Scam Advisory
Fraud Alert: Scammers Impersonating WAMC's The Book Show
WAMC and The Book Show with Joe Donahue is alerting the general public on a widespread fraud scheme scam targeting independent and self-published authors. Scammers are impersonating our program and staff to solicit payment from authors in exchange for fake "radio features."
About the Real Book Show
The Book Show is a free, editorially independent program hosted by Joe Donahue. Authors are invited to appear based solely on editorial merit — there is no application process, no fee, and no tiered placement system. Joe Donahue can be reached through official WAMC channels only at wamc.org.
The Book Show does not charge authors fees of any kind. Joe Donahue does not solicit authors through unsolicited cold emails. Any email asking you to pay for a feature on The Book Show is a scam.
Our understanding of how the scam works:
The fraudsters use a multi-step approach designed to build credibility before asking for money:
1. An unsolicited email arrives, claiming to be from Joe Donahue or "The Book Show" team. The message says your book has been "selected" or "placed under consideration" for an upcoming feature cycle — language chosen to make you feel chosen, not solicited. These emails come from Gmail addresses, not from wamc.org.
2. If you respond with interest, the scammer sends a detailed, personalized-sounding pitch describing how your specific book "translates well into audio," appeals to an "engaged listening base," and has been selected from a limited number of titles. They may reference real WAMC details (our address at 318 Central Ave, Albany, NY; Joe Donahue's name and biography; links to our actual website) to appear legitimate.
3. Once interest is confirmed, the scammer reveals that the "feature" is actually a paid placement. They share they’re structured into tiers with names like "The Insight Spotlight," "The Deep Connection Segment," and "The Author Authority Experience," priced between approximately $400 and $650 (sometimes listed in both USD and GBP). These are fabricated packages. WAMC does not offer or sell any such placements.
How to identify these emails:
If you have received an email from the following or variations of it, it is a scam:
wamcthebookshow@gmail.com , thebookshow50@gmail.com , joedonahue.host@gmail.com , jdonahue.wamc.org@gmail.com joe.at.the.book.show@gmail.com
The only legitimate email for the WAMC’s Book Show are: book@wamc.org, sladuke@wamc.org, jdonahue@wamc.org, mreynolds@wamc.org, or an email delivered by a wamc.org account.
Subject lines and phrases used in scam emails:
• "Your Book Selected for Upcoming Radio Feature at THE BOOK SHOW FM"
• “The Book Show – Author Interview Invitation for [insert Book Title]”
• “Author Interview Invitation: Discuss Your Book with WAMC’s The Book Show”
• "Invitation to Appear on The Book Show"
• "upcoming feature cycle"
• "your book has been placed under consideration"
• “what particularly called our attention was”
• "only a limited number of titles are included in each cycle"
• "your work aligns closely with the direction we are currently curating"
• “we would love to explore topics such as”
• "WAMC – The Book Show" (as an email sign-off from a Gmail address)
Fraudulent package names and pricing:
• "The Insight Spotlight" — $400 / £289
• "The Deep Connection Segment" — $550 / £398
• "The Author Authority Experience" — $650 / £470
• "Foundation Feature," "Expanded Feature," "Signature Feature"
• "10,000+ active listeners"
• “540,000+ monthly listeners”
• "Priority Feature for our global audience"
• "Production Desk," "final clearance and technical vetting"
• "THE BOOK SHOW FM" (we are not "FM" — we are WAMC Northeast Public Radio)
What to do if you received one of these emails:
- Do not send money. No legitimate public radio program charges authors for features.
- Do not click links in suspicious emails, even if they appear to link to wamc.org.
- Forward the email to book@wamc.org so we can track the scope of this fraud.
- Report the email to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
If you have any questions, please reach out us at web@wamc.org