers are engaging with it. This isn’t a promotional pitch it’s about sharing real reader perspectives and helping you understand your audience better. Would you be interested in a short conversation?

I also run a reader‑led movement that helps books gain visibility through Goodreads Listopia. It’s one of the most underrated tools on the platform a place where authentic votes spark organic discovery. No fake reviews, no gimmicks, no shortcuts. Just genuine placement that helps books bloom into wider recognition. If you are willing to add your book to Listopia, let me know.

P.S. Listopia is one of the most underrated tools on Goodreads, and books with active voting rise fast. I’d love to help Malice Aforethought get the attention it deserves. Saying yes might be the easiest win of your week.

Warmly (and determinedly),

Kellye Phillips Goodreads Visibility Specialist

📚 “Visibility without reviews. Exposure without shortcuts.”

Form Submission

Now you may be thinking this all sounds so great! Ah, but us self-published authors have had to get scrappy and streetwise! The untrained eye would cause most who receive this kind of praise about their story to immediately hit "reply."

So why didn't I?

I detected that there is NOTHING in this message that let me know this person actually read my book.

How do I know that?

Easy. This is simply a regurgitation of my back jacket synopsis. There is nothing in this so-called "Goodreads Visibility Specialist's" message that reveals anything about the story that can't already be found online, including through online reviews and my own Goodreads review that I wrote as a message to my potential readers.

But just to be sure, I decided to confirm with Google if there was such a thing as a "Goodreads Visibility Specialist" and here's what Google had to say: A "Goodreads Visibility Specialist" or "Certified Visibility Specialist" is a predatory author marketing scam designed to extract money from writers. Scammers use AI to send highly personalized, flattering emails about your book, claiming it lacks visibility, and offering to boost your ranking or secure reviews for a fee. 

So let me see . . . do I have any in my inbox TODAY, as of August 13, 2026? Yep, at 2:40am I received a solicitation through my website's contact form, where it looked like this person just entered in my book's back jacket and instructed AI to generate a praise-filled message—that way over used my name to a creepy level, I must say—informing me that they have put together a short strategic breakdown for me that highlights a few ways to strengthen my book's positioning and reach. This person then instructs me to "just reply with 'yes' and I'll be happy to send it over."

So why do you NEVER want to respond to a tactic like this? Because once they know or believe they've reached a real person, especially the author, they now know that it's a "warm" contact, and even if they are blocked, they would generate innumerable accounts to keep spamming you!!

One of the NEWEST solicitation tactics has me nearly ready to get off social media altogether! That is getting comments and follows from people—fake AI accounts—letting you know that they are curating an author lineup and want to offer you a special feature spotlight on their page. Which I'm sure is not free.

Then there's the NONSTOP fake congratulatory comments about your book that then quickly cut to the chase of offering their services to create a short cinematic video/trailer for your book. I received no less than nine of these on a single post last week for my sophomore novel's release day. Let's see all the different wording, shall we? . . .

• "A short book trailer can really help being your story to life. Have you ever thought about something like that for your book? Would you love to see some examples? If so, DM me."

• "Cinematic book trailers have become such a powerful promotional tool. Have you considered using one for your book? Would you love to see some examples?"

• "I'd love to show you what your book could look like as a cinematic trailer. Would you like to see a few examples?"

• "I create cinematic book trailers that capture attention. Can I share a few examples?"

• "A cinematic book trailer can help your book stand out. I'd be happy to help you get your book in front of more readers."

• "A short cinematic promo video could really bring your story to life. I can share a quick example of my work."

• "A short book trailer can really help bring your story to life. Have you ever thought about something like that for your book? Would you love to see some examples?"

• "A cinematic book trailer could be a great way to give folks a quick glimpse of the story. Have you ever considered giving your book that kind of visual introduction? I'd love to share some trailer examples with you if you're interested."

• "A short cinematic promo video could really bring your story to life. If you'd like, I can share a quick example of my work, and show you how I'd approach yours specifically."

And, again, this was on just ONE single post! Like I said, Whac-A-Mole! It's a full-time job blocking these pages . . . since I learned that once they follow you, they will automatically comment on each and every post. At first it was painful for me to block someone . . . but what happened when I let ONE of the pages stand?! They brought their friends!!!! Yep, all of a sudden I had three new followers, all of whom were commenting similarly on my page. Sure enough, they came from that page that I had failed to block.

I won't make that mistake again! So now if I suspect a page is AI or soliciting a made-up service . . . AUTOMATIC BLOCK!

Notice how all of these DIFFERENT pages and people sound exactly alike? When you click on them and their thousands of followers, it becomes apparent that anything associated with them is all AI. I finally did manage to find one small solution, which was to change a setting in Facebook that automatically hides comments from any pages created in the last 24hrs. And let me tell you, there's no shortage of those, apparently.

My first book saw a version of this when someone created a fake social media account, where the image appeared to be an AI-generated logo or like a person who looked suspiciously AI. Unfortunately, one year ago—before I caught on to this kind of thing—someone named Elowen Gray (sounds real, right?) kept messaging me. She used such flattery that this interaction ensued (keep in mind, she deleted her account soon after our interaction so none of her comments or her photo show up in the thread):

So after she pretended to know anything about reading my book, saying it was recommended to her from a friend who had read it, she let me know that she left me a 5-star review, which I confirmed. That's when she hit me up, offering her services that didn't quite sound like a real thing. I wrote back a friendly, and naive, "I will definitely keep that in mind, thank you. Is that what you do for work full time?"

That's when she disappeared . . . and her review. So creepy!

Now, I say I was naive, even though I didn't end up committing to anything, because I should have known better than to engage with a suspicious-looking account in the first place.

Fast forward one year, and I receive this one on June 2, 2026, Elodie Mercer a Digital Marketer (again with a fake sounding E name):

This time, I knew not to engage even though they attempted two days in a row. The fact that they called me Kelly was also a red flag. Apparently this profile was created JUST to target me, and possibly a few others, because when I clicked on their profile they had no followers or likes on their page and only had, maybe, three posts. Which all looked like AI. The next day I clicked on their profile, and I got this:

Now, while we're on the subject, another REALLY irritating part about having Instagram—since we've mainly been discussing Facebook—as a self-published author is the amount of "people" that offer their various services, especially encouraging you to "share it." And it's, somehow, always from different people promoting the same account. (See below.)

Which leads me to . . . have I EVER fallen for a scam?

I wish I could say no. But, unfortunately, the answer is a kind-of yes!

In my VERY early days, circa August 2023, I was getting solicitations from Bookstagrammers and "Professional Book Reviewers" to pay them to promote my book (before I had any idea if this was legitimate or on the up and up) for which they try to upsell you on running campaigns, etc. I, stupidly, chose three people and doled out $140 in total. And I'm talking giving to PayPal accounts in the middle East and Africa. Major red flag!

Only 1 of the 3 ended up sharing a review, and it was literally just my back jacket blurb re-written with super flowery language. UGH! See for yourself:

I know they didn't read it because it says "This historical crime book [...] is set in the charming but mysterious railroad community of St. Albans, Vermont." WRONG!!! I'm so glad my back jacket is tripping people up to reveal the scammers!!!

This reviewer says that the plot is set in motion when a well-liked schoolteacher inexplicably disappears. Umm, jokes on them, the portion of the schoolteacher in St. Albans doesn't come into the story until much later, and it is only a small portion of the book. Which they would have known had they read it. I'm also irritated that they knocked off a star, claiming the "vivid descriptions of the atrocities" and "in order to illustrate the savagery of the acts" that "this degree of detail is required." I in no way described the brutal deaths of the victims but just the conditions they were found in. He also mistakenly says, in the second paragraph, that they found the schoolteacher's "horrifyingly dismembered body" which is also WRONG! She was not dismembered.

So I guess that's a little piece of advice I now have for authors: Keep your back jacket a little ambiguous so that way it reveals those who read your book and those who didn't. ;)

Okay, end rant.

I just hope this helps someone else, since that's the best thing that can come out of experience . . . is being able warn others!

Until next time . . .