Really? why is this 99.99 a scam. What about people who receive book deals?
Are you telling me that in all those cases (except that .01 %) that the author went to the publisher.
I believe it is possible a publisher might get wind of some author and want to hook them in before they get too rich and famous and beyond them.
Since I post at work, sometimes I shorten things too much. Sorry. Key phrase here is, They don't know you. If you've written a piece that's been published and has the possibility of being extended into a book, or have a blog geared to a specific subject (usually non-fiction), or - basically - have had something published somewhere that has potential for a book, you may be approached by someone legitimate (usually a small press, unless you've become wildly popular with multilpe thousands reprinting your articles or logging onto your blog daily).
It's very rare and this is, sadly, another tactic with scammers. It does happen, less often than miracles, but commonly (if I can use that word with rare) with a non-fiction piece for which the agent/publisher has an anticipated niche.
Most agents and publishers are simply too busy to hunt for work, and they're hoping those they're already working with will become rich and famous.
But I think you're talking about fiction, where one book has been published and the writer is contacted for a series. (Are you?) I'm told that also happens (rarely), but couldn't name an example. Still, in this case, the writer has been published, and usually by a legitimate publisher, large or small, and is therefore known to the person calling. If anyone has ever had this happen, they can jump in.
Guess the bottom line is if someone just contacts you and tells you you're a fantastic writer but can't tell you how they know, complete with full details of a published piece, hang up or delete.
And welcome!