How to Recognize a Publishing Scam and Avoid It

Unfortunately, there is an increasing number of scammers out there targeting authors with false claims and promises, and some even pretending to be someone they are not. So, how can you tell the difference between a scam and a legitimate opportunity for your book?

In this session, ALC President Keith Ogorek gives you sure-fire ways to immediately recognize a scammer by the claims and promises they make, the job titles they use, and whom they say they represent. In addition, he explains how the publishing industry and Hollywood companies actually work so you can tell if the person contacting you is offering a legitimate opportunity or just trying to scam you.

Here is the handout referenced in the session:
ALC-Publishing Scams Handout 2025.pdf



About the Presenter:

As the President of the Author Learning Center and an industry thought leader, Keith has helped drive a number of significant innovations in the self-publishing industry and is featured in the book, 'Innovation--How Innovators Think, Act and Change Our World'. He has helped launch and operate supported self-publishing imprints for traditional publishers and Fuzeframe, which identifies and options self-published books for development in Hollywood. Keith has authored five books and has written a number of helpful white papers including ‘The POEM Method of Book Marketing’, the '4 Paths to Publishing' and 'Three Phases of an Effective Book Marketing Campaign'. You will also find him speaking at leading industry events such as Singapore Writer’s Festival, The Havana Book Fair, GenreLA, and California Creative Writers Conference, just to name a few. In addition, he is a regular webinar presenter for The Author Learning Center.