My Video Call With a Professional and Legitimate Book Marketer

A Literal Literary Loser Reaches Out and Touches Someone

I rarely post twice in one week, but what a week it has been for book scammers! I just couldn’t wait to share my latest encounters.

First up, Krista Walls:

Krista Walls: Why don't you publish on Amazon platform?

Alina Adams: Who says I don’t?

KW: Your book link?

AA: Why?

KW: Amazing I just finished checking your book through the summary, and I must say it’s an amazing read! The way you bravely tell Mellisa’s story with raw honesty, humor, and heart is truly powerful. You take us through her pain, her strength, and the beautiful love she finds in Tia, all while navigating family rejection and abuse. It’s emotional, courageous, and deeply moving an unforgettable journey! But something's wrong with so much potential why is it only a review?

AA: You have the wrong book. That's not mine. You cut and pasted the wrong description. How embarrassing for you

KW: I'm curious, do you think the book is truly reaching the audience it was meant to impact?

AA: YOU HAVE THE WRONG BOOK

KW: We can work on it

AA: Work on what? You are asking me questions about a book I didn't write.

But Krista ain’t got nothing on Sandy Ross Wright. I couldn’t possibly recount our Facebook conversation in detail, as even Substack wouldn’t have the bandwith to contain it all. So here is a summary, instead:

For literally weeks, “Sandy” hounded me to purchase her book marketing services. Whenever I presented her with my usual conditions: Do the work upfront then, when you sell as many books as you promised, I’d be happy to pay, she tried to get me to message her on Fiverr. She was obsessed with speaking on Fiverr.

I couldn’t figure out why — maybe you can? Does me speaking to “her” on Fiverr give her more information she can steal from me? Does she then sell my information to others? What does she get from having me on Fiverr that she can’t from our interactions on Facebook?

But the truly interesting part came when “Sandy” kept calling me and calling me and calling me, urging me to “pick up the call.” “Why won’t you pick up the call?” “If you don’t pick up the call maybe you’re the one who is not real.” (This seems to be a new and hot tactic. I’ve only recently begun encountering it on the regular. When I say you’re not a real person but an AI, they come back with: You’re the one who isn’t real. You’re the one scamming me!)

“Sandy’s” profile picture features a young, white, blonde woman in her 20s. She gives her location as New York City. Hey, what do you know? I’m in New York City, too!

I offered to meet her in person. She was, alas, too busy. (She’s a very successful and important book marketer, you know.) I asked her what neighborhood in NYC she lives in. She ignored me.

Finally, intrigued to see what would happen, I offered to get on a video chat… as long as I could see her face to confirm that it matched the profile photo AND that she turn her camera at the window, so I could see an NYC street in the background.

She agreed. Now I was really intrigued!

I went ahead and called. No video on the other end. Just audio. And the audio voice was… a man!

I was shocked, I tell you, shocked! So very, very shocked!

Meanwhile, over DM, “Sandy” was telling me that she was calling me and I wasn’t picking up. Fascinating.

I told her to call me back, if that were the case. A few minutes later, “she” did.

This time, it was a woman’s voice. A woman’s voice with a heavy accent. Now, could “Sandy” naturally have an accent? Of course, she could. I am an immigrant myself. I wouldn’t hold that against anyone.

But, strangely, “Sandy” also wouldn’t turn on her video so I could see if her face matched her profile photo. She said she wasn’t able to. She was currently driving. (In NYC!) Driving and texting? Wow, she’d risk her life — and the lives of other? — just to talk to me??? She seemed to want to talk to me very badly. Until she didn’t.

And now, we pick up out subsequent conversation:

Sandy Ross Wright: So you also heard my voice right?

Alina Adams: Yes, I did. You promised me video of you in NYC to prove that your face matched your FB photo and that you lived in NYC. You failed.

SRW: Why don't you let's proceed with Fiverr for a verified talk between us working partners.

AA: Nope. The one thing you promised me, you couldn't deliver. So why should I believe you now? Since you said you were in a car right now, why don't you just point your phone out the window and shoot what you see to prove you're in NYC

SRW: Why do you found it hard to believe me? I don't think you can even trust me with a project. If this kind of project could not be concluded between us.

AA: You're right. I don't trust you. Good observation! Anyway, this is getting boring. When you're ready to do what you promised, let me know.

SRW: Wait, calm down. I already talk with you on the phone.

AA: When you're ready to do what you promised, let me know.

SRW: When you are ready to trust and really believe me let me know. If I can send you my fiverr link. You can also see different potential clients working with me and rating their experience. Can you believe me with that. You can check it out yourself.

AA: You lost. Give up. You've failed.

SRW: I have worked with many authors across the field let me share you my fiverr link. Just for you to check it out. That's does not count as a lie right? Moreover Fiverr, is trusted by millions of potential clients working on their platform with a safe and reliable means. You can think about it and also consider it

AA: So you admit you lied about your picture and your name and where you are calling from?

SRW: Can I send you my Fiverr link? You can check out the location on the Fiverr platform. What do you think?

AA: I think that you are very bad at this. I gave you a chance to prove yourself. You failed. I picked up your call like you kept begging me to. And you failed.

SRW: Ahhh, but I pick up and tell us to go to my working website. So that we can continue with the zoom call. You are just acting weird about this

AA: You failed

(Less than 24 hours later….)

SRW: Hello Alina

AA: You failed

SRW: I picked up the call. I called you

AA: No picture like you promised. you promised a picture. No picture no money. The end.

Is this, indeed, the end? I have to wonder….

My initial assumption was that this was all purely AI, which was why I was curious why “she” spent so much time pushing for a call. When a real person — a man — answered, I figured he was running multiple such accounts, using AI for the interaction. But when the second call came from a woman, it made me think this was a larger operation.

Nonetheless, I still can’t figure out the obsession with moving me to Fiverr. Maybe they think once I’m on the platform it will be easier to get me to pay just a little, since they claim I’m protected by Fiverr’s terms? (For the record, I have worked with folks on Fiverr. Easily half of whom took my money and disappeared. So I am not overwhelmed with confidence for their customer protection features.) Or could it be that the link “she” sends me to connect on Fiverr has malware on it? Could it take me to a fake Fiverr clone? So many possibilities!

Also, why push for a video call when you don’t have the face to go with it? Is the hope that hearing a human voice will be enough to convince me I’m speaking with an actual, brilliant book marketer on the other end?

I would love to know your thoughts on all of the above because, I admit, I’m stymied. Please tell me in the Comments!

But enough about them. Let’s talk about me. (As you can see, I bounce back from confusion very quickly.) Thanks to your generous support, my book, “Go On Pretending,” is currently #2 in Amazon’s Hot New Historical Russian Fiction Releases, just behind Martin Cruz Smith’s latest… which ain’t too shabby!

I would love to push it to #1. Because I’m needy that way. “Go On Pretending” is on sale now for only $1.99. I don’t know how long this super steep discount will last so, please, consider purchasing your copy ASAP, and helping me to knock Martin Cruz Smith (does that sound like a Russian name to you????) off his high and mighty perch.

Otherwise, I just may be forced to hire a totally legitimate book marketer to help me….