We are aware that authors, agents and editors are receiving scam emails impersonating Rebel Book Club and Rebel Book Club team members. We take this seriously and want to be transparent about what is happening, what we have done about it and what you can do to protect yourself.
This is not just happening to us. Organisations across the publishing industry have raised the alarm about the same type of scam.
What the scam looks like
The scam emails follow a clear pattern. Someone sends a polished, professional email that claims to be from Rebel Book Club. The email offers to feature the author's book, often with flattering language. At some point, the sender asks the author to pay a fee.
These emails tipically:
- Come from a Gmail address rather than our official domain
- Use names of real RBC team members or co-founders
- Include links to our genuine website and social media accounts to appear credible
- Are well written, often AI-generated
- Target both fiction and non-fiction authors, even though Rebel Book Club is strictly a non-fiction book club
- Request payment to "secure" the feature
We have seen addresses like editorial.rbc@gmail.com and others that use "rebelbookclub" or "rbc" before the @ sign. These are not our email addresses.
How to spot scam emails
Here is a quick checklist:
- Check the sender address. Our emails come from @rebelbookclub.co.uk. If it comes from a Gmail, Outlook or other free email address, it is not us.
- Look for a payment request. We never charge authors. If the email asks for money, it is a scam.
- Check the genre. We are a non-fiction book club. If the email offers to feature a fiction title, that is a clear giveaway.
- Watch for unsolicited "opportunities." We do not send cold emails offering paid features or promotions.
- Be cautious of flattery. Scam emails often include effusive, AI-generated praise of the author's work to build trust quickly.
What to do if you receive a suspicious email
Do not reply, click any links or send any payment.
If in doubt, check with us. Forward the email to hello@rebelbookclub.co.uk and we will confirm whether it is genuine and advise you on next steps.
Report it as phishing from your own inbox. In Gmail, select the three-dot menu next to Reply and choose "Report phishing." Other email providers have a similar option. Reports from recipients are the most effective way to get scam accounts shut down.
Delete it once you have done the above.
You have not done anything wrong by receiving one of these emails. Forwarding it to us genuinely helps us build the evidence trail we need to report and shut down scam accounts.
What we have done
We have taken several steps to fight this:
Email authentication. We have set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on our domain, which are security measures that help email providers verify whether an email genuinely came from us.
Reporting to Google. Each time a scam Gmail address is reported to us, we submit an abuse report to Google. We ask the person who received the email to report it as phishing from their inbox too.
Reporting to Action Fraud. We have reported this campaign to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud and cybercrime reporting centre.
When we actually contact authors
Each month, our members vote for the book we will read together. They choose from a shortlist of three nonfiction titles on the same topic. We only contact an author if their book has been shortlisted or wins the monthly vote and we want to invite them to one of our events, or if we want to collaborate on a project.
When we do get in touch, it will always be from a @rebelbookclub.co.uk email address or through our official social media accounts:
Instagram: @rebelbookclub
LinkedIn: @rebelbookclub
TikTok: @rebelbookclub
We never ask authors to pay to be featured, shortlisted or involved in an event or initiative.
Other organisations have raised the same alarm
This type of scam is an industry-wide problem, not something unique to Rebel Book Club. Several organisations have published warnings:
Penguin Random House warned in May 2026 of a "significant rise" in phishing scams where fraudsters impersonate real PRH editors and employees. Their dedicated fraud alert page includes telephone and email support for authors to verify offers.
The Authors Guild (US) published a detailed bulletin in Winter 2026 about the rise in email scams that target authors. They specifically named book club impersonation as one of the most common patterns and noted that scammers use free email domains such as Gmail to pose as established brands. Their Publishing Scam Alerts page is regularly updated.
The Society of Authors and The Writers' Guild of Great Britain published joint guidance in May 2026 about what they described as an "alarming increase" in AI-driven scams that target writers. The guidance includes a checklist for authors to assess whether offers are genuine or fraudulent.
Writer Beware covered fake book club scams in detail in September 2025, with multiple authors sharing their experiences of being contacted by fictitious book clubs that ask for fees.
WritersWeekly documented the pattern in November 2025, with their publisher noting that the volume of fake book club emails had become too large to publish individually.
The Bookseller reported in December 2025 on the "deluge" of scam emails that hit authors, including those that impersonate industry professionals and marketing agencies.
We are watching this closely
We monitor our social media accounts, email systems and payment platforms for impersonation or suspicious activity. We report every scam address we become aware of. And we will continue to update this page if the pattern changes.
If you have any questions or want to report a suspicious email, please contact us at hello@rebelbookclub.co.uk.
Thank you for helping us protect authors from these scams.
