This morning, I received a telephone call from a woman who introduced herself as Alexa Paige from the Spotlight TV Network, asking if I would be interested in appearing in a television interview about my novel, Hindsight. She was enthusiastic, extremely flattering and appeared to be remarkably well informed about both me and the book. It all sounded very exciting until she asked whether I had ever done a television interview before.
That was the moment I knew something wasn’t right. How could she know so much about me but not know that.
I explained that I had, in fact, done quite a lot of television, including 20-30 live interviews and eight documentaries about me, as well as countless radio interviews and more podcasts than I can now remember. While continuing to chat pleasantly, however, I began searching online for ‘The Spotlight Network’ alongside the word ‘scam’.
Sure enough, up popped warnings from other authors who had received almost identical approaches. One author said he had received three or four emails, all slightly different and supposedly from different people, as well as a telephone call. His comment summed it up perfectly: ‘publishing simply doesn’t work like this’.
Rather than ending the call immediately, I decided to keep the woman talking because, by then, I was curious. I had spotted the bait but had not yet found the hook, and there is nothing quite like telling an author part of a story and expecting her not to hang around for the ending.
She told me that the proposed interviewer, Logan Crawford, had kindly waived his fee. I explained that this had absolutely nothing to do with me because I would not be involved in anything financial. An interviewee does not pay the presenter’s fee, just as a guest on The Graham Norton Show would not be expected to have a whip-round for Graham before taking a seat on the sofa. In fact, depending on the circumstances, I am sometimes paid to contribute to television programmes, but I have certainly never been asked to pay the interviewer.
This did not appear to trouble her unduly, so I told her that I had found the company’s name associated with warnings about scams, although I had not yet worked out exactly where the money came into it. She then asked what would make me feel comfortable about working with them.
My answer was very simple: ‘State categorically that I will not be asked to pay any money to take part in this interview.’
‘Of course not,’ she replied.
Wonderful, I thought. We have established that.
Then she returned to the fact that Logan Crawford had waived his fee, which was still no more relevant to me than whether he had waived his gym membership, before adding, ‘The only expenses are the airing fee for TV channel ...’
And there it was.
I didn’t even let her finish the sentence. I explained that no legitimate editorial television programme invites somebody to be interviewed and then charges that person for broadcasting it. If the subject of the interview is paying for the airtime, it is not an independent media feature - it is paid promotion or advertising.
There is nothing inherently wrong with advertising, provided it is presented honestly. Authors can pay for advertising, promotional videos, sponsored articles, interviews and publicity packages if they wish, although they should always investigate the likely audience and return before spending anything. What is not acceptable is approaching an author as though they have been specially selected for a prestigious television opportunity, lavishing them with praise and only later revealing that this exciting ‘invitation’ comes with a price tag.
I told the caller exactly what I thought. I calmly said, ‘This is a scam. You have tried your best, and I feel sorry for you that you have to do a job like this. I do hope things improve in your life enough that you can do work you can be proud of.’
Then I hung up before she could say another word.
It was possibly not the ending she had scripted, but I was rather pleased with it.
What made this approach slightly more convincing was that the caller had also emailed me from a legitimate looking address: alexa.paige[at]primesevenmedia.com
At first glance, that looks professional. The email came from a domain belonging to the company she claimed to represent, rather than from an obviously unrelated Gmail or Hotmail account. It is a useful reminder that checking the email address is important, but it should never be your only check. A professional-looking website, domain name, logo or email signature does not prove that an offer is genuine, independent or worthwhile. It may simply mean that somebody has invested a little more effort in creating the sales funnel.
By contrast, I have received two other suspicious approaches this week purporting to come from literary festivals I know well and at which I have appeared in the past. One claimed to be from Berwick Literary Festival:
Jennifer Healds - info.jennifer.berwickliterary[at]gmail.com
The other used the name of the genuine Chief Executive of Wigtown Book Festival:
Isla Rosser-Owen, Chief Executive Officer at Wigtown Book Festival - wigtownbookfestival.info[at]gmail.com
In these cases, the Gmail addresses were glaring red flags. Genuine organisations normally contact authors from their own official domains. Berwick Literary Festival’s published contact address ends in @berwickliteraryfestival.com, while Wigtown’s ends in @wigtownbookfestival.com. That does not mean every Gmail message is automatically fraudulent, particularly with small or volunteer-run events, but if somebody claims to represent an established organisation and their address does not match its official website, stop and verify it independently. Berwick Literary Festival’s official contact page and Wigtown Book Festival’s official website show their genuine contact domains.
That is another important lesson: scammers may use the real names and job titles of genuine people. They may know that you have appeared at the event before, making the approach seem entirely plausible. The person whose name is being used may be every bit as much a victim of the deception as the author being contacted.
The growth of self-publishing has created wonderful opportunities, allowing authors to bring their books into the world without waiting for permission from a traditional publisher. Unfortunately, it has also created an enormous pool of people whose names, book titles, biographies, email addresses and telephone numbers can often be found online.
Unscrupulous operators know that most authors want greater visibility for their books and that an invitation to appear on television or at a respected literary festival is tremendously flattering. They do not necessarily rely on authors being gullible. They rely on the approach arriving at the right moment, sounding plausible and appealing to a perfectly natural hope that all the hard work might finally be attracting attention.
They may tell you that your book has caught the eye of a producer, that you have been specially selected for an interview, that a broadcaster is excited by your story or that an interviewer has generously waived their fee. Alternatively, they may impersonate a real festival director, literary agent, producer or publisher and use information gathered online to make the approach sound personal.
Being taken in, even briefly, does not make anyone stupid. These approaches are carefully designed to be convincing, and the people behind them are often extremely persistent. Authors are imaginative, hopeful people who believe in possibilities. That is one of our greatest strengths, but it is also something that others may try to exploit.
If somebody contacts you unexpectedly with an exciting opportunity, enjoy the compliment, but pause before agreeing to anything. Ask whether you will be expected to pay at any stage and for any reason. Do not be distracted by terms such as ‘broadcasting fee’, ‘airtime expense’, ‘production contribution’, ‘distribution cost’ or ‘channel charge’. Putting a fancy coat on a bill does not stop it being a bill.
Search the company or organisation independently rather than relying on links provided in the email. Compare the sender’s address with the contact details on the official website. If they have used the name of a real person, contact that person separately through LinkedIn, the organisation’s switchboard or a verified email address. Do not reply to the suspicious message asking whether it is genuine, because you will only be asking the possible scammer to confirm that the possible scammer is not a scammer. Surprisingly, they seldom come clean at that point.
Most importantly, if you are unsure, please ask us at The Book Whisperers. One of the advantages of being part of our membership is having access to experienced support. When an opportunity lands in your inbox and you cannot decide whether to celebrate, investigate or press the delete button, we can help you examine the approach, check the organisation and work out whether it is genuine before you reply, sign anything or part with money.
A real opportunity will withstand sensible questions and independent verification. Anyone who tries to rush you, discourage you from checking or avoid giving a clear answer about money has already given you the answer you need.
So, enjoy genuine praise, celebrate real invitations and remain open to exciting possibilities. Just remember that if a wonderful television opportunity ends with you reaching for your bank card, the person being placed in the spotlight may not be you - it may be your wallet.
Mary Turner Thomson is an international best-selling author, writing coach and publishing consultant. She specialises in helping people tell their stories, and is passionate about not victim shaming – including not victim shaming ourselves. She’s also the author of two true crime memoirs and a novel about resilience.