Promotion & Publication Scammers – A list for indie authors.

2026, has seen a dramatic increase in the world’s population of book promoters, book groups, radio promotions, publishing opportunities, literary festivals and individuals claiming to be able to help us all get our books into the public eye.

Some of them may be genuine, but if so, they’ve got to find a new way of composing their approach emails, because they are all too obviously peppered with AI-generated jargon. Frankly, I find their insinuations that they know what’s best for my books insulting. I simply don’t trust them, and I hate to think how many newbie indie authors are being sucked in to ultimately part with money.

I am compiling a list of those that I receive so that other indie authors can be aware. These, I feel, are but a few, but maybe by listing them here, I might help others avoid the disappointments and loss of money that can come from these scams.

I am doing this (for as long as I can stand to) because of a fraud almost perpetrated on me by someone claiming to be from HarperCollins.

HarperCollins does not partner with third-party companies that provide editorial or marketing services to unpublished or self-published authors. [From their website.]

The real HC have a thing or two to say about Rosemary Brosnan and others, and you can report such fraud directly to them here: Report Scam Emails to HarperCollins Fraud Directly. I expect other major houses have the same thing, so always check.

Things to look out for when you get a ‘scam’ publishing or promotion-service email.

1. They are mostly from Gmail accounts.
2. Major publishing houses do not send out emails like this.
3. An email address at, for example, HarperCollins@mywebsite.com is not a genuine email from that publishing house, but from an individual’s domain.

Jargon: especially drawn, layered storytelling, shared narratives, reaching out, personally invite, etc. If anyone ‘reaches out’ to me instead of contacting me, I leave them to drown.

Click to see the list.