Hi all–I’m juggling all kinds of things so this will be brief (ha! I lied…)
But.
Let’s talk social media and even email for a bit. And I’m speaking mainly to authors here.
Along your journey, once it becomes known you write and publish, you’re going to get approached by all kinds of people wanting to “help” you along the way. You’re going to get hit up by people wanting to improve your SEO, help you edit, create covers, book trailers, run ads, tweak your website (I bet I get 3 emails a day–in my Spam folder now, telling me they found errors and would be happy to help), you name it.
There may well be legitimate people out there offering help.
But.
You need to learn how to differentiate. And it’s hard. And getting more and more difficult because the scams get more complex. So, what’s an author to do?
Thanks for asking 😉
Basically, you have to test your critical thinking and be suspicious. Sorry, but it’s survival. Lots of people want to part you from your money in all kinds of ways, some actually giving you something for your dollars and others, not at all.
So, for the next few blogs we’re going to talk about ways to protect yourself from the scams and even people who just aren’t really as good at doing what they’re telling you they’re going to do.
First rule of thumb. If it sounds too good to be true–it is. I know you’ve heard this, read this and are told it over and over, but authors fall for it. Still fall for it. It’s easy to get swept up in it–you WANT to get to that next tier and if someone or a group starts telling you all they can do for you, for a great price, chances are, they can’t deliver. Or worse, they are scamming you.
You need some tools in your arsenal.
- Subscribe to Writer Beware:
They’re up on the latest scams, swindles and side hustles. They send out newsletters, AND the best part? You can contact them directly and they’ll get back to you and let you know what the odds are you should stay away from someone.
2) Accountability.
If someone wants to work for you, hold them accountable. Any editor, cover artist, marketer and advertiser should have a legitimate site or place of business where you can hold them accountable should you not get what you paid for. IF they have nothing to hide, they want to be as transparent and forthright as they can be BECAUSE they want to grow their business too.
If all they have is an email account, then do not do business with them. I can create an email account in five minutes and use it however I want. So can scammers. IF they don’t have a website, forget them. AND, if they have a website that doesn’t represent them well (I ran across one that just had numbers and letters–a sure sign they made it on the fly and it was not legit because they were not concerned about picking a brand name they could share and slowly build a reputation with).
They should also have some sort of contract that both parties agree to when you sign on. The days of a handshake deal are dead. Unless you’ve known that person for ten plus years and know their personality, you don’t do deals based on someone’s word. It’s how you get scammed.
You should also ask for their portfolio: who they’ve worked with–AND names. That way you can go find the people they’ve worked with and confirm they actually worked with those people. AND–you do not let them give you emails to contact–those could be fraudulent too. If the person claims they worked with another author, then you go contact them independently and confirm it on your own.
I’ve done it and I’ve caught more than one scammer because they didn’t actually think I’d cross check them. It takes some digging and time but it’s worth it. IF a person wants to work with you, then they should be able to give you a legitimate resume and if they can’t or if it’s all obscure, walk away.
I know. You’re reading this thinking, holy hell this guy is paranoid to the Nth degree. And the answer is yes. I’ve been on Twitter and Facebook for over three years now and there are tons of people and groups out there just looking for the right angle to get you to send them money. They’ll tell you whatever they think will improve their odds and they will be vague on the details.
Being distrusting in this social media age will save you money, frustration and time.
Next blog we’re going to look at red flags. There are plenty.
Craig