I don’t think there’s much dispute that the many “imprints” under the Author Solutions umbrella are among the most negatively regarded of all the author services companies.
From the predatory business practices that gave rise to two class action lawsuits, to the huge number of customer complaints, to the relentless sales calls and deceptive recruitment methods, to the dubious and overpriced “marketing” services that are one of the company’s main profit sources, AS’s poor reputation is widely known. Along with other factors, such as the competition from free and low-cost self-publishing platforms, this has pushed AS in recent years into steady decline.
Unfortunately, whatever gap AS’s contraction has created has been filled by a slew of imitators. Why not, when hoodwinking authors is as easy as setting up a website and opening an account with Ingram Spark? In some cases, the imitators have first-hand experience: they’ve been founded and/or staffed by former employees of AS’s call centers in the Philippines (as well as ex-employees of other disreputable companies with operations in the Philippines, such as Tate Publishing and BookWhirl.)
The copycats employ spoofed phone numbers and fake addresses (virtual offices, PO Boxes, randomly-selected residential addresses) to convince authors that they are located in the USA or Canada. Their primary targets are self- and small press-published writers, whom they attempt to poach from whatever platform or press the authors are currently with; and the elderly.
The copycats’ approaches aren’t merely deceptive, but blatantly false: claiming writers’ books have been recommended by Amazon, or spotted by a literary scout, or discovered by a Big 5 publisher, or given a favorable review by a conveniently unnamed industry expert. Like Author Solutions, they hawk overpriced publishing packages and deceptively-described junk marketing services (services that cost little to provide and can be sold at an enormous markup). They also approach potential victims by posing as literary agencies and film companies. In a number of instances, they’ve impersonated well-known and reputable traditional publishers, literary agents, and production companies. Some have even gone as far as faking letters and contracts from Big 5 publishers and major movie studios.
Many of the services the copycats sell are completely fictional: for example, book insurance (there’s no such thing), an international book seal (ditto), or retrieving a book’s “license” so it can be re-published (again, no such thing). Nor do the scammers have any connections with Big 5 publishers or Hollywood producers: promises to “endorse” or represent are just window dressing to convince you to shell out money. Marketing services, such as book trailers or press releases, may be delivered, but are frequently of substandard quality.
Often the copycats simply take authors’ money and run. I’ve heard from writers who’ve spent thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars with these scams, in many cases for goods and services they never received.
I’ve written dozens of posts about these scams and their fraudulent operations, especially their brazen (yet curiously shoddy) efforts to impersonate reputable agents, publishers, and film producers. You can see them all here.
Fortunately, the scams share a set of reliably recurring markers that can help to identify them.
– Cold-call solicitations by phone and email. Like the Author Solutions imprints, the copycats are big on out-of-the-blue phone calls and emails hawking their services. Often they’ll claim your book has been recommended to them, or was discovered by one of their book scouts, or evaluated by a literary organization or traditional publisher. Sometimes they’ll claim to be literary agents looking to transition you to a traditional publishing contract or represent you to Hollywood, or film companies that have discovered your book and think it would be great on the silver screen.
Solicitation is the number one sign of a scam these days. Real literary agents, publishers, and production companies only rarely reach out to authors they don’t already represent. For scammers, on the other hand, it’s their main way of acquiring clients. Any out-of-the-blue solicitation related to publishing or movie rights, no matter what it’s for or who it appears to be from, should be treated with caution.
Copycat sales reps can be insanely persistent and aggressive (another page from the AS playbook). I’ve heard from authors who are being driven mad by incessant phone calls (that can’t be blocked because the callers’ numbers are spoofed) or repeated emails. Some copycats do business under multiple names, and will solicit authors separately under each name; or if they strike out under one name. will solicit again using another.
– Re-publishing offers. A big focus for the copycats is poaching authors who are already published or self-published (often with Author Solutions imprints–I’ve long suspected that AS sells customer information, and it’s pretty clear that copycats’ staff either maintain contacts with Author Solutions workers who feed them information, or, if they themselves formerly worked for AS, took customer information with them when they departed). They claim they can do a better job, or price the book better, or provide greater credibility.
Often, re-publishing is presented as a pre-requisite to representing writers’ books to traditional publishers; traditional publishers, the scammers claim, scorn self-published books, and your book needs to be re-published to remove the stigma. Beyond the fact that the “self-publishing stigma” no longer exists, re-publishing an already-published book so it can be published a third time makes absolutely no sense, and is not how the legitimate publishing business works.
For most copycats, re-publishing is a gateway to the writer’s bank account. By demonstrating that they’re willing to pay, writers make themselves fair game for escalating sales pressure to buy more services, and/or fraudulent publishing and movie rights offers involving large upfront fees. Writer Beware has heard from writers who’ve lost enormous amounts to these schemes. We also regularly get complaints from writers who bought a re-publishing package and have never received royalty reports or payments. When writers get suspicious, start asking too many questions, or the copycat judges that they’re tapped out, the copycat cuts off contact, leaving authors high and dry.
– Claims of expertise that can’t be verified (in the absence of staff and owner names), or that can be easily refuted (for example, if the scammer claims years of experience but their web domain was only registered a few months ago). Some scammers include fake staff on their websites, using stock or AI-generated photos and made-up biographies. Always make sure you can independently verify any claims of accomplishments or success. If you can’t, or if the company’s website makes it impossible to do so because it provides no specifics, move on.
– English-language errors on websites and in emails. The scams are owned and staffed primarily by people for whom English is a second language. Although the advent of ChatGPT and other AI-assisted writing tools is making grammar and colloquial errors much less common on websites and in written text than they used to be, this is still an important marker that too many writers are willing to overlook.
– Phone solicitors with foreign accents. Callers are in the Philippines, and speak fluent but accented English.
– A catalog of junk marketing services, and heavy pressure to buy. Not all the copycats offer publishing services, but most offer “marketing”: press releases. Paid book review packages. Book fair exhibits. Ingram catalog listings. Hollywood book-to-screen packages. Vanity radio and TV interviews. These and more are junk marketing: PR services of dubious value and effectiveness that are cheap to provide and can be sold at a huge markup.
It’s an insanely lucrative aspect of the author-fleecing biz, not just because of its enormous profitability, but because while you can only sell a publishing package once, you can sell marketing multiple times. The copycats’ marketing services are right out of the Author Solutions playbook: AS basically invented junk book marketing, and most of the marketing services offered by the copycats were pioneered by AS. AS also pioneered the high-pressure sales tactics the copycats use.
Are you looking for the list of 200+ copycat scammers that used to be here?
Now you can find it here.
Given how often I have to update the list–several times a week on average–it was just too time-consuming to maintain it in two places.
I know my warnings are having an effect, not just because I’m hearing from writers who’ve found my posts or my list and have been able to avoid being ripped off, but because some of the scams are getting…a little defensive. Book-Art Press now includes this in its solicitation emails:
The links are to anti-Writer Beware screeds from people WB has exposed.
The grievance is definitely on display in this one, from MatchStick Literary (it also showcases the scams’ trademark fractured English):
See ya at Writer Beware, scammers!
UPDATE 12/10/19: I want to highlight this recent comment, which illustrates how ubiquitous and persistent these scams are. Bottom line: if you self-publish, you can pretty much count on being solicited. Be on your guard. (By “GoTo”, I’m assuming the commenter means GoToPublish.)
UPDATE 11/13/20: The latest scammer love note, left as a comment here. Good to know I’m still hitting a nerve!
UPDATE 12/30/20: They still love me! I didn’t let these comments through, but I did memorialize them.
You can email me at beware@sfwa.org. Thanks!
Thanks for the info. I just received a call and an email from the following person saying I was lucky because one of their book scouts just read my book Thunder in the Mountains (Lyons Press, 2014) and wanted to discuss a plan for acquisition/distribution, etc. The offer was clearly a scam. Here’s the info:
Andie Collins
Senior Literary Agent
Stellar Literary Press and Media
Email: andie.collins@stellarliterary.com
Phone Number: 424-388-0919 Ext 356
Mailing Address: 1968 S. Coast Hwy #3880 Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Corporate Address: 222 West 6th Street, Suite 400, San Pedro, CA, 90731
A couple days later I received a call from a guy who said his name was Sam Wilson and advised me that Stephen Shellon, Founder of Lionsgate Films, had read my book Midair (2016, Lyons Press) and wanted to buy the film rights and begin production on a movie. He’d already secured Netflix as the distribution partner. Though “Sam” was calling from a number with a 310 area code, my phone tagged it as Potential Spam. I spoke with “Sam” about this deal. “Sam” said Lionsgate was prepared to pay $300k for the film rights to my book. The connection on the phone was a little fuzzy and sounded like it was coming from overseas. Also, though Sam spoke reasonably decent English, he definitely had a heavy Asian accent. Not sure if it was Philippines, but definitely that part of the world. Furthermore, while speaking with “Sam,” I looked up Stephen Shellon and discovered he was an actor best known for A River Runs Through It, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Body Guard and others. Shellon has no apparent connections to Lionsgate.
The email came from entertainment.lionsgate@gmail.com.
Authors beware!
Thanks! I’ve gotten many, many reports of solicitations from Stellar. I don’t know if the fake Lionsgate offer was connected–but I love the gmail address.
Until a couple of years ago, pretty much everyone I heard from who was targeted by one of these scams was self- or vanity-pubblished. But there are so many of these ripoff companies now that I think it’s getting tougher for them to find customers, so along with increasingly elaborate impersonation scams, they seem to more and more be approaching trad-pubbed authors.
Thanks for clarifying, Victoria. Do you have an email address I can use to forward all the documents? Or you can just message me personally. CliffHatt75@gmail.com
Hi, Cliff,
Thanks for this further information. I'd be really appreciative if you'd forward me the contract (the refund clause you quote sounds a lot like the one in the various Author Solutions imprints' publishing agreements) as well as any other written communication you received from them–including, if possible, a screenshot of the text you mentioned.
Hahaha on the stuff about me. That's one of their stock responses when writers cite my blog (I wish they'd share the name of my supposed publishing company–I'm super curious). Another is that I'm paid to run the blog by Author Solutions.
Glasslink and similar outfits aren't the only ones that play games with royalty terminology; the "100% royalty" promise is an example. What they actually mean is 100% of sales income, which would be your book's retail price less whatever fees and discounts are imposed by retailers (this will vary depending on the retailer). It's just a fancy way of saying they don't take a cut. (Also, a "royalty" is by definition the author's share, so no matter how it's calculated, and whether it's fair or not, you're always getting 100%). Bottom line: they do give you a bigger payout than Xlibris does, but they are also way more likely than Xlibris to lie, cheat, and fail to perform.
Update: The day after I found this blog, the rep from Glasslink who goes by Vin Lopez, and his email signature lists his title as Senior Branding Adviser & Executive, called me and left a voice mail. I blocked him. Three days in a row he called multiple times. Finally, I had enough. I called back and he didn't answer. I left a nasty voice mail explaining how I had found this blog and I knew he was a fraud. I demanded my money back, and told him not to contact me again. 10 days later, he called again, leaving a message that he had been out of the office with a bad cold, but just got my voice mail and wanted to talk about processing my refund. So I called him back. As expected, instead of refunding my payment of 200, he proceeded to ask what information I had found that made me distrust him. I told him about the two bad reports I found online, including this one. He said he already knew about them. His excuse was that you, Victoria, are a disgruntled publisher who is trying to discredit your competition by slandering legitimate re-publishing companies. He reassured me that he had already had a face-to-face meeting in Hollywood last week (when he supposedly had a bad cold and couldn't work), and things were looking up for me. He said he was going to put me in touch with a co-worker named Pearl, who would take my ideas for a brand new book cover, and said that my design would be created by one of their artists, many of who "work with Disney." LOL! At the end of the long conversation, I still did not believe anything he said, and he told me that Glasslink Solutions was a "root company" that discovers content to forward to both Harper Media Partners, (https://harpermediapartners.com), (on close examination, this website looks just like one of the fake scams that you report on), and Harper Collins, (https://www.harpercollins.com/), which is an actual legitimate big-name publisher that has books by celebrities, among others, including David Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Anderson Cooper. This is obviously a falsehood. My gut tells me that Glasslink Solutions absolutely has no affiliation with Harper Collins, but their relationship with Harper Media Partners seems suspicious. Also, the text message receipt I got on my phone after I authorized payment to the Glasslink rep lists Harper Partners as the merchant. This is also reflected in the statement on my credit card. Nowhere in my documentation is Glasslink Solution listed as being linked to Harper Media. Furthermore, the initial agreement that I e-signed states that I will receive 100 percent of royalties from sales. I find this too good to be true since when I published with XLibris, they only offered me 25 percent. Check out this section in the contract about refunds. What a rip-off!
6.2 Refunds. Subject to the exception in Section 6.3 below, upon Termination of the Agreement, We will refund
amounts paid by You for Publishing Packages or individual Services ("Refund") as follows:
(a) Publishing Packages. The potential Refund for a Publishing Package is exclusive to the amount paid for such
Publishing Package as set forth in the Service Order(s), and will be calculated as follows:
i) Prior to submission of the Manuscript: 50%, less a non-refundable $150 (USD) Setup Fee
ii) After (i) above but prior to the start of interior design work: 25% iii) After (ii) but prior to
Final Approval: 5%
iv) After Final Approval: No Refund
There is also this disturbing clause on indemnification at the very end.
The more I look closely at this company and deal, the more sinister it seems. I'm expecting another call from "Vin" later, and I plan to play along in the interest of getting more info and possibly catching him in a blatant lie that I can prove. I really wish I had found this blog before I handed over my precious cash!
Unknown 10/06,
Do you have any emails confirming the connection between Harper Media LLC (which I've just started getting reports about) and Glasslink Solutions (which has been on my scam list for some time now)? If so, would you share them with me so I can update my list? beware@sfwa.org . Thanks!
Harper Media LLC is supposedly the parent company of a website, glasslinksolutions.com who claim to provide republishing and marketing services for self published authors. They took my money as the first installment of a plan to republish my book, but upon payment did not provide the services agreed upon, and when I did some research online, I found a review on a scam alert website that was written by an employee, naming Glasslink Solutions as a fake business based in the Philippines. They have a fake address in Wyoming, and use a phone number that shows up on caller ID as Wyoming. But all the employees I spoke to on the phone from their company had Filipino accents. And the website has many broken links, and the Featured Author page is full of self published authors who if you look closely, you'll find that all their books were published in 2016, and only got a couple of reviews on Amazon.com, and none of them were published by Glasslink Solutions. Upon further investigation, I found this blog. Thank you for exposing this craziness! I am working with my credit card company to get my money back, and I will be sharing this article around. Below is the link to the ripoff report.
https://www.ripoffreport.com/report/glasslink-solution/cebu-bogus-company-scam-1501851
I have also received numerous calls from Mike Ramsey, who claimed to be a publicist for direcTOr John Sacci. I don't see Grovepress on the long list whom Ramsey worked for but you said they're a scam.
Wish I had seen this many months ago. Have been duped by Mike Ramsey, a so called literary agent, who claimed to work for a publishing company called Inspirium and promised republication and a host of advertising openings.
Hi Victoria; just received this e-mail from Great Writers Media which you show as a scam. Thank you!!! Self publishing authors beware!
—-This is David Wolman a Senior Literary Manager from Great Writers Media. I'm contacting you about your book entitled " Men of Principle: A Novel about Power, Betrayal and Free Will". It was scouted and recommended to us by our literary reviewers. They find the book very interesting.
They have reviewed the book and they also gave a rating of 8.6 out of 10. This is not supposed to be shared but you might be happy to know this. This is what they said:
''This is what sets the author apart from all other writers. Author's unique way of stringing words together, formulating ideas, and relating scenes or images to the reader. In any piece of writing, the voice should be consistent and identifiable which the author has done a very good job."
I'm not sure if you realize it but you have very good material here and at the same time you were able to catch the attention of literary agents.
However, the price of the book is too high. I guess you understand that at the end of the day it's all about business so they need something that will guarantee them the marketability of the book.
You are just a few steps closer to achieving what most authors have been dreaming about and that is to getting picked up by a traditional publisher. However, what's keeping the literary agent from moving forward is they want to know first how sales are doing.
Do you know how many copies have been sold since the book came out? I was hoping to ask you some questions about your book. I'm very interested in your work so if you could, please let me know of the best time and phone number to call you.
Sincerely,
David Wolman
SENIOR LITERARY MANAGER | PUBLICIST
Great Writers Media
24A Trolley Square #1580 Wilmington, DE 19806-3334
P: (302) 425-9753
E: dwolman@greatwritersmedia.com
I have been receiving lots of emails from a Regina from Pearsons Media Group. Looks like I was right. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. SO many scammers.
Thanks for your help.
There's another one who's reached out to me called Pearsons Media Consultancy. I bet they are all linked.
Unknown 8/24: I responded to your question in email. Short version: it's a scam.
Anonymous 8/28: I'm sorry, but Grove House Press is also a scam. It's got most of the markers: solicitation, poorly-written English text, false information about the company (it claims to have been in business since 2010, but its web domain was registered only this past May), and more. Your experience of paying a lot of money and then not hearing anything back is also a strong indicator of scammery.
My suggestion would be to file a dispute with your credit card company or bank, if that's how you paid and you're still within the window to do so. Companies and banks take disputes seriously, and will investigate. I've heard from authors who've gotten most or all of their money back that way.
I have paid GroveHouse Press $4000 and never heard any feedback from them.
I emailed Trevor Smith and Maria Miller acting as finance manager but they're all gone.
Can you help me check if this company is legit?
Hello. Have you heard of the company book writing prime? They meet some of the scammer criteria but so far they have been seemingly editing my manuscript well each week. They asked me for a sizable amount of money for marketing.
thank you for this list as I have been called and emailed by every scammer, it seems like, in existence
(pen name – Saavo – Survival From The Start …
I just got a phone call from Lit Prime Publishing. Since I didn't recognize the number I didn't answer. They left the following message. "Congrations, you have won a slot with Lit Prime." They didn't leave any information about who they were, only a return phone number. If I had not done a Google search on them, I would not know who they were. I found their website and they look like every other site that offers many publishing services. I'm sure I would have to pay fees for all of their services. No matter what I won, I will not be returning there call.
Thanks for this enlightenment.
I have forwarded to your email two such questionable proposals to further rip me off after WestBow Press did theirs publishing my book with no royalty report since 2014 despite millions of e copies downloaded on various platforms.
God bless you.
I just had a call from BookTrail. I just have to pay $1000.00 for all of the registration costs like copyright and the barcode. And 100% royalties. Guaranteed.
Thank you for this article. You just saved me a lot of money, heartache, and trouble.
At least I now know what a Filipino accent sounds like.
I could hear a lot of sounds in the background of the call. He could have worked from home, or it could have been a call center. Strange for a senior executive. And his name was Edward John. Not a surname as far as I know.
I have been getting calls from Ennoble Press. I am highly suspicious, so I never return their calls.
1) Also, Philippines pronounce the word book – sounding like boo …instead of book – sounding like – look!
2) Dearest Anne instead of Dear Anne
3) How are you doing? In the first line of their letter.
4) They will not take, ‘No’ for an answer!!
Is word house publishing company legit or a scam
Hiw do we get money back
Lawyers are expensive
Bye from a writer pseudonym Aqua
Unknown 7/29.
See the list above. Diamond Media Press, Author Reputation Press, and Book Trail are all on it.
Xlibris is an imprint of Author Solutions. While not as predatory as the scams on the list, it's overpriced, has customer service problems, and uses high-pressure sales tactics to push authors into buying worthless "marketing" services. Plug Xlibris into the search box in the sidebar to see what I've written about it.
I don't know what you mean by "a publisher in Wales Europe." If you'll provide a name, I'll research it. If you're talking about Europe Books, it's a vanity publisher–plug the name into the search box to see my post about it.
I TRIED 4 DIFFERENT PUBLISHERS
ALL IC THEM ASK FIR MONEY
DIAMOND PRESS AUTHIR REPUTATION
XLIBRIS. BOOK TRAIL. AND A PUBLISHERS
IN WALES EUROPE.
KIBDLY TELL ME WHICH ARE SCAMMERS
BYE ANNETTE A WRITER PSEUDONYM AQUA
See the list, above. Goldman Agency is on it.
Has anyone heard of Goldman agency? I have been contacted by someone at this agency to do a book review:
xxxx
Marketing Supervisor
Phone: (877) 528-3299
Website: http://www.goldmanagency.com
What about readApple
They have scammed me for a film deal?
Martin & Bowman, LLC, is sending out unsolicited emails offering distribution and representation services, with an emphasis on getting your material in front of film producers. Of course, their victims are expected to kick in, to the tune of several thousand dollars. Their website is full of red flags. Don't fall for it. http://www.martinandbowman.com/
Thank you for this information. This happened to me yesterday in regards to a book my mother wrote. They are relentless. They go by a script and stick to it. When I asked, have you read the book? The person said yes, and when I asked what it was about, he didn't have a clue. He said something that had nothing to do with the book It's a shame they prey on the elderly, Thank goodness my mother passed their call to me. DO not fall for their tactics of trying to convince you to give them any money. Do your due diligence and research. Everything is available on the web.
Keep up the good work! Youronlinepublicist just cold called me. They claimed they would publish my book and then give me 80% of the royalties. They failed to mention in that initial conversation that I would have to pay them $1,000 up front and then $20 per month in order to have them list my book on their website. Their entire schpeel is about marketing the book, but all they want to do is remake the cover and then list it on their website. They claimed worldwide distribution, but instead, listing their book on their website seems to be all they offer.
If they call my house, I'm keeping open this page and quoting it until they leave me alone.
Thanks for putting up with scammers' little tirades. Don't worry! They are more funny than anything else, and it shows what a difference your posts are making.
I think more people should post their experiences with these companies on review sites. I just put mine on the Better Business Bureau. Sitejabber is another one, so if you've had any negative experiences with this company, post it until the entire world knows.
Thanks so much, Victoria.
I was just contacted by Parchment Global Publishing. When I was on the phone with them I googled them. When I told them I was looking at the BBB website and that they were listed on the site as a scam. They said What do you mean? I replied with: You are scamming people and should be ashamed of yourself. They then hung up and I found this website.
Thank you Victoria for all of this information. I am looking to republish my book that I originally published and got scammed with by Tate.
I will be checking your site often looking for a self publisher that is not out to take my money, but to help me!
Brenda Crout
http://www.welcometoelizasworld.weebly.com
I have paid tons of monies to Golden Ink Media Services a.k.a. Greensage Agency or Pen Culture Solutions sent bank transfers to some P One Media Marketing Consultancy under a very Filipino lady name in the Philippines I think the owner Ms. Sugarol. I filed a bank dispute and found out their bank in the US was under a guy called Brian Dominic Padilla. Right after purchased their screenplay service for $25,000 Authors' Breakthrough Solutions, Inc. kept on calling me too. These are a bunch of people changing imprint names but all running businesses in Cebu City, Philippines. Don't be scammed with these people.
I’d like to add ganpimedia for a company to WATCH out. They're a group of scammers so BEWARE people. They claim to be in Canada but in reality they're just one of many Author Solutions clones. I put the link to their website for your reference. https://ganpimedia.com/
RUSHMORE PRESS – SCAM Company! BEWARE! The address, the company, the office you see in Google and on their website is FAKE. That Las Vegas Office doesn't exist. It is actually hiding in a very small apartment in Punta Princesa, Cebu City Philippines ran by Danie John Gumalo, aka Daryl Hayes, aka Geri Williams – one and the same person.
Athena Wilson from Great Writers Media, "You have been one selected out of only eight!… We already have a draft of your cover… Completely free! Completely free! Only a $1200 marketing fee… The offer is only available today." So many obvious red flags. Do not get scammed by them.
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Hi Victoria, I was contacted by Regina Wilson of Pearson Media about my book Of Poems. I almost got scammed for $3000. Then I found your informative research while researching this company. They even sent me a proposal via email. I will forward the original email and the proposal.
Ah yes, I've been getting contacted lately by Glasslink Solutions, stating:
"I am pleased to inform you that your book, " Soldier of Rome: The Centurion" has been reviewed and endorsed by our evaluation team for its cinematic potential. and the probability of being adapted for film/TV.
If you would like to take the next step, we can set a time to discuss the details. Would you be available for a phone call this week?"
The first immediate red flag for me is that The Centurion is the fourth book of six in my series, The Artorian Chronicles, and it came out ten years ago. Why the deuce would they ask about a book in the middle instead of the beginning of a series? It feels almost as if they simply chose a title at random (I do have twenty-five works published as of this posting). They enclosed a couple of PDF files, but I have not opened these, as I fear they may be infested with malware. Has anyone else dealt with Glasslink Solutions? Cheers!
James
HAHAHAHA indeed.
WRITERS BEWARE IS A BAIT TO AUTHORS! LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY DO THE PUBLISHERS OF THE BOOK SCAMMED THE AUTHOR? IF THEY SCAMMED THE AUTHORS HOW COME THEY HAVE PUBLISHED BOOKS UNDER THE PUBLISHERS NAME? MAKE SENSE? HAHAHA
Anonymous 4/27,
Writer Beware doesn't make publisher recommendations, but Australian Writers Marketplace is a good starting point: https://writersmarketplace.com.au/. The online version requires a subscription fee, but you can also buy a hardcopy book if you prefer.
Linsey Knerl,
You are among the very, very few trad-pubbed authors to be targeted by Great Writers Media and its ilk–at least, as far as I've heard in several years of tracking these scams. They overwhelmingly focus on self-published authors. Unfortunately if one of these outfits has gotten your contact information, others have it as well, so brace yourself for more solicitations.
Great Writers Media has been calling and emailing nonstop, even after telling them to take me off their list. After I explain that I already have a marketing team with my book that was just recently published by Simon & Schuster, they seem surprised for a moment, and then ask "how are sales?" and try to tell me that they should take over the marketing from my publisher. They must call hundreds of people a day because they have no record of past calls and every time they call is from a different number. They call at the worst times (when kids are napping, etc.) Make it stop!
Thank you for this info . My husband received an email from so called Ben Harris of Pearsons media & consultancy. My husband showed me the latest email he sent about the so called promising good future of the book and asking how much he will spend for publishing the book. I told my husband is something bit fishy to me so I'm doing some research now to find out if it's legit and I discover this helpful information from you. Thank you.
My husband had been scammed before by Xlibris. We even visited the place in Cebu City. It looks like a call center. Wish we research about this before.
Can you suggest any legit publishers based here in Australia? My husband really want to publish his book. And I don't want him to end up always submitting his manuscript to the scammers.
You can stop now. Should be ashamed of yourself – preying primarily on the elderly and on writers who've self-published. You had me going there for a while – FROM THE PHILIPPINES, NOT WITH LOVE: A PLAGUE OF PUBLISHING AND MARKETING SCAMS
– Silver Ink Literary Agency (aka Editors Press and Media / Editor's Creative Media / Paper Bytes Marketing
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
From: Andrew Wilson
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2021 4:47 PM
To: Name withheld
Subject: Re: FW: File Request
Hello A…..,
Thank you for this offer, I really appreciate how honest you are. I really wanted to help you become a traditionally published author, at your age it is still not too late for your dream to come true and I'm here with you every step of the way. You have my word. I want you to be credited for your hard work on making this book.
How about if I will propose a meeting with my project manager so we can communicate with the finance department and shoulder the 60% of the cost, so the total amount that you will be paying for the developmental editing would be $744, and we will get 20% commission. Would that work for you?
This is already a guaranteed acquisition and I don't want you to miss this opportunity and what you might have become as an author.
Hoping for the best! Trust me.
Best regards,
Andrew Wilson
Senior Literary Agent | Silver Ink Literary Agency
200 S Virginia St 8th floor, Reno, NV 89501, United States
https://www.silverinkliteraryagency.com/
Email: andrew.wilson@silverliteraryagency.com
Phone: (775) 993-6956 ext.125
Great Writers Media has been endlessly calling me about publishing stuff. I'm baffled as to why, as I don't have any self-published books (I was epublished many years ago, but that isn't online anymore either.) I'm just ignoring them, but I can see how someone might be fooled.
Fifth Pillar Books should be added to your Philippine scams, recently tried to take them to small claims court but was unable to find a legitimate address to serve them. I hired and Investigator and they found the owners to be from the Philippines. Real scam artists.
I was scammed by Silver Ink Literary as well. They talked a good game, even produced a contract. Once they talked me into editing fees, then they never answer their phone. I put in a complaint to the BBB but I highly doubt i will get my money back.
Austin Macauley Publishers are worst than vanity publishers. They ask you a "contribution" but the editing they provide is hilarious. They assume from the start that the book has no chance on the market, and make a profit from your contribution. They take the money to destroy the author’s chances.
Zoe,
Please email me: beware@sfwa.org. I need to know more about what you're experiencing (including the publisher's name) in order to offer advice. All information shared with Writer Beware is held in confidence. Thanks@
Silver Ink Literary Agency apparently have only been in operation a short while, I became quite suspicious especially when one of the agents has a Twitter account started early in 2020.
I have a question, I had been receiving regular royalties from a publishing company, they the royalties and the company have ceased, their website is down as well as their phone numbers. Emails haven’t bounced back yet, and I’m wondering what I do next. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Zoë
Continue your good work; it is already having a sanitising effect within the publishing space.
I just got a mail from Silver Ink Literary Agency. For a full disclosure, I belong to the group of writers who are already severely disillusioned with scammers posing to offer literary services with intent to fraudulent ends. I have twice fallen to a couple of them.
Could you kindly use your good connections to assist to check the credibility of Silver Ink Literary Agency. I am wiling to send their mail to you to read first hand, if you don't mind.
God bless.
O. K.Oyenekan
Dear Victoria,
Thank you so much for your quick response.
Your scrutiny on Pearsons Media & Consultancy is thorough with details pointing towards a scammer.
I really appreciate your kind heart, great care, and effort to help so many authors, just like me who can be easily blinded, fall into scammer's prey. God's blessings are always within and without you.
I abide by your invaluable advice to stay off this scammer, Pearsons Media & Consultancy.
Thank you once again, Victoria!
Keep well and stay safe
Jeremy
Victoria, you have the right name. You are victorious in this job of yours. Better than the Police (as Pirot says).
I too have been scammed by Xlibris;(Got 2 books and a video $AU12,000) AuthorHouse, Capstone, Stampa. Some are still contacting me by email. Almost lost $40,000 from a Filipino agent. (Yes, she had the accent) Stopped in time! Imagine that credid card!
I am now a publisher, simply because it was the way forward with my writting and publishing. I have helped a few new authors to publish their titles. (No money involved)
Victoria, if you need volunteers to help with this, I am willing to assist in some way. I have a detective's heart and actually found out some interesting facts of telephone scammers who took all our savings on 28 September 2018. The bank finally reimbursed 50% after I gave them this information through ACCC. It made me suicidal at the time.
These are crimes that deserve some justice for the unfortunate author whose dreams are crushed without care. I want to see this happen.
Thank you so much for your due diligence. Marie
Anonymous 3/12,
Without knowing anything else about Pearsons Media & Consultancy, I would guess it to be a scam, simply because of the unsolicited approach and the "partnership" proposal. Overwhelmingly these days, such approaches are by scammers.
Other than that…my hunch is that Pearsons (with an S) is NOT the same company as Pearson (without an S). But doing some research on Pearsons with an S, it's clearly the same type of scam. Most of the markers are present: unsolicited emails, re-publishing offers, unverifiable claims of expertise, multiple grammatical errors in website text, and big money for junk marketing.
Other anomalies: I did a spot check on the books they claim to be "our works", and none of them exist. Their web domain is less than four months old. They also claim to be located in New Jersey, but they have no business registration there and the copyright notice on their website is "Pearsons Media Ltd.", which suggests a UK company. There is a Companies House registration (Companies House provides business registrations for UK companies) for Pearson Media Consultancy Limited (no S, no &), run by a Mr. Benjamin Pearson, but its SIC code indicates it's a management consultancy, and it was incorporated in 2019. So I don't think it's the same as the outfit that contacted you.
Bottom line beyond all this background info: my strong suspicion is that Pearsons-with-an-S is a scam, and my advice would be to tell it to stop contacting you.
Dear Victoria,
I received an email from Pearsons Media & Consultancy seeking a partnership proposal for my book.
From what I understand from your blog, Pearson Media Group is categorized as one of your Scam List.
Is Pearsons Media & Consultancy associated with Pearson Media Group?
Your advice is very much appreciated.
Thank you.
I agree. Victoria?
Thank you for providing information about these scams. Several years ago I published a book with Lulu. Last year I received many calls from Book Times and they scammed me out of thousands of dollars for re-publishing and advertising my book. Last week I received calls from others on your list, such as Spark Literary and Media. The author was very pushy and kept calling me back after I told them that I was not interested. These companies promise that an author will receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in book sales, which is a story that is too good to be true. The scammers use different phone numbers (fake numbers) when they call.
I wish I had found your site a year ago. I was scammed by OdysseyMediaPress. The payments went to Charezz A. Capin in the Phillipines. Other OdysseyMediaPress contacts were: Carlos Devarra, Gia Torres and Raphael Garcia. They called me and told me they wanted to make my book into a movie, but first I had to complete a social media marketing ($10,000), 2 cinema promotions ($4,400). Then I had to pay $20,000 for my part in the movie production. Later they said they needed a treatment ($3,000), treatment copyright ($2,299) and literary agent pitch ($2,400). They listed an address in West Virginia as their business. I stopped by the address on the way to visit my son and found it was a private home and they knew nothing of OdysseyMediaPress. I had believed I was safe because I had paid through PayPal, but that turned out to not be true at all. When I raised the disputes PayPal ruled in favor of OdysseyMediaPress stating that they had stated that they would fulfill the contracts. I saw that PayPal was only interested in closing the disputes and protecting the merchant. As soon as OdysseyMediaPress won the disputes and knew they could get no more money from me, they shut down their web site and email addresses so I could no longer contact them. I went back to PayPal and they would not share any information about the merchant citing privacy reasons. The scam is to keep an author paying for things that they never actually do, but instead keep finding new things that the author needs to pay for before the original contract can be fulfilled, and then when the author has had enough, just disappear.
All scammers should have to pay back what they stole from vulnerable people who believe everything they say, especially the forlorn and elderly. They think their book is going to sell and make them money, and when a scammer comes along, they lose whatever money they might have, borrowed, or saved. It is not right. The person getting that money should give it all back, plus interest.
Seems I may have been scammed by Editors Press and Media as well! Paid a whole lot of money for various republication work including website, publicist, and professional book reviews. Have only received 2 book cover images and a poor quality book draft! I’ve given them a deadline of 3/31/21 to complete contracted services, else refund my money. Will fight this company with all I have if this is a scam because honest people should not be taken advantage of like this!
Email me:
Will keep you posted on developments
simpletips888@gmail.com
N Tochi
I concur. Seems l’ve been scammed by editors press and Media/ SilverInk Agency!
Only time will tell, trying to stay optimistic and not be bitter. But if this is a scam, will engage them incessantly till I get my money back!
Hi Victoria, I am currently working with Editors Press and Media. The “literary agent” who cold called me in October was so “nice”, prayerful and Godly ( so I thought). I was told that my republication was diverted to SilverInk Agency in November and have since made several payments! I am clearly in shock reading all these! This March would be 4 months since the process started and all I have received is book cover images and a poorly done editing! I am confused at this point and not even sure what to do next. I have reached out to them with a 30 day notice that if the process is not completed by 3/31 , I need my money back. I am still awaiting a reply!
I shutter to think that I’ve been scammed out of my hard earned money!!!
Still holding out hope that they will fulfill their promises before end of this March
Thanks for your comment, BlingSkyWrites. I'm afraid that for me, your experience only highlights the predatory nature of Rushmore Press and similar scams, which prey particularly on people just like you. You shouldn't have to throw a fit just to get the services you paid for, and the difficulty you experienced in getting a Rushmore rep to contact you just further further highlights that (although I'm glad to know that mentioning this blog seems to have shaken something loose for you).
I hope your experience continues to be satisfactory, but I would urge you not to pay them any more money (as they surely will try to persuade you to do, now that they've put up a front of being helpful and responsive). Please come back and let me know what happens.
I would like to give an update of my progress to date with Rushmore Press. From my previous post here where I was very concerned that I was possibly being scammed again by these companies wanting to publish our cherished written work, I have to say I am (at this present time) a happy camper thus far. Rushmore Press has shown me great promise and they are doing what I understand they said they would do and also what I signed on for. What happened after the post I did on here about my dismay with them at that time was that I was able to contact my representative (after a lot of posts on their Facebook site) – he actually called me. I then communicated loud and clear my frustration with the company at that time and I will share those feelings with you here.
My husband and I are senior citizens on a fixed income. We worked hard over the years to manage our lives and we take pride in all that we have obtained from the hard work we did. That said, this is what I communicated to him in my phone conversation that day when he called me back, "you would think that a company that took several thousand dollars from senior citizens on a fixed income, would take note of that somewhere in their files and make an extra attempt to stay in good communication with these people to give them trust and good faith that the money they just gave up was not a huge mistake! You people need to know that I saw your name on Victoria's list and therefore, I need to you assure me that we have not been ghosted and that what I signed on for is actually going to happen – it's been over like 45 days!" He went on to say that they were aware of Victoria's list and that I needed to understand that many of these companies make the list because of one or two customers who were not happy with the service they got and that they are working fast and furious to correct those mistakes and thus gain a better name for themselves, etc. That said, I let him know that we were getting very worried and impatient and that "taking senior citizens hard earned and very much thought about whether to give it up money and then ghosting them was not going to get them on any positive list anytime soon." Immediately, after that phone call, I got emails from the new girl who is their Product Manager and she assured me my manuscript was being worked on and that they were waiting on the illustrators to do their necessary work, etc. Then, within a day or two of those emails, I got an email showing me the work the illustrator had done to date. With all this, I signed on last September 2020, and I can say that my project is in its final stages and I just signed off on the manuscript for the book (hard cover, soft cover and e format) and I am pleased with their work and their better communication. It is now my hope that they have learned something from my words conveyed to them and that they will seriously take into consideration the fact that when people fork over serious money, they need to understand that serious communication needs to happen and you need to work with your customer and treat them with the highest regard if you want your company to flourish. I am enthusiastic with the work they have produced for me thus far and am hopeful that all will continue to fruition and my book will have good success and good sales. Time will tell in that regard but I do hope that this post helps those wondering about this company and that it helps people to have some hope that they are not all impossible, you may just have to be that "squeaky wheel".
333
Unknown 2/27,
Yes. I looked at its website and it's got all the markers. I've added it to the list.
I've been contacted by Authors Avenue Media Group. Are they among the scam artists? A yes or no reply is all I need. Thank You.
Thank you Victoria. I can't tell you how therapeutic it was to read your post. I have been battling URLink Publishing over the book company's exploitation of my very disabled, elderly mother who is an amateur poet. They call my mother at the crack of dawn when she is asleep. My mother's caretakers have told them for nearly a year not to call at this hour because she is sick. URLink Publishing has swindled thousands upon thousands of dollars from my mother's retirement account.
I became suspicious when I was helping my mother pay her bills and found that in December 2020 alone, URLink had taken nearly one thousand dollars from her account. When I asked the "company" for an invoice, they said $600.00 was for a prize submission. I am actually a professor of literature and know that reputable, honest presses do not charge for prize submission. When I looked up the prize that they claim they needed $600.00 to submit her book, I found that the registration fee for the prize is only $100. They pocketed $500.00 for something that anyone can do for free. When I asked them for a refund based on astronomical, unethical charges, they said "no" because professional services had been "availed."
This first encounter lead me to find lie upon lie piled up: fake names, huge withdrawals, extensive coercion of my mother by individuals with fake names like "Jordan Baxter," "Bella Dy," and "John Keith." The phone numbers on their own emails and webpage do not work.
But the only wish of my poor mother who is terribly sick and in late stages of a disease is to have her poetry published. But this company is not to be trusted. And they have depleted significant sums from her retirement account that is vitally needed for her in-home care. I told them this fact and they were indifferent. They took the money (illegally) and ran.
I have contacted the Better Business Bureau. I will also contact the FBI and federal consumer protection agency. If other people have been damaged to the extent that our family has, then please let me know if you are interested in a class action lawsuit.
I've just heard from Jurnal Press (yes that's the way they spell it) from Sheridan, Wyoming. They're offering 2 years publicity FREE, and 100% royalties. Sounds too good to be true and I'm sure it is. They're not on your list but you might want to look into them. And thank you so much for saving me from another one – Readers Magnet – which is on your list.
MJD
Hi Victoria,
By posting the list of scammers you have saved me thousands of dollars.
I found two names of advertising companies that I was debating on accepting their offer.
Thank you so very much.
DC
If you've been scammed by a Filipino-owned (Cebu-based) publishing company pretending to be in the United States, you may contact The National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division.
Gather all your documents, record every conversation with your Publishing Consultant and contact the following agencies in the Philippines.
National Bureau of Investigation
Cybercrime Division
Taft Avenue, Manila
Tel: (632)523-8231 to 38 local 3454, 3455
Email: ccd@nbi.gov.ph
Philippine National Police
PNP-ACG Operations Center
Camp Crame, Quezon City
Tel: (632)414-1560
Fax: (632)414-2199
Email: info@acg.pnp.gov.ph
DOJ Office of Cybercrime
Padre Faura Street
Ermita, Manila
Tel: (632)521-8345 and (632)524-2230
Email: cybercrime@doj.gov.ph
Carey,
I haven't heard of this company before. My main concerns are the founder's lack of professional publishing experience (you can find articles about her if you do a websearch on the company name) and the fact that this publisher is brand new–just started up in October–and hasn't actually published anything yet. There's a very high failure rate among new small publishers, and it's wise to wait on approaching them until they've been issuing books for at least a year and have shown some stability. This also allows you to assess important things like quality and marketing, and gives time for problems, if any, to surface.
Has anyone heard of Cahill Davis Publishing? They're out of the UK. They look legit, but just being careful.
This has been happening to me from the time I published my book through Author House. My email has been private, not published, and I am highly certain Author House sells that info out. It all started with marketing attempts from Phillippino reps that Author House actually has working for them. They never know the name of my book until the second it pops up on the computer and they stumble over the title, not even knowing the genre, etc… One ingrate actually called and demanded I give him "a straight answer" why I wasn't marketing my book. Then he said he's waisting our time, when I was just about to hear him out. Guerrilla marketing. Creepy.
Terry the Wombat,
Editor's Press and Media is on my Big List of Scams (see the sidebar). Also, here's a link to my blog post on Editor's Press and Media's fake HarperCollins, etc. offers, which are also a scam: https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2020/08/alert-scammers-impersonating-major.html.
Would you email me? I'd like to know more about your experience. All information shared with Writer Beware is held in confidence–your name and identifying info will never be shared. My email is beware@sfwa.org . Thanks.
I want to know more about Editors Press Media Literary Agents. Are they legitimiate or have I sqaundered thousands of dollars for nothing. I have had to get a Developmental Edit of my self authored book so they could recommend it to Harper Collins or MacMillan Publishers.
Beware of Stellar Literary Press and Media. They wanted $1300 up front to publish and market my book. They have a legimitate looking website but when I typed in "consumer reviews" for this company, this Writer Beware website came up. Their address is in Laguna Beach, n upscale acommunity one hour north from here in San Diego. In the background I could hear a rooster. I asked about the noise and Ryan Wilson said his neighbors had a cockfighting ring. cockfighting is very illegal in the US as well as zoning restrictions for roosters in Laguna Beach. Kinda funny this guy got busted by hearing "cock a doodle do" in the background.
Crazy Victoria Strauss!!!
Its simple! She created this website simply because she was paid and she wanted her own publishing company to flourish!
Most of these companies really fulfill their services. I have worked with some of them. They are way cheaper and faster when it comes to fulfillment.
Victoria's ultimate motive is MONEY! She discredits her competitors. Not a good sport!
Why dont you just improve your services and make your fulfillment faster rather than using discredit tactics for your own business to succeed???
I bet your mother didnt love you!!!
I was scammed BIG time with CAPSTONE Publishing…now I believe (from your helpful list) using STAMPA as there name……I have also been contacted recently by SILVER INK….again, thank you for your list as I searched it out and guess what!!! once again, it is listed as a scam. I did also years ago, have contact and very little money involved with Xlibris….Janelle Gresham
Anonymous 11/09,
You asked what the protocol is for submitting to a real publisher. It depends on the publisher. For the Big 5 (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, etc.) and the larger independents you really do need a literary agent, so if a bigger publisher is your goal, that would be the place to start. If you're willing to consider smaller publishers (which can do a good job but generally have fewer resources and less distribution), you can submit directly: the guidelines for doing so should be on the publisher's website.
For more information, see the Literary Agents and Small Presses pages of the Writer Beware website: http://www.writerbeware.com/.
Thanks for this info and warnings. I self-published with Authorhouse, and for the last few years I am getting many calls. I have kept a list and seen quite a few of them on your list. Shocking! Even the one I thought sounded legit is on there. Also knowing real publisher's rarely or never call authors is good to know. I have never accepted any of these scams, b/c I have been used once for a marketing scam from AH, and that was enough to teach me to beware. What is the protocal for submitting a manuscript to a real publisher?
Hi Victoria,
I need some input here. I am a self-published author of 3 children's books thus far and all were published with Xlibris Pub. Company. I had a very negative experience with them and spent a lot of money since 2014. So for a year or two, I really have not worked with any book publishing companies and really did not have the momentum to move forward with anymore publishing of books. That said, I got a call this past summer from a Literary agent from Rushmore Press Literary Agency and Publishing Company. The person asked if I had any work that had not been published and of course I did, so after chatting it up with me for over 2 hours, I was given the opportunity to send my unpublished manuscript to him with the idea that it would get reviewed by a strict review committee at an upcoming book event they have every year to scout new material. After about 14 days, I got an email back from him stating that my book faired very well with the review committee and they wanted to work with me in marketing and publishing my book. I paid very good money (not going to list the amount just yet, but rest asuured, it is a substantial amount). My manuscript is a children's book (middle-grade) and the subject matter is very unique and trendy and I was told it was written very well (did not need editing as I edited it myself) and that they felt it could be a popular seller for the upcoming book selling season. OK, so I pay them the desired amount (which they also stated was a small percentage of the total cost of producing my book and a short trailor and a strong marketing plan). I paid via credit card and I got several calls back from the agent. Got documents sent to my right away explaining my book package, etc. which I signed and sent back in a timely manner. Received emails from the Project Manager (a woman and this person has left and soon I got a new email telling me the new persons name, etc.) Ok, so this new person asks me for a bit more detailed information for the illustrator to use to do their illustrating (5 total including the cover). So, now it is about late September 2020, and I have not heard much so I email this new woman and she tells me the illustrator needs 30-45 days to do their work. OK, so recently it has been on my mind that I should be hearing something pretty soon. I want so much to believe I have not been scammed, I can't take another one of these scammy things right now. I honestly did do some research and did not see their name on any list, so I ran with it. And, I believe strongly in my work that it is good and worthy of what they told me. As of this date, I have called several times to the company and it is a 1 800 number and it goes directly to a voice message that says if you know your parties ex, blah blah do this, etc. Did that, and also sent emails recently. I realize it is Saturday, and it is also Covid days, so with all that, I do hope I hear something very soon. Can you tell me anything that will give me some hope? I don't like the 1-800 number thing and I don't remember that being the case earlier this summer when I would call. Ugh!
skybookstuff88@gmail.com
Anonymous 11/3,
Are you talking about Europe Books/Europa Edizioni? If so, I've blogged about it here: https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2020/09/pay-to-play-alert-europe-books-europa.html
Not published but spoke online with the editor. Mentioned two types of contract (Traditional and Co-operative if I recall) to be discussed at a team meeting. Unsurprisingly I received the latter type, where they were asking for £2300 for the first 200 books but would only receive a refund when additional 500 sold. Offer was a plan for my writing but found same worded document online. Strange??
Thank you for your kind warnings and hints. Luckily, I have not yet gone into any financial commitments. After your advice, I refused to enter any agreement with a representative posing as a free agent, but only an employee of PageTurner Publ. co. After some 6 months, she called me again, having forgotten my case. Imagine, I recognized by her curious drawl. Same talk of approaching the Big Five among publishers etc. So, you notice how your advice has kept me off the hook for the second time. THANK YOU!
JT2Associates,
What I suggest on getting your money back: if paid by credit card and you're still within the dispute window, file a dispute with your credit card company or your bank. They take disputes seriously and will investigate. I've heard from writers who've been able to get at least some of their money back this way. Best of luck.
Victoria, I wish I had seen your blog. They scammed me. Is there any chance I can get my money back?
Don’t feel bad. It happened to me as well just recently. At first I blamed myself for being so trusting but that’s who I am and I’m not going to allow low life’s, regardless of their financial situation to change me. There’s no excuse for scheming honest people about if their money and interfering with their morale as writers. I’m going going to be wise going forward and keep writing. As someone said, no one should call you and ask you to pay for your own product.
Thank you! They have contacted me as well.
Unfortunately I was scammed by Editor’s Press in Media. Their number is a google number and the office is virtual with a Virginia address. I sent my check to Virginia but it was cashed in Florida. I’ve hired an attorney and filed charges in Virginia. Has anyone had any luck in receiving their funds back?
I recently was contacted via email from a literary agent or someone claiming to be a literary agent wanting to reformat my already self-published book. Unfortunately with the documentation they provided when I accused them of being scammed i fell for it and gave them a partial payment. Now in a ten week agreement process I have not heard from them since the middle of September. Unfortunately its one of the companies you listed on your blog. Now I dont know what to do. Any advice?
Thanks for the update regarding the company, Pearson Media Group. I just received an email from them saying they had thoroughly reviewed my book and want to talk about an International Film and movie recommendation. As I've done with other companies, and there have been many, I tell them that if they can tell me one thing about my book's story, other than the title, then I would be willing to at least talk to them. I usually get some excuse and I never hear from them again.
I self-published a memoir last year with BookBaby. They’re legit but expensive and have issues. But today I received a call from Authors Press. They said I was on a list provided by Amazon of popular titles. They said my book is getting a lot of traffic but it’s not converting to sales due to price. I agree with that because BookBaby priced the book above what anyone would pay for a book by an unknown author. They were recommending a re-launch. Again, not a bad idea as my launch in September 2019 was disastrous due to how BookBaby deals with Amazon. But this isn’t about BookBaby—they’re not perfect, but they do what they say will and are actually reachable. I smelled a rat right away as the woman’s accent was very much like those of reps in Phillipines-based customer service call centers. I wasted 90 minutes on a phone call but it was actually good practice answering questions about my book. My book has received two awards and many positive reviews. I don’t know if the Amazon traffic angle is true or just a ploy. Anyway, Authors Press appeared on Reedsy’s list of known scam companies, most based in the Phillipines. I’m disappointed but not surprised.
Unknown 9/22,
I've recently written about Editor's Press and Media and their HarperCollins scam: https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2020/08/alert-scammers-impersonating-major.html. Glad you found my blog.
I got an email from editorspressandmedia and a follow up phone call saying that Harper Collins was interested in acquiring a photo book I self published. They sent me a copy of the email that they said came from Harper Collins with the editor's name. I know a little about publishing, especially photo books, so I did not bite on their "fee" of $3500 for editing and an author website. I found you blog while I was on the phone with "Stacey" and saw that their name is on your list.
Thanks for doing this
NC Talker,
I'm really sorry this happened to you. I'm working on a blog post about Fact and Fiction–which I agree is a scam. WOuld you please share with me any correspondence you received from them, as well as documentation of the payment so I can research the account and the account holder? All information shared with Writer Beware is held in confidence. My email is beware@sfwa.org. Thanks so much.
Fact and Fiction Entertainment and Literary Agency appears to be a scam. The paypal payment actually went to an unverified account overseas, Probably to the Phillipines. Payment went to Carlo Carpio
The receiver of this payment is Non-US – Unverified
finance@factandfic.com There is no listing of this company in NYC or Delaware. No business permits. I did a reverse image check online and that photo of Andie Millstone is a stock photo attached to severe different names online.
I wish I had scrolled all the way to the bottom before paying this crew. I hate to pile on, but Fact and Fiction Entertainment and Literary Agency is pure FICTION. They are not listed as a corporation IN NYC nor Delaware. The photo for Andie Millstone is also fiction and associated with several profiles online. The CEO does not exist. They are supposed to have been around since 2005 there is no online trail.
Dr. Alikhani,
I'm glad you've found my blog useful! Please feel free to contact me directly if you have a question about an individual's or a company's reputation: beware@sfwa.org.
I've just become aware of Fact and Fiction, which appears to be very new. In my judgment, it is another scam. Watch for a blog post this week.
As far as marketing goes…reputable PR companies are extremely costly, and for a small press- or self-published book, that expense just doesn't make sense, since the economics of those publishing methods don't favor volume sales, and volume sales is what PR is all about. Smaller, less expensive marketing services or individual PR providers are too often either inexpert or outright scams. That's not to say all of them are, but the likelihood is high. As a rule of thumb, a reliance on junk marketing methods (methods that are cheap to provide and can be sold at a substantial markup) is one of the main warning signs. Such methods include press releases, email blasts, book trailers, book fair display, paid book reviews, paid radio interviews, Facebook ads, and more.
Literary agents represent manuscripts to publishers and help manage authors' careers, but they don't do marketing. Literary agents may be interested in representing a self-published or small press-published book to larger publishers–but that's usually on the basis of substantial sales–on the order of thousands of copies sold in a relatively short period of time, such as the first year of release.
Dear Victoria
I wanted to thank you for saving me because I have been contacted at least by half of these fake agencies that you have listed here. I have always referred to your posting and exited the contract in the last minute. They are relentless. I have 2 questions and hope you or someone can rescue me again: 1) Is a company called "Fact and Fiction" based in New York legitimate? They claim to have great Literary Agents. 2) Is there a legitimate company out there (for Gods sake) that can help me market the book? I'm interested in finding a real Literary Agent and/or a company that can help market my book: Untethered, Children of Cyrus. It's a great book that need marketing. I can be reached at balikhani5@gmail.com. I'm willing to partner with anyone who's real, not fake like these people that you have alerted us. THANKS AGAIN.