The Dark Side of Publishing No One Warns You About

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I want to share something that’s been on my mind, because the publishing world can be a minefield if you’re not careful.

There are a lot of ways people get scammed in this industry. And honestly, it doesn’t just happen on sketchy websites or random emails—it happens right here in communities like Skool too. I’ve seen people create accounts under the names of highly credentialed authors, bloggers, or influencers. They present themselves in a way that makes you think, “Wow… I’m honored this person is even talking to me.”

I’ve fallen for it before. More than once. I’ve had people come into this community that I later had to ban after realizing they weren’t who they claimed to be. When you’re a good person, you tend to assume others are too. That trust can get taken advantage of, and over time it forces you to become more cautious and put boundaries in place. That’s not a bad thing—it’s a survival skill in this space.

I’m not sharing this to scare anyone. I’m sharing it because the publishing industry is riddled with red flags, and I want you to always do your research.

When I first started my publishing journey, I got hyped into buying a big-ticket program. I truly believed I was going to be guided by the actual program creator—the person whose success story sold me in the first place. What I ended up with instead was coaching from a trained employee. Not a bad person, but not someone who had their own books selling at scale either.

It helped with accountability, sure. But the experienced guidance I thought I was paying for? That part was missing. I had to figure out a lot the hard way, and that stung—especially knowing how much money I had invested.

Another story that still makes my blood boil: my uncle once tried to hire a “publisher.” They had an incredible sales call with him and promised him the world. One of their guarantees? 3,500 book sales. They wanted him to wire transfer over $10,000.

That alone set off alarm bells for me. Since he knew I was self-publishing, he asked for my input. I told him to ask very specific questions—especially whether those “sales” were real purchases or just downloads. It’s very easy to run a free ebook promo and hit big numbers.

They assured him it would be actual sales and claimed he’d earn $9 per royalty. Sounds great… until they told him they wouldn’t pay out any royalties for over a year. That’s when I said, run. That wasn’t a business model—that felt like a Ponzi scheme wrapped in publishing language.

And okay, last one—I promise.

Early on, I was looking for a coach and came across a woman on TikTok named Christina Kaye, who had close to 100k followers. She looked legitimate. She spoke confidently. So I joined one of her livestreams. That quickly turned into pressure to get on a call.

Once on the call, I started asking real questions—about her credentials, how many books she’d published, whether they were actually making money. She completely shut down. Shortly after, she blocked me and sent me some nasty emails.

A quick Google search told me everything I needed to know. This was a pattern. If you declined to work with her or questioned her authority, she turned hostile. Other people shared stories of high-pressure sales, broken commitments, and being left hanging.

I’m not telling you any of this to convince you to work with me—or not work with anyone else. This is about awareness. About being mindful of who you’re listening to, who’s DM’ing you, and who’s promising you the moon in an industry where big promises are often the bait.

If something feels off, pause. Ask questions. Verify claims. Real professionals don’t get defensive when you do your due diligence.

I’m curious—have you ever been scammed or misled in this space (or any industry)?

If you’re comfortable sharing, drop your story below. You never know who it might help.

***photo altered with AI for transparency, but it looks GOOD 😆 ***

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