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SCAMMERS MENTIONED IN THIS POST:

Penguin Random House HQ / penguinrandomhousehq.com (an impersonation website)

Peter Cramer / a FAKE “independent acquisition broker” – peter.cramer@literarybrokersguild.com

Literary Brokers Guild / literarybrokersguild.com (a non-working website but their email addresses work)

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Here’s an email I received from my friend, Linda. Bold is inserted by me:

Hi Angela,

Scam alert!

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Penguin Random House <info@penguinrandomhousehq.com>
11:09 AM (11 minutes ago)

Dear Linda (last name removed),

I trust this email finds you well.

Your book was formally submitted to our acquisition evaluators by Peter Cramer, an independent acquisition broker, (THIS GUY IS EITHER WORKING WITH THE SCAMMER, OR HE’S THE SCAMMER PRETENDING TO BE A DIFFERENT PERSON. OF COURSE, THE NAME IS TOTALLY FAKE. ALSO, NO LITERARY AGENT OR SO-CALLED “ACQUISITION BROKER” – HA HA – SUBMITS AN AUTHOR’S BOOK TO A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHER WITHOUT FIRST SIGNING A CONTRACT WITH THE AUTHOR.) who sent us an endorsement letter from the email address peter.cramer@literarybrokersguild.com.

Upon receiving the formal endorsement from Mr. Cramer, we dedicated our time and resources to conducting a preliminary review of your book. We are pleased to inform you that your literary work captured the attention of our editorial team (YEAH, RIGHT!!!), showcasing a unique narrative and engaging style that aligns with our publishing values. (NOTICE THERE IS NOTHING SPECIFIC ABOUT THE BOOK AT ALL. EVEN IF THERE WAS, THEY’D HAVE USED AI TO CREATE THAT FALSE PRAISE.) We firmly believe that (TITLE REMOVED BUT WE WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY MISSPELLED THE LAST WORD IN IT!) has the potential to be a valuable addition to our catalog and would resonate well with our target audience.

As the next step, we kindly ask you to confirm whether you are still the rightful author of the book and whether you retain 100% ownership of the book’s copyrights. If your answer is no, you are no longer eligible for the acquisition deal with PRH, and you may disregard this email. (THIS IS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE AUTHOR WILL TELL THE CURRENT RIGHT’S HOLDER ABOUT THE OFFER, AND THE RIGHT’S HOLDER WILL KNOW IT’S A SCAM.)

If your answer is yes, we would also love to know whether you have ever considered becoming a traditionally published author, so we can move forward with the next steps.

If the book is Eligible (THIS WORD SHOULD NOT BE CAPITALIZED. CLASSIC SCAMMER ERROR.) for acquisition: For us to move forward and delve deeper into the possibility of an acquisition, there is a process to be followed, along with several requirements that need to be met. We would like your broker to submit the following prerequisite documents in a compiled authors (MISSING APOSTROPHE!!) portfolio in order for my acquisition department to run the appraisal of your book for us to gauge its current value.

I will elaborate on these in the sections below:

Updated Registration (THE FAKE “BROKER” WAS GOING TO CHARGE HER FOR THIS!): As your book was initially self-published, we need you to update the registration details. It is vital to have the correct information recorded in national and international literary databases. This step will confirm your consent to a potential change in the publishing partner, ensuring the seamless transition of the book’s custody. 

Book Formats (THE FAKE “BROKER” WAS GOING TO CHARGE HER FOR THIS, TOO!): At Penguin Random House, we believe in making our titles accessible to all types of readers. Therefore, we publish our books across a variety of formats: eBook , Paperback, Hardcover and Audiobook. We ask that you have your manuscript ready in suitable formats for these four categories to allow us the possibility of broad distribution.

Manuscript Review: While our preliminary review has prompted our interest, a more comprehensive assessment is necessary to appreciate your work fully. We need a complete and updated copy of your manuscript to examine its content thoroughly and ensure its compatibility with our editorial standards and values. (NEVER, EVER, EVER SEND YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO PEOPLE YOU DON’T KNOW, OR SOMEONE YOU HAVEN’T VERIFIED AS LEGITIMATE! SCAMMERS CAN STEAL YOUR MANUSCRIPT, REPUBLISH IT, AND KEEP ALL THE MONEY! REMEMBER THAT SPAMMERS ARE SCAMMERS! LEGITIMATE PUBLISHERS, LITERARY AGENTS, MOVIE PRODUCERS, AND EVERYONE ELSE DO ***NOT*** REACH OUT TO AUTHORS VIA EMAIL, ON SOCIAL MEDIA, OR THROUGH THE AUTHOR’S WEBSITE! AUTHORS CONTACT THEM DIRECTLY!)

Author’s Biography & Marketing Material: An author’s connection with their readership goes beyond the book. To help foster this connection, we request a brief biography, including any literary achievements, past works, and other relevant information. Additionally, if you have devised any marketing plans or created promotional materials for your book, we would appreciate it if you could share them with us. This will help us develop a robust, personalized marketing strategy that aligns with your vision for the book. (THE FAKE “BROKER” WAS GOING TO UPSELL HER ON CREATING THESE ITEMS.)

Rights Availability: As we aim to make our titles available to readers worldwide, we need to understand the status of your book’s rights. This includes, but is not limited to, worldwide publishing rights, language rights, and digital rights. If certain rights have already been sold, please provide a detailed breakdown. (THEY ALREADY ASKED ABOUT RIGHTS ABOVE. NOW, THEY’RE JUST RUNNING IN VERBIAGE CIRCLES TO MAKE THEMSELVES SOUND LEGITIMATE.)

I hope that these points offer clarity regarding the process and the requirements that need to be met for us to acquire your book. We are genuinely excited about the possibility of bringing “HOWMASTER: THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO BEAUTIFUL WORD CRAFTIN” to a broader audience. Awaiting your positive response to move forward in this promising venture.

Regards,
Paul Kelly
CEO, DK GLOBAL (WHAT IS DK GLOBAL??? LOOKS LIKE THEY MISTAKENLY USED A DIFFERENT NAME. SCAMMERS GET CONFUSED WHEN THEY’RE SENDING OUT SPAM EN MASSE, AND INCLUDE DIFFERENT COMPANY NAMES.)
Email: info@penguinrandomhousehq.com
Submissions: info@penguinrandomhousehq.com
Website: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com (THIS IS THE REAL PENGUIN RANDOM  HOUSE URL. THEY ADD THIS TO MAKE IT LOOK LEGIT. HOWEVER, LOOK AT THE EMAIL ADDRESSES ABOVE THIS. THEY HAVE “HQ” AT THE END. THAT IS A NON-WORKING WEBSITE BUT THE EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THAT GO TO THE SCAMMER. MOST PEOPLE WON’T NOTICE THIS SUBTLE CHANGE. WE ALWAYS DO.)
Address: 1745 Broadway, New York, New York

AND, THE SILENCING THREAT!!! \/
Important: The information contained in this document pertains to the acquisition deal with Penguin Random House and is strictly confidential. It may not be disclosed, copied, or distributed to any third party without prior written consent from all parties involved. Unauthorized disclosure, duplication, or dissemination of this information is strictly prohibited and may result in the immediate withdrawal of this offer and potential legal action.

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My response to Linda:

Thanks! Yep, classic scammer move. They have the real URL for Penguin Random House. However, notice the email address and the “submissions” URL have “hq” at the end of the URL. That’s a non-working website but they do own it, and have email addresses attached to it.

Also, notice the strongly worded last paragraph, threatening legal action if you share that email with anybody. Of course, that’s the way scammers try to stop people from sharing the info., which will undoubtedly lead the author to realizing they’ve been scammed after getting advice from people like me.

Don’t worry. They will NOT sue me, nor you. Ha ha ha ha ha. Because, they’re FOREIGN SCAMMERS.

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