Chameleon: "The Spine Collector" – Episode Summary

Podcast: Chameleon (Audiochuck | Campside Media)
Host: Josh Dean
Episode: The Spine Collector
Date: December 11, 2025

Overview: The Peculiar Tale of the "Spine Collector"

This episode of Chameleon dives into the captivating and confounding story of a scammer dubbed the "Spine Collector," who stole unpublished book manuscripts by impersonating insiders across the global publishing industry. Host Josh Dean is joined by New York Magazine journalists Lila Shapiro and Reeves Wiedemann, who spent years piecing together the bizarre caper—one that ultimately entwined questions of literary obsession, industry insidership, and personal longing for acceptance. The episode explores the motives, investigation, and aftermath of this literary con and asks: Why would anyone go to such lengths for manuscripts that seemingly have no commercial worth?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Emergence of the Mystery

• Origins of the Scam:
  • The publishing world in 2019 was rattled by a series of thefts—unpublished manuscripts stolen through elaborate impersonation schemes.
  • High-profile and unknown authors alike were targeted, casting a wide net of concern across editors, agents, and scouts.
    Lila Shapiro (01:43): “The scammer would pretend to be a publisher writing to an agent, or an agent writing to an author, or a book scout writing to an editor. And the goal every time was to obtain a copy of some unpublished manuscript, an object that in most cases has little to no value.”

Zero Financial Motive, Maximum Intrigue

• The Perplexity:
  • No manuscripts appeared on piracy sites or black markets; no clear profit motive was found.
  • Major publishing houses launched investigations, and paranoia spread in all branches of the business. Josh Dean (04:16): “There was no obvious financial motive. These manuscripts were not showing up for sale on bootleg sites.”

Journalistic Fascination & Dead Ends

• The Writers’ Perspective:
  • For Lila and Reeves, the story’s low stakes were part of its charm, especially during the pandemic. Lila Shapiro (07:55): “There was something that was like secretly gratifying to some people at least about the idea that these books were valuable enough to steal. Especially… this might be one of the only people who ever reads this book, potentially.”
• Attempts to Crack the Case:
  • Their investigation included tracking countless emails, mapping correspondences, and following up on rumors—especially about one particular book scout. Reeves Wiedemann (09:51): “We were trying to go through it and see, like, can we pick out patterns in when they're sending or who they're targeting…The spreadsheet seemed to reveal that it was totally random.”

The Scammer Targets the Investigators

• Unexpected Contact:
  • As Lila and Reeves gained notoriety in the probe, the scammer began impersonating publishing insiders to contact them directly. Reeves Wiedemann (11:21): “Whoever was doing this started impersonating people in the publishing world and contacting, I think, both of us…trying to pretend as if they were these other people in publishing sort of talking to us.”
• The Fake Meetup:
  • The scammer mockingly proposed an in-person meeting in Brooklyn, responding with crude jokes when prompted to name a location. Lila Shapiro (12:38): “And they wrote back, how about Fuck you, Hill, or can I meet you at Silly Cunt Square?...It's one of, like, my favorite lines I've ever received in an email from a source.”

False Leads & Frustration

• Suspect Cleared:
  • The "smoking gun" evidence linking the crime to an industry book scout was ultimately a misreading; publishing insiders weren’t tech-savvy enough to spot a faked email. Reeves Wiedemann (14:43): “They were sort of duped themselves by not noticing that, in fact, this email address was a fake, that it had a letter or number just off …At the same time, it was pretty deflating because…we had very little hope of actually being able to pin this on anyone.”
• Reluctant Closure:
  • The journalists’ editors pushed them to publish despite the lack of a resolution, leading to their 2023 article, “The Spine Collector.” Josh Dean (15:50): “He means the story that he and Lila published in New York magazine in March of 2023 under the perfect headline, the Spine Collector.”

An Arrest and Revelations

• The Break in the Case:
  • After publication, a cybersecurity source hinted at a concrete suspect, then the U.S. Justice Department announced an arrest. Reeves Wiedemann (18:23): “They said he arrived at JFK airport in New York City on a flight from London and was apprehended there.”
• Filippo Bernardini Unmasked:
  • Bernardini, a 29-year-old Italian in Simon & Schuster UK’s rights division, was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
  • He had created more than 160 fake websites and emails to impersonate publishing insiders. Lila Shapiro (18:44): “Bernardini of London registered more than 160 website and email addresses to impersonate individuals.”
• No Genial Criminal Mastermind:
  • Bernardini was neither a technical genius nor motivated by money. FBI likely tracked him using straightforward digital forensics. Lila Shapiro (20:00): “…it's not like the scammer was some tech genius either who was maybe super skilled at covering up all of his tracks…”

The Psychology & Pathos of the Scam

• Longing for Acceptance:
  • Bernardini’s defense highlighted his social awkwardness, autism diagnosis, lack of connection in the publishing community, and failure to be an industry insider. Lila Shapiro (22:26): “It sort of made sense early on that like whoever was doing this wouldn't be able to just get the manuscripts the normal way that someone would do it. … the way it functions is that people kind of like each other. And so, you know, it made sense to me that this person would not be able to kind of necessarily play that game.”
• A Statement to the Court:
  • Bernardini, via a written statement read by an actor, evokes his deep love of books and his compulsion to ‘cherish’ manuscripts before anyone else: Filippo Bernardini, read by actor (24:03): “I wanted to keep them closely to my chest and be one of the fewest to cherish them before anyone Else before they ended up in bookshop. …this behavior became an obsession, a compulsive behavior.”
• A Judge’s Bewilderment:
  • Even the presiding judge expressed confusion over Bernardini’s motives. Lila Shapiro (25:41): “I have no idea what to make of this. I don't understand why anyone would steal a book. I know why someone would pirate a dvd, but why would they steal an unpublished book manuscript? I mean, it was just the sort of central source of bewilderment.”

Aftermath, Debate, and Lingering Mysteries

• Punishment and Sympathy:

  • Bernardini was sentenced to time already served, three years’ supervised release, and an $88,000 fine—then deported. Many in publishing felt the penalty was sufficient; others, especially victimized authors, felt violated. Josh Dean quoting Literary Hub (27:08): "Let him diminish and go into the West Sardinia, where he can sit by the water and read his beloved books in peace, on or after their official publication dates, of course."
  • On the other side, some authors (see Peter Baker) found the incident deeply wounding. Josh Dean reading Peter Baker (28:20): “Getting fooled into handing it over made me feel sick.”

• Copycats and Unresolved Questions:

  • Since the arrest, similar scams have reportedly continued, leading to speculation about copycats or Bernardini’s possible return. Reeves Wiedemann (29:00): “Someone continues to steal book manuscripts in this weird way…My suspicion is that we're dealing with a copycat or maybe multiple copycats who saw this game and for whatever perverse reason, decided to take up the mantle. So the mystery continues.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lila Shapiro (04:06): “Mostly I write about horrible things, and this seemed at least kind of relatively less horrible and in a way, even kind of delightful.”
• Reeves Wiedemann (05:56): “What was so appealing and strange about it was that it just seemed to be everywhere and to no real purpose as far as we could tell.”
• Lila Shapiro (12:47): “[The scammer writes,] how about Fuck you, Hill, or can I meet you at Silly Cunt Square?... It's one of, like, my favorite lines I've ever received in an email from a source.”
• Josh Dean (15:50): “He means the story that he and Lila published in New York magazine in March of 2023 under the perfect headline, the Spine Collector.”
• Filippo Bernardini, statement read by actor (24:03): “A part of me wanted to believe that I was still one of them. And so I started cosplaying what people in publishing were doing as editor or literary agents.”
• Lila Shapiro (28:58): “There is a sort of earnest aspect of it, like reading someone still values reading.”
• Reeves Wiedemann (29:00): “So the mystery continues.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:40] Lila Shapiro introduces the premise through her publishing contacts.
• [02:43] Josh Dean lays out the scam’s confusion and scope.
• [09:51] Reeves describes compiling evidence and the randomness of the scam.
• [12:38] Lila recounts the absurd email from the scammer.
• [14:43] The “smoking gun” against the initial suspect is debunked.
• [18:23] The perpetrator, Bernardini, is arrested and identified.
• [24:03] Bernardini’s statement to the court is read aloud.
• [26:52] Bernardini’s sentencing and the divided industry response.
• [29:00] Ongoing mystery: reports of new manuscript thefts continue.

Tone

The episode blends investigative suspense with a quirky, sometimes wry appreciation for the stranger-than-fiction nature of the story. There’s a tangible empathy for both the oddball criminal and the wounded victims, and a recognition that sometimes the greatest mysteries—and obsessions—are rooted not in profit, but in the simple, obsessive love of books and belonging.

This summary captures the unfolding of the "Spine Collector" story as told by Josh Dean, Lila Shapiro, and Reeves Wiedemann, tracing the themes of deception, obsession, and the enduring, sometimes perplexing, allure of the written word.