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    September 25, 2026

    Indie Author Awareness

    Indie Author Awareness
    Indie Author Awareness

    When I started my self-publishing journey about 15 months ago, I was soon offered a "paid" book review via social media. It was quite low-cost, and I had seen reviews by the same reviewer on other sites. So I tried it out. The review appeared on social media, but not on Amazon. Despite the cost, including the e-book price on Amazon.
    The reviewer never bought the e-book from Amazon. They submitted the review to Amazon after I asked for evidence, which was provided. But Amazon did not publish it. They detected that it was a "professional" book review without a verifiable purchase.
    The reviews published on social media were short-lived, and they generated no recognised sales.
    This experience, and the cost of Amazon Ads, led me to found The Book Hook Online website, where I promote my own work and the work of other indie authors for free.
    As the site has grown, I have experienced more and more suspicious promotion offers, including a book club invitation where I was asked to pay for "costs", and an offer to write a book from someone posing as American author Ann Patchett. I didn't spot the spelling mistake in the surname at first, as the name used was "Ann Pachett". I had that account taken down.
    As indie authors, watch for these direct contacts, as they are likely scams designed to lure you into a paid promotion.
    You can read more details of the various attempts that I have experienced here:
    https://thebookhook.online/when-a-book-club-invitation-isnt-what-it-seems/ .