Q – 

I was contacted by email by (name removed). The company promises to display my book in a famous annual book fair. Don’t know if they are peddling services or are legit or not? 

T.B.

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A – 

First, remember that, these days, ANYBODY who contacts you unsolicited (through social media, email, by mail, or on the phone) is a scammer. It is imperative to remember that. If somebody needs to use these methods to promote their own (fake!) services, how can you trust them to promote your book?!

Second, the only people who make money at real book fairs are the companies hosting the fairs, and the companies that claim to get books into those book fairs. These clowns are quoting authors hundreds to thousands of dollars. And, the reality is your book is very likely NOT going to be displayed at all!

One author contacted me recently, saying she paid $1500 to have her book was displayed at a book fair but they never provided her proof that her book was displayed there. They were supposed to send her a photo. They didn’t. In fact, after they received her money, they disappeared. Their emails looked legit! They had stolen a logo from a well-known book fair, and even photos from the previous event. They actually had nothing at all to do with the book fair. They were just part of the overseas crime cartel we’ve been covering.

Another author had a similar experience. However, she DID receive a photo. So, what was the problem? Her book was clearly (and very badly) Photoshopped into a stolen photo. They did such a bad job with it that it was laughable. The book was far larger than books in the actual photograph, it was the only one facing forward, and it was crooked and pixelated. The scammers just pulled up a photo of books on a shelf, and Photoshopped her book’s cover onto it.

Another way they get more money out of authors is they tell the author that they (the scammer) MUST republish the book in order for the book fair to accept the book. They then hoodwink their victims into paying for editing, cover design, interior formatting, a new ISBN, a barcode, etc. However, none of the services are performed and, of course, no books will be displayed at any book fair.

If you think about it really hard, spending hundreds to thousands (or more!) to have perhaps one copy of your book on a table or on a bookshelf at a book fair, surrounded by thousands of other books, is NOT going to get you a return on your investment. Even if they offer to display dozens of copies (that’s a lie, too), even if you did sell that many, you’re still not getting your investment back. Not even close.

RELATED

• A List of Publishers and Services That ALL Authors Should AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
• 11 Ways to Know If a “Publisher” or Other Service Provider is an Overseas Scammer (You’ll probably only need to check #1 to prove it!) – by Angela Hoy, Publisher
• Do NOT Pay Someone to Showcase Your Book at a “Virtual Book Fair!”
• “Online/Virtual Book Fair?” Don’t Bother….
• “Should I pay $750 to have my book displayed at a large book fair?” NO!!!
• Book Fairs – Worth The Effort? By Angela Hoy
• Should I Pay Money to Display My Book at Book Fairs?

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