Book Club Scam Alert
- marti mcginnis
- Aug 1
- 13 min read
Summary
Book Club Scam Red Flag Checklist
If you got an email that has any of these, slow down:
A "book club" or "reading community" praises your book in specific, flattering detail and offers a free author Q&A - with zero ask in the first email.
A second or third email introduces a vaguely-named paid tier ("Spotlight Package," "Feature Package," "Promotional Tier") described only in abstract nouns - depth, care, professionalism, visibility, integrity - with no concrete deliverables and no price attached.
The sender says they'll share pricing "after we secure the date" - a commitment-before-disclosure tactic.
When pressed, the "package" turns out to have tiered pricing (a cheap option, a mid option, a "premium" option) — a structure that mimics legitimate promo services but isn't attached to any verifiable audience, platform, or output.
The club's name and coordinator's name are real and Google-verifiable - this does NOT mean the email is legitimate. Scammers appear to specifically target real, findable clubs so your initial due diligence comes up clean.
The Set Up
I recently published a book. About a week after it went live on Amazon I received an email from a book club in Sydney Australia asking me if I would be willing to talk to their members. WOW! How validating!! And exciting and fun and, and, and......
Hey, but I'm not naive, right? I look up the name of the book club.just in case this is some sort of phishing thing. But no, there it is, it's a real club. Yay! So I send my enthusasiastic response. "Yes. I'll be delighted to speak with your memeber and answer questions,etc.".
The next day I receieve another email from the book club coordinator and just before I hit "send" on my enthusiastic response I decide to run their second email through an AI and ask it if it seems legit. I am sad to report the LLM said the text seemed like a common book club scam.
The Build
Apparently the scammers find the name of a legit book club with an online presence (so when we check we see it's a real club), create a beautifully written appeal to an authors, using the title of our book and even acknowledge the topic and tell us how excited their members will be to discuss it. So in their followup email it hardly stands out that there's some "Spotlight package" deal coming into the opportunity.
The next part must tie directly into human psychology as by now we've done a bit of due diligence and it came up clean and we are developing full buy-in to the upcoming experience. I guess as we do so we're becoming a bit blind to what's on offer next. At least that's how I took it. I glossed right over the spotlight mention in the second email. The scam part! Where we're invited to increase our standing in the club's upcoming announcements by paying a scaled fee for increased prominence.
The Truth
The scammers have stolen the name and even the point person's name from a real book club and are using it to build trust so they can scam naive authors out of honestly not a lot of money. In my case it went from $51 to $198. That't it.
The email they used looked legit too.
So that's a real thing happening out there. kiddos. I'm going to copy every email in our exchange below so anyone searching phrases or names from future scams by these folks might find this blog post and understand this is a fake opportunity.
The First Email
Initial Contact from Scammer. It seemed so real!
Dear Marti,
I hope you're doing well.
My name is Maria, and I coordinate the Inner West Writers Group – Write Club in Sydney, a community of readers and writers who enjoy discovering and discussing contemporary books.
One of our members recently recommended The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide, and the group selected it for one of our upcoming discussions. As we began reading it, we appreciated the way your illustrated guide makes the concept of high sensitivity approachable and engaging. We especially enjoyed how it complements the well-established research on sensory processing sensitivity by presenting ideas in a format that encourages reflection, understanding, and conversation. It has already prompted thoughtful discussions among our members about recognizing sensitivity as a meaningful personality trait rather than a weakness.
I wanted to reach out to ask whether you might be interested in joining us for a short online conversation after our discussion.
Our meetings are relaxed and reader-focused, and we'd love the opportunity to hear what inspired you to create an illustrated guide on this topic, how you approached translating complex psychological concepts into an accessible visual format, and what you hope readers take away from the book. We'd also be delighted to give our members the chance to ask a few questions.
We're happy to work around your schedule, and we completely understand if your availability doesn't allow it.
If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd be glad to send a few more details.
Thank you for your time, and thank you for creating a resource that encourages readers to better understand themselves and appreciate the strengths that can accompany high sensitivity. I hope to hear from you.
Kind regards,
MariaCoordinatorInner West Writers Group – Write Club
My 1st response
(I was just so thrilled with this opportunity and belived it all as I had looked up the club and discovered the name of the club and the coordinator were real)
Hey Maria,
Thank you so much for this email - it genuinely made my day. Hearing that The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide sparked real conversation in your group is exactly the kind of thing I hoped for when I made it, so thank you (and whoever recommended it!) for choosing it.
And if anyone in the group has ever needed a full day to recover from a birthday party, tell them I said welcome to the club.
I would love to join you for a conversation after your discussion. Please send over the details whenever it's convenient, date, time, platform, and roughly how long you'd like me for, and I'll make it work on my end.
I'm happy to talk about what inspired the book, the process of translating some pretty abstract psychological concepts into something visual and approachable, and anything else your members are curious about. Looking forward to it!
With Cheer,
Marti
The Second Email where the "Spotlight" is first Mentioned
(I didn't bat an eye at that - except something told me to doublecheck to see if this email was legit so I ran it through an AI)
Dear Marti,
Thank you so much for your wonderful reply.
Your message genuinely made us smile, and I shared your "birthday party recovery" comment with a few of our members—it was an instant hit! It perfectly captures the warmth and relatability that shines throughout your book.
We're absolutely delighted that you're happy to join us, and we're excited about welcoming you for what I believe will be a thoughtful, engaging, and memorable conversation with our readers.
Our next available Book Spotlight is October 15, and we'd be honored to reserve that date for you.
To give you a clear picture of what to expect, I thought it might be helpful to explain how our Book Spotlight experience unfolds.
Here's how it works:
Book Spotlight Introduction
We introduce The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide to our community of readers and writers within the Inner West Writers Group – Write Club ahead of the event. This gives members plenty of time to discover the book, purchase their own copies, and begin reading well before the discussion takes place. We also introduce the themes of the book in a way that encourages thoughtful reflection and genuine curiosity, allowing anticipation to build naturally over the weeks leading up to the event.
Independent Reading
Our members purchase the book individually and read it at their own pace before the Spotlight. We intentionally allow a generous reading runway because we've found that readers engage much more deeply when they've had time to sit with a book, reflect on it, and even revisit certain sections before coming together for discussion.
If you have a discussion guide, reflection questions, or any additional reading materials, we'd be delighted to share them with members as they read. They often enrich the experience and encourage even more meaningful conversations.
Club Gathering
Our discussions are relaxed, reader-led, and completely organic. They are never promotional.
Instead, they are genuine conversations where readers share what resonated with them, the ideas that challenged them, the emotions the book stirred, and the different perspectives they discovered through reading.
With The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide, I imagine the conversation naturally exploring what it means to be highly sensitive, how readers recognized aspects of themselves or those around them, the role illustrations play in making psychological concepts feel approachable, and how greater understanding can lead to more self-compassion and empathy.
Once our discussion concludes, we'll invite you to join us online for approximately 45–60 minutes. This gives members the opportunity to hear about your inspiration for creating the book, your creative process, and ask their own questions in a relaxed and welcoming conversation. We always want authors to feel as though they're joining readers around the table rather than giving a formal presentation.
Post-Event Engagement
After the discussion, we continue the conversation by sharing reader reflections and memorable takeaways within our community. This helps extend the life of the discussion and keeps your work visible well beyond the event itself.
To help ensure every Book Spotlight is thoughtfully prepared and professionally presented, we also organize each feature through our Support Spotlight Package.
It is a structured collaboration created to ensure your work is presented with depth, care, and professionalism within our community.
It covers the design, preparation, coordination, and extended visibility surrounding the event.
Because we prepare the design materials, discussion framing, and community coordination ahead of time, the Support Spotlight simply helps us organize all of the creative and logistical elements so the experience is well prepared for both you and our readers.
This structure exists solely to support the integrity, preparation, and sustained visibility of your work—especially for books like yours that invite meaningful reflection and conversation. I'll be happy to share the full details of how it works after we've secured the date.
If October 15 works well for you, I'd be delighted to reserve it and begin preparing for your Spotlight.
We're genuinely excited about the opportunity to feature The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide. I have a feeling it will inspire exactly the kind of reflective, compassionate, and engaging discussion our readers enjoy, and we're looking forward to sharing that experience with you.
Warmly,
Maria
Coordinator: Inner West Writers Group – Write Club
My Second Response
(Now I'm suspicious. The LLM has told me to see what the details of the Spotlight promotion are just to be sure, which I'm fine with because I'm having a hard time letting go of the fact that a book club in Sydney with over 1200 members wants to talk with me)
Subject: Re: Would love to join your discussion! — a couple of quick notes
Hi Maria,
October 15 sounds wonderful!
A couple of quick notes: I generally prepare my own discussion materials and am happy to send those over well in advance so your members have plenty of time with them. I also work with my own promo team, who'd be glad to provide any materials or visibility pieces your club promo team requires. Blurbs, photos, postcards, etc. We have a brand style we feel helps support the book’s mission. We’re also delighted to provide a special promo code just for your members if that’s acceptable.
I'll assume the Support Spotlight Package details are all handled on your end as part of the program. Let me know if there's anything you need from me in the meantime.
Looking forward to it.
Warmly,
Marti
(Reader, I don't have a team, I am the team, but I wanted to give a bigger presence as my suspicions build.)
The Third Email Working to Build Confidence with me and my "team"
Dear Marti,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply.
That's wonderful to hear, and I truly appreciate how organized your team is. Your discussion guide will be a fantastic resource for our members, and we'd be delighted to incorporate it into their reading experience. I also appreciate your generous offer to have your promotional team provide materials. Your author photo, book cover, brand assets, and other resources will certainly help us present your work in a way that remains true to your vision and the book's mission.
To officially secure and hold your October 15 Book Spotlight, the next step is simply gathering the materials we'll use to prepare everything well in advance.
When you have a chance, could you please send:
Your discussion guide
Your author biography
A high-resolution author photo
Your book cover
Your preferred purchase (Amazon or other retailer) link
Once we receive those, we can begin preparing the Spotlight and encourage our members to purchase the book early so they have plenty of time to read, reflect, and engage with your discussion guide before we meet. We've found that giving readers a generous reading runway always leads to richer, more meaningful conversations during the event.
Regarding the Support Spotlight, we offer several package options depending on the level of engagement an author would like surrounding their Book Spotlight. These are designed to support the creative preparation, coordination, and presentation of the event while helping create a thoughtful experience for both the author and our readers.
Would you like me to send the Support Spotlight options over for your review?
I'm looking forward to working together and making this a memorable experience for both you and our readers.
Warmly,
MariaCoordinatorInner West Writers Group – Write Club
Touche. They're matching my energy here. No way do I want to go through all that trouble nor provide more intel to a group of scammers. So instead I say the following.)
My Third Response
Subject: Re: Support Spotlight — send options to our promo lead
Hi Maria,
Yes, please do send over the Support Spotlight options. I'd love to take a look.
You can send those directly to our promo lead, Alex Divine, at martimu+legal@gmail.com. Once I've had a chance to review with the team, I'll follow up with the materials and promo code so everything's ready way ahead of October 15.
Looking forward to seeing the details!
Warmly,
Marti
I don't have an Alex Divine - that's a fictional character in my "team". That email is fake as it will just go into my regular email inbox - gmail let's you have as many emails as you want tied to one account if you use the "+" sign after your normal account name.
Their Fourth Email
Dear Marti,
Thank you, and absolutely.
I'm delighted to send the Support Spotlight options over for you and Alex to review. Thank you as well for letting me know you'll be discussing everything with your team first. That sounds perfect, and I appreciate the thoughtful approach.
I also wanted to share a little about why we've structured the Support Spotlight this way.
Over the years, we've found that meaningful books deserve more than simply being placed on an event calendar. The most memorable conversations happen when readers have time to purchase the book, read it thoughtfully, reflect on it, and arrive prepared for a genuine discussion. Likewise, authors deserve to have their work presented with care, clarity, and professionalism rather than treated as a one-time event.
The Support Spotlight was created with that philosophy in mind.
It isn't designed as a promotional campaign or advertising service. Rather, it is a structured collaboration that allows us to thoughtfully prepare every aspect of the Spotlight so both the author and our readers enjoy a well-organized, meaningful experience.
It covers the creative preparation, design, discussion framing, event coordination, and extended visibility surrounding the Spotlight. Because much of this work takes place well before the discussion itself, the contribution simply helps us prepare everything to a high standard while creating an experience that reflects the care you've already invested in your book.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT CONTRIBUTION — $51
This level includes:
Dedicated feature shared with 3,000+ highly engaged members
Author Spotlight highlighting your personal journey and the inspiration behind The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide
Guided reader engagement using your discussion guide and reflection prompts to encourage thoughtful, respectful conversations
Professionally designed promotional graphics and event announcements
Meaningful visibility within our discussion-focused international reading community
EDITORIAL SPOTLIGHT CONTRIBUTION — $120
Includes everything in the Community Spotlight, plus:
Optional interactive Q&A opportunity during the event (your participation is always entirely at your comfort level)
A newspaper-style editorial feature profiling your creative journey and the story behind the book
Enhanced placement within our community announcements
Stronger long-term author visibility within our reader network
SIGNATURE AUTHOR HONORS CONTRIBUTION — $198
Includes everything above, plus:
A cinematic-style promotional video celebrating the ideas, creativity, and impact of The Highly Sensitive Person: An Illustrated Field Guide
Official recognition acknowledging your literary contribution to our reading community
Premium visibility across our community ecosystem
Long-term presence among our engaged readership as members continue recommending and revisiting featured books
Across every Spotlight level, our intention is the same: longevity.
We want the conversation surrounding your book to continue well beyond October 15. Rather than ending when the discussion concludes, we want readers to continue recommending it, reflecting on it, and returning to its ideas over time.
We believe your book has the kind of lasting value that encourages readers not only to better understand high sensitivity but also to see themselves and others with greater compassion. Those are exactly the kinds of conversations our community loves to continue long after the event itself.
Please take your time reviewing the options with Alex. Once you've decided which Spotlight best reflects the level of engagement you'd like, just let me know, and we'll begin preparing everything for your October 15 feature.
I'm looking forward to working together and creating a memorable experience for both you and our readers.
Warmly,
Maria
Coordinator
Inner West Writers Group – Write Club
Where Things Stand Now
I never responded to "Maria's" fourth email. Alex Divine - my entirely fictional promo lead - is apparently still "reviewing everything with the team." I don't particularly want to poke the bear by declining outright; my hope is that I just quietly go dark and get filed away as a dead lead rather than added to some active follow-up list. We'll see. If anything else lands in my inbox, I'll update this post.
If This Happens to You Too
A few closing thoughts, for whoever finds this post next:
You are not gullible for getting this far. This is a well-constructed, patient scam that specifically exploits the fact that book validation is genuinely rare and genuinely thrilling. It felt so good for about 24 hours in my case.
Real book clubs do not charge authors to appear. If a "feature," "spotlight," or "promotional package" ever has a price tag attached to your own book being discussed, that's your answer - no further investigation needed.
You can test it without paying anything. Offering your own discussion materials, your own promo assets, and asking direct questions about cost is free, low-risk, and - as you can see above - very informative about who you're actually dealing with.
If you've already paid: you're very likely not getting that money back, and you're very likely not getting a real event either. Consider reporting it (Scamwatch in Australia, IC3 in the US, or your national equivalent) so the pattern gets tracked, even for small amounts.
If you're searching "Inner West Writers Group Support Spotlight," "Maria book club spotlight package," or anything from these emails and landed here - hi. You're not alone, and now you know. Save your $51 (or your $198) and spend it on something with an actual guarantee attached.
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