Before you read the exchange below, if you haven’t already done so, read these:

COMPLAINTS about Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com – by James M. Walsh, Esq.

And:

Publishing Mojo Is Furious That I Exposed Their Scam! – by James M. Walsh, Esq.

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On September 30th, Publishing Mojo sent me an email, accusing attorney James M. Walsh’s article (link above) of containing defamatory material, misleading statements, inaccuracies, etc., etc.

They claimed (among other things), “the article makes serious, unsubstantiated allegations about our business practices, including accusations of plagiarism, fraudulent operations, and misrepresentation, none of which are true. We have taken immediate steps to address any inadvertent errors related to the materials on our website…”

What “Joshua Smith” (if that’s his real name) was referring to was the book covers on their website that they did NOT design (copyright infringement).

Here is my response, sent on October 2nd:

Greetings, Joshua, and thank you for contacting us. We will be very happy to share your side of the story.

Please send a numbered list of the accusations listed in the articles that you are claiming are not correct, and explain exactly how they are inaccurate.

Please note that all communications are subject to publication.

Thank you,

Angela Hoy, Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

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Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com responded back to me on October 7th. After you read my extensive response, additional allegations, and see the many screenshots I sent to them proving their illegal activities and more, you won’t be surprised to learn that they never wrote me back. I’ve waited three weeks to post this and I’m not waiting any longer.

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October 7th, social@publishingmojo.com:

Dear Angela Hoy,

Thank you for your email and for the opportunity to respond. We appreciate your willingness to share our side of the story regarding the allegations presented in the article by James M. Walsh.

Below is a numbered list of the accusations mentioned in the article, along with our detailed responses to each:

Claim: Virtual Office Address

The allegation regarding our office address being a “virtual office” misrepresents the nature of our business. Many companies, especially in the digital space, utilize virtual office services for administrative purposes while maintaining legitimate operations. This does not reflect on the legitimacy of our services.

Claim: Association with a Company in New Delhi, India

The claim that our phone number is connected to a company in India is baseless. Our operations are based in the U.S., and any similarities in website design are coincidental.

Claim: Unauthorized Use of Book Covers

We categorically deny using unauthorized book covers from any authors, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Rebecca Yarros, Catharina Maura, and others. The covers referenced were mistakenly displayed during a third-party site overhaul and were promptly removed once identified. We maintain strict adherence to copyright laws.

Claim: Fraudulent Association with Amazon

We have never claimed direct affiliation with Amazon. The mentioned communication with “Oliver Grant” regarding Amazon was a misunderstanding, and no misrepresentation was intended.

Claim: Use of Co-Author’s Social Security Number

This accusation is false. We have never engaged in any illicit practices involving personal information like Social Security numbers. Any issues with platform bans are unrelated to such claims.

Claim: Banking Practices with Ace Content Writing

Our business dealings with Ace Content Writing are legitimate and transparent. Any connections drawn between us and their operations are purely speculative and unfounded.

These claims are gross misrepresentations and have caused unwarranted harm to our reputation. We kindly ask that you give us the opportunity to present supporting evidence to refute these allegations. Furthermore, we hope this response will allow for a more balanced view of the situation.

Please let us know if there are any additional details or clarifications you require. We are committed to transparency and to resolving this matter professionally.

Best regards,Publishing Mojo Team

---

(Notice there was no name at the bottom of the email this time.)

My response on October 9th:

Hi Joshua,

Please respond to all of the numbered items below.

1. Blitz Design / TheBlitzDesign.com (a.k.a. Blitz Mobile Apps / BlitzMobileApps.com), Silicon Valley Graphics & Signs / SVGprint.com (a.k.a. Silicon Valley Graphics), and The Ghost Writing (all part of the Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com consortium of businesses – we have a list), are all listed at the same address:

45333 Fremont Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94538

TheBlitzDesign.com and Blitz Mobile Apps –

There are three one-star reviews on yelp.com:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/blitz-mobile-apps-santa-rosa

“Scammed for 1000 no call after payment. No work done. Sent money through zelle never heard from them again.”

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-blitz-design-fremont

“Unsolicited messages after getting a domain. Don’t give these people money or your time.”

and

“Garbage. Don’t waste your time or money. They are incompetent and try to rip you off.”

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2. On TrustPilot, there are two one-star reviews:

https://ie.trustpilot.com/review/theblitzdesign.com

“This company is the parent company of a few scam book publishing websites. Be aware!”

and

https://ie.trustpilot.com/review/theblitzdesign.com?stars=1

“This the parent company of Creativebookwriters who stole my money for production of a novel. Stay away…scammers!”

More links to one-star reviews about your businesses:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/silicon-valley-graphics-and-signs-fremont?rr=1

Seven one-star reviews about Publishing Mojo are on TrustPilot.com:

https://ie.trustpilot.com/review/publishingmojo.com?stars=1

There are more than 30 one-star reviews about your company, Creative Book Writers / CreativeBookWriters.com, on TrustPilot:

https://ca.trustpilot.com/review/creativebookwriters.com?stars=1

There are many more on the Internet as well. And, we were contacted directly by another upset Publishing Mojo author this week.

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3. There are only four testimonials from your authors on your website yet they all have cartoon faces and none of their book titles are listed. The third comment in the jpg below isn’t even about Publishing Mojo. It is referring to a completely different company.

Your website states “50K+ Published independent authors” yet Publishing Mojo hasn’t published anywhere near that number of books. Where did that number come from? Are you adding up all of the authors who have used your numerous companies that operate under different names?

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4. You have the following listed on your website yet NONE of your books have won any of these awards:
The Booker Prizes
The Pulitzer Prizes
National Book Critics Circle

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5. You have a Trustpilot logo on your site with 5 stars in the graphic but you don’t have a 5-star average on that site. Your site also says “TrustScore 9.0 | Reviews 158. That is also not true.

You also have a logo that states “1500+ ***** Ratings” but the company name isn’t discernible (the logo is out of focus). Where does Publishing Mojo have 1500+ 5-star reviews?

The text above those two logos is offering ebook writing services but it has a punctuation error.

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6. You also have the following logos on your website but you have not worked with these companies:

Macmillan
Harper Collins Publishers
Hachette Book Group
Simon & Schuster
Penguin Random House

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7. We are aware that you were sued by (and settled with) GoDaddy and 99Designs for trademark infringement and more. I’m including more information on those lawsuits below.

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BELOW ARE YOUR CLAIMS WITH OUR RESPONSES UNDERNEATH (look for the ***’s):

A. Claim: Virtual Office Address

The allegation regarding our office address being a “virtual office” misrepresents the nature of our business. Many companies, especially in the digital space, utilize virtual office services for administrative purposes while maintaining legitimate operations. This does not reflect on the legitimacy of our services.

***When a company is operating outside of the U.S., even in part, but uses a “virtual” U.S. address, that is deceptive to potential customers. It makes them think you are located in the U.S. If you have offices and employees/contractors located overseas, you need to disclose that. According to the lawsuit filed against you by GoDaddy, Salman Ghaznavi himself filed a declaration stating that he resides full time and is employed in Pakistan.

=====

B. Claim: Association with a Company in New Delhi, India

The claim that our phone number is connected to a company in India is baseless. Our operations are based in the U.S., and any similarities in website design are coincidental.

***Are you denying that your firm has any association whatsoever with acredserv.com, which is located in New Delhi, India, and has the exact same phone number as Publishing Mojo?

=====

C. Claim: Unauthorized Use of Book Covers

We categorically deny using unauthorized book covers from any authors, including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Rebecca Yarros, Catharina Maura, and others. The covers referenced were mistakenly displayed during a third-party site overhaul and were promptly removed once identified. We maintain strict adherence to copyright laws.

***A third-party site designer? Your company owns a website design firm (TheBlitzDesign.com). Why did you not remove those copyrighted covers until after James M. Walsh, Esq. wrote about your company violating those copyrights, and providing screenshots?

Above, you “categorically deny” using other authors’ covers, yet then you admit it was done, and are blaming a “third party.” Accidental copyright infringement is still copyright infringement. Your response to this item doesn’t make sense. Also, you replaced one of the stolen covers on your website with a cover stolen from another book that was not published by Publishing Mojo.

And, why do you still have covers you did not create on the Publishing Mojo website?

I Am Lemonade Lucy! by Kenneth Womack was published by Black Rose Writing back in 2019.

Dawn of Legaia was published in 2016 by 3rd Millennia Entertainment.

Four of those covers don’t have authors’ names on them at all.

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D. Claim: Fraudulent Association with Amazon

We have never claimed direct affiliation with Amazon. The mentioned communication with “Oliver Grant” regarding Amazon was a misunderstanding, and no misrepresentation was intended.

***Your employee, “Derrick Rose,” led an author to believe he was available at Amazon’s phone number. And, the name of the “company” at the top of the chat box is “Amazon Publishers.”

In addition, Oliver Grant has the word “Amazon” under his name in his emails. We have numerous copies of emails he has exchanged with authors where he used that signature

Regards,
Oliver – Sr. Consultant
Amazon | Marketing | Publishing | Printing

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E. Claim: Use of Co-Author’s Social Security Number

This accusation is false. We have never engaged in any illicit practices involving personal information like Social Security numbers. Any issues with platform bans are unrelated to such claims.

**The allegation is that you set up an account with Barnes and Noble under the author’s name and that you provided that third party with his social security number when you set up that account. You also set up an account with Draft2Digital.com under the author’s name without his knowledge. Draft2Digital.com states your company was banned from their platform. Specifically:

“Every time we catch one of their websites and block them from accessing our own site, they create a new. We have no control over what they do, no affiliation or association with that group, and we actively work to warn authors that they are scammers.”

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F. Claim: Banking Practices with Ace Content Writing

Our business dealings with Ace Content Writing are legitimate and transparent. Any connections drawn between us and their operations are purely speculative and unfounded.

***Are you denying that you processed payments using your authors’ credit card information through a company called Ace Content Writing instead of through Publishing Mojo, and that you did not first alert the authors that their payments would be processed through a different company?

Are you also denying that Ace Content Writing is one of the businesses owned by the owners of Publishing Mojo (or that they are affiliated with Publishing Mojo and any of its owner/partner websites/companies)?

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G. These claims are gross misrepresentations and have caused unwarranted harm to our reputation. We kindly ask that you give us the opportunity to present supporting evidence to refute these allegations. Furthermore, we hope this response will allow for a more balanced view of the situation.

Please let us know if there are any additional details or clarifications you require. We are committed to transparency and to resolving this matter professionally.

***You agreed to settle the lawsuits filed against you by GoDaddy and 99Designs.

GoDaddy.com sued your company, Silicon Valley Graphics, LLC, for (trademark infringement), § 1125(a) (false designation of origin, unfair competition, false advertising), § 1125(c) (trademark dilution), § 1125(d) (cybersquatting), as well as state-law and common-law claims of unfair competition, false advertising, trademark infringement, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.

99Designs.com sued your company (under several company names) for trademark infringement and you were ordered to turn over all of those domains to 99Designs.com. Please comment on these items.

=====

You left out comments on the following items:

A. The authors’ book was supposed to be on 16 platforms (8 were included in the package and the author paid Publishing Mojo extra for the other 8). The book is only for sale on one (Amazon). Several platforms on your list aren’t retailers at all and some of them have misspelled names in your contract, and in your marketing emails.

The platforms initially offered were:

1. Amazon Kindle (The retailer’s name is Amazon.com.)
2. Barnes & Noble
3. Good Reads (That is not a retailer and the correct name is GoodReads.)
4. Apple Books Store (This name is incorrect. It’s Apple Books.)
5. Ingram Spark (That is not a retailer.)
6. Create Space (The correct name is CreateSpace. That company no longer exists. Amazon purchased it in 2018, and changed the name. Publishing Mojo’s website didn’t go live until 2022. Why did you put that very old name on your list?)
7. Blurb
8. Kobo (That is an ebook only retailer.)

Since the author paid for placement on 16 platforms, yet his book only appears on one, why have you not issued him a refund for the extra fees you charged him? And, why has Publishing Mojo failed to list the book on all of these “platforms?”

In addition, why was the author charged $585 extra for a payment plugin that is “useless?”

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B. Your contract promises unlimited revisions yet you put the book on Amazon with errors. You also offer a “Satisfaction Guarantee” but you have not refunded any money to the author for all of the problems he and his co-author encountered while working with Publishing Mojo. The author was also not refunded after errors were left in the book despite your “unlimited revisions” guarantee.

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C. For the website you promised to build (and charged the author for), you did not use the domain name that James M. Walsh, Esq. purchased and provided to you. He purchased the domain from GoDaddy and you were sued in the past by GoDaddy. Instead, you came up with a different URL and not only created a website with errors, but also with fake customer reviews (fraud). Some of those aren’t even “reviews.” They are quotes from famous authors and one is a quote from the Bible.

We have screenshots of the others as well.

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D. Your “editors” made numerous errors in the book (this is mentioned by other authors who have posted one-star reviews about Publishing Mojo online as well). The author kept needing to fix the errors repeatedly and your “editors” would then insert more errors. And, the book was put on the market with errors. Why are you putting books on the market with errors and why do you hire non-native English speakers to edit English-language books?

Thank you,

Angela Hoy, Publisher
WritersWeekly.com

RELATED

• COMPLAINTS about Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
• Publishing Mojo Is Furious That I Exposed Their Scam! – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
• COMPLAINTS about Iconic Book Publishers PLUS How Foreign “Publishers” Are Extorting Money from U.S. Authors!
• EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART I: This International Scam is Fooling THOUSANDS of Authors Across the Globe!
• EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART II: 19 Signs You’re About to Get Scammed By a Foreign “Book Publisher”
• EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART III: How WritersWeekly Communicates Directly with Deceitful “Publishers” to Expose Their Appalling Practices
• EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART IV: WARNINGS about TheGhostWriting.org, Book Publishing HQ, Author Book Creators, Author Books Publisher, AMZ Publishing Firm, and McMillan Book Publishers (the fake one), AND MORE!

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