Is That Email Really from Black Château, The BookFest, or Books That Make You?
How to verify suspicious emails, avoid scammers, and make sure you are communicating with our official brands and people.
By Desireé Duffy, Founder of Black Château, Books That Make You, and The BookFest Adventure®
I can’t tell you how much it pains me that scammers are impersonating Black Château Enterprises, our family of brands, and even people on our team. After nearly a decade of working with authors and building literary brands authors can trust, it is infuriating to see bad actors use that trust as bait.
Scammers have turned our transparency and brand reputation against us. They impersonate our brands, claim to be members of our team, and use our names to make fraudulent outreach seem credible. They have even used the names of real people associated with our company, copied information from our websites, and included our logos, trademarks, and company details in fake email signatures.
Because AI has made it easier for scammers to scrape public information and scale their outreach, fraudulent emails can look convincing, especially to an author who is excited about a potential opportunity.
This article will help you determine whether an email claiming to be from Black Château, The BookFest, Books That Make You, or someone on our team is legitimate, and what to do if it is not.
Official Communication from Our Brands
Official communication from our brands and team members comes from our domains.
Our domains are:
If you receive a message claiming to be from Black Château, The BookFest, Books That Make You, or one of our team members, check the sender’s email address first. Specifically, look at the From line.
If the email uses our brand name, a version of our brand name, or the name of a real team member but comes from Gmail or another free email service, treat it with suspicion. Chances are it is not legitimate.
Example: From: Desiree < Desiree.Duf914867@gmail.com >
I will not email you from an address like this. Ever. And neither will our professional team.
An email from one of our official domains is a strong sign that it is indeed legitimate.
Example: From: The BookFest < name@TheBookFest.com >
An email with the brand name as the domain name is what you want to see.
That said, scammers can be tricky. They may use display names, lookalike addresses, misspellings, extra words, or confusing formatting to make an email appear official at first glance.
This is why you should look carefully at the actual sender’s email address, not just the name that appears in your inbox. If you get a suspicious email claiming to be from Black Château, The BookFest, or Books That Make You, check the domain in the email address to help determine if it is legitimate.
Official Email Outreach Through Newsletters and Eblasts
Like most businesses, much of our email outreach is done through our official newsletters and email alerts. You can determine if an offer or newsletter is really from Black Château, The BookFest, or Books That Make You by looking at the email domain.
For example, we send news and information about The BookFest, The BookFest Awards, the call for Speakers and Ideas, the Virtual Gift Bag, and related opportunities to the BookFest community. BookFesters are a collaborative and supportive community, which unfortunately also makes them a target for bad actors.
Legitimate emails from The BookFest come from a limited number of official addresses and follow this format: name@TheBookFest.com.
Black Château and Books That Make You also have thriving bookish communities and send newsletters and email alerts. Always look at the email domain to help determine whether it is authentically from any of our brands.
Additionally, all our brands use a reputable email platform for distribution. In addition to having the brand name in the email domain, official newsletters and email alerts include standard unsubscribe options and compliance information in the footer.
To ensure you receive official news and information from any of our brands, visit TheBookFest.com, BlackChateauEnterprises.com, or BooksThatMakeYou.com and subscribe directly from the official website.
You may unsubscribe from our official newsletters and email alerts at any time using the unsubscribe link provided. We make it easy and follow email best practices.
How to Spot Scam Emails
As mentioned, the sender’s email domain is the first thing to check, but it is not the only warning sign.
Scammers often combine real details about your book or author platform with flattery and alluring promises to make an email seem enticing.
Be cautious if an email includes any of the following:
- A sender email address that does not match one of our official domains.
- A display name that looks familiar, but an email address that does not match.
- Pressure to act quickly, pay immediately, or keep the opportunity confidential.
- Promises that sound too good to be true.
- Requests for payment through unusual methods.
- Requests for personal information, account access, manuscript files, or sensitive documents.
A fake email may include real names, real brand details, trademarks, logos, or language copied from our websites. That does not make it legitimate. Scammers often use public-facing information to make their outreach look more credible.
Look carefully before trusting that an email is legitimate.
What to Do if the Email Is Fake
If you determine the message is fake, block and report the sender through your email provider.
In most email programs, you can right-click on the message, open the menu options, and select Report Spam, Report Phishing, Block Sender, or a similar option.
The exact wording may vary depending on your email provider, but the goal is the same: report the message as suspicious and prevent the sender from contacting you again.
If the scammer used one of our brand names, team member names, trademarks, logos, or company details, and you are still not sure what to do, we’ve got you.
Please reach out to me directly through the official website contact form. Tell me about the email you received. I will help you verify the message and determine the best next steps, which may include reporting the fraud to Google, the email provider, or other appropriate entities.
What Not to Do with a Scam Email
Take precautions with suspicious emails. Protect yourself, make yourself less of a target, and help lessen the reach of these fraudsters.
- Do not engage with the scammers. They are trying to get information or money from you. Do not give them the opportunity.
- Do not provide personal information.
- Do not provide access to any accounts, such as Amazon or Ingram.
- Do not provide credit card information or payment details.
- Do not send manuscript files or sensitive documents.
- Do not send money.
- Do not download attachments.
- Do not use phone numbers or contact information provided in the suspicious email to verify the message.
- Do not click links, even if they appear to go to one of our official websites. Instead, type the URL into your browser to navigate to the official website.
These are good rules to follow for any email that seems suspicious. And remember, legitimate professionals will never try to coerce information from you.
Oops, I Already Replied. Now What?
First, stop engaging with the sender. Do not reply again. Do not give them any more information.
If they have your phone number, block and report their number. If they have your credit card information, contact your bank or payment provider and replace your card.
If you’ve provided them with any information, preserve the message and any related records in case you need to refer back to it.
If you clicked a link, downloaded an attachment, sent money, shared account access, provided payment details, or sent manuscript files or sensitive documents, take extra precautions to ensure your information is not compromised.
This may include running a malware scan or asking an IT professional to check your computer or device.
Change any affected passwords or credentials you may have shared. If you provided payment or credit card information, contact your bank or payment provider. Then block and report the message to make sure that particular email address cannot reach you again.
If you replied to a scammer, you may be approached by other fraudulent email addresses and bad actors. Continue to block and report to mitigate their impact on you and the wider writing community.
A Final Word
We know this is frustrating. It is frustrating for authors who are trying to figure out which opportunities are real, and it is frustrating for legitimate professionals and organizations whose names are being misused. But you are not powerless.
Remember, the number one rule is to always check the sender’s email domain. If you are uncertain, visit our website and reach out to us using our official website contact form.
Authors deserve real support, transparency, and opportunities they can trust.
The Black Château Enterprises family of brands is committed to that goal. Know that we are here, doing the very human work needed to combat AI fraudsters, and we are with you every step of the way.
Scammers be damned.
To learn more about how AI scammers are targeting authors and impersonating publishing professionals on a larger scale, read: Author Alert: AI Scammers Are Impersonating Real Publishing Professionals.
