Among the most common scams targeting self-published and small press authors these days are fake literary agency scams.
These are slightly different from the agent/agency impersonation scams I’ve written a number of posts about, in that they don’t appropriate the identities of real people (most of the time). But that doesn’t mean they’re not equally deceptive.
They work like this.
- You’re contacted out of the blue by phone or email by someone describing themselves as a literary agent, offering to represent you or endorse you or otherwise transition you to a traditional publishing contract or have your book made into a movie. Sometimes they’ll even tell you they already have interest from a Big 5 publisher or a major film studio. The agent claims to work on commission only–no upfront fees!
- But wait–there are things you need to do in order to access that coveted contract or movie rights offer: re-publish your book, have a screenplay written, undertake a PR campaign, buy “book insurance”…the list goes on. If you don’t have those things on hand, or don’t know how to access someone to provide them, the agent just happens to know of a trustworthy company that can provide them for you. Of course, there’s a fee. But you have to spend money to make money, right?
- You hand over the payment: anywhere between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars. Sometimes that’s the last you’ll hear from your “agent”. More often, your payment tells the scammer you’re a willing mark. And so….
- You’re bombarded with offers to spend more money on book fair representation, bookstore promotions, book-to-screen services, New York Times ads, pay-to-play radio and TV interviews, and more. Every time you pay, you incentivize the scammer to ask again. The prices get higher, the services more fraudulent–all supposedly in aid of obtaining the coveted contract you were promised at the start. Eventually you may receive forged contracts from Big 5 publishers or production companies–always, somehow, requiring you to pay enormous sums of cash.
- Once you get suspicious and start asking questions, or balk at payment, or the scammer decides you’re tapped out, they ghost you.
I’ve heard from writers who’ve spent $70,000, $100,000, $300,000, and even more on such frauds.
There are three components to a fake literary agency scam.
- One (or more) fake agency
- One (or more) “trustworthy” service provider
- A parent company overseas, usually in the Philippines, that runs the scam with a brigade of sales reps using American-sounding aliases. This is where your money ultimately goes.
Here’s a real-life example.
Acquisitions NY purports to be a literary agency with a mission of “Empowering Authors Everyday…by providing contemporary solutions that have been tried and tested throughout time.” Its web domain was registered in July 2022.
If you visit Acquisitions NY’s website today, you’ll note that it’s bare of certain things a reputable agency’s website typically includes, such as a client list and a list of recent sales. In an earlier incarnation, those things were present…but oops…
Acquisitions NY removed the pilfered book images and testimonials, but continued to use them in solicitations for some time afterward, as you can see from this flashy document they were sending out as late as last December. (Here’s Virginia Lloyd’s testimonial page for comparison.)
In another theft, Acquisitions NY’s Who We Are page for some time falsely claimed real agent Ian Bonaparte of Janklow & Nesbit as part of its team. Again, they got caught out:
Ian’s (real) bio and (fake) photo are no longer on the website, but his name is still being used, as you’ll see below.
Acquisitions NY’s solicitations have varied over time, but the ones they’re currently sending out claim that authors have been chosen for “one of the most-coveted 10 spots” in the (entirely fictional) Mark Twain Literary Fund, which supposedly makes it possible for representation to be provided “pro bono” (which of course is not a thing). You can see the whole solicitation here, and the accompanying brochure here.
And remember that I said there might be more than one agency in a fake agency scheme? An outfit called Redhood Literary (web domain registered just 31 days ago as of this writing) is sending out solicitations that, despite slightly different wording and a different fictional “literary fund” (the Charles Perrault Literary Fund 2023), are otherwise virtually identical to Acquisitions NY’s. You can see Redhood’s solicitation here (note the BCC to ianbonaparte@acquisitions-ny.com).
Here’s a screenshot of the relevant portion of Acquisitions NY’s solicitation:
Acquisitions NY and Redhood Literary are betting that the author won’t know how to find a “professional editor of your liking” to create the “trifecta documents”, and will be eager for a referral to a (supposedly) reputable firm to provide this service for them. Enter the second component of the fake literary agency scheme: the service provider.
In this case, that’s Bennett Media & Marketing, which identifies itself as a publishing, marketing, and editing company “formed to combat the enigmatic nature of traditional publishing.” Here’s its response to “Ian Bonaparte” at Acquisitions NY, who has referred a writer for production of the “trifecta documents” mentioned in the screenshot above.
I have documentation confirming that the writer (whose name and book title I’ve redacted) paid for these services, but it unfortunately doesn’t include the amount. Based on the price points of similar scams, my guess would be in the $2,000-3,000 range. (Subsequent correspondence between “Ian” and the author suggests the author may have had questions about the quality of Bennett’s output–as, according to this account, did another author who paid for Bennett’s services.)
That brings us to the third component of a fake literary agency scam: the parent company that runs the sales reps and reaps the profits.
Bennett Media & Marketing was registered as an LLC in May 2021 in Wyoming via MyCompanyWorks, a business creation service that sets up corporations and LLCs for both US and international clients. (I wasn’t able to find business registrations for Acquisitions NY or Redhood Literary, probably because they exist solely to funnel paying customers Bennet’s way, and don’t actually collect any money.)
Here are Bennett’s registration documents. Note Article VI, an additional clause that identifies the person in charge.
Now take a look at these Articles of Incorporation, applied for on December 1, 2021, for Crown Media Global Solutions OPC, a Philippine company that “engage[s] in the Business of Business Process Outsourcing, data processing and other portals activities for the internet”. (“Business outsourcing” is the bland term often adopted by Philippine companies that operate scams in the US and other countries.)
Notice anything similar?
I suspect it’s not a coincidence that a couple of months later, an amendment to Bennett Media’s business registration was filed to delete Article VI “in entirety”.
Crown Media’s website has been suspended for some reason, and as of this writing its Facebook page is no longer active, though it was alive and well yesterday with recruitment calls and posts featuring the month’s top sellers.
So there you have it: the anatomy of a fake literary agency scam, a trail of breadcrumbs linking two fake agencies, a predatory service provider, and a parent company in the Philippines.
It’s often not possible to trace a fake agency or agency impersonator back to its source. I’ve identified only a handful of such setups (see this list)–but I have no doubt there are many, many more. Crown Media is almost certainly taking in plenty of money–each person they convince to shell out for “trifecta documents” is a potential mark for more sales pressure driven by more false representations and promises–but it’s small potatoes compared to longer-established companies of this type–such as Innocentrix, which does or has done business under nine or more different names, and generates eye-popping revenue. Top sales reps for these companies can make as much as six figures in monthly commissions.
Short answer is, these scammers depend 100% on amateur writers not knowing how publishing works.
You will not be solicited by an agent unless you are famous or have a publisher’s offer in hand. For one path to getting a publisher’s offer, read on.
My wife queried a publisher and was immediately offered a contract for her first book. She used that to land an agent. But to dig a bit deeper into how this happened, I am a professional product designer with a graduate literary education, including academic specialties in the history of publishing. I helped her design and position her nonfiction MSS so the target press would be intrigued. The book had a data-backed, temporally and demographically attractive, behaviorally-based, highly specific target persona that was of primary interest to the publisher. It also answered a “right time, right place” market need that was well-defined with data beforehand. My wife had this persona in mind all through writing and revising the MSS. She also had fairly substantial academic and in-the-field credibility and is a professionally-experienced writer. Her book is a bestseller in a niche she knows deeply.
It’s sold about 1200 copies in two years; I expect it has a life of perhaps another 1500-2000 over five more years. (Again, a function of the design and positioning to overcome title drop-off; it’s not evergreen, that’s too hard to shoot for, but it’s pretty green.) That’s what success looks like. It’s also what an actual bestseller looks like, 99 times out of 100.
If I had charged her for the positioning, even a fraction of what I charge software companies, it would be more than the royalties she’ll earn over the next decade. And WAAAAY too much work with too uncertain an outcome for anyone I’m not in love with. (And if it had been a novel or memoir I would have said No up front.) So I won’t offer that service for writers, and anyone who offers is either a complete idiot who doesn’t understand the math or is scamming you because you don’t know the math or how publishing works.
I have been called by multiple publishing companies, telling me that I will get amazing coverage, because my poetry is touching the needs of so many…my poetry is encouraging Spiritual …Yet they tell you , that they are “waiting ” for me to pay, so they can Release my “gift” and have it be featured on some literary journals’..recently its been book fairs…and you must Hurry to get your books..”Out on display” which is what they promise for a fee..I have checked these places on Better Business Bureau…and the intensity of their pleas for me to “move ahead” is What STOPPED ME !!
This web site is Go GREAT!! I can’t stand the thought of stealing money by flattering and lying to people..using flattery and deceit to gain profit …they are Wolves after Sheep!!
Got a call from ‘Jayson Silva’ literary agent with the usual crap–movie deals, publishers all chomping at the bit to get hold of me and my novels. Really? He has no website, aala #, fb, references, etc. Think he could be a scammer? Duh.
Thanks so much for your addition info. I will not only send you the contacts, but attach a document I’ve put together re the timeline and all of the players. Hopefuly, it will be of some use. I’ve also it sent to PRH. I’ve emailed The Literary Marketplace, since their name is being used as a way to establish legitimacy, to see if they are interested in this data.
This story about Acquisition New York and Bennett is nearly identical to mine with a few notable exceptions. 1. I ultimately – after much haranguing and going thru American Express got a full refund AFTER all of the following went down: 2. Following the trifecta of documents (ultimately unusable – I had to rewrite from scratch), I was informed I would need a 3-month media campaign to make some noise for three months while the documents were posted on The Literary Marketplace (otherwise the document investment would come to naught) I paid for a FB marketing campaign guarantying a million impressions/month. Again – incompetently handled. 2. My Acquisitions NY “agent” later called and insisted I get a refund via American Express as she was leaving because she suspected improper business practices. I began the refund process. 3. I then received (via the same “agent” now at a new agency Acquisitions-Galley) a Letter of Intent from PenguinRandomHouseBooks ON PHR LETTERHEAD with their address and logos. That required additional documents via an agency calling itself CreativeMediaEditing (but same email as BookGroup) requiring payment by wire or certified check. I did not pursue that, having discovered that the email was not linked with PRH and that the website was bogus, then informed my “agent” we’d been scammed and never heard a peep back, so I now suspect she was in on it from the beginning. The sums involved always started at $5000, but were negotiated to half with pushback. My total outlay, ultimately refunded, was $5000.
Hi, Nancy,
Thanks for your comment. Your experience sheds light on something interesting that I’ve heard about a few times before: a sales rep for one scam company decides to leave for another scam company, bad-mouths the old company to their authors (including helping them get money back, as a way of screwing over their old employer), and then does their best to sign the authors up for the new scam company.
Acquisitions Galley is a new name for a group of scam companies that I’ve written about here. Creative Media Editors is its editing branch. This group is one of the main perpetrators of impersonation scams–mostly impersonating reputable agents, but also these fake letters of intent from PRH and other big publishers.
If you still have all the emails and other documents from your experience with these two “agencies”, would you please forward them to me, for my files? My email is beware@sfwa.org . Thanks again.
This company Bennett Media and Marketing LLC is owned by Jofred Bayani. The Company name is the Philippines is Crown Media Global Solutions. They have created multiple Fake literary agency website like: acquisitionsny.com, acquisitions-ny.com, theacquisitions-ny.com, redhoodliterary.com. And we believe that they are creating more of these since they are being exposed already.
This person has been reported to the FBI, FTC, IRS, Wyoming Attorney General. And in the Philippines it has been reported to NBI, BIR & SEC.
You can help reporting this company here: https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/report-fraud
Excellent article. I was recently contacted by phone by Redhood. I usually ignore these calls but this time I called back. The agent gave me the same shpeil. I said I’d call back. I did some quick research. The website was very professional but when I Googled the agency founder nothing showed up. When I emailed back to decline the offer the email was dropped. The website is also down. Good riddance. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.
I see plenty of companies offering to promote your book on Facebook. Some of them also claim that your book will be seen by Hollywood executives. I self-publish, so I have no need for an agent. Anyway, my writing is so off the wall, that no traditional publisher would ever touch it.
I often get emails from different names/addresses that have almost identical pitches.
Identical email content is one of the ways I make connections between scammers (many of which do business under multiple names).
What a scam indeed. I helped my father self-publish 2 books. We purchased a publishing package that was reasonably priced and were very happy with the final product. It was after the books were published when I was inundated with calls and emails from people who wanted to make the book into a movie, etc. I ignored them all, but it was clear that my contact info made it onto a lot of questionable lists. Thanks for this info. I’m still getting an occasional call and email five years later.
Hello,
I spoke with Raphael Givenchy (if that person in fact exists), who claims to be the Aquisitions Agent for Redhood Literary, just last evening. He sounded legitimate and so enthused about my work. And of course I was among the 10 finalists, out of 742 books reviewed, for the Charles Perrault Prize.
He sent me the Content Evaluation of my book. . .and a red flag waved wildly. My book is a novel, and the reviewer, also from Redhood, declared that my memoir had the potential to be a best seller! The reviewer provided three successful examples of memoirs, which resembled mine. If you are going to scam someone, at least get the genre correct!
Needless to say, my investigative antenna rose, and thankfully I found this article. So grateful.
I also received a contract, which I will never sign.
I have blocked Mr. Givenchy’s phone number!
Again, so thankful for your article, Victoria.
Have a splendid day,
Catherine
“I’ve heard from writers who’ve spent $70,000, $100,000, $300,000, and even more on such frauds.”
I weep.
I like how Crown Media’s ad wants people with “good moral character” for their scam.
Thank you Victoria for your helpful information. I’ve had a bunch of calls and I need to know if they legit or a scam. Here are some: Ink Start Media, Brilliant Books Literary, Dream Book Media Professionals, Audio Book Network, Author Press, Bookmark Alliance, and InClark Media(that what it sounded like)2524003823. Thank You.
Just to save Victoria the time, here’s a list of known scam companies:
https://writerbeware.blog/2019/08/16/from-the-philippines-not-with-love-a-plague-of-publishing-marketing-and-fake-literary-agency-scams/
4 of your 7 companies are on there; admittedly, I know nothing about the other 3, but if I were a betting woman, my money would not be on them being legit.
I think it would be an advantage to all of us to fi d out what a person can do to get their money back. Do you contact the police first or what. These crimes have to be stopped.
Scammers don’t typically honor money-back guarantees, or provide refunds if service is unsatisfactory or not delivered. If you bug them about this, they are liable to ghost you.
If you paid by debit or credit card, and are within the window to file a dispute with your bank or credit card company, that’s one avenue to possibly get your money back. If the scammer has a US business registration with an address where they can be served, you could try making a small claims court claim–though the amount you can claim is limited, and the scammer might not pay even if you got a favorable judgment. They are largely shielded from legal action by their overseas location.
Next thing to beware of is “recovery scammers”; they’ll claim to be able to get your money back… for a fee. Then another fee. Then another. It’s the same scam all over again.
Do you have actual examples of this?
I’ve posted the link to FictionMags, Mike Glyer, Jim Milliott at Publishers Weekly, and to Shelf Awareness for Readers.
Thank you!
Thanks so much for this. I was approached by Redhood and it sounded very legit at first but as we got deeper into the deal something didn’t seem quite right…I already have a fantastic, professional editor but they said he wasn’t qualified to generate my “trifecta” documents. They then recommended the same companies you mention above, and when I researched them the red flags started waving madly. That’s when I found this article and you confirmed my suspicions. Thank you!!
Would you share with me all emails and other materials you got from Redhood, for my files? beware@sfwa.org . Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing about this literary agency scam. These scams are terrible.
You are an amazing sleuth. Thank you for doing all of this to help authors,
Mine came in the form of a phone call wanting me to sign-up so they could get me in Barnes and Noble bookstores. I slept on it as I was going out when they caught me. In the morning before they were to call back I Googled the company. The entire website shouted scam. I read all the reviews. I looked them up in with the Better Business Bureau, was I surprised they were not rated. Reviews there were awful. They suggested strongly that I not consider working with them. No, joke when they called back I hung up on them. They immediately called again and I told them they had a wrong number and should not call again lest they want to be sued for harassment. They have not called back.