Fraud Advice

We are aware that scammers are impersonating members of our team by email, using fake email addresses that are designed to look like they come from one of us. We want to make sure our writers and the wider writing community know how to spot these emails and stay safe.

What is happening?

Fraudsters are sending emails that purport to be from named staff of The Novelry, including editors whose profiles appear on our website. They may or may not reference previous employers, including publishers. These emails typically tell a writer that their book has been reviewed and selected, and offer to connect them with a literary agent or publisher. These emails are scams, but they might include real names, job titles and in some cases photographs taken from our website.

We are currently aware of scam emails purporting to be from Tash Barsby, Nic Caws and Lily Cooper, and will update this page if we are made aware of other names being used.

How to spot a fraudulent email

Please check the email address first. All genuine emails from The Novelry will come from an address ending in @thenovelry.com.

If you receive an email purporting to be from one of our team using any other email address, it is a scam.

Always check the following red flags when receiving an email you consider to be suspicious.
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1. Check the email address and subject line for any mismatches.
2. Look out for unusual requests in the body copy, such as asking for sensitive information or financial requests. Poor grammar and spelling errors can also be red flags.
3. Never click hyperlinks in emails you consider to be suspicious.
4. Stay alert for surprising attachments and do not open if you consider to be suspicious.

Please also consider the content. We are a writing school. We do not publish novels and we do not act as a literary agency. We will therefore never contact you out of the blue to offer you a publishing deal or representation. Our submission service is available to current members of The Novelry only and isn’t offered unsolicited to external writers. We will never ask you for payment in connection with a publishing offer, acquisition or agent referral. If the email promises any of the above, it is a scam.

If in doubt, do not reply to the email. Instead, contact us directly at hello@thenovelry.com and we will confirm whether the communication is genuine.

What to do if you receive a fraudulent email

1. Check the sender’s email address; if it isn’t @thenovelry.com, it isn’t from us.
2. Do not reply to it and do not click any links in it.
3. Forward it to us at hello@thenovelry.com so we can keep track of the scam and warn others.
4. If you are based in the US, you can report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
5. If you are based in the UK, report it to Action Fraud: actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
6. You can also report fraudulent Gmail addresses to Google at support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse.

A note from us

It is deeply frustrating that the warmth and trust of the writing community is being exploited in this way. We know that you put enormous effort and hope into your work, and these scams are designed to take advantage of that. Please share this page with any writers you know who may be at risk, and do not hesitate to contact us if anything seems suspicious. Any genuine communication from our team will always come from @thenovelry.com and we'll always be happy to verify it.