I don’t like being a suspicious person. I wish everyone was up front and honest. Unfortunately, I have been taught time and time again that you don’t get anything for nothing and everyone has an ulterior motive.
Since publishing Quest to Valadin I have received many emails from people offering to feature my book on their platform. I’ve learned to get straight to the point and not waste anyone’s time by replying, “If you’re asking me for money, my answer is no.” Generally, this is all it takes to put a halt to the interaction. Sometimes I get follow up responses offering for them to draft something and see if maybe I’d change my mind, but I always say no.
Monday, I received another email that felt full of red flags.
I sent my usual reply, saying I was unsure of what it was she wanted from me and that I was not interested in paying to be featured in her book club. Her response still gave me an uneasy feeling but sounded promising.
I thought “why not?” and let her know I’d get the requested items to her as soon as I could. I asked when she needed it by and how she had come across my book.
Given that I received this on December 1st, I spent time putting together the pieces she asked for instead of writing book two. I was excited that someone would want to use my book for their book club. I’d looked at the Meetup page for her group, and it looked completely legit. It made me start thinking of making a discussion guide and reaching out to other book clubs. Everything she said about my book sounded as if she had already read it (or at least some of it) and found it to be a good fit for the readers she engages with.
After receiving the requested bio, photo, and message to readers, the switch came.
I was shocked and disappointed. Here I’d been up front in saying that I did not want to pay for this and she was coming back with an oddly high “reservation fee” after she had assured me previously that authors never pay to be featured. This did not at all feel “transparent.” There was that bit about optional, so I sent another email.
She responded to some of my questions but not all.
Still calling it a reservation fee and not answering if she had read the book, only feeding me more compliments that could have been written by AI. Honestly, I had been getting AI vibes the whole time, but gave her the benefit of the doubt, considering the group actually existed and had recent activity. I asked if they would still be featuring my book.
Even though I said I appreciated that she was willing to feature my book without the fee and even asked if she would still be featuring without the fee, I must have been too vague. I gave it one more try.
I’ve heard nothing since sending that email. I’m truly wondering if this person is even associated with the book club or if someone is pretending to be the organizer. I’m tempted to try to get ahold of the authors of the group’s previous books to see if they had heard from this woman.
I’m so frustrated. I wasted so much time on this scam, thinking I’d found a legit audience. I thought I was being too suspicious and that she legitimately liked my book. And now it feels completely fake.
However, I’m trying to hold onto one thing. The idea of reaching out to book clubs has intrigued me. I’m not entirely sure how to go about that, but I’m going to figure it out. Because she’s right about one thing. I agree that it can spark meaningful discussion and inspiration in readers. I just need to figure out how to get that discussion started.
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