Who Exactly is Penelope Manuscriptington?
Sigh. I receive these scam emails at least once a week. They arrive either by email, by text on my phone, or via instant messaging on social media (Twitter, or “X,” is the worst). Oh, let’s just get this out in the open: these emails are a scam.
According to what I see online, self-publishing writers receive these scam emails and complain about them. I fear some people might be falling for the snake oil they offer. What is it they’re actually offering? Well, most of the time, I’m not sure. It sounds like vague opportunities to market their book, but I never see anything concrete. Just obscure promises to make the writer a lot of money.
Let me be clear. I roll my eyes the second I see one of these.
Before I forget, when you receive an email or message like the one I’m talking about, do not click on any links in the message. It could lead to malware downloads or identity theft.
As a matter of fact, I just got one over the weekend, and it convinced me to finally write a blog entry on this topic. So, the email was from someone using the name of an actual editor at a publishing company in England. This editor may or may not know someone is using their name to scam people, but for my purposes, I am going to refer to her (the scammer) as Penelope Manuscriptington.
Miss Penelope starts off with several paragraphs of flattery about how wonderful my book is and uses phrases like “the ambitious scale” and “innovative concept.” Then she asks me questions about my “writing journey” and my “evolving worldbuilding.” I would be flattered if her praise wasn’t so nauseating.
But that’s the catch: Miss Penelope has used just enough specific details from my novel to sound like she read it, but not any specific scenes or plot points. She probably used AI to grab enough character names and settings to come across as a big fan. But everything in the email could be found in book descriptions on Amazon and elsewhere online.
She’s very, very convincing with the love-bombing, and it makes me mad because some poor souls out there may be falling for it. Let’s face it. A writer’s novel is their baby. I admit, if Miss Penelope’s email was the first one of its kind I’d ever received, I would be tempted to sign up for whatever it is she’s offering.
And that’s the next thing I want to rant about. What is it she’s offering? Some kind of marketing deal that is, once again, specific and vague at the same time. Of course, she wants my money, but for what?
Because she’s used a real editor’s name and a real company at the signature of the email, it’s convincing to someone who may not know better. These scams are getting more and more sophisticated.
So, what are some giveaways that this kind of email is a scam? By the way, they are all scams. That’s the easy answer. But in the meantime, here are some things to look for:
- Look at the email.
Miss Penelope is acting as an editor for an internationally-known publishing company using an AOL.com email? I don’t think so. - Misspellings in the message.
With grammar checks and AI, these are becoming less and less, but in the email I got, the world-famous publishing company’s name was formatted incorrectly. Look for little things like that. - The praise is too generic but cleverly personalized.
She never mentions a specific scene, chapter, line of dialogue, or a concrete emotional reaction to an actual moment. As I said earlier, there were character names I created and places I invented, so I guess I was supposed to say, “Oh, wow, Miss Penelope, you really did read my book!” What a bitch you are, Miss Penelope. - They ask rapport-building questions before business.
Scammers often avoid the ask at first. Instead, they flatter you, build trust, get you emotionally invested, and later ask for money and fees. Don’t forget: real publishers pay authors. - Can you verify the sender is an actual person?
I’ve gotten messages from editors with some frightening names that can’t be found anywhere else online. In the case of the email from Miss Penelope, she used a real editor’s name from a real company.
I’ve also gotten emails and text messages from impostors using famous and semi-well-known authors. I got a message from “Ilona Andrews” asking about my “writing journey.” First of all, the real Ilona Andrews is two people, and secondly, anyone who wants to know about my “writing journey” tells me right away it’s leading up to some kind of scam. A few times, I felt snarky and messaged back, “Please contact my agent to sign a contract and discuss how much money you will pay me.” But I don’t do that anymore. I just ignore these losers, and the number of times I get contacted has dropped.
Other variations of this scam may involve signing up for a book reading club. You may also get a message about being a guest on a podcast or radio show. Just remember: you shouldn’t pay someone for these opportunities.
Because my book is self-published and visible online, scammers specifically target indie authors. They scrape Amazon and Goodreads, looking for books with detailed blurbs, exactly the kind of material that could generate this email.
So, the next time you get a message from Penelope Manuscriptington or one of her counterparts, just smile and have a good laugh. Enjoy the fake flattery.
Andrew M. Friday 