Not long ago, one of our authors got in touch with a question that stopped me cold. Someone claiming to be from Inkfox had reached out to them directly, made promises we would never make, and asked for money in a way we never would. The author trusted their gut, paused, and picked up the phone to check with us.
They were right to. It wasn’t us.
I wish I could say that was a one-time thing. It isn’t. Book publicity scams have quietly become one of the ugliest problems in the industry, and they are getting harder to spot. Scammers borrow real company names. They lift real employees’ names off LinkedIn. They also build email addresses and websites that look almost identical to the real thing. Then they go looking for writers who are hopeful, proud of the work they have poured years into, and eager to get that work in front of readers. That hope is exactly what they exploit.
What this actually costs
When someone runs a book publicity scam, the author is the one who gets hurt first. They lose money, sometimes a lot of it. Additionally, they lose momentum on a launch that only comes around once. And they lose something harder to rebuild, which is their trust in an industry that is supposed to be in their corner.
It costs us too. Every author burned by a fake Inkfox is an author who has a reason to be wary of the real one. That is the part that keeps me up at night, and it is why I would rather over-communicate about this than pretend it isn’t happening.
Book publicity scams: what to watch for
Most of these scams share the same fingerprints. If you see any of these, slow down:
- Guarantees. No honest publicist can promise you a bestseller, a specific number of media placements, or a spot on a particular show or list. Anyone who does is selling you a fantasy.
- Pressure. Real partnerships start with a conversation, not a countdown clock. “Limited spots” and “this offer expires tonight” are pressure tactics, not publicity strategy.
- Odd payment requests. We invoice. We do not ask for gift cards, wire transfers, crypto, or payments to a personal account. If someone does, that is your answer.
- Almost-right details. Look closely at the email address and the web address. Scammers use lookalike domains and free email accounts that are a letter or two off from the real one.
How to know you are really talking to Inkfox
- Check the address. Our emails come from our official inkfoxpublicity.com domain. Nothing else is us.
- Expect a conversation, not a countdown. We start with a real discussion about your book and your goals. We are not going to rush you into a contract or a payment.
- Verify through the front door. If a message ever feels off, do not reply to it to check. Go straight to inkfoxpublicity.com and reach us through the site. We will always confirm whether someone actually works with us.
- When in doubt, ask. You will never annoy us by double-checking. I would much rather answer that question ten times than have one author get taken.
We are proud of the work we do and the authors we do it with. Protecting that means being honest about the people trying to hijack it. If you ever hear from “Inkfox” and something doesn’t sit right, trust that instinct, and come find the real us. If you ever want a second opinion, the SFWA’s Writer Beware and the FTC both track these scams and are worth a look.
Warmly,
Anne
A strong writer with a master’s degree in journalism from NYU, she leads LAVIDGE's author and book publicity division, manages a staff of publicity professionals, and serves clients and authors across the industry.