Authors & Reviewers discussion

Just a quick warning for fellow authors, especially those new to publishing and promotion. If you're active in Facebook groups for writers or book marketing, be very careful — there are many scammers using fake profiles to approach you directly.

As soon as you post anything about your book, they may message you pretending to be fellow authors or book marketers. They often use names and photos of real people (sometimes even other writers) and say things like:
“I know how hard it is to get started. I want to help you promote your book.”

They can sound very supportive and convincing — but it’s fake. I haven’t fallen for it myself, but I’ve seen how professional and personal they try to be.

Please double-check who you're talking to before you share any details about your book, your login credentials, or your plans. Stick to trusted platforms and always look for real engagement, not just fancy promises.

Stay sharp and safe,
Domen Jazbec

Thanks for the warning...

Is there any problems like this in Goodreads?

I don't know? So far, I haven't had a problem with that here.

Thanks for the warning. Unfortunately, there's a lot of it about.

Hamza wrote: "Is there any problems like this in Goodreads?"

Yes! I received some very threatening email messages and reported it to the GR support team. Others have had the same. I have since removed my email address from my profile page.

Hamza wrote: "Is there any problems like this in Goodreads?"

Yes
I received threatening messages in response to my blog, saying I should take my book down from Amazon or they'd send local thugs to my home or something like that. I actually found it kind of funny, because where I live, there are no such ‘gangs’ to send. Still, I decided to delete my blog from Goodreads, since they kept replying from multiple accounts, accounts with no photos and clearly fake. I reported the issue to Goodreads, and since then, those scammers have left me alone. But I think they target new GR users like me.

M.A.R. wrote: "I received threatening messages in response to my blog, saying I should take my book down from Amazon or they'd send local thugs to my home or something like that. I actually found it kind of funny..."

You could be right. I was targeted in much the same way – they told me to remove my books, claimed to know my address, and threatened to send local gangs around to do nasty things. It all settled down after reporting it.

I was also getting a lot of messages (usually sent to the junk folder) with people offering to review my books, and I believe they were hoaxes. Always be discerning.

What do they gain from such threats? Why do they want you to take books down? I mean, it's hard to imagine it's other authors trying to stifle competition!

Jude wrote: "What do they gain from such threats? Why do they want you to take books down? I mean, it's hard to imagine it's other authors trying to stifle competition!"

I'm not really sure what they hoped to gain from it. But the threats started coming after I ignored a few messages on a Goodreads post where I was requesting book reviews.
Instead of filling out the Google form I provided, some users (who I now believe were scammers) shared their email addresses and asked me to send them the book directly. When I didn’t respond, I received threats--usually the next day or even just a few hours later. This happened to me three times.
I suspect it all links back to someone I originally emailed my book to for a review. That person sent me a so-called review of the first three chapters, which I found very suspicious, possibly AI generated. Then they followed up asking whether I liked the review. I didn’t reply. Shortly after that, I received the first threatening message in response to my blog.
Then came another email from the same person asking if I was doing okay. I ignored that one too, and then came a second threat.
At that point, I blocked their email and reported the threats on Goodreads. Since then, things have been quiet.
I also read somewhere that there are scamming sites that pirate books and resell them. One of the threats, if I remember correctly, mentioned Kindle Unlimited enrolment and warned that if Amazon found my book elsewhere, they’d ban my account. So if you connect the dots, you can get a general idea of what they might be after.
That said, I must admit, if scammers could actually get my book to more readers and help me gain visibility and recognition, I wouldn’t mind all that much. Ha ha…

Interesting. Thanks for the detailed answer!