When I was 17 and a few months away from graduating HS in 1970, our family lived in public housing projects in Chester, PA. While watching an episode of “The Flying Nun” one night, I was intrigued by the closing credits that were dedicated to one of the writers who had passed away. Right then and there I prayed, and asked God if he wouldn’t mind making me a writer one day.
Moments later, I felt inspired to write my own episode. Using an old Royal Typewriter (with a few bent keys), I created eight pages of what I thought was “great material.” However, when I showed it to my English teacher at the Catholic HS I was attending, he told me it was “the worst piece of crap” (he used a different word) that he had ever read and that I should consider a career as a ditch digger.”
Right then and there I vowed that, one day, I would see my name on multiple covers of books and that I would travel the country, inspiring and teaching other people to follow their dream of writing. A few months later I enlisted in the Navy.
Fast forward through seven years of collecting rejection slips and I finally sold my first magazine article! I had arrived!!! With no college degree, but lots of clips, I could not get a job as a “real writer” so I drifted from being a payroll clerk at the Dupont Company (seven years) to a few part time jobs after I left there to pursue my writing dream.
A few years later, I found myself working as a Development Director in charge of fundraising and public relations at a local nonprofit agency. It was the best of both worlds, allowing me to use my gift of creative communication to write grant and fundraising letters, and to create special events. For example, I tried to set the Guinness Book of World Records by having the largest number of people dance the twist with Chubby Checker!
After seven years at one agency, I took another Development Director job at an agency closer to my home. I raised a boatload of money for them in the first 15 months or so and they rewarded me by laying me off.
As I sat home, licking my wounds, wondering where I was going to find another full-time job, etc., I remember watching the Oprah show one afternoon. She was going through the phase of the show where she would have self-help experts come on and tell people, “If you want it, make it happen, etc.”
I finally had my “light bulb moment!”
Why was I wasting my time looking for yet another full-time job when, by this time, I had tons of clips (The Washington Post, among others)? Thankfully, the Internet was still in the early stages and I started reaching out to editors online.
As of this date, I have written and sold 34 books to traditional publishers, and have worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. My byline has appeared in major publications all across the U.S., and I have written articles for over 200 Websites.
And I’m not done yet…
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John Riddle is a freelance writer, author, and ghostwriter from Bear, Delaware. His byline has appeared in major newspapers, magazines, websites and trade journals all across the country. He is the author of 34 books, including a few health and medical titles, and has worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. John is also the Founder of I Love To Write Day, a grassroots campaign he launched in 2002 to have people of all ages practice writing every November 15. Last year over 25,000 schools all across the United States held special I Love To Write Day events and activities. He is a frequent speaker at both Christian and secular writing conferences, and recently appeared at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can obtain a quote for John’s ghostwriting services here: https://marketplace.writersweekly.com/ghostwriters
Have a Freelance Success Story to share? We pay $40 on acceptance, non-exclusive electronic rights only. Success stories run around 300 words but we're very flexible. Our guidelines are here:
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Recently Answered Questions:
Q –
Angela,
I’m sure this is a scam but wanted to ask you if you have ever heard about this company.
Dennis
###
From: Ian Diaz <ian.diaz@brokersab.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2024 9:01 AM
To: Dennis
Subject: [EXTERNAL]Fwd: Acquisition Offer for (title removed by WritersWeekly)
Dear Dennis,
I hope this message finds you well.
I would like to take a moment to congratulate you on the email received today November 14, 2024, regarding the Letter of Intent and Acquisition Offer from Alex Martin, the Acquisition Director and Executive of Global Talent Management at Yucca Publishing. I am thrilled about the progress we have made, and it’s a testament to our collective hard work and dedication.
Please review the attached documentation at your earliest convenience, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or require further clarification. We are excited about the opportunities this partnership offers and look forward to continuing this journey with you.
###
On Thursday, November 14, 2024, 11:44 PM Yucca Publishing <acquisitions@yuccapublishing.com> wrote:
Dear Mr. Diaz,
I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inform you of Yucca Publishing’s formal intent to acquire the book, (title removed by WritersWeekly).
Attached to this email is the Letter of Intent outlining our acquisition offer, which includes a proposal of $496,000 for the exclusive publication rights across all formats, including print, digital, audio, and a Spanish-language edition.
We believe that Mr. Miller’s work holds significant potential, and we are eager to move forward with this acquisition. Please review the attached document and let us know if you have any questions or require further information.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response and to proceeding with the next steps in this process.
Regards,
Alex Martin
Executive of Global Talent Management
E: acquisitions@yuccapublishing.com
W: www.yuccapublishing.com
A: 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor New York, NY 10018
###
11/15/24, 12:49:51 AM
Warm regards,
Ian Diaz
Contract Director/ Acquisition Specialist
Direct Number : (925) 430-6177
Email Address : ian.diaz@brokersab.com
Address : 1000 Town Center Drive Suite 300 Oxnard, CA 93036
Our Website : https:/brokersab.com
A –
Hi Dennis,
First, I started researching Yucca. They’re legit. Then, I went back to your email and realized that it actually came from brokersab.com. The email from Yucca is fake. Pretty ballsy of them to include Yucca’s real website URL. Makes it look legit, right?
I strongly suspected that brokersab.com might be a scammer. They might try to convince authors to sign up with them, dangling that big “acquisition” in front of them. But, brokersab.com might then start telling the author they’ll need to pay a fee here, a fee there, etc.
So, I did some research:
1. They have a common syntax error on their website that we’ve seen on other foreign scammer sites and Facebook posts/ads:
“20 Years In Experience” is very similar to the “Get Published in $199” syntax error we’ve been seeing all over when doing our current investigation into international publishing scammers.
2. Also, as we’ve been seeing with these scammers, their address is a “virtual” one. It only costs $65/month to pretend to be located there!
3. On BBB.org:
“All was well until I paid fees for acquisition. $6000. They switched banks in the middle of the deal. Then after all fees were paid, the broker was said to be in a critical vehicle accident…”
4. My Call with the “Brokers AB Literary Agency” Scammers by Lee Goldberg
“Yesterday I got a phone message from ‘Jamie Brown’ at Brokers AB, a ‘literary agency,’ informing me that four major publishing companies wanted to buy my book for $250-400K…”
5. The Latest Impersonation Scams
“Yucca Publishing, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, is currently being impersonated by a scammer called BrokersAB. The scam begins with an out-of-the-blue contact…”
YEP! DEFINITELY A SCAM!!!
RELATED
- 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!
- DON’T MISS THIS ONE! Publishing Mojo Claims THEIR REPUTATION WAS HARMED, But Then Stops Responding After MORE Allegations Surface!!
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART V: Do NOT Hire ANY Publisher That is Running Paid Ads on Facebook Right Now!
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Q –
Hi Angela,
1) Is Tate Publishing back in business–my book was published through them (I did not participate in the legal issue however)?
2) There is a gentleman claiming to be a literary agent (Peter Johnson with Stellar Literary / StellarLiterary.com) with a claimed ten years experience who has spent much time with me on the phone asking for me to send him my manuscript for his literary review in order to properly prepare it for selling to a mainstream publishing house.
He told me there are many positive reviews for my book (of which I have no knowledge) which is why he has interest in it. As far as I know it hasn’t sold any books to speak of. I do not feel at ease with this man.
Have you any knowledge regarding Peter?
Thank you for the prompt response. Following is all the information I have:
peter.johnson@stellarliterary.com
A –
1. Tate Publishing is not back in business.
2. What a coincidence! I was just checking out Stellar Literary earlier today!! Another author was suspicious. Here is what I found:
- “Scam Alert: Stellar Literary Press & Media. Identical solicitation emails with ludicrous errors (there’s no such thing as “Penguin and Harper”), and an illiterate website...”
- Stellar Literary Press and Media is listed on Writer Beware’s Attack of the Fake Literary Agencies.
- The Better Business Bureau has several complaints posted by authors about Stellar Literary on their website. Remember that a “B” rating on bbb.org simply means the company has responded to most of the complaints. It does NOT mean they appeased the authors who complained! What is bizarre is this is part of one of their replies: “First, Stellar Literary Press and Media is not a company and we can prove our legitimacy.”
- And, there are several one-star reviews about them on TrustPilot.
- Lee Goldberg even made a YouTube video about them called “Lee Goldberg’s call with the ‘Stellar Literary California’ Scammers.” You can read his article about that (just posted last week!) RIGHT HERE.
- The San Pedro, CA address is suspicious. A company rents “virtual office space” to others at that address. This may indicate that the company is NOT located in the U.S.
- Their Laguna Beach, CA address may also be virtual. There is a mailbox rental place at that address as well.
All of this seems to follow the pattern of scam publishers overseas that we’ve been telling authors about in our recent series of Extreme Author Warnings.
If you want to republish your book through BookLocker (we have republished many Tate books), we’ll give you and other victims of scam publishers our disgruntled author discount. 🙂
Step 1 for the publishing process for black and white interior books is right here.
The packages and prices are listed on that page. That is the same special price we give to authors who are publishing their second or subsequent books through us.
Please send any questions to me that you have. Always happy to help!! 🙂
RELATED
- Read Part I: EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART I: This International Scam is Fooling THOUSANDS of Authors Across the Globe!
- Read Part II: EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART II: 19 Signs You’re About to Get Scammed By a Foreign “Book Publisher”
- Read Part III: EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART III: How WritersWeekly Communicates Directly with Deceitful “Publishers” to Expose Their Appalling Practices
- Read Part IV: 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!
- COMPLAINTS about Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Q –
Can the fake Macmillan site steal my book idea? I fell for the scam, and gave them a fairly descriptive synopsis. I’m very concerned. Thank you.
W.R.
A –
They aren’t in the business of stealing ideas and writing books. That would take WAY too much work. These foreign scammers are in the business of tricking authors into sending them money while pretending to be a well-known traditional publisher. There are lots of foreign scammers doing this and many of them are running tons of ads on Facebook. And, they ARE tricking authors!
Read THIS ARTICLE, written by James M. Walsh, Esq., to see if you are about to get bamboozled.
I would not worry about them stealing your idea. They’re too busy defrauding authors in other, far more profitable ways.
Incidentally, the fake MacMillan “publisher” website was deleted after we exposed them in WritersWeekly.com. We also provided emails to a law firm that then had three other impersonators taken down – within just four hours! Now, we only have a few hundred more scammers to put out of business as well.
REMEMBER TO ONLY USE A U.S.-BASED PUBLISHER THAT HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR YEARS! And, one that has an EXCELLENT reputation!
RELATED
- 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”
- How to Tell if That So-Called “Publisher” is REALLY Located in the U.S.! By James M. Walsh, Esq.
- A Scammer is Impersonating Macmillan Publishers
- Does YOUR Publisher Know How to Avoid This Royalty Theft Scam?
- Here’s an Example of How We Protect Our Readers from Scams
- Author Contacts Me, Avoids Getting Scammed
- Another Author Gets Rooked By A Scammer
- WHO’S SCAMMING GRANNY? Snakes That Prey on Elderly Authors
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Q –
Angela,
I just received a voicemail from a representative from Barnes & Noble, stating that they would like to place my book in their physical bookstore.
I have not yet returned their call. Is this to be trusted?
Thank you for your help. I’m so thankful for you all!
V.P.
A –
It’s an increasingly common problem and I commend you for being wary. First of all, Barnes and Noble NEVER calls authors about their books. If they want copies, they will order directly from the distributor or publisher.
The person who called you is a scammer working overseas (NOT at Barnes and Noble) who was then going to tell you that you first needed to republish your book through them (while still pretending to be Barnes and Noble). They were then going to make you prepay for hundreds or thousands of copies before they could “distribute those to the Barnes and Noble stores.” But, they were going to promise you that you’ll get reimbursed for those copies in a short while.
The fact is, they were never going to print and ship any books to Barnes and Noble. They were going to wipe you out financially, and then disappear.
REMEMBER: NEVER, EVER DO BUSINESS WITH SPAMMERS OR TELEMARKETERS!
RELATED
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART II: 19 Signs You’re About to Get Scammed By a Foreign “Book Publisher”
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART I: This International Scam is Fooling THOUSANDS of Authors Across the Globe!
- COMPLAINTS about Iconic Book Publishers PLUS How Foreign “Publishers” Are Extorting Money from U.S. Authors!
- COMPLAINTS about Covenant Books AND Christian Faith Publishing
- If You Are Called By Spotlight Network TV / Spotlight TV / Logan Crawford, HANG UP!
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Q –
I spoke with several people at Carlson Publications and they made me an offer for publishing several of my books. Six books for $1200. I am being asked to pay $200 up front and one after another after that.
Other than their web site, https://carlsonpublications.com, I can’t seem to find information on them and my family is skeptical because they were pushing so hard.
Have you any information on Carlson? Seems like it might be too good of an offer!
Thank you very much.
A –
The “people” you are talking to at Carlson Publications / carlsonpublications.com are very likely telemarketers located overseas. Many of the things I found below I’ve also found when investigating other overseas companies as well. It wouldn’t surprise me if the telemarketers are all working for the same company, under a variety of different company names.
1. Let’s start with the fact that their website states, “Join our community of 1,000,000+ authors.” HA HA HA HA HA!!!! Do authors really fall for that stuff??? Amazon.com has ZERO books published by the name Carlson Publications on their website!
2. They aren’t on bbb.org at all. That’s a huge red flag.
3. There are four 5-star reviews about them on trustpilot…all dated 9/12/24. That is another red flag. There’s no way those reviews are real.
Two of them call the company by the wrong name (Carlson Publication – missing the “s” at the end). That’s another sign those are fake positive reviews, and likely posted by people who aren’t native English speakers.
4. The biggest red flag. Their domain registrar has this address:
Mailing Address: Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik, Capital Region, 101, IS
That’s Iceland.
Interestingly enough, that’s the exact same address we recently featured for a company under a different name. I suspect Carlson Publications may be the same company, and that they are operating under a variety of names. See:
COMPLAINTS about Iconic Book Publishers PLUS How Foreign “Publishers” Are Extorting Money from U.S. Authors!
5. According to ScamAdvisor.com:
Negative highlights
- The website’s owner is hiding his identity on WHOIS using a paid service
- This website does not have many visitors
We found many low rated websites on the same server - Several spammers and scammers use the same registrar
- We determined this very young site has a very high number of reviews
- This website has only been registered recently.
- This website appears to be using a hosting provider with a dubious reputation.
6. According to ScamMinder.com, their trust score is only 11 out of 100.
7. Their website wasn’t created until 7/30/24. Never, EVER trust a so-called publisher that hasn’t been in business for many years. (BookLocker.com has been in business for more than 25 years, is located in the U.S., and, according to bbb.org, has an EXCELLENT reputation.)
8. Here are other red flags from their website, which are common mistakes made by scammers:
A. There are several covers on their homepage that are missing the names of the authors.
B. One cover has no author name or title at all:
C. This book has no author, one title, but two covers:
D. Some covers on their website are for actual books on the market…but the real covers are completely different. Publishing Mojo was recently caught stealing covers from actual books, and pretending they created them by posting those covers on their website.
9. The map on their homepage shows they are using a virtual office space – Premier Workspaces. That’s another tactic used by scammers to make it appear they are located in the U.S.
10. The testimonials on their site have very generic author names but no book titles. FAKE!!!
I seriously doubt this company is located in the U.S. They are NOT going to publish your books for $200 each. They’re going to take your money, and then upsell, upsell, upsell. You may never get your book and they may just string you along for months, asking for more and more money.
I would definitely avoid this company at all costs.
RELATED
- How to Tell if That So-Called “Publisher” is REALLY Located in the U.S.! By James M. Walsh, Esq.
- Publishing Mojo Is Furious That I Exposed Their Scam! – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
- COMPLAINTS about Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
- COMPLAINTS about Covenant Books AND Christian Faith Publishing
- MORE SCATHING COMPLAINTS about Author Solutions, the owner of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, Westbow Press, Archway Publishing, Balboa Press, Abbott Press, and others!
- COMPLAINTS about ProfessionalsGhostwriting.com
- COMPLAINTS about PageTurner Press and Media / pageturner.us
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
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Q –
Hi Angela,
I hate Facebook. I used to get on it but I found myself getting pulled into arguments so I quit. I don’t have an account with Twitter, or whatever it’s called now, or anything else. I do watch YouTube once in awhile but I know that’s not really social media.
I know that social media is important for promoting a book but I just don’t want to do it myself. What are my options? Is anyone offering a service where they post directly to social media for the author? And, how much does something like that cost?
A –
Clayton Jones is a not only a professional online marketer, but he’s also a professional editor (it’s extremely important that authors’ posts/ads are error-free!) AND an English professor. We have received nothing but rave reviews about Clayton!
I pulled the text below from THIS PAGE.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PLAN
The basic social media marketing plan is designed to help establish and maintain a strong online presence with minimal effort. This package includes management of two social media platforms of your choice (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn) with the following services:
Content Creation: I will create and post engaging content tailored to your brand twice a week on each platform. This includes crafting captions, selecting or designing images, and scheduling posts to maximize reach and engagement.
Ad Management: I will manage one Facebook ad per month, including ad creation, targeting, and performance monitoring to ensure your advertising dollars are well-spent. Your first ad is designed at no additional cost.
Account Monitoring: Regular monitoring of your social media accounts for comments, messages, and overall engagement. I will notify you of any significant inquiries or issues and show you how to interact with your audience.
Reporting: I will notify you of significant metrics, including engagement rates, follower growth, and ad performance, along with recommendations for future strategy.
Pricing:
$200 per month
First and last month’s payment is required upfront
Cancel at any time with no additional fees
You can read more about Clayton’s book publicity services, and contact him for a quote, on THIS PAGE.
And, you can read about his editing services RIGHT HERE.
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RUINED MANUSCRIPTS! The Very Real Dangers of Hiring a Cheap Editor for Your Book
Is YOUR BOOK at Risk?! List of Publishers Who Bit the Dust…and WHY – 03 2024
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
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Q –
More than 40 years ago, I self published a book. The company I published it with and I parted ways more than 35 years ago when I refused to pay anything to continue with them.
My question is related solely to recent events. In the past year, I have heard from more than 10 different agents, movie producers, and publishers all claiming that market events have made this book suddenly very marketable. To my knowledge, all copies of this book (which I believe needs to be rewritten) have been taken off the market and no copies of it are available to anyone.
What is going on? How are they finding a book that even I cannot locate anywhere? What do these individuals want from me? No one has asked for any money from me and they have not asked for my signature on any documents.
A –
The scammers are getting pretty desperate if they’re pursuing an author who wrote a book 40 years ago! They never ask for money on the first communication. They’ll sell you on promised fame and fortune…and then they’ll start insisting that you pay them money to move forward. (Lots of it!) And, they’ll further lie to you, telling you that you’ll earn that money back in the future.
Whenever you received spam (or a phone call) from someone claiming they’ve read your book (or that someone at their company has) and that they love it, it’s a scam. No, they don’t own a copy of your book and they’ve never seen it. They found you online, obtained your contact info., and started harassing you.
REPEAT: Never, ever do business with a company that spams or cold-calls authors (telemarketing).
RELATED
- How to Tell if That So-Called “Publisher” is REALLY Located in the U.S.! – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
- Beware of Spammers That Call Your Current Publisher a “Liar”
- Scammers Trying to Trick Publishers Into Handing Over Their Authors’ Production Files, Royalty Info., and much more!!
- One VERY Easy Way to Know If You’re Talking to a Scammer
- A Scammer is Impersonating Macmillan Publishers
- Alina Adams Exposes Book Marketing Scammer in Fantastic Fashion! – In The News
- Alina Adams Exposes Book Marketing Scammer – PART 2!!! – In The News
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Q –
Hi Angela,
I know you don’t know me but I’m wondering if you will read my manuscript and tell me what you think about it?
Doug S.
A –
I wish I had time to sit back and read all manuscripts sent my way, in their entirety, all day long. Unfortunately, I do not. However, I do refer authors to an excellent and talented professional who does offer editorial evaluation services. Clayton Jones a professor of English at the University of Tennessee and authors RAVE about him. 🙂
What I didn’t send to the author, but very much wanted to: If I had a nickel for every time an author asked me to give them an editorial evaluation (that’s basically what this is) for free, I’d be a wealthy woman! It is extremely rude to ask a professional to work for you for nothing.
RELATED
RANT! You Better Darned Well THINK Before You DEMAND I Work for YOU for FREE!
You Want ME to Write for FREE?! Ha Ha Ha!!! By Angela Hoy
“WHY WON’T YOU PUBLISH MY BOOK FOR FREE?” – A Behind the Scenes Look at a Publisher’s Expense
Another Day, Another Cheapskate “Publisher” Looking for Free Labor
Think Twice Before Giving Away Your Entire Book Online For Free
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
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Q –
Good day, Angela –
How would you, and BookLocker’s attorneys, like to proceed with this inquiry?
R.S.
—– Forwarded Message —–
Sent: Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 10:41:31 AM CDT
Subject: Collaboration Opportunity for Screen Adaptation of Your Book
I hope this message finds you well. My name is (removed), and I am a film executive with a specialization in commercials and films. I previously worked at (removed) for several years before its closure. Despite the studio’s shutdown, my passion and faith in the film industry remain unwavering.
Currently, I am an independent filmmaker looking to collaborate with like-minded individuals who share the same enthusiasm for storytelling. Last week, I came across your book, (title removed), and was deeply impressed by its potential. After some research, I asked my team to gather your contact details so that I could reach out to you directly.
I am writing to explore the possibility of partnering with you on a screen adaptation of your book. With your compelling content and my expertise as a writer and executive, I believe we have a strong chance of creating something remarkable.
If you are interested, I would be delighted to discuss the details further. We can also negotiate your compensation and royalties to ensure that this collaboration is mutually beneficial.
Please let me know your thoughts at your earliest convenience. I am looking forward to the possibility of working together.
A –
You don’t need our attorneys. 🙂 We don’t take rights from authors. You own ALL rights to your book and files (I think we are the only publisher remaining in the industry that still doesn’t take rights from authors in some form or another) and you can work any independent deal you want.
HOWEVER, I am glad you contacted me! This is very likely a scam. There are tons of scammers spamming authors like this now. as well as using telemarketing tactics. It’s highly likely this spammer has never read your book at all.
Scammers make you think that your book will be a movie at no cost to you….but those scammers then hit the author up for tens of thousands, or more later, while dangling the “movie deal” in front of them. Of course, the movie deal doesn’t happen.
I checked and the sender’s email is a URL that isn’t even a working website.
Please see:
How Today’s Most Common Publishing Scam Works, Step by Step By Neall Ryon
Your Book As a Movie? Watch Out for Snake Oil Salesmen!
No, CBS Studios Did NOT Just Offer You a Movie Deal for Your Book!
A Fake Literary Agent + a Fake Movie Studio = Another Scam Targeting Authors
SCAM ALERT: No, Netflix did NOT just email you about turning your book into a movie!
Angela
DON’T FORGET! THIS SATURDAY IS THE SUMMER, 2024 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST! It’s tons of fun so don’t delay if you want to play!! 🙂
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Q –
My book, a young adult fantasy, is listed on the websites of Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It was self-published by 1st Books (now AuthorHouse) in October 2020. While at one time I marketed it a little, sent it to newspapers for review, it was part of a book club, and it is on Good Reads, I stopped following up. Since that time, I have received over 20 requests from marketers, some very persistent, to represent the book. Frankly, I have never known what to do with it.
On Friday, I received a call from Steve, then David – (979-232-2398). They knew the name of my book and what it was about (I think). They have a decent website with writers who aren’t bad. www.worldwidepublicists.com. For whatever the reason, I did speak to them and considered going with their services. Then my family and I did further research into them (I told them I receive your newsletter, about scamming and such) and found the whole thing fishy. I wrote to Worldwide this morning and rejected their offer to promote my book (David, David Smith by the way, both of these guys are “Smith” – I don’t think so). I might be contacted still by David on Friday, although I asked him not to call.
I am writing to you, Angela, because I trust you and respect your industry knowledge. I suppose I don’t want to take my book down from the sites because … well … it’s there. I reread it yesterday, and frankly, it holds up and I believe it to be good. By the way, I did contact AuthorHouse about two years ago, and received no satisfaction (nor any royalty checks if there are any or have ever been).
I suppose I am exhausted and/or beaten down by this process. As you can see from my website, I am far from a newbie writer.
Can you look into Worldwide Publicists just for my piece of mind (and others, since it seems that they are a start-up). Is there anything that I can/should do with my book? At the moment I am at a standstill, as the magazines I contributed to for years have gone under (Dig, Renaissance and the like).
Thank you, Angela, for any advice you can give to me.
Ellen S.
A –
Any so-called “publicist” who uses spam or telemarketing should be avoided at ALL costs. If they are using those methods to promote their own services, imagine what they might to do the reputations of you and your book. And, only desperate marketers use spam and telemarketing, which speaks volumes.
The Internet is FLOODED with these types of characters right now.
For your book, I recommend 90+ Days of Promoting Your Book Online PLUS 55 Dos and Don’ts of Book Selling. Anyone who wants a free copy of the latter can CONTACT ME. 🙂
If you are looking for a legitimate book publicist, CLICK HERE.
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- A publicist called me about ‘republishing’ my book. What’s up with that?!”
- “A marketing company says my book was ‘endorsed’ by movie producers but they want $5K! Is this too good to be true?”
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
ASK ANGELA!
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Great piece and great encouragement as always to keep the writer’s nose to the grindstone. Consistent message from one of the best freelance-process “coach”es in the biz.
Nice inspirational piece, John! Good for you, for keeping on. I’m wondering if the 200 websites you have written for all paid for your work, or if you wrote for some of them gratis?