A global publishing scam assisted by AI has targeted Australia. Here are 5 tips to avoid scammers

Aspiring authors in Australia are among those who have been scammed by a global network of publishing houses using cloned websites and AI tools. Some boast testimonials using the images and names of real authors, or listing real books they didn’t publish as their own. Several target the Australian market, trading under names such as Melbourne Book Publisher, Sydney Book Publishing, Aussie Book Publisher and Oz Book Publishers.

I’m a publishing expert, and looking at what happened, I can spot red flags in how these publishers operated and targeted aspiring authors, vulnerable to exploitation in their desire for success.

David Tenenbaum, owner of trusted publishing house Melbourne Books, established in 2000 (and specialising in nonfiction), was the first to sound the alarm. He’d received calls from authors who believed they had been dealing with his business – but had actually been speaking to the similar-sounding Melbourne Book Publisher (which even gave out his ABN).

One of the scammed authors, “Andrea”, an aspiring fantasy romance novelist recovering from cancer, told the Guardian she had a video conference with a publishing executive, “Marcus Hale”, who outlined detailed publishing and promotion plans for her novel, down to getting “a presence on TikTok” and a launch at her local bookshop. She realised what had happened when she called Melbourne Books.

Both Andrea and another Australian author, Peter Ortmueller (who also dealt with Marcus Hale), found Melbourne Book Publisher on Facebook. Ortmueller, who lost A$150 he believed was a first down payment on a publishing package, said he thought it was a traditional publisher. Andrea lost A$88, which she was told would buy her an ABN.

Red flags and AI people

An expert from Deakin University’s Cyber Research and Innovation Centre, Ashish Nanda, identified some red flags about Melbourne Book Publisher, too. They told the Guardian they include “varying logos, claims on its website that it was established in 1999 yet a domain search showed it was only registered last month, and a fake 4.7 star rating on Trustpilot (the company has no reviews)”.

The Meet Our Team page on Melbourne Book Publisher’s site used “AI-created images of immaculately groomed white executives”, as did First Page Press. None of these people are known in Australian publishing circles, the Guardian reported. Some of these websites also list real books, which are for sale on Amazon (most of them self-published).

Other websites, Aussie Book Publisher and Oz Book Publishers, have fake testimonials using the images and names of real authors, like Australian children’s author Katrina Germein, who becomes “Sarah” on Aussie Books’ testimonial page.

A representative of Melbourne Book Publisher initially responded to the Guardian’s questions, but later ceased communication, removed some of their websites and altered elements of others.

The network of publishing houses appears to have international reach, including First Page Press, with offices in London and Melbourne, and BookPublishers.co.nz in New Zealand. The true scale of the operation is unknown.

Do you want self- or ‘traditional’ publishing?

The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) recently issued a warning titled: “AI is making publishing scams more sophisticated”. They provided the following advice: “As a general rule, a cold approach from a company offering services to publish or promote your work should be interrogated carefully, especially if they are requesting payment from you.”

But what about aspiring authors who go in search of a publisher? What should they look for so they are not taken in by one of these scams?

To answer this question, it’s necessary to distinguish between traditional publishing and self-publishing. In traditional publishing, all upfront costs are paid by the publishing house. The author is expected to contribute time and energy to the book’s promotion, but does not pay for services like editing and design. Nor does the author pay for printing, or the production of an ebook.

The main income for traditional publishers is book sales, which only come after the initial investment has been made: the publisher assumes all upfront costs. This means traditional publishing is a financially risky business. Most of the books you see in brick-and-mortar bookshops were published by traditional publishers.

Meanwhile, self-publishing includes any publishing activity the author financially contributes to. Many self-publishing companies offer an array of services that can be packaged to suit the author’s needs, including editing, cover design, marketing, ebook production and printing.

Melbourne Book Publisher offered packages ranging from an “Advance Worldwide Plan” for A$1,495 to a “Premium Worldwide Plan” for $1,799.

Terms like “vanity publishing”, “subsidy publishing” and “hybrid publishing” are sometimes used – but these can be hard to distinguish from self-publishing.

There are no generally agreed upon definitions of these terms. For example, some so-called hybrid publishers operate exactly like predatory vanity publishers, while other times the term “hybrid publishing” is used by traditional publishing houses that have a side hustle facilitating a bit of self-publishing activity. Some may require authors to commmit to buying a certain number of copies to subsidise the print run.

My top 5 tips for avoiding scammers

My tips to help aspiring authors avoid a publishing scam vary. They depend on what you’re looking for: a traditional publishing arrangement or a self-publishing service. Of course, there is some grey area in between these categories, and there are more or less ethical actors in both.

1: Know what you’re looking for

Are you seeking a traditional publisher or a self-publishing service? If a publishing house asks for any financial contribution at all, this is a self-publishing service, as far as I’m concerned. If what you’re looking for is a traditional publisher, this is your sign to walk away!

2: Ask your bookshop about your publisher

If you’re still unsure whether it’s a traditional publisher or a self-publishing service, ask your local bookshop if they’ve ever stocked any books from that publishing house. If they regularly stock the publisher’s books, it’s a sign that it’s a traditional publisher. Or, if it’s a traditional publisher that also engages in a bit of hybrid publishing, they’re a respected operator who can get your books into bookshops.

3: Check an online registry of dodgy publishers

Perhaps you’re an aspiring author who is open to the idea of working with a self-publishing service. How do you distinguish between the legitimate operations and the scams?

Writer Beware is a website sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association that documents all types of unethical activity in the publishing industry. Searching this website for a company name can be an illuminating exercise.

It’s worth noting, though, that it would not have helped catch out scams like the one perpetrated by Melbourne Book Publisher. The increased availability of AI tools means scam websites can quickly be created with new AI-generated copy and images, making them harder to identify.

4: Evaluate the publisher’s other books

In the case of Melbourne Book Publisher, they claimed to have published books that were actually published by a different company.

Look for bookseller websites that include the publisher’s books and clearly identify the publisher by name. Some bookseller websites allow you to preview a book’s interior. This is an opportunity to evaluate the quality of the publisher’s editorial and design services.

Even better, search for book titles in library catalogues, including the catalogue of the National Library of Australia.

5: Work with someone local

When working with a self-publishing service or even hiring a freelance editor, it can be safer to work with someone local, rather than through a large online agency.

At least with someone local, there is the sense this person’s reputation in the local publishing industry is on the line. You can also check their bona fides by inquiring with other members of your writing community. Melbourne Book Publisher’s executives are not known in the Australian publishing community: this is a red flag.

Some state-based writers’ centres even feature a database of reputable local service providers for the writing and publishing industries.

Per Henningsgaard is affiliated with Writing WA, which is a state-based writers' centre mentioned in the final paragraph of this article. I'm the Chair of the Board of Management, which is volunteer position.