SCAM WARNING: AW does not offer paid services! > Likes and Comments
date
newest »
newest »
I found this online, the story of someone who was scammed by this person.https://alfrancis.substack.com/p/was-...
Thank you Gertie for the follow through. I am working with both Goodreads and Amazon support in providing clear warnings and policy changes alerting authors to avoid so called "Showcases".
That's good! I hope it is helpful and that they are able to improve things in some way. We can't stop people from trying to scam each other but we can do our best to make it difficult, and also make it easier to identify.
Thank you for posting this. Very valuable information!I was emailed by this "person" ('Brandy Nichol') a week ago to get one of my books in front of your 'Apocalypse Whenever' group in the form of an Author Spotlight. We have been in contact over the week.
The emails are well written, seem personable (not robotic AI in tone), actually talk about my previously published books in some detail (which is why I was less suspicious) and they sent out a PDF file with a full four pages of details on how the Author Spotlight would work. Reading that, nothing was out of the ordinary.
I did my due diligence as I often get odd emails (some are clearly scams), so I checked her account details here (at that time, I was not a member) and that seemed legit. The website associated with the PDF is non-operational but since it was only set up in September 2026 (checked via an IP checker), that can be a non-flagged issue as the owner may not have set up their website yet.
I rejoined Goodreads just today, to do a double check that this was a legit offer, before starting to consider putting money down ... joined your 'AW' Group ... and voila, found out that it's a sophisticated scam targeting authors!
So, thank you very much Gertie, for posting this warning, you have saved this appreciative author a whole bunch of time, money and trouble. If you need more info on how I was approached, that PDF document I mentioned or any other details, please feel free to reach out to me.
Lita Locke
Author of Various Stuff and Things =)
Thanks for chiming in! The more info we have the more people know what to look for. Glad you realized in time. I’m so disgusted by this whole thing. :-(
This has been happening in other groups as well.
I believe it is happening in other groups too. I feel that a policy change that explicitly states that Group run "Paid" services are not allowed within Goodreads. And a useful scam alert like Gertie's would align with that policy. All told I have upwards of 15 paid for services offered amongst the various legitimate groups within the Goodreads umbrella.
That’s awful. I hope Goodreads/Amazon puts some resources into protecting consumers and site users from these things more. Removing direct messaging for individuals has made it more difficult for people to reach out here and verify identities, which doesn’t help matters.
Passed this on to some other groups. Thanks for the warning!
It has come to my attention that there is someone who is impersonating me and/or misrepresenting themselves as being affiliated with the Apocalypse Whenever group, and offering paid services.
WE OFFER NO PAID SERVICES. I do not, nor does anyone in the group, offer paid services in any sort of official capacity relating to the group. If someone says otherwise, feel free to add an update below/let me know. Also consider reporting them to Goodreads.
We do not offer an Author Spotlight feature. We have no "community committee". There are no AW employees. Moderators do not have access to email addresses of authors. If you receive an email that did not come through Goodreads, don't trust it.
For contacting members, now that individual messaging is gone, I only use the group email broadcast through Goodreads UI. (If I'm desperate I can comment on something on their feed if they are a GR Friend.)
:::::: THE EVILDOERS:::::::
The business (currently) named Apocalypse Readers is in no way affiliated with the Apocalypse Whenever Goodreads group. They are taking advantage of the existence of a long-established group in at attempt to manipulate people into trusting and purchasing their services.
Brandy Nichol, posing as a representative of this group under a business name of Apocalypse Readers, has been removed from the group and blocked. Some contacts may have claimed to be me as well. They refer to themselves also as the "Apocalypse Whenever Support Team."
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7...
::::::: STAYING SAFE:::::::
BE SUSPICIOUS! Please don't be ashamed or embarrassed if you have been a victim of one of these scams. These people can be VERY convincing and they may be using AI agents to help make them sound more appealing and trustworthy. There are some things you can do to protect yourselves and red flags to consider.
• Was the contact unsolicited?
• Verify their legitimacy. Look them up online, not using the credentials provide in their email.
• Check websites, and email addresses, look up the terms they use (add the word "scam" for targeted results), dig around.
• Do they claim to be part of a business or organization you trust (and have never heard from before)?
• Did they ask for an unusual form of payment? (bank transfer, gift card, wire etc.)? of payment?
• Inconsistent naming (e.g. email name says "Adventure Bookworms" but the email address says "name@AdventureReaders.org"
• Is there unnecessary urgency? A deadline that is fast approaching?
• Still feeling uncertain? Reach out to a trusted friend or advisor for help evaluating.
There are far too many scams like this these days, and it's best to be cautious. If you are not feeling as confident as you'd like about recognizing scammers, YouTube has some good "how to spot a scam" instructional videos.
At the bottom, I will paste the contents of some emails that have been shared with me, for your education and comparison to anything you may have received. Note that scams evolve, and if they are to try again, it may use different names etc.
I really hope this scam has not reached and affected any of you negatively. This group has always been here for the camaraderie, the discussions, the books... and it's shameful anyone tries to take advantage of our community. I'll be letting Goodreads know about this as well.
Gertie
.................................... some email text .......................................
Hello,
I hope you're doing well.
My name is Brandy Nichol, and I'm reaching out regarding [name's] Author Spotlight with our Apocalypse Whenever community.
{name} has confirmed that he would like to proceed with the 4-month Author Spotlight featuring both [title] and [title] at a total cost of $600.
He asked me to contact you directly regarding the payment channel and the next steps through his corporation.
Could you please let me know the appropriate payment method and provide the payment instructions or details needed to arrange the $600 payment?
Once the payment arrangement has been confirmed, we'll be able to move forward and begin preparing the launch for [name's] feature.
Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Warm regards,
Brandy Nichol
...........
brandynichol27@yahoo.com
Your book, [—], has been selected for consideration as part of our featured books, and we hope to confirm your feature with you soon.
Thank you again for reaching out to us.
Warm regards,
Apocalypse Whenever Support Team
support@apocalypsereaders.org
.......
Hello [name],
Thank you for contacting our support team. We appreciate you taking the time to verify the identity and authority of anyone representing a reader community before moving forward. We understand that this is an important step.
We can confirm that Brandy Nichol is part of the Apocalypse Whenever community committee and is authorized to reach out to authors selected for our Author Spotlight features.
For your records, her email address is:
brandynichol27@yahoo.com
Your book, The A.I. Diaries, has been selected for consideration as part of our featured books, and we hope to confirm your feature with you soon.
Thank you again for reaching out to us.
Warm regards,
Apocalypse Whenever Support Team
support@apocalypsereaders.org