Scam "literary agency" Envision Literary Agency is impersonating Penguin Random House with fake publishing offers, via the email below, using the fake email address [email protected] 🧵1/8
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This is a common scam M.O. First, out of the blue, comes the offer from a Big 5 publisher supposedly thanks to a "preliminary endorsement" by a literary agent (note the large amount of money promised). All of this is a surprise to the thrilled recipient, who had no idea they were repped 2/8
But wait--before things can proceed, something else needs to happen: a Separation of Book Rights Order must be processed, so that (mumble mumble) ownership and rights because (mumble mumble) and it's super important (mumble mumble). 3/8
The author, who has never heard of this Order thing, is directed to contact the literary agent they didn't know they had so this SUPER IMPORTANT detail can be settled. Oh, and not to worry: "Any expenses you incur...will be reimbursed once the contract is signed." 4/8
See what the scammer did there? Disclosed, sort of, that there's a fee--but offset it with a carrot in the form of a reimbursement promise. Of course, the reimbursement is as fictional as the advance amount and the publishing offer itself, but scam solicitations are all about incentives 5/8
Why would fake agent Pamela go to the trouble of impersonating PRH, though? Why wouldn't she contact the author as herself? Again, incentives. A Big 5 offer! A 6-figure advance! With that bird in hand, the author is more likely to respond--&, crucially, is softened up for the $$ ask 6/8
The $$ ask: the Separation of Book Rights Order. This is another name for the extremely common scam of book licensing (or re-licensing)--a 100% made-up requirement that scammers have invented in order to extract money from writers 7/8 https://writerbeware.blog/2024/04/05/the-scam-of-book-licensing/
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