I play a fun game with my employees. When I receive a book manuscript, and decline to publish it, I share the information with my employees, and let them guess “why we do not want to publish this book.” It’s a fun exercise and it has taught them a lot over the years.
I also do this with freelance jobs and markets. Just today, I received the following message from someone who wanted to run a job listing in WritersWeekly. I have anonymized it enough so that you won’t know what company it is (trust me, you don’t want to work for them). However, I’ve left in pertinent parts.
See if you can guess why we would never run this employment ad. Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
——– Forwarded Message ——–
Subject: PAYING JOB FOR WRITERS
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2023 03:19:44 -0400
From: Paying Jobs <writersweekly@writersweekly.com>
Blogger
REMOVED@REMOVED.com
UNALASKA, AK 99547
CONTACT INFO: REMOVED
www.REMOVED.com.ng
NAME OF PERSON FILLING OUT FORM: REMOVED
Blogger
DESCRIPTION OF PUBLICATION: The blog is about writing about scholarship in four countries of the world, USA, UK, newzeland and Australia
AD: I am looking for bloogers who will help me write articles on the ongoing scholarships in Australia, newzeland, USA and the u.k
PAYMENT: 30 $
For the “game” I played with the employees today, Brian was the first one to figure it out. I sent him a virtual trophy. Ha ha ha.
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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ASK ANGELA!
Here is some info from the US Dept of State website regarding the scams that originate in Nigeria (ng): We receive inquiries every day from people who have been defrauded for hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars by Internet contacts they thought were their friends or loved ones. Internet scams are attempts by con artists to convince you to send them money. In Nigeria, these scams are also referred to as 419 scams.
UNALASKA? .com.ng?
As of right now, none of the guesses below are correct about how we knew it was a scam. Please keep trying! Somebody is going to figure it out. 😉
Angela
On why you didn’t accept this proposal? No problem.
“bloogers” “newzealad” u.k. 30 $
Maybe there were more “bloogers,” but those were definitely enough. Proposals like this always make me wonder…..
Angela,
Was the clue “newzealand”?
Nancy L.
Nope, that wasn’t it. 😉
Of course, the spelling in the “ad” is appalling, and the syntax is rudimentary.
So many mistakes: UK isn’t a country, newzeland, bloogers … obviously shady.
Well . . . in addition to the newzeland and u.k goofs, I’d question any DESCRIPTION that lamely uses the word “about” twice in the first 6 words!
Spelling is atrocious. $30, not 30$, not in NA anyway. And comma needed after USA, and the UK or it will sound as if those two are united as one country.
Bloogers? $30 per hour? per month? He/she wants a writer to “help” write the articles? In other words, they will write it, and he will take credit? Those are my guesses.