On March 11, 2026, I received an email from a Shannon Kelly, Executive Editor at Running Press, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. She stated that she had recently come across a book I had written, The Complete Guide to Interpreting Your Own Dreams, and she wondered if I had a literary agent and if I owned the rights.

I explained that this book, published in 2012, was a “work for hire” and that the rights belonged to Atlantic Publishing, a small how-to publisher located in Ocala, Florida that had contracted me to write this book and two other books.

She then informed me that she would love to discuss my future plans for this guide, pointing out that Running Press has a strength in the “giftable” reference market and an expansive retail presence. She asked whether I have a literary agent, stating that if I do, she would reach out to them directly. She also wanted to know if I was working on any other instructional or mystical content.

I replied that I have several ideas for mystical or new age books if she was interested. I then scanned Hachette Book Group’s website and everything seemed to match up – her photo in the email to me, her name and position at Running Press, and the logo of Hachette Book Group. Her signature also had a link to Reedsy.com where she is listed as an Editor for hire. In the back of my mind, I wondered why someone in such a high position at Running Press/Hachette Book Group would need to be looking for work on Reedsy.

And then I didn’t hear back from her. A week later, I reached out, asking her why she had contacted me only to go silent. She responded with an apology, stating that my correspondence probably got buried in the shuffle of the acquisition cycle (her words), but she was very interested in discussing the future of my book. She again asked me if I am represented by an agent – even though I had stated that I am not. That bothered me, but I put it down to the possibility that maybe she had a long list of books she wanted to acquire the rights to.

I reiterated that I do not own the rights – Atlantic Publishing does – so how would this work going forward?

She thanked me for clarifying those details and stated that typically, if a publisher holds the exclusive rights to a specific edition, any new deal would necessitate either a formal Rights Reversion where Atlantic Publishing, in this case, would officially return the rights to me, or require a negotiation between Hachette and Atlantic. She also went on to say that since there is both an adult version and a young adult version of my book, she was more interested in obtaining the rights to the adult version, especially if that version contained significant original material that was not included in the young adult publication; but if my contract with Atlantic was only for the YA/Junior edition, there may be a path forward for Hachette Book Group to develop a definitive adult edition or a completely refreshed guide under the Running Press imprint.

She then asked me if I had a copy of my contract with Atlantic Publishing to see if it covered all editions or just the young adult version, and she asked again if the adult version is currently unpublished.

I then restated for the third time that I wrote the adult version first and then several years later, Atlantic Publishing took the exact same copy and slapped a new cover on it to also sell it as a young adult dream interpretation guide, even though it is basically the same book.

I informed her again that this was a work for hire and that it is still currently being sold on Amazon, Books a Million, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, and other sites as well as on Atlantic Publishing’s site at atlantic-pub.com. I then asked how this would benefit me as the author if Running Press was able to acquire the rights from Atlantic Publishing.

“That is a very fair and important question,” she wrote. “When an author moves from a work-for-hire arrangement with a smaller press to an imprint like Running Press, the benefits are usually centered on three key pillars: Platform, Participation, and Legacy. Here is how an acquisition would be beneficial to you:

• Royalties vs. Work-for-Hire: In your current setup, you likely received a flat fee with no long-term financial stake. If we were to acquire the rights or develop a new ‘definitive’ edition with you, we would move toward a standard royalty contract. This means you would share in the success of every copy sold, providing you with potential passive income for years to come.
• Global Distribution and Marketing: While your books are currently available on major sites, being part of Hachette gives you access to a massive global sales force. We don’t just list books; we actively pitch them to lead placement in physical bookstores, airport retailers, and international markets that smaller independent presses often cannot reach.
• Editorial Reinvigoration: Work-for-hire titles are often produced quickly. At Running Press, we specialize in high-concept, giftable aesthetics. We would look to package your expertise into a beautiful, refreshed edition — likely the adult version.
• Brand Growth: Transitioning from a boutique press to a ‘Big Five’ publisher significantly elevates your profile as an author. This can lead to more speaking engagements, media opportunities, and better leverage for any future books you write.

“However, because you mentioned these were works for hire, Atlantic Publishing does indeed hold the copyright. For us to move forward, we would typically approach Atlantic to buy out those rights or negotiate a license. Alternatively, if your original ‘adult manuscript’ is significantly different from what they published, we might be able to treat it as a new work entirely.”

She then asked if I would be willing to share the “Grant of Rights” or “Scope of Works” section of my contract with Atlantic Publishing. Of course I would. What unknown writer wouldn’t want to?

And because her responses seemed professional and there was no hard sell on her point, the alarm bells never went off. I sent her the paragraph in my Atlantic Publishing contract that stated clearly that my work was a work for hire and covered by a one-time payment, but that Atlantic Publishing owned all rights and that as the writer, I agreed to waive any so-called moral rights in the work nor was I owed any further compensation. I also provided her with the names of Atlantic Publishing’s owner and the editor I had worked with.

This last bit of correspondence was on March 23. At this point, something made me click on her email address despite her nonaggressive and seemingly professional tone of her emails, in addition to the fact that her name and title, and the email’s logo of Hachette Book Group all matched the company’s website. That is when I discovered that her email address was hatchettebookgroup@aol.com. Red flags suddenly were waving.

I then went to Hachette’s website and at the top, easy to overlook – at least for me – was a warning with a link: Please be aware: scammers may be impersonating Hachette. I clicked and read a detailed statement about scammers using employee names to contact authors and to beware of any email addresses that ended with aol.com, among others listed. The company also asked that any author who was contacted by a potential scammer to email Hachette’s fraud department.

The response I received back was quick. Yes, I had heard from a scammer. No, Hachette Book Group never approaches authors about purchasing rights, and that all legitimate Hachette email addresses end with @hbgusa.com. I was also advised to stop communicating with the scammer.

I waited to see if I heard from the scammer again. I wanted to expose this person claiming to be Shannon Kelly. But I have not heard anything since March 23 – 11 days ago. I was sure that the next step would be a financial request, but so far there has only been silence.

Ironically, my email inbox has been inundated with other so-called editors interested in the same book, as well as so-called book clubs asking for donations so that they could discuss my book at their next meeting. Was my email address sold to them and were “Shannon Kelly’s” emails the first step of the scam?

This Shannon Kelly poser had corresponded with me for almost two weeks. What was the point? I’m still not sure. I am usually good at spotting potential scams, but I suppose the professional tones of the emails and the lack of urgency in her correspondence caused me to overlook the email address and the warning on Hachette’s website.

I think what is most upsetting is that writers have a hard enough time making money and getting published. I’ve experienced less work with each passing year as I’ve gotten older, my freelance writing job rejections have grown, and it is becoming more and more difficult to find work. One would think that companies would want a writer who has years of experience, but the opposite has been true.

The best advice I can give my fellow writers is “Writer Beware” about offers that seem too good to be true. Predators can sound legitimate and professional, especially when they steal authentic editors’ and companies’ identities and play into the desire of all writers to be respected and have their work recognized.

If you’re interested in reading The Complete Guide to Interpreting Your Own Dreams by K.O. Morgan, you can purchase my books at https://www.amazon.com/stores/K.-O.-Morgan/author/B004AOHPH8?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1775057981&sr=8-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true or on Amazon UK, Waterstones, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million and Atlantic-pub.com.