Journalist uncovers literary scam targeting writers with fake book clubs
Reporter Snigdha Poonam investigates a scheme using impersonated community groups and AI-generated emails to solicit fees from authors.
What to know
- Aspiring authors face a surge in sophisticated literary scams using fake book clubs, impersonated community organizers, and AI-generated emails requesting fees.
- A journalist investigating transnational fraud received a solicitation that combined multiple red flags: impersonated identities, mismatched organizational context, and requests for author contribution fees that legitimate book clubs never solicit.
- The scam reveals how fraudsters exploit the vulnerability of writers seeking publicity and validation, using professional-appearing invitations and social proof from real community groups.
“For some, fraud was a route to upward mobility; for others, an act of revenge against the privileged.”
Snigdha Poonam, Journalist and fraud researcher · The Guardian ↗
Snigdha Poonam Journalist and fraud researcher
How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts
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Poonam attends fake book club Zoom meeting to investigate — After arranging to pay after rather than before the event, Poonam joins a Google Meet link for the book discussion and finds approximately 20 participants with usernames like Alexander, Andrew, Mira, and Rajnish. Timothy and Stephen are both present. None have their cameras enabled, and profile pictures suggest most are using photos of white individuals.
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Poonam receives fake book club solicitation and investigates — Journalist and fraud researcher Snigdha Poonam receives an email from someone claiming to represent CAM Life Drawing, a Seattle-based community, claiming they wanted to discuss her 2019 book "Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing Their World." She investigates and discovers inconsistencies: the group is a hyperlocal life-drawing community with no clear reason to read a seven-year-old nonfiction book about India. A follow-up email requests a "contribution fee" but comes from a different person (Stephen, claiming to represent Community Improv LA) using Timothy's email address, and contains what appears to be an AI prompt fragment.
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Guardian publishes Poonam's investigation into literary scams targeting authors
The Guardian publishes Poonam's detailed investigation revealing the scope and mechanics of literary scams. The piece documents how writers are being bombarded daily with invitations from fake book groups and offers to publicize their work, and identifies aspiring authors as particularly vulnerable targets. Poonam's decade of reporting on transnational fraud provides context for understanding the broader scamming infrastructure.
“This was undoubtedly a scam. Genuine book clubs don't ask for money from authors. But who was behind it?”
— Snigdha Poonam, Journalist and fraud researcher · source -
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Fascinating article in @theguardian.com today abt literary scams. Academics & their publishers are being targeted too - I've heard of emails impersonating Editors as well as book club & literary festival scams. If in doubt do speak to your publisher for advice.
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For the scamming industry, aspiring authors can be a soft touch https://www. theguardian.com/news/ng-intera ctive/2026/oct/29/paid-for-book-clubs-fake-film-deals-emails-explosion-literary-scams-authors
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Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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4 outlets Fake film deals and emails from top agents: who is behind the explosion in literary scams?
first by Guardian Media, 10d ago · also Guardian Business, Guardian Culture, Guardian Africa