Heads up, Dreamspinner Press Is back to soliciting submissions at Dreamspinner Publications despite a long history (here’s a post from 2019) of screwing over authors. I know one such author. I also used to proofread/copyedit for DSP and their rates were…… low.
writerbeware.blog/2019/09/13/a...
writerbeware.blog/2019/09/13/a...
Authors' Concern Grows Over Late Royalty Payments at Dreamspinner Press - Writer Beware
Scroll down for updates On Wednesday, September 11, Publishers Lunch published an article by Erin Somers about payment issues at Dreamspinner Press, which I’m reprinting here with permission. Dreamspi...
writerbeware.blog
November 24, 2024 at 2:27 PM
Hello, BlueSky! #WriterBeware is here!
August 3, 2023 at 3:17 PM
Hello, BlueSky! #WriterBeware is here!
Aurealis Magazine rejected my story immediately because I chose not to give them my full address - something which every other publication worth its salt decided *years ago* was unnecessary and a potential privacy issue.
What a joke.
What a joke.
August 15, 2024 at 10:00 AM
If you've gotten email from "Victoria Strauss" at writerbeware@usa.com, offering some kind of service for $$$, IT IS FAKE. Writer Beware's real email is beware@sfwa.org and we don't sell services or take money (not even donations).
Yes, folks, I'm being impersonated again. More info coming
Yes, folks, I'm being impersonated again. More info coming
November 5, 2024 at 12:07 AM
If you've gotten email from "Victoria Strauss" at writerbeware@usa.com, offering some kind of service for $$$, IT IS FAKE. Writer Beware's real email is beware@sfwa.org and we don't sell services or take money (not even donations).
Yes, folks, I'm being impersonated again. More info coming
Yes, folks, I'm being impersonated again. More info coming
Yet. Another. Fake. Literary. Agency: Writers Literary. Among other things, totally false claims about authors and books repped, and images of supposed staff are stock photos. They're sending out fake publishing offers to writers writersliterary.com
Writers Literary
writersliterary.com
July 24, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Ok, he hasn't responded since January and I always have to follow up with him. People I respect say I should name him so...
I hate doing it, but I gave him a chance, and I'm not coloring full books much anymore anyway because of my schedule.
It's Chuck Satterlee.
I hate doing it, but I gave him a chance, and I'm not coloring full books much anymore anyway because of my schedule.
It's Chuck Satterlee.
I still haven't been paid in full for a job I did March of last year (351 days ago) that was only $1,760.
I'm constantly ghosted communication wise. I always have to contact them. Every "payment plan" they came up with failed.
They've had multiple books and Kickstarter projects since then.
I'm constantly ghosted communication wise. I always have to contact them. Every "payment plan" they came up with failed.
They've had multiple books and Kickstarter projects since then.
February 24, 2025 at 8:06 PM
#WriterBeware: Another fake agency doing the solicitation thing: Collins Literary Guild. Web domain just 54 days old, multiple ludicrously false claims of repped books, and a roster of AI "literary agents" w/ bios cribbed from Sanford Greenburger Associates collinslitguild.com
Collins Literary Guild
The Collins Literary Guild functions as a specialized firm, providing a comprehensive array of representation services to authors who are at various stages of their publishing journey.
collinslitguild.com
November 22, 2023 at 4:12 PM
Reintroducing myself for new followers & Bsky newbies: I'm a #fantasy and #YA novelist & co-founder (w/ the late Ann Crispin) of SFWA's Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group. Mostly post about #WriterBeware stuff, incl. new scam alerts, but now & then a cat or garden pic will pop up
November 9, 2024 at 11:26 PM
Reintroducing myself for new followers & Bsky newbies: I'm a #fantasy and #YA novelist & co-founder (w/ the late Ann Crispin) of SFWA's Writer Beware, a publishing industry watchdog group. Mostly post about #WriterBeware stuff, incl. new scam alerts, but now & then a cat or garden pic will pop up
Never pay to be published. Check out #writerbeware who have a lot of info on perils to avoid and vanity publishers who scam newbie authors.
Vanity Publishing and Pay to Play Archives - Writer Beware
writerbeware.blog
July 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Never pay to be published. Check out #writerbeware who have a lot of info on perils to avoid and vanity publishers who scam newbie authors.
#WriterBeware: Another fake agency doing the solicitation thing: Collins Literary Guild. Web domain just 54 days old, multiple ludicrously false claims of repped books, and a roster of AI "literary agents" w/ bios cribbed from Sanford Greenburger Associates collinslitguild.com
Collins Literary Guild
The Collins Literary Guild functions as a specialized firm, providing a comprehensive array of representation services to authors who are at various stages of their publishing journey.
collinslitguild.com
October 15, 2023 at 5:36 AM
New #WriterBeware blog post: If you're a writer, you've probably gotten one (or more) of those AI-generated scam marketing emails or book club invites that make it seem like the sender really read your book.
Here's a little peek at how it's done.
writerbeware.blog/2026/09/25/h...
Here's a little peek at how it's done.
writerbeware.blog/2026/09/25/h...
How Those Personalized Generative AI Scam Emails Are Built - Writer Beware
One of the things I often hear from writers whose inboxes are crammed with incredibly personalized marketing or book club or editor impersonation emails–you know, the ones that make it seem the sender...
writerbeware.blog
September 25, 2026 at 5:34 PM
New #WriterBeware blog post: If you're a writer, you've probably gotten one (or more) of those AI-generated scam marketing emails or book club invites that make it seem like the sender really read your book.
Here's a little peek at how it's done.
writerbeware.blog/2026/09/25/h...
Here's a little peek at how it's done.
writerbeware.blog/2026/09/25/h...
Just fyi. #WritingCommunity
IndieBookSpotlight dot com is NOT linked to @bookspotlight.bsky.social
writerbeware.blog/2025/02/21/w...
I’ve also warned about this guy on X. He has another site, KindleStack. And I’ve reported him here.
Check WriterBeware and ALLi before using any promo services.
IndieBookSpotlight dot com is NOT linked to @bookspotlight.bsky.social
writerbeware.blog/2025/02/21/w...
I’ve also warned about this guy on X. He has another site, KindleStack. And I’ve reported him here.
Check WriterBeware and ALLi before using any promo services.
March 24, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Just fyi. #WritingCommunity
IndieBookSpotlight dot com is NOT linked to @bookspotlight.bsky.social
writerbeware.blog/2025/02/21/w...
I’ve also warned about this guy on X. He has another site, KindleStack. And I’ve reported him here.
Check WriterBeware and ALLi before using any promo services.
IndieBookSpotlight dot com is NOT linked to @bookspotlight.bsky.social
writerbeware.blog/2025/02/21/w...
I’ve also warned about this guy on X. He has another site, KindleStack. And I’ve reported him here.
Check WriterBeware and ALLi before using any promo services.
Warning to the #WritingCommunity
There's a new and quite convincing SCAM going around. Watch out for an email offering to include your book in some fancy BOOK CLUB.
I've now seen these from the "Toronto Public Library" and the "Paris Anglophone Book Club."
Block and ignore! And please share 💙
There's a new and quite convincing SCAM going around. Watch out for an email offering to include your book in some fancy BOOK CLUB.
I've now seen these from the "Toronto Public Library" and the "Paris Anglophone Book Club."
Block and ignore! And please share 💙
a fraud alert sign with a red light on it
Alt: a fraud alert sign with a red light on it
media.tenor.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Scammers use A.I. now to poke at writers' every hope and fear. Keep hope alive, but don't let them scam you. Follow #WriterBeware, learn about scams, and stay skeptical.
New #WriterBeware blog post: two new entries in the unending cavalcade of AI-driven scams from Nigeria writerbeware.blog/2026/05/08/b...
Book Festival Scams, Interview Fakes: Two New AI-Driven Impersonation Scams to Avoid - Writer Beware
Have you recently received an email invitation to be a featured guest at a book festival or conference event? Or to be interviewed on a radio show or podcast? Literary agents, publishers, and major pr...
writerbeware.blog
May 8, 2026 at 7:55 PM
Scammers use A.I. now to poke at writers' every hope and fear. Keep hope alive, but don't let them scam you. Follow #WriterBeware, learn about scams, and stay skeptical.
Head's up indie authors wanting to participate in the Anthropic class action.
WriterBeware has noted the ads this post warns about, and has some goods links and information on Anthropic: writerbeware.blog/2025/10/31/t...
WriterBeware has noted the ads this post warns about, and has some goods links and information on Anthropic: writerbeware.blog/2025/10/31/t...
November 11, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Head's up indie authors wanting to participate in the Anthropic class action.
WriterBeware has noted the ads this post warns about, and has some goods links and information on Anthropic: writerbeware.blog/2025/10/31/t...
WriterBeware has noted the ads this post warns about, and has some goods links and information on Anthropic: writerbeware.blog/2025/10/31/t...
New #WriterBeware blog post: Did your contract require your publisher to register your copyright? Don't assume they did. writerbeware.blog/2025/08/29/i...
If Your Publisher Promised to Register Your Copyright, Check Your Registration Now - Writer Beware
A couple of years ago, while searching the US Copyright Office’s public copyright registration database on behalf of an author wanting to know if their copyright had been registered as required by the...
writerbeware.blog
August 29, 2025 at 5:54 PM
New #WriterBeware blog post: Did your contract require your publisher to register your copyright? Don't assume they did. writerbeware.blog/2025/08/29/i...
Writers Beware alert ‘If you've got email from "Victoria Strauss" at writerbeware@usa.com, offering some kind of service for $$$, IT IS FAKE. Writer Beware's real (and only) email is beware@sfwa.org and we don't sell services or take money (not even donations). #BlueSky #BookSky #WritingCommunity
November 6, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Writers Beware alert ‘If you've got email from "Victoria Strauss" at writerbeware@usa.com, offering some kind of service for $$$, IT IS FAKE. Writer Beware's real (and only) email is beware@sfwa.org and we don't sell services or take money (not even donations). #BlueSky #BookSky #WritingCommunity
New #WriterBeware blog post: per a report by @publisherslunch.bsky.social, Amazon's new gen AI-powered "Ask This Book" feature for Kindle is, in effect, an "in-book chatbot" writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
Kindle's New Gen AI-Powered "Ask This Book" Feature Raises Rights Concerns - Writer Beware
In a recent press release, Amazon noted that some new features were coming to Kindle. We’re adding new AI-powered reading features that preserve the magic of reading on Kindle. Story So Far lets you c...
writerbeware.blog
December 12, 2025 at 8:17 PM
New #WriterBeware blog post: per a report by @publisherslunch.bsky.social, Amazon's new gen AI-powered "Ask This Book" feature for Kindle is, in effect, an "in-book chatbot" writerbeware.blog/2025/12/12/k...
Scam alert: there's an IngramSpark impersonator at ingramsparkbookpublishers dot com. Part of a wave of publishing/ghostwriting scams from Pakistan that hijack authors looking to self-publish--they often "borrow" well-known publisher names but this one also "borrows" the real IngramSpark's logo
October 8, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Scam alert: The Greendot Films, a fake film scouting outfit that has appropriated the name of a defunct company, is aggressively soliciting self-pubbed authors w/ fraudulent "representation" offers. Watch for an upcoming expose on #WriterBeware #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthors
August 21, 2023 at 4:07 PM
Scam alert: The Greendot Films, a fake film scouting outfit that has appropriated the name of a defunct company, is aggressively soliciting self-pubbed authors w/ fraudulent "representation" offers. Watch for an upcoming expose on #WriterBeware #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthors
New #WriterBeware blog post: SFWA's response to US Copyright Office's request for public comment on copyright and artificial intelligence details some of the harms of generative AI & suggests ways to mitigate them. Relevant to all writers, not just spec fic writerbeware.blog/2023/11/10/a...
November 10, 2023 at 6:22 PM
New #WriterBeware blog post: SFWA's response to US Copyright Office's request for public comment on copyright and artificial intelligence details some of the harms of generative AI & suggests ways to mitigate them. Relevant to all writers, not just spec fic writerbeware.blog/2023/11/10/a...
Uncovering author scammers. #WritingCommunity #WriterBeware
Here it is! Read all about these scammers. This was fun. I will do more of this when I have the time.
gabinoiglesias.substack.com/p/exposing-p...
gabinoiglesias.substack.com/p/exposing-p...
Exposing predators #1: New York Book Publishers
The first in a series because I hate scammers
gabinoiglesias.substack.com
September 10, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Uncovering author scammers. #WritingCommunity #WriterBeware
#WriterBeware: Another fake agency doing the solicitation thing: Collins Literary Guild. Web domain just 54 days old, multiple ludicrously false claims of repped books, and a roster of AI "literary agents" w/ bios cribbed from Sanford Greenburger Associates collinslitguild.com
Collins Literary Guild
The Collins Literary Guild functions as a specialized firm, providing a comprehensive array of representation services to authors who are at various stages of their publishing journey.
collinslitguild.com
October 15, 2023 at 12:11 AM
#WriterBeware: Another fake agency doing the solicitation thing: Collins Literary Guild. Web domain just 54 days old, multiple ludicrously false claims of repped books, and a roster of AI "literary agents" w/ bios cribbed from Sanford Greenburger Associates collinslitguild.com
Check Writer Beware for any discussion about bad contracts. Pay attention. This is due diligence. There ARE bad markets out there. Always check. If a contract sounds off, run it by other good readers with legal background. Don't be desperate.
#writingcommunity #booksky #writerbeware #markets
#writingcommunity #booksky #writerbeware #markets
March 27, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Check Writer Beware for any discussion about bad contracts. Pay attention. This is due diligence. There ARE bad markets out there. Always check. If a contract sounds off, run it by other good readers with legal background. Don't be desperate.
#writingcommunity #booksky #writerbeware #markets
#writingcommunity #booksky #writerbeware #markets
New #WriterBeware blog post: why writers should consider reverting their rights if they can, especially in context of the Anthropic settlement and other AI copyright lawsuits writerbeware.blog/2026/01/09/r...
Reversion Redux - Writer Beware
In the aftermath of the recent Anthropic Settlement (more information here), many writers are making a reassessment of the necessity and value of copyright registration. Claiming a share of pay-out fr...
writerbeware.blog
January 9, 2026 at 6:21 PM
New #WriterBeware blog post: why writers should consider reverting their rights if they can, especially in context of the Anthropic settlement and other AI copyright lawsuits writerbeware.blog/2026/01/09/r...