Avoiding the Insidious and Ever-Increasing Book Marketing Scams
Let’s talk about the thing no one wants to admit: authors are being hunted.
Not by readers. Not by critics. By marketing companies who know exactly how to weaponize insecurity.
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in:
“Guaranteed” bestseller programs
Fake publicists promising major media placement
Suspicious literary awards with high entry fees
Social media DM agencies offering viral growth
Paid review farms dressed up as editorial services
The language is polished. The promises are seductive. The urgency feels real. And the financial damage can be devastating.
On February 25 at 5:30 PM, Summer Stewart will be joining Rosalia Scalia for a direct, honest conversation about how these scams work and why they’re increasing.
We’ll break down:
Why Scams Are Exploding
The shift toward author-led marketing.
The overwhelm of visibility culture.
The myth that there’s a secret hack to becoming successful.
When marketing feels confusing, certainty feels comforting. That’s where people get trapped.
The Most Common Tactics
We’ll walk through the red flags:
Guarantees of bestseller status
Promises of specific media placements
High-pressure sales tactics
Lack of verifiable results
Vague explanations of “proprietary systems”
No legitimate publicist guarantees coverage. No ethical marketer guarantees bestseller lists. Real marketing is strategic, slow, and reader-centered.
How to Vet an Offer
You should understand exactly what you are paying for. If you cannot explain what the service is actually doing for your book, you should not fund it.
This session is equipping authors to do so. You worked too hard on your book to hand your savings to someone selling smoke.
Join us on February 25 at 5:30 PM. Bring your questions. Bring your skepticism. Bring that DM you’ve been side-eyeing. Let’s build a smarter publishing ecosystem together.
