I’m putting out an unscheduled post this week to send writers a warning—and to share a bit of a laugh. Lately many writers have been getting invitations from scammers to speak to non-existent book clubs, asking them to pay upfront fees ranging from $55 to $350 U.S., when real book clubs don’t charge.
Here’s an email I got last week that ups the ante. The only thing I’ve changed is the typeface to make it easier to read.
Drink the Sky is under active consideration by the Read with Jenna Book Club.
On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 2:07 AM Abigail Russ <abigailruss.jenna@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Lesley,
We’re delighted to let you know that Drink the Sky has been shortlisted for an upcoming community feature with the Read with Jenna Book Club. Your novel caught Jenna Bush Hager’s attention for its vivid exploration of ambition, identity, and the quiet unraveling that can occur when love and purpose collide.
Each month, our readers highlight books that spark meaningful conversations, and Drink the Sky resonated deeply for its atmosphere, emotional depth, and its fearless look at what it means to search for meaning in unfamiliar terrain. As part of this feature, shortlisted authors are invited to share a short literary glimpse, a creative presentation of their work that helps our community connect with the story behind the pages.
Participating authors also receive a dedicated spotlight in our club review desk and newsletter.
Join an author-reader discussion round hosted by our review circle.
Gain early consideration for our “Seasonal Picks” shelf, curated by members.
Please confirm your interest so we can send over a full overview of the benefits associated with selection in the Read with Jenna Book Club.
What’s wrong with this email?
Everything.
First of all, major book clubs like the one run by Jenna Bush Hager don’t cold-contact individual writers. Instead, publishing houses pitch books and writers to the shows. The in-house publicists often believe their chances are pretty hopeless (unless they’re repping Glennon Doyle) but give it a try. Then, 0.1 percent of the time, Jenna’s or Oprah’s or Reese’s people get back, and maybe they’ll book the author. That’s when the publicists email writers to prepare them to speak with the producers. There’s no contact beforehand.
Second, my novel Drink the Sky, which supposedly caught Jenna Bush Hager’s attention, is one of my backlist titles, and book clubs like hers do new releases. I got the rights to Drink the Sky back a few years ago when one of my publishers went bankrupt. Afterward, I self-published it as an e-book, since I’m proud of the novel and hope people will continue to read it.
And what a coincidence! I received the email from “the Read With Jenna Book Club” a couple of weeks after offering a freebie of Drink the Sky online.
Backstory: On October 9, I reprinted a post here and on Substack about going viral, one that I’d originally written for publishing guru Jane Friedman’s newsletter. Since some of my subscribers had already read the post on Friedman, I put up a freebie of the book as an extra. Readers had four days to download their free copy of Drink the Sky.
I also publicized the freebie on The Fussy Librarian newsletter, where writers can pay to advertise their discounted books to the 600,000 readers on its mailing list. The site doesn’t sell clients’ addresses—they’re nice folks—but obviously writers’ names are right up there. That’s the point. It’s also true that most authors going this route are self-published, since Penguin Random House and other legacy publishers use different methods to advertise their books.
I think that last part is significant. Book club scams mainly target self-published authors. Some also go after writers who publish with small presses, especially those who are new to the business, but scammers usually try their luck with self-publishers who don’t know the drill. That means freebie sites like The Fussy Librarian, Freebooksy, Robin Reads and others are rich waters for scammers to fish in. I’m a bit of an anomaly on the sites, since my books are professionally published and I only self-publish older titles that have gone out of print. This makes me far from their target audience, although of course the scammers don’t know that.
Most book club scams—at least until now—have been small-time efforts to pry a bit of money out of writers by inviting them to speak to local reading clubs. They quote upfront fees that don’t sound too high. Once they get the money, they disappear.
In mid-September, writer Victoria Strauss set out the newest scams on the Writer Beware newsletter, which is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Her piece ran under the headline, Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux: Beware of Book Club and Book Review Scams
Writes Strauss, “A few weeks ago, I wrote about a rising and extremely prolific marketing scam that I’ve been able to trace back to operators in Nigeria…
“I’ve since discovered two new and distinct iterations of this scam—both of which, like the first one, have appeared abruptly and spun up very fast…
“Just in the last two weeks, I’ve heard from nearly two dozen writers who’ve received emails purportedly from local book clubs, offering features or spotlights for the writers’ books.
“In some cases…the book club appears to be fictional, with no trace of it to be found online…
“In other cases, the book club is real, with a presence on Meetup.com—as in a less personalized (and more authentic-seeming) email supposedly from Mocha Girls Read. (A real representative of Mocha Girls Read has confirmed that this is an impersonation of both the club and the organizer).
“The catch, as you’ll doubtless have guessed, is that the author has to pay a fee for their appearance, variously described as a ‘spot fee’ or a ‘spotlight fee’ or a ‘spot-securing fee’ or a ‘participation fee.’ (Needless to say, real book clubs don’t charge fees to their guests). Amounts reported to me range from $55 to $350. In one case, the scammer offered three ‘spotlight packages:’ Basic, Essential, and Premium, for between $100 and $200.
“Payment options also vary, with some scammers encouraging payment via the friends and family option on Paypal. (Scammers like this option because the payments can’t be reversed.)”
You’ll notice that my own email supposedly comes from Abigail Russ, identified as a Read With Jenna book club producer. Abby Russ is a real person who works for the real Jenna book club, although I think there might be a fake Linked In profile up under the more formal name of Abigail Russ. You’ll also notice that the email doesn’t come from a corporate server but from a gmail address, a giveaway that Strauss points out in her piece on Writer Beware.
I don’t like the fact the scammers got my private email address, and I have no idea how they did. Yet it’s clear they wrote the email itself using an AI model. One key tell is the use of three elements in several sentences, something for which ChatGPT quickly became infamous.
Drink the Sky is supposedly a “vivid exploration of ambition, identity, and the quiet unravelling that can occur when love and purpose collide.”
It also “resonated deeply its atmosphere, emotional depth, and its fearless look for what it means to search for meaning in unfamiliar terrain.”
Bland generic writing. I read it to my husband and asked, “Doesn’t it remind you of (name redacted)?” Meaning the single most earnest, pleasant, conscientious and teeth-grindingly boring person we’ve ever known.
He rolled his eyes and nodded.
That’s not to say that real producers don’t use AI in emails, alas. But as Strauss notes, “Sometimes, when you force a foreign scammer off-script—especially when they’re eager for you to just shut up and pay—they don’t bother feeding their response through ChatGPT, at which point their lack of written English skills becomes apparent.”
An example: “I full understand your worried why I choose Benjamen as a payment manager is because after he get the fund he always convert it to crypto and send it to me. Which safe my team and clients from a lot of stress.”
As you can see, in the email I received there’s no direct ask for money. Wondering what they’d propose, I emailed back. After thanking “Abigail” for getting in touch, I said I found it interesting that Jenna had chosen one of my backlist books for the club. I wondered if “Abigail” had really intended to show her my most recent novel, Far Creek Road.
Here’s the reply:
On Thu, Oct 23, 2025 at 5:31 PM Abigail Russ <abigailruss.jenna@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Lesley,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply, it’s truly a pleasure to connect with you. I really appreciate your note and the clarification regarding Drink the Sky and Far Creek Road. Both titles reflect your distinctive storytelling voice and the nuanced way you capture human experience.
Our initial interest came through a recommendation from friends of Jenna Bush Hager, and I’m pleased to share that your work also caught Jenna’s personal attention. That kind of recognition is meaningful, and it’s the reason I wanted to personally reach out and guide you through the next steps.
The Read with Jenna Book Club is dedicated to celebrating stories that move readers books that spark discussion, reflection, and emotional connection. Each month, we highlight works that inspire thoughtful conversation and resonate with a broad, engaged community of readers across multiple platforms.
We would be very interested in exploring Far Creek Road further, as it clearly represents your most current creative expression. To move forward with consideration, we’ll need a Literary Glimpse a short, creative presentation that gives our review desk a sense of the book’s core themes, tone, and literary style. It can take the form of a brief reflection, excerpt, or insight into what inspired the story.
You’re absolutely welcome to prepare this yourself, or if you’d prefer some assistance, I recommend Florence (independent media consultant) at williamsflorence342@gmail.com
. She’s familiar with the club’s standards and can prepare a polished version within 48 hours.
I’ve also attached a PDF document outlining the unique benefits of being selected by the Read with Jenna Book Club, from enhanced visibility and reader engagement to ongoing media and community features. I think you’ll find it helpful as you consider your next move.
Once your Literary Glimpse is ready, please send it over, and I’ll ensure it’s submitted directly for review and feedback at the selection desk.
Presumably williamsflorence342, independent media consultant, would be the one to quote a fee. However, given Victoria Strauss’s extensive work, I couldn’t be bothered going any farther, and sent the following reply:
“Hi there,
“I’ve thought from the start you’re a scammer, and the easy way you’ve moved onto another book of mine confirms it.
“I had hits from Nigeria on my website — specifically on the page for Drink the Sky — not long before your email was sent at the unlikely hour of 2:07 a.m. Eastern.
“The phone number beside the picture (which doesn’t appear to be of Abigail Russ) rings not in service. An email from a gmail server is unlikely to come from someone working for NBC.
“Can you provide me with any evidence that you’re really Abigail Russ and not a scammer? I would be interested to know.”
I have yet to receive a reply.
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If any of you knows the real Abigail Russ—or indeed anyone working for Jenna Bush Hager—please tell them about this scam. They might want to put a warning on their website.