Introduction
I remember primary school clearly. I vividly recall the mandatory reading lists. The endless exercises involved analyzing themes, metaphors, hidden meanings, and the author’s intent. I disliked reading intensely.
Writers, in my young mind, were bohemian figures—unhappy in love, drinking too much, scribbling by candlelight.
Then something changed.
Suddenly, anyone could write a book. No education. There was no requirement for a mastery of language.
There is no comprehension of structure, argument, or evidence. You could hire a ghostwriter—or not write at all—upload to Amazon, push a few paid mechanisms, and voilà: author. You could even become a bestseller.
The market had discovered a method for individuals seeking visibility, recognition, and validation. It was appealing—and widely adopted.
It was called self-publishing. In theory, it democratized writing. In practice, it created an unregulated space where credibility could be bought, not earned.
At times, I imagine my linguistics professor watching this unfold—quietly horrified. And I remain grateful to two men, Professor Smallman and Professor Whitford, who insisted that ideas require discipline and that authority demands reading—a lot of it.
Self-publishing itself is not the problem.
The problem is what followed: an ecosystem of entrepreneurs who realized that ego—not talent, truth, or substance—was the most profitable raw material of all.
Why Ego Is Central to Publishing Scams
Ego is not arrogance. Ego is identity. Legacy. Recognition. This desire to matter is a deeply human instinct.
Modern fraud research recognizes ego as a key accelerant in deception. The Fraud Hexagon Theory expands on earlier models by identifying ego, competence, and ideological self-justification as drivers of sophisticated fraud.
In short: successful scammers do not see themselves as criminals. They see themselves
as winners.
Publishing scams exploit this psychological terrain expertly. They do not sell books. They
sell status.
Being called “author” confers authority. Being labelled a “bestseller” suggests legitimacy. Attaching names like The New York Times transforms aspiration into perceived fact.
The victim is intelligent. Often, they are successful professionals, coaches, executives, or veterans of other industries—people accustomed to authority in one domain and unaware of how easily it can be counterfeited in another.
The Modus Operandi of the Publishing Scam
Publishing scams follow a consistent and systematic process that resembles an industrial operation.
1. Target Selection
Scammers target individuals who already possess:
- Professional success
- A public platform or ambition for one
- A desire for legacy, credibility, or reinvention
This includes coaches, consultants, speakers, and entrepreneurs—people whose identity benefits from symbolic authority.
2. Authority Seeding
Victims receive personalized messages:
- “You’ve been selected.”
- “Your expertise deserves a wider audience.”
- “We believe your story is important.”
The language mirrors academic and legacy publishing but avoids verifiable commitments.
3. Borrowed Prestige
Scammers reference:
- Bestseller lists
- Media outlets
- Awards
- “Distribution partners”
The implication is proximity, not proof. No contracts from legitimate publishers are shown—only logos and testimonials.
4. Financial Extraction
Fees are framed as:
- Marketing support
- Distribution costs
- Editorial acceleration
- Visibility packages
Payments escalate gradually, reducing psychological resistance.
5. Silencing Through Shame
Once doubts arise, victims are unlikely to report the scam. Admitting deception threatens the very ego the scam exploited.
Scale of the Problem
According to Scamwatch, Australians reported losses of approximately $174 million to scams in the first half of 2025 alone, with online and shopping-related fraud dominating reports.
Publishing scams form part of this wider digital deception economy—often overlooked because the victims are professionals, not the stereotypical vulnerable.
Investigations by The Guardian and industry analysts have also highlighted the rise of AI-assisted publishing scams, where automation allows fraudsters to scale personalized manipulation globally.
Why Smart People Fall for It
This is not stupidity. It is context collapse.
Competent people assume other industries function like their own regulated, credentialed, accountable. Publishing scams exploit this assumption. The victim’s ego does not create the vulnerability; it merely provides leverage.
Solutions: How to Protect Authority and Legacy
1. Understand Real Publishing
Legitimate publishers pay authors. They do not charge for prestige.
2. Verify, don’t assume
Bestseller claims are verifiable. Awards have public criteria. If independent confirmation is impossible, it lacks authority.
3. Separate Writing from status
A book is not a credential. Substance precedes recognition—not the other way around.
4. Slow Down
Urgency is the scammer’s ally. Real publishing moves slowly for a reason.
Final Reflection
Ego, when left unexamined, does not simply increase susceptibility to deception; it actively erodes the safeguards that normally protect professional judgment.
In the context of publishing scams, ego functions as a risk amplifier. It lowers evidentiary thresholds, reframes marketing claims as validation, and converts symbolic recognition into perceived legitimacy.
The consequences extend beyond financial loss. In professional and intellectual environments, credibility is cumulative and fragile.
Once an author’s authority is shown to rest on purchased status rather than verifiable merit, scrutiny inevitably follows. Journalists, academics, and serious readers understand how bestseller lists operate.
When claims collapse under examination, the damage is rarely confined to a single book; it contaminates the author’s broader reputation, expertise, and trustworthiness.
Prevention, therefore, is not a matter of scepticism but of discipline. Legitimate publishing is slow, selective, and often uncomfortable precisely because it subjects ideas to external evaluation.
Authority that cannot withstand scrutiny is not authority at all.
Ego is not inherently dangerous. But when it seeks shortcuts to recognition, it becomes the most reliable asset scammers can exploit—and the quickest way for credibility to unravel.