There are spammers in every industry, individuals who beg for your business. The self-publishing arena is no different. The first step is understanding how to recognize these people. The best tip I have for recognition is to watch out for flattery. A spammer that messages you through your Facebook author page, email, or other avenue, almost always starts by praising your work. Of course, it feels great to receive a compliment, but I’m now wary of messages from someone I don’t know who starts with flattery. Almost every time, someone who does this is a spammer. Another thing to look out for is the quality of their writing. If the spelling and punctuation are bad, that’s another sign it’s likely a spammer. If you decide to respond to the person and ask a pointed question, it’s equally likely they won’t answer. That’s another thing spammers do. They tend to avoid answering questions.

I’ve discovered over the years that it’s best not to respond to spammers at all. When I responded to one via my author email address, it only frustrated me. Afterwards, I ended up getting more spam emails than I had been getting. Now, I don’t reply. I’d suggest that’s the best way to handle these kinds of messages. For a while, I tended to block and delete spammers on Facebook, but that takes time. I eventually realized I could add an automated message. That way, any time I’m messaged, the reply is automatic. You might consider this strategy. It’ll save you from having to reply at all.

Scammers, on the other hand, have the potential to take your money without offering anything in return, although they say they will. There are lists online that alert authors to self-publishing scams. You should search for such a list if you suspect you’ve encountered a scam. I fell for a poetry challenge scam early in my self-publishing journey. In retrospect, the biggest thing that showed me it was a scam was the pressure to act. Pressure tactics typically signal that something isn’t right. Another sign that something is a scam is your gut instinct. If something feels off, it probably is. Deep down, I thought I shouldn’t have signed up for this particular challenge so quickly. If I had trusted that instinct, the situation would have been avoided. If I’d waited, that would have given me a chance to do research. Had I done research, I would have discovered that this was, indeed, a scam, and I wouldn’t have signed up. In the end, everything worked out, and I got my money back via PayPal, but it was a long process. It’s certainly good to know that PayPal or your credit card company may be able to help you get your money back if you fall for a scam. Now, you know, it’s less likely that you will fall for one.