How do you recognize a publishing scam?

I've written and published 27 novels and short story collections, of which most are self-published. Without an agent, which I do not have, although I've tried, it is nearly impossible for a publisher to take an interest in your works. For the novels that I have published with publishers, it took nearly 100 inquiries for each title. So, I know and dislike the tedious process of seeking an agent and a publisher. I've given up on traditional publishers and have embraced self-publishing with distribution through Ingram Spark.

In the past few months, I have received inquiries from individuals purporting to be from well-known publishing houses, specifically in regard to one novel, Sympathy, which is published by Solstice. The emails detail the "wonderful" qualities of the novel and seek to publish them. Here is what the latest email said about the book:

"What struck me most about your work was your nuanced character dynamics, deeply observant emotional voice, and compelling narrative intrigue. It is exactly the kind of distinct voice and compelling storytelling we look for when curating our publishing list.

I am currently scouting for our upcoming seasonal catalogs, and I wanted to check on the current status of this project. Are you currently represented by a literary agent, or are you exploring traditional publishing paths independently?"

The description of my writing is glowing but very generic, perhaps written by AI. The person emailing me gave his name as that of an acquisitions editor with Dundurn Press in Canada. I checked the Dundurn website, and there is indeed an acquisitions editor there by the name he gave me, Nicholas Freer. I was right away suspicious, having heard this three times already. I looked at the email, and the domain name was aol.com, whereas Dundurn emails are with Dundurn.com. I let him know I found his proposal to be fake.

Writing is a hard and thankless task at times, and always lonely. To receive a glowing review of your work turns your head and befuddles the brain. The temptation is to just go with it, before you discover the fees that suddenly appear. So, beware of unsolicited praise of your work and grand promises, which will only lead to you losing money. It's a scam. Treat it as such.


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