Much has been written about scams targeting writers, and while there have been many over the years—from When Words Count to the National Library of Poetry to PublishAmerica—a whole new crop has sprung up and become more prominent in the past year. These are invitations to have your book featured in book clubs, reviewed or endorsed by famous authors, or appear at literary festivals. I’m sure there are more iterations, but that’s the idea. This article on Writer Beware goes into more detail: https://writerbeware.blog/2025/11/14/if-a-famous-author-calls-hang-up-anatomy-of-an-impersonation-scam/

I had heard of many of my peers receiving scammy emails, texts, and phone calls, but it only happened to me just recently (two on the same day)–and now they’re targeting not just people who have books for sale, but short story writers and poets who are featured in anthologies. If anyone receives these, they are scams. Don’t respond:

Absolute Write Water Cooler is a great place to check for what’s scammy and what’s not. Here’s the link to their Bewares & Background Checks forum space: https://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php?forums/bewares-recommendations-background-check.22/