Spotting Agent Scams
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 окт 2024
- Unfortunately, there has been a recent uptick in scam artists using the BookEnds name, the names of our agents, and the names of other agents and agencies to try to convince authors to give them money. Some of their emails look reputable, but they are NOT. Here are some tips and tricks Jessica and James have for keeping yourself safe when reviewing an email from an "agent."
Please share this video widely to make other authors aware, and stay alert!
BookEnds is dedicated to making publishing a book traditionally a more transparent process, and it starts with these videos!
****
Jessica Faust’s love for books is what first brought her to open BookEnds Literary Agency. It is her desire to be an advocate for all authors that pushed her to create her blog, the BookEnds RUclips channel and to maintain a vibrant presence on Twitter.
Jessica is proud to have grown BookEnds to an agency that represents authors of all genres for children and adults, allowing her to reach more readers and help more authors and illustrators achieve their dreams.
--
James McGowan is a Literary Agent at BookEnds and writer for children. He began working with the agency as an intern in the summer of 2015, and basically never left. He represents a talented group of authors and illustrators working in everything from board books to middle grade graphic novels. He also works in adult nonfiction, and adult mystery and suspense projects. James is the author of GOOD NIGHT OPPY, which is available now.
Connect with BookEnds!
Twitter: bookendslit
Instagram: bookends_literary
Website: www.bookendsliterary.com
Connect with Jessica: bookendsjessica
Connect with James: jmcgowanbks
One of my friends who indie publishes started getting texts from a so-called "publisher" after registering her book for copyright. The message actually said, "We saw that you recently registered [book name] for copyright and would love to publish you!" I wonder if that's how some of these agent scams are getting info, too.
You liked my book? Read it all you say? Awesome! Uh... what was your favorite part? 🤔
Commenting to boost in the algorithm. Thank you for sharing this information!
I've seen pop-up boxes, before a website loads, stating that they're aware scammers are using their names and agency name! I've taken it a step further by debating long and hard about whether I'll even query a definite legitimate agent/agency offering paid editing services! I'm not paying my agent to edit my book! At first, I thought it fishy and sent a couple but no more! There are too many great agents for me to hand money to one for editing, publicity or anything else relevant to publishing! Thank you for taking the time to get the word out to us! I'm so sorry you're having to deal with this issue when you're busy already!😜🤸
I got a short story rejection that included a "if you'd like to pay us to edit..." solicitation. At best - so tacky! Made me wonder if they publish anything from the "slush pile", or if it's just a way to get clients.
I wonder if any of these scammers are finding their writer victims in writer's groups like the ones on Facebook.
We have gotten authors who have let us know that people in Facebook writing groups seem to be getting targeted, as well
@@BookEndsLiterary THE ANSWER - NEVER, NEVER, EVER be desperate for an inroad into the world of publishing.
Pay attention to your "spidey sense." I love it. Thanks, guys!
I have shared this among my editorial networks as well as writing networks. As a freelance editor, I feel that I need to take steps to protect the writers I work with. If sharing them will help protect them, then that's what I'm doing.
Thank you for this.
Once again, a terrific program. Due diligence - people. Love your comment: "I don't know what these are people." Thank you!
Thanks for this information. Double checking email addresses and phone numbers sounds critical.
A really valuable show
Even if the e-mail address looks as it should, it can be counterfeited by substituting a look-alike character. The way to spot this is to check the ASCII code for the character.
That's a bit technical for us right-brain types. Just know that due diligence makes tech trickery irrelevant. Your Built-In BullSh!t Detector is your right-brain leverage.
BIBSD, a Linux Product, from Berkley with love.
That's making me wonder if people's Publishers Marketplace info or all that have been hacked as well, or their QueryTracker info. Because I've found agents (Jodi Reamer being top of mind) that are asking for a full attached in the email along with query letter. Several people having questioned why this is the thing suddenly. (And considering so many agents seem to use assistants that you're supposed to query, I wonder how many things have been hacked to send your story to a fake assistant. Hopefully this is just my paranoia and not fact. But would this be a thing?)
Unfortunately, anything seems to be possible, so if something is setting off alarm bells for whatever reason, it might be best to listen to your gut, especially while the scammers are so active! It's not completely impossible for a reputable agent to request something like that, but if you've noticed that their guidelines suddenly changed and it makes you concerned, you could always try reaching out to them via an email listed on their website to make sure that the policy change was their own and not that of a hacker
Thank you for yet another informative-and, additionally, another truly delightful and fun-video tutorial from you two; they are INVALUABLE in my opinion!
Yet another question I want to pose to you two for my own potential good in possibly dealing with future agents/publishing agencies is: currently, I am researching these two publishing companies called, "Fulton," and, "Covenant Books," a Christian-based and owned publisher (which at least on paper-no pun intended there-sounds appealing to me as someone trying more and more everyday to reconnect with my faith), respectively. I first saw these two advertised on T.V. recently and they at least sounded like nice, helpful and somewhat legit companies, but, as MANY will say, I still want to do my due diligence and put in as much research as I possibly can--also SHOULD--in order to not wind up committing to a company/firm whom may wind up scamming me, hounding me with a plethora of possibly unnecessary and suspicious requests, so on and plenty so forth...
Anyhow, to my question here, Jessica and James: Have you EVER heard of either of these houses? Do they sound in ANY way legitimate to you two? Even if one of them may be, what should I STILL look for in order to make a proper decision before I commit even to them?
Would you please contact me as soon as you possibly can, so I may have a little more reliable information in order to properly continue with the process of finding, then eventually commiting to, a decent and reliable publisher/agent? Have a splendid night, Jessica and James, and I am looking forward to sneaking in yet another excellent video from you! 👍🙏❤️
To Jessica’s point. I DID get a solicitation to enroll in a course during the traditional querying process. Like James said, some scams mask themselves as traditional agencies. They prey on writers’ vulnerabilities to want to be published.
My self-published book is on Amazon. I’ve had a number of offers for republishing, which is a scam. You’d be lucky to ever see a copy.
Thanks for another great video - sorry this has been happening at BookEnds! I have a video idea - how about one on everything to do with deal announcements? Why do some agents report all or some of their deals and others don't? Who writes the announcements? Why the weird wording, e.g., "in a good deal, in a pre-empt"? When are announcements made in relation to the signing of the deal for the various age groups (e.g., PBs taking longer). :)
It might be too late, but it would be a good idea for legitimate agencies to buy similar domain names. That won't stop it but will make it harder for scammers to look legitimate.
I recently discovered your channel and I’m so glad I did! I’ve been an author for ten years with great success but like many authors I wanted the opportunity to get literary representation. After trying for two years, I signed with an agent in January. I haven’t had the best experience so far and wanted to find out if you’d be willing to do a video on how to deal with a “bad” agent? Like an agent who isn’t championing your books, or an agent who hasn’t done much at all. Do I look for another agent and start the process all over again? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Sorry to hear this! We have a video like this on our docket for sometime in the future!
My employer puts us employees through email scam training every year. ALWAYS look closely (sorry for the adverb) at the sender's email address.
THE ANSWER - NEVER, NEVER, EVER be desperate for an inroad into the world of publishing.
Know that agents, generally do NOT contact writers; the legitimate agents are far too busy to do that. Ditto for publishers.
This is largely true, although there are definitely instances in which agents might reach out to creators-especially self-pubbed authors whose books have performed well, professionals in their fields who the agent might encourage to write a nonfiction book, or illustrators with public portfolios/IG accounts that the agent may be following!
Here’s a related question: an agent at a reputable (?) agency in their bio asks for the full manuscript in an email submission for query…is that normal? I’m hesitant to send my full MS like that, but they seem like a good agency. Thoughts?
Hi! I wouldn't say this is common, but it's not impossible that an agent might request this, so I wouldn't say it sets off immediate alarm bells. If you're not comfortable submitting a full in that manner, you could try to put in your query letter something along the lines of "I understand your bio asks that a full manuscript be attached, but given the rising amount of agency fraud happening over email, to protect myself and my manuscript I feel most comfortable only attaching a partial. I am happy to provide the full if you think we may be a good fit!"
If the agent is upset with that, they might not make for a very good or considerate business partner in the future anyways
Additionally, to determine if the agency you're looking at is reputable, you can look into their PublishersMarketplace sales if you have a subscription, or you can try to get in touch with them via their general email (usually provided somewhere on the website), or see if you can reach out to any clients for more information.
Good luck!
@@BookEndsLiterary wowza what a thoughtful and thorough response, thank you for your input!!