I haven't been publishing for very long—my book came out in May—and I still don't really class myself as an Author. Storyteller, yes. Self-published writer, check. But Author? I look at people who do it full-time as Authors. In the sports world, you have professionals, semi-pros, and amateurs. Where am I? I'm making money on every sale, but I’ve definitely spent more than I’ve made. You decide!
But let's get back to the question: What is the worst thing about being an Author?
For many indie authors who do everything themselves, the answer is marketing. For me, when I have the time, I actually enjoy the marketing process. What I truly hate is social media spam and scams.
🎣 The Constant Drip of Spam
It appears that unless you are prepared to spend money, social media is broken. I'm lucky to get 30 views on a post, and my content rarely gets shown to the people who need to see it. But I carry on, hoping one new follower might lead to one more sale.
The main thing that irritates me, and many authors, is the constant stream of spam. The direct messages and comments claiming to be book promoters, proof-readers, book trailer makers, or anything they think you need. They always use the same spiel:
“Your book cover is truly captivating, it immediately draws attention and reflects a strong sense of professionalism and creativity.”
They'll like a few posts to look legit, but then the constant messages start: "How are you?" "I love connecting with authors." They always start the message with awkward formalities like "Hello D.C." or "Hi Salmon." And when you don't answer, they just type "Hello?" or "Are you there?"
🎭 The Scammers Evolve: Impersonation and Implying Success
When I first started, I received a lot of messages like this. It quickly escalated into:
- Impersonation: People would create fake profiles of successful authors, often changing just one letter or adding a number to the name. Their social media photo might not even match the picture on the Amazon page they link to.
- The Pitch: The goal is always to eventually scam money out of you. They might claim: "I sell lots of books because of my literacy agent—here is her link." You approach the 'agent,' and they charge you for services that never materialize or don't actually help.
The scamming has since spread to email. I used to get emails promising to connect me with "thousands of followers who want to discover books like yours." When you check their profile, they have thousands of followers but only single digit likes on their most recent post—a huge red flag.
☕ The Book Club Hustle: My Latest Experience
Lately, it's been people claiming to be part of book clubs. The first one looked legit. I must say, I searched their website, their Meetup page, and the pictures matched. So, I responded. Sometimes, you have to investigate and see if a message is real before dismissing it.
I sent them my book details, and they replied with this golden line:
"Thank you so much, although we do not charge our Authors a fee for the promotion, a contribution is always welcome as it pays for things like coffee and biscuits and the hire of the room."
This is when the red flags started. I looked up the club again: the lady who emailed me was using a Gmail account, not the email associated with the official website. The date she mentioned for the book club event wasn't even in the club's official diary.
A few days later, I received the follow-up email, which confirmed everything:
"Hi Daniel, I just wanted to follow up regarding your contribution to the FreshFiction Book Club feature... If you've already made your contribution, could you please send a quick screenshot or confirmation of the payment for our records? If not, you can still complete it securely via PayPal at fchukwuemeka@mcneese.edu."
An official book club asking for payment via a personal, unassociated PayPal email? No, thank you.
✅ My Due Diligence Saved Me
I sent a professional email back to them, using the official website email address to confirm the person's legitimacy:
"Thank you for your email... For my own records and security, I am in the process of verifying this request. The email address on the official [Club Name] website is different from the one you're using, so I have reached out to that address to confirm the details. Once I receive confirmation through that official channel, I will be happy to proceed."
I received a polite reply saying they understood my caution, and they haven't contacted me since.
Conclusion: Investigate, Don't Donate
The key takeaway is this: investigate, don't ignore every message, but look deeper before handing over any money. If you think it's a con, it more than likely is a con. I've had three similar attempts since then, including one where the scammer forgot where the book club was located, jumping from Berlin to Oakland!
Let the games begin.
🚨 The Scammers' Audacity: Impersonating Sebastian Barry
After typing this whole post, I received yet another email that proves my point. I'm going to refer to the people who do this as 'Them' or 'They.' This past Saturday, I received an email that began:
"Hey 👋 I came across your email on Facebook and noticed that you're an author as well—always a pleasure to connect with fellow writers. My name is Sebastian Barry, a multi-award-winning Irish novelist and playwright..."
The email then went into a beautiful, detailed description of his acclaimed historical fiction work. It sounds convincing, right?
But here's the reality: Sebastian Barry is a renowned, 70-year-old Irish literary figure. Any contact with authors like me would almost certainly be handled by his literary agency, not from a personal email sent after 'finding me on Facebook.' A quick check confirmed the email I received was yet another different address than the one listed publicly for Mr. Barry.
As I’ve said before: trust your gut, people. If a famous, award-winning author wants to connect with you, the communication will likely come through a professional channel. This attempt, brazenly using a famous name in historical fiction to build trust, is exactly why we, as indie authors, must always investigate and never immediately hand over money or details.
That final example brings your post to a powerful conclusion, reinforcing your message about vigilance.
📚 What Am I Reading? (In Too Deep)
After thoroughly enjoying the fast pace of Rogue Force last week, I immediately jumped into Book 2, Rogue Command, by Jack Mars.
I am about 25% through and, like the first book, it’s exactly my kind of read: fast, action-packed, and full of intrigue. There are no fluffy edges here—you know exactly what you are dealing with. It follows the kind of action hero trained to kill and little else, and the story just keeps charging forward. So far, so good!
What would you like me to do next for your author brand and blog? Perhaps an SEO check of your previous blog post about short chapters?
About Me:
Hello and welcome to Swmming Upstream the home of my blogs. I am D.C. Salmon and I write pulse-pounding adventure thrillers that blend real-life unsolved mysteries with modern-day action.
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