Beware: There's a New Book Marketing Scam on the Rise!

A Literal Literary Loser Looks Askance

Are you tired of hearing about book marketing scams? I know I’m tired of writing about book marketing scams.

But you know who does not seem to be tired of book marketing scams? Book marketing scammers. There’s a tweaked version making the rounds!

After I wrote here on Substack, and here and here about book marketing scammers who take your money and provide no service whatsoever, a handful of them have changed their approach. (They are growing as people and as automated ‘bots - please clap for them.)

Now, they are offering to do the promotional work for free, and you pay them once you see sales. Seems foolproof, right? Seems harmless, right?

Here is what happened with one such expert. And here is a DM exchange I had with another:

Me: My books have been selling better over the past few days. Have you begun promoting them? (Ed. note: This was a lie, but I wanted to see what they’d say.)

Rose Tops (an account which has since blocked me and deleted our Facebook DM exchange): Yeah I just did little promotion, wow congratulations mama. (Ed note: Unless this is one of my kids, I am not her mama.) Can we run proper promotion for the book now to get more sales?

Me: Can I see a link to the promotion so I know how you work?

RT: I just promote to different groups that I have, I will need to get to work and show you....is that fine by you?

Me: Sure. Send me the link when it's ready. But if you haven't started the promotion yet, then how could the book sales have gone up?

RT: I just post randomly, it's the contents and hashtags I use

Me: Which of my books have you started promoting?

RT: You see what I told you, promotion matters alot. And if you start it, you will make more sales for real

Me: So the sales I got this week weren't real? What does that mean?

RT: It is real. What am just saying is that if you can invest more in promotion you will make more sales. My works is always legit, real and promising

Me: But your promotion so far did not lead to one single sale, so how can I believe you know what you are doing?

RT: I even help people rank on Amazon KPK do reviews for you and boom you're start selling from there as well. I said I just post I didn't really run any promotion when you've not paid

Me: Oh, I thought you had started helping me, and that is why my sales went up. But if you have not, then there is no reason to work with you.

RT: Of cause I did...I create awareness ads for your link. Do you wish to continue the project

Me: Oh. But it didn't work.

RT: That's the first stage

Me: I don't wish to pay you money when your promotion does not work.

RT: Traffic ads follows. Then Sales Ads. The results are always massive. But you came to testify you had sales... Well,I didn't invest much on it...we can carry on from where I left the project. This was your testimony. (Ed note: In her defense, I did open with that, but….)

Me: Which of my books did you promote? Tell me the title, so I can know if the sales were thanks to your efforts?

RT: You came all this way to insult my Integrity

Me: So you can't name the title of the book you said you promoted for me?

RT: Do you know how many books you have on your page?

Me: Yes. I have published 18 books. Which of them did you choose to promote?

RT: I generate traffic to readers through blogs and platforms...I had few links to post that day and I added your just for a demo

Me: Where did you link to?

RT: It doesn't matter if you don't acknowledge it, if it works or not. I never even told you. I do this to all my clients and authors.

Me: Can I see where you linked to my books from?

RT: Let just forget it then, do you have a project for me?

Me: So you won't tell me which of my books you promoted, and you won't tell me where you promoted it? Why is it a secret? Don't you want me to see the great work you did for me?

RT: Like, where I posted your link? Are you asking me to show you how I work?

Me: Yes. of course. How can I hire someone when I don't know how you work? You said you made a link for me that is already generating sales. I'd like to see it.

RT: You know what forget about it. Go to http://traffiadbar.com and see for yourself

Me: Is the link to my book there?

RT: It wasn't even official yet and you are already on my neck. What if I took contract from you

Me: Is the link to my book there?

RT: Go see for yourself

Me: I just did. I don't see my name anywhere.

RT: When its official I make proper documentation as proof to my clients. I can only do my Job best, just trust the process and see results

Me: It says the website is free to use

RT: Laughing, go ahead and use it for free then

Me: Thanks so much for your help, I appreciate it! Will let you know when your efforts have produced any sales, and then I will be happy to work with you

RT: You came all this way just to question me...funny client. Ohh, you might even be using me to write a book

Well, close enough….