Con or Legitimate?

by Charlotte Hinger

Steve's post yesterday was about notable quotes from writers. He keeps a booklet full of these. 

Words of wisdom from my family have lodged in my heart. Their advice surfaces from time to time. This has been a strange week in that I've gotten three invitations to speak at book events. One of mother's sayings popped up in my mind. "Never trust anyone who tries to impress you with their honesty."

Huh? Yes, it's true. I've also learned that the more someone tries to convince you they're legitimate the more wary I become. So here's how I sorted these "opportunities."

Above all else--here's my ironclad rule for everything related to publishing. DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANY MONEY.

The first invitation was an online book club which appears to be legitimate. It boasted of a huge international readership. There was a Facebook and LinkedIn presence. I expressed interest and everything proceeded at good clip until the organizer said the club required a fee to distribute materials to their members. 

Not a chance lady. In fact the discussions cooled immediately when I mentioned that, au contraire, I charged a fee for participating, and sent my agent's contact information. There is a great post about on-line book clubs by Kevin G. Chapman: https://kevingchapman.com/2025/10/03/authors-beware-look-out-for-book-club-scams/

Kevin's post is outstanding. He goes into detail about his back and forth emails from a scammer. Boy, are these people ever clever.

When checking out people, places, or information, always remember to Google deep. Read all the pages listed. It's easy to manipulate search engines for the first and second pages. Another red flag was the lack of any gossip or reviews on sites such as Goodreads. 

So on to the second invitation. It was to speak at brick and mortar store, Inkberry Books, in Niwot, a town here in Colorado. It sounded like a good opportunity. The owners wanted me to discuss Mary's Place--a book dear to my heart. We had to work out an issue about sales. Mary's Place is traditionally published through the University of Nebraska Press. I can't bring in books on consignment without losing money. We both happily agreed that customers would order directly through the store. I'm looking forward to the event. I really admire their aggressive marketing during a time when independent booksellers are struggling. 

The third event is in Colorado Springs. The group is the American Association of University Women. I enthusiastically accepted this invitation to speak at their annual fundraising event. I gave a similar presentation several years ago here in Fort Collins. Talk about readers! This group is shrewd, organized, and very discerning. AAUW works hard to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research.

I'm honored by the number of members who have already read Mary's Place.

My mother is not your mother, but believe me taking her advice is a good idea for everyone. "Do not trust anyone who tries to impress you with their honesty" And always remember my overriding advice to new authors, old authors, and everyone in between. "DO NOT GIVE ANYONE ANY MONEY.