Anyone familiar with the Quixotic Book Club?

[R. C.]

I received a well worded, strongly legit-looking email from this group: Quixotic Book Club

The email:

Hi R. C.,

I?m Matt, the organizer of the Quixotic Book Club, a community dedicated to spotlighting outstanding indie and self-published authors.
Your book, Kenji McLeelan, immediately grabbed my attention. The raw intensity of Kenji?s transformation, from abduction to weaponized survivor, combined with the fusion of alien technology, government denial, and relentless vengeance creates a visceral, high-stakes sci-fi thriller. The gritty tone, conspiratorial undercurrents, and emotionally charged drive for retribution deliver the kind of bold, cinematic storytelling our readers are always excited to discover.

At the Quixotic Book Club, we feature remarkable authors through monthly themed events, giving their work an engaged audience that appreciates sharp, fast-moving, and immersive sci-fi like yours. We would love to feature Kenji McLeelan in our upcoming event.

If this sounds interesting, just reply. I?d be happy to share more details about the event and how our feature works.

My response:

You?ve piqued my interest ? Let?s hope this isn?t another flam-flam scam.  Tell me more.


I'll keep you posted.

R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

We're all being bombarded with similar junk.

All from different book clubs, all praising our books.

It's just a scam.

If you waste your time responding, it will only end up with a request to pay some sort of disguised fee to participate.

What you should have responded was asking for a $10,000 appearance fee, and see what they say. Most likely you wouldn't get any response.

[Bill Hiatt]

At the risk of being a humbug, it's probably a scam clone of the Quixotic Book Club of New York City, which makes this statement about its program:

With a focus on provocative, influential, and inspirational literature, we?ll aim to tackle Don Quixote (1604) to post-WWII (~1960s). We?ll work through our own version of the canon, inclusive of the traditionally acclaimed, the neglected, the popular, and the undiscovered. To keep it fresh, we?ll jump around a lot, by writer, by time period, by country of origin. This is a group for passionate readers who find themselves thirsting for more.

On its face, it doesn't seem like an organization looking for self published titles to feature.

I would recommend messaging the organizer, Matt V, to see if this email is actually from him. https://www.meetup.com/quixotic-book-club-of-new-york-city/

Ah, I just noticed the link you provided. Yeah, the site looks like a clone to me--not identical, but borrowing a lot of the same prose.

I'm betting your next email from "Matt" will discuss the fees...

[R. C.]

...

I'm betting your next email from "Matt" will discuss the fees...

Exactly my thoughts... If so, I'll ask for a non-refundable retainer and an "appearance" fee.

R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

...

I'm betting your next email from "Matt" will discuss the fees...

Exactly my thoughts... If so, I'll ask for a non-refundable retainer and an "appearance" fee.

R.C.

Also ask them how many sales or KU downloads you can expect to get from club members.

The response will be you need to provide the book. And of course, if you do that, they have a full version they can then put on pirate sites.

[Cabbages and kings]

I received a well worded, strongly legit-looking email from this group: Quixotic Book Club

The email:

Hi R. C.,

I?m Matt, the organizer of the Quixotic Book Club, a community dedicated to spotlighting outstanding indie and self-published authors.

Aren't "indie" and "self-published" authors the same thing?
That automatically gives me the feeling it's from a person who doesn't know much about publishing.

[R. C.]

UPDATE - I received a reply... Emphasis Added.

Totally understand the concern, there are a lot of sketchy offers out there. The Quixotic Book Club isn?t one of them. We?re a real, active community of sci-fi readers who spotlight indie authors through monthly themed events.

Being featured includes a dedicated presentation of your book, reader discussions, newsletter placement, and optional Q&A with the community. It?s all designed to give authors genuine visibility and connect them with readers who actually seek out new voices.

There is a participation fee to help keep the club running, but before we get into specifics, I?m happy to walk you through exactly how the event works and what you?d receive so you can see the value clearly.

Just let me know, and I?ll send the full details.

Kind regards
Matt

--> I'm considering asking what kind of fee do they normally give to an unknown author? 

R.C.

[Lorri Moulton]

Why would anyone PAY to get their book featured?  Of course, this is why I don't do BookBubs. 
Deep down, I think they should feature our books because they read them and liked them. 

[Escapee]

It's a scam. All of the book club emails being sent to us are scams. Writer Beware has an article about it which was helpful when I started getting them, including three in one day. No book clubs will ask for money to feature our books.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Like you, R.C., I would have humored them after the first email even though it reads like it was written by ChatGPT.  After all, I actually have had my book featured on someone's site as the result of an unsolicited email before--no money involved at all--so this kind of thing has been known to happen.

As soon as any mention of wanting money came up, though, I would have considered it a scam.

--> I'm considering asking what kind of fee do they normally give to an unknown author? 

R.C.

As tempting as it may be to toy with them like that, my advice would be to simply let the whole matter go as politely and firmly as possible.  Just tell them you're not interested.

[Bill Hiatt]

I also have occasionally gotten unsolicited communications that were not scams. My first audio book got a producer in exactly that way. Common Mode, which did and probably still does a lot of work for trad audio books, reached out to me when the company was thinking of working up a program for indie authors. I got a nicely produced audio book with a strong narrator for a reasonable price.

It's not impossible to imagine a book club reaching out to an author if the club wanted an author to participate. I've already mentioned a former colleague of mine who was doing this all the time for several years. As Jeff says, it's when the "club" wants money that it's a scam. Book clubs frequently want to include authors in their discussions, but in such a case, a legit club would never charge.

[LilyBLily]

My most recent letter is from "DropTomber." Didn't find them on the web (and maybe didn't look very hard, either).

Part of their pitch:

"...this season of DropTomber is designed to help authors like you bring fresh attention to their work during Christmas and the end of the year. We provide book showcase graphics and a holiday themed book video that highlight your story, its characters, and the delightful romance..." blah, blah, blah about my book.
---

AI (sorry, environment) says:

"DropTomber" is likely a misspelling of "Droptober," a campaign by the online design platform Canva to introduce new educational tools for teachers and students. Another possibility is a typo for "Drop Tower," a facility used for microgravity experiments.
---

I'd prefer the microgravity, actually.

Real or fake? I don't care; not biting.

[Post-Doctorate D]

I also have occasionally gotten unsolicited communications that were not scams.  . . .  It's not impossible to imagine a book club reaching out to an author if the club wanted an author to participate.

The only ways for legitimate organizations and people to contact us are the same ways for scammers to contact us, which is typically eMail or the contact form on our website.

You just have to stay on your toes.

It's also good to remember that not everyone is Internet savvy.  For example, if an eMail opens with "Dear Customer/Client" that is usually a red flag because most places you do business with know your name.  But, I have one vendor for my business and their eMails always open with "Dear Customer."  Long time ago, I think I tried to suggest to them they fix that, but it's been years and it's still the same.  So, I just have to be wary and double-check to make sure it is legit.

[Bill Hiatt]

I received a well worded, strongly legit-looking email from this group: Quixotic Book Club

The email:

Hi R. C.,

I?m Matt, the organizer of the Quixotic Book Club, a community dedicated to spotlighting outstanding indie and self-published authors.

Aren't "indie" and "self-published" authors the same thing?
That automatically gives me the feeling it's from a person who doesn't know much about publishing.

The person doesn't know much about publishing, but just for the record, some people do make a distinction between the two terms. I've noticed that some writers on Substack call themselves indie if they work with small publishers (publishers independent from the Big Five and thus indie publishers, analogous to indie film makers). Writers who work with indie publishers, defined in that way, are indie authors. Self publishers publish themselves.

I don't use that distinction myself, but I do see the logic behind it.

[TimothyEllis]

I've noticed that some writers on Substack call themselves indie if they work with small publishers (publishers independent from the Big Five and thus indie publishers, analogous to indie film makers). Writers who work with indie publishers, defined in that way, are indie authors. Self publishers publish themselves.

Indie Published.
Indie Author.

Not the same thing at all.

[Bill Hiatt]

As I said, I don't make that distinction myself. I consider indie and self published to be synonyms when used to describe authors.

[TimothyEllis]

As I said, I don't make that distinction myself. I consider indie and self published to be synonyms when used to describe authors.

Self published to me is Vanity.

[LilyBLily]

I usually call myself self-published because I want to help remove the stigma from the term. Similarly, I freely volunteer to all who may be interested that I consulted and still consult a mental health therapist. She's the one who egged me on to publish my first novel, and it's great to have someone to complain to for an hour every now and then. She's also a great resource for all kinds of drug, addiction, trauma, grief, and other issues, topics I have used in my books. So maybe by now she's a "publishing coach"? I don't deduct our visits as business expenses, though.

Plenty of people in the SF/fantasy world who are published by very small presses do consider themselves indie published.

The victims of outright vanity presses actually think they are being traditionally published. They simply don't know any better.
The victims of overpriced publisher services companies--a slight step up from vanity--think they are being published by hybrid presses. In both cases, they pay through the nose for the "help" and usually end up with a garage or basement filled with expensively printed books they cannot sell.

It's a fluid world right now for terminology, so buyer beware is even more important than ever.

The fake book clubs, fake promotion experts, and fake review arrangers are all out in force this season. I've also received several offers recently to revamp my website even though it was completely redone this year and looks sparkling and new. Not good enough for these bulk cold emailers, I guess. I don't think they're scammers exactly, but, nope, not engaging.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

For a laugh I'd like to know the "fee".

I've had something similar but not a book club. The AI flattery is a dead giveaway.

[Cabbages and kings]

If it was a straightforward sales pitch to advertise your novel on their platform, I wouldn't call them scammers.

But if they are couching the offer as a "book club" that likes your book and wants to talk about it, that just gives me bad feelings about the offer.

Because if they actually liked your book, then why do you have to pay them?
They should be paying you to appear.

[Bill Hiatt]

As I said, I don't make that distinction myself. I consider indie and self published to be synonyms when used to describe authors.

Self published to me is Vanity.

Authors published by vanity presses are more like scam victims. It's hard to classify them precisely because they chose an option that isn't what they think it is. They think they're trad published.

To me, self published authors and indie authors are synonymous. Authors published by someone other than themselves (or an imprint they control) are trad published, whether the publisher is a small press, an academic press, an Amazon imprint, or a big five publisher. I'm aware that some people want to categorize within trad, labeling small press authors as indie or Amazon imprint authors as somewhere between self published and trad (which is more a slam at Amazon than an accurate description).

[LilyBLily]

Got the most inane email request of all today. Someone claimed to have heard of my books and they were interested, so they asked me if my books were on Amazon or Goodreads.

Sigh.

Maybe this was a legitimate request from someone who is confused and who imagines that I publish under a pseudonym. And who also thinks both Amazon and Goodreads are both bookstores?

They didn't even include flattering descriptions of one of my books.

[Bill Hiatt]

Almost clueless enough to be authentic. These days, so many of the scammers are using more sophisticated pitches.

However, there are still dumb bots who ask questions they should easily be able to answer themselves. My favorite on Substack used to be, "What is your substack about?" This on a platform where, if they can see me to be able to message me, a couple clicks on my icon gets them to my substack, where they can see for themselves what it's about. Once I restricted message requests to paid subscribers, that particular irritation went away.

With regard to the Amazon or Goodreads question, that sounds like someone who is getting ready to pitch writing a review--for a fee. Those are the two places authors most often want reviews. The question might not imply the asker thinks Goodreads is a bookstore. I can imagine a Goodreads user wanting to know because they want to see what Goodreads has to say about your books, but if that were the case, it would be so easy to find that out without needing to reach out to the author to ask. Same thing with Amazon. Yeah, authors do have pennames, but if it were me, I'd look first for myself. It's easier and faster.

[LilyBLily]

Got another inane query, using the contact email address from my website. Some blather about my Facebook posts and then "Do you have any books published?"

Well, yes, and they're all listed on my website, Mr. Bot.

[Bill Hiatt]

I got approached on Substack by someone who provides a wide variety of author services. As far as I can tell, he runs a legitimate business.

However, he's restricting his appeal by acting like a scammer. A lot of lot of authors have things set up so that they can't easily be direct-messaged. He could put up notes in the social media part of the ecosystem to advertise, and nobody would mind that. But what he does instead is comment on other people's notes to advertise. This is decidedly a violation of etiquette. He's been publicly called out for it but still does it.

That I might still be able to excuse on the basis of ignorance, but when he says things like, "I've been a fan of the Spell Weaver series for years," and throws in a couple of facts from product descriptions, I know he's lying. It sound just like a scammer.

I'm not sure he actually has a stack of his own set up, and Substack has rules against people starting one primarily to advertise an outside business, so I imagine he'll be booted before too long.

[LilyBLily]

I got such a beautifully written lengthy AI reaction to one of my novels today. Six whole paragraphs before the paragraph with the lies about "2,000 engaged readers."

I really must add this text to the editorial section of the sales page.

[LilyBLily]

The latest scam "book club promotion" pitch was sent by a bot whose last name contained no vowels.

But it did have double consonants.

Do the "highly targeted readers" also have no vowels? Just wondering.

[LilyBLily]

I took a closer look at a recent email I had initially dismissed as another scam. Checked that the person was a real author and the email address was plausible. Recalled that I had indeed sold at least one copy recently of the book she referenced. Responded appropriately. Now she has written me back, also appropriately, but mentioning that her assistant is offering a 15% discount on her services to enhance visibility.

Somebody pretending to be that author? Or somebody who imagines that I am naive when it comes to marketing?

Sigh.

I should have sent my reply to her website contact email. Then I wouldn't wonder.

[TimothyEllis]

I took a closer look at a recent email I had initially dismissed as another scam. Checked that the person was a real author and the email address was plausible. Recalled that I had indeed sold at least one copy recently of the book she referenced. Responded appropriately. Now she has written me back, also appropriately, but mentioning that her assistant is offering a 15% discount on her services to enhance visibility.

Somebody pretending to be that author? Or somebody who imagines that I am naive when it comes to marketing?

Sigh.

I should have sent my reply to her website contact email. Then I wouldn't wonder.

Definitely a scammer pretending to be a real author.

That's the scam. Offering the services. It's all about you needing marketing help to be as successful as them.

This time it being an assistant is just a variation on it being their marketing expert.

Is the email address gmail?

I'm not sure I'd trust the website address either. Not unless you google the author, and can verify it's a legitimate website. If the website was on the email, you definitely don't trust that.

[Cabbages and kings]

I've always wondered what these marketing experts and gurus know that indie authors don't.

What do they know that you can't find out on your own just by using the internet?

That's why I was always leery of guys like the one who recently got accused of plagiarism and also was caught bulk buying his own book to game the bestseller list, charging so much money to help authors.

I remember when indie authors shared information freely and helped each other out freely.

Now, so many have courses to sell.

[TimothyEllis]

I've always wondered what these marketing experts and gurus know that indie authors don't.

What do they know that you can't find out on your own just by using the internet?

That's why I was always leery of guys like the one who recently got accused of plagiarism and also was caught bulk buying his own book to game the bestseller list, charging so much money to help authors.

I remember when indie authors shared information freely and helped each other out freely.

Now, so many have courses to sell.

There's the old ball game adage.

Those who can't, coach.

Makes you think about those offering courses.

It's why my advise is always, look at their last book.

If they don't have a recent one, their advise is out of date.

If they don't have a recent book with a decent rank, then they're not achieving well enough to be listened to.

The fact they have a course does not replace the need to demonstrate what they say to do does actually work, and that requires new releases and actual rank.

[Post-Doctorate D]

It's why my advise is always, look at their last book.

If they don't have a recent one, their advise is out of date.

If they don't have a recent book with a decent rank, then they're not achieving well enough to be listened to.

I do the same with people here that post here with their all-knowing "expert" advice.