by Adrienne Bartl
In a time when the writing industry is overwhelmed with fraud and scams, it’s important to consider how we present ourselves to prospective clients. Adrienne Bartl offers strategies to advertise our authenticity to authors, and share our worth.
Wherever there is real money to be made by honest means, you can count on unscrupulous people trying to get that money for themselves as well. The stories that hit the headlines are the ones everyone can empathize with: a victim of identity theft who now owes thousands because they answered a call they thought was from their bank; a homeowner who is on the hook for a mortgage for a home that’s no longer theirs after they signed a form without reading it; or a senior who’s lost their life savings one money transfer at a time, all for the promise of romance. These stories are all too common, and in my former career as a banker I saw them developing daily. Scammers tend to establish patterns once they have had success, and my job was to recognize those patterns and liaise with affected customers.
Now that I work as an editor, I have seen similar patterns of fraudsters targeting new authors, typically those with big dreams for their manuscripts. Phony agents will claim they can achieve unrealistic sales numbers if only the author will pay for their editing services first. Or dishonest editors will quote low prices and impossible turnaround times for work that might be done poorly using AI or not done at all, often insisting on payment upfront. When pitching my own services to an author who is shopping around, how can I compete?
With bank customers who had experienced fraud, I did my best to break down the banking process and how it had been subverted by the scammer, and then I allowed the other person to confirm what I’d told them before we proceeded. I asked them to trust, but verify. In the case of a victim of identity theft, their troubles began when “the bank” called them, so why would they trust my call now to fix the problem? I simply told them to call the phone number printed on the back of their credit card to confirm my call. I’m not a magician and I didn’t swap out that card from their wallet to change the number; they received it from their bank at their request some time ago with that phone number already on it. About a third would hang up and call back, while the rest would accept my explanation and continue the call, but we always got there in the end.
With writers, I have a similar approach to gain their trust: I explain my editing process.
I have been contacted by writers with varying levels of publishing industry knowledge. Several times I have had them ask what I charge for editing after they have eagerly skipped ahead to layout, when they should actually be ready for proofreading. Another wanted me to commit to short timelines and an insultingly low price to beat a quote he had received elsewhere, then admitted he hadn’t even finished writing the first draft. Now I respond by asking probing questions about their writing and their intentions for the work. That way I can gauge where they are in the editing process and their understanding of the different kinds of editing. They might also reveal having worked with an editor previously or even what they did or did not like about the editing process, which allows me to tailor my responses accordingly. This back-and-forth helps us develop a shared understanding of the work involved and expectations on both sides.
One time during one of these conversations I discovered that the author was preparing a piece for submission to an agent who had made them all kinds of promises. Though I didn’t have a name to check, her description of the agent’s behaviour raised a few red flags for me. But since I was very new to editing at the time I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. The author explained she wanted the first 50 pages to be absolutely error-free so she would be accepted by the agency. Then she’d use her promised advance to hire me for the rest of the work. While still hesitant, I did my best to build a rapport and educate her about what I was doing as I worked through the section I was copy editing, and let her know what she should expect next. I knew that not only could it be the start of a good working relationship but that she could use the edited pages for other submissions if I was correct about the agent. When it came time to submit the pages, the “agent” extended a generous offer of additional paid editing packages before they would be prepared to take the author on as a client. Unfortunately, I was right – there was never an advance.
Writers are targeted for fraud so frequently that the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association has created a wonderful resource: WriterBeware.blog. Though its sponsor may suggest the blog is limited in scope, the volunteers who produce and maintain it are concerned with providing information and assistance to writers of any genre at any point in their career, free of charge. And this is a great way for professional editors to also stay on top of trending schemes to acquire authors’ money. These scams often give authors unrealistic expectations of the work we do, putting legitimate editors on the defensive.
Writer Beware refers to such schemes as “questionable” transactions, defining them as “non-standard or fraudulent practice not in writers’ best interest” and they break these down into eight main types of schemes:
- Fees where it’s exploitative or not customary to charge them
- Conflicts of interest
- Abusive or non-standard contract terms
- Unprofessional, deceptive, or exploitative practices
- Non-performance
- Lack of qualifications
- False claims
- Fraudulent or abusive practices
Note that the creativity of criminals should never be underestimated. (If only they would apply that creativity to writing!) They are always on top of the latest trends to try and hook new victims; as soon as there is a new process or technology, there is someone working to mimic its appeal for their own financial gain. What might have been limited to letters or emails with fake names in the past has expanded to include tactics on social media using AI and spoofed identities.
By being aware of the many ways that fraudsters will approach aspiring authors, editors can be prepared to provide factual information to clients to counter the tempting offers they may have received:
- Allow potential clients to confirm you are who you say you are through open communication, using channels you are both comfortable with. Your cold email may look the same as a phishing or scam email – understand that an interested client may want to have a phone call or Zoom meeting to ensure you are a real person and that you match the professional profile you present online before agreeing to work with you. Editors should do the same when contacted for work.
- Be transparent with timelines based on the work requested and be upfront with any use of (or refusal to use) AI tools. Explain the different types of editing you provide and be clear about what kind their project needs at this stage. Scam artists may be selling a bundle of services for a fixed price regardless of need or may suggest minimal editing is needed, only to upsell more services once the customer has shown an ability and willingness to pay.
- Remind writers that agents get paid when they sell the manuscript, not before. And that no one can guarantee book sales. It’s easy to be blinded by the promise of success when talking about a highly personal project such as a book. Editors can assure clients that, as Carol Fisher Saller explains in The Subversive Copy Editor, editors “more than anyone else, are in a position to champion the writer and her project.”
Yes, all of the above means spending time answering questions and giving considered advice without any assurance of paying work, but it also helps you to present yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy editor. And who wouldn’t want to work with someone like that?
It’s important to remember that fraudsters also target editors. Editors Canada gives a few examples of what this can look like on the job postings page, under “Editors Canada members”.
After nearly a decade in finance, Adrienne Bartl traded spreadsheets for style sheets and now works as a freelance editor. She enjoys reading long-form journalism, especially articles about scammers receiving their comeuppance. Connect with her at BarkeEditing.com.
This article was edited by Jane Hodgkinson, a writer and poet living in Toronto. She enjoys urban hiking and spending time with her dog.
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