Is my dad getting scammed?
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My dad sent the following text today. I’m extremely weary. At best it sounds like a vanity press trying to squeeze money out of people with big promises. At worst it sounds like a giant scam. I think it’s hard for him to see it for what it is because they are preying on him with something he has always wanted. He writes fantasy novels. Never found a publisher, so he self publishes his books. Anyway, If anyone has any experience with getting these phone calls or with the company, Kravitz and sons, could you please let me know? I directed him to a website that shows you how to spot scams. But all he could see is that most of them contact you via email. Because he got a phone call he’s thinking it’s more legit.
Here’s his text:
Hey there, here’s a fun and random thing that just happened. We were on our way back from an appointment when I got a call from a publishing company that works with Ingram (a major player in book distribution). Ingram selected two of my books for review and recommendation. They missed the third book because my publisher, Hats Off Books, consolidated that brand and only use Wheatmark Press now. Anyway, the deal offered is that they would re-brand and re-publish the books and distribute hardcopies to lots of bookstores. They emailed a list of 37 stores, which are “some of the confirmed stores” they would distribute to. They included reviews of the first 2 books, and they’re really good! Of course we’re very, very suspicious, but everything they said sounds good, and they (Kravitz & Sons LLC) don’t show up on sites listing scammers. I emailed back a few questions so far, so we’ll see what they say next. Talk about an unexpected thing to happen!! -
@Pamela-Fraley I don't know about this company in particular, but DO NOT GIVE THEM MONEY. As long as your dad keeps asking questions and they do not ask for ANY money from him, it's worth seeing where it goes. Maybe they're legit. But the second they're like "and we can do all this for the low price of $$$$$$$," or "just give us some of your personal information," he should run.
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@StudioHannah thanks Hannah. That’s what I was thinking too. It’s so sad. He’s 70 and still a dreamer and they’re trying to take advantage. Make me want to go punch someone.
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@Pamela-Fraley Did you send him to Writer's Beware? I wrote to them to confirm a strange offer I received awhile ago, maybe they can help. I agree with the red flag of "Offering exposure in exchange for an upfront fee" or promises of future sales initiatives if he sets up an account with his personal info. It's nuts how many scams are out there.
Your dad is lucky to have you watching his back!
Erin Richardson
instagram.com/erinrichardsondesigns21
www.erinrichardsondesigns.com -
@ArtistErin I sent him to a site that monitors current publishing scams. He only skimmed it at first because he was so excited. But I think when he read it again, he got nervous. He finally put in a call to a friend of his in publishing and they straightened him out. From what we’ve gathered, it is a potentially legit hybrid press and they can do book redesigns, and some amount of distribution. But the cost is high. And the fact that they market themselves as a publishing company just confuses people. I think they bank on that confusion and operate like snake oil salesman. It makes me mad that they target people like my dad. He already put a lot of time and resources into self publishing his books. Of course he wants a big publisher to come along and tell him how amazing his work is and offer to do a rebrand and mass distribution. Too bad they don’t work that way unless you’re already wildly successful like Andy Weir or something.
That was an emotional journey I did not want to go on today.
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@Pamela-Fraley I would steer clear of them. Looking at the site, the book prices are nuts. The cheapest book was $30, and it just goes up from there (I think one was $350). I can't imagine anyone making any return on cost with the model they seem to be using. And here is a screenshot of one of their listings that they categorize as a childrens book.
If you look closely, the description is "greek" text, the title does not match the cover art, and the author is different than what is on the cover. All the listings I clicked on were like this.
Their address is a residence in North Carolina.
Stay far away!
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@tombarrettillo that is crazy! I’m not surprised though. Those companies take on zero risk and they make profit off of authors before they ever do anything for them. What’s the motivation for them to make a sellable end product? Their “royalties” contract is irrelevant because I doubt anything ever gets enough sales to make it to that point.
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@tombarrettillo I saw that Lorem Ipsum (Latin) and was like "nope, don't trust that" hahaha - what a weird example for them to give.
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@Pamela-Fraley I'm sorry your Dad has had to endure this. I feel too sometimes when a company or business presents one thing and does another, whether they are outright deceiving people or they just unprofessional, they are a mess to deal with. Your dad fortunately dodged a bullet, hopefully he'll continue to listen to you and learn how to trust his spidey senses. It's hard to know sometimes! That's why I don't do anything until I have a contract in my hand. And even then, I build in a sketch fee as an "out" should things start to go sideways.
I was approached by an author who has 100+ books published, and wanted me to do her next book. She found a publisher that offered to publish her book, with the contingency of work for hire, in lieu of royalties. What a gross offer OMG. I was disgusted with the idea and confused why something like that can even fly, and she was a reputable author!!
Erin Richardson
instagram.com/erinrichardsondesigns21
www.erinrichardsondesigns.com -
@tombarrettillo Great call Tom! Thank you for the heads up on this. Yeah, it makes total sense to connect the dots and now I feel just a little bit smarter! Doing your own due diligence like a super sleuth is what it takes, to learn what not to do. It's crazy how much of this BS goes on, don't you think???
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Speaking of scammed, someone reached out to me on Instagram, organically through private messaging, just making a kind gesture by saying she liked my work. She then replies with an offer to let me post my work on her platforms for a fee. I looked at the kind of art and books she is allowing on her pages... they are not pro level by any stretch. It feels scammy. What are your thoughts on the below message?
I wanted to reach out because I have some pages dedicated to showcasing incredible books literature, poems and illustrations. I think your content would be a perfect fit for my audience.
I'm the owner of all these platforms.
@Writewithkaite [65k]
@KattyyOfficial [400k]
@Theauthorswarmthh [60k]
@Henrylovesbookss [60k]
@Katherinebowman_ [11k]
@writewithkatty [19k]Would you like to get featured on our pages
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?
Katherine
By uploading posts and tagging stories highlights on all my platforms, featuring could give them the exposure they deserve
The posts gets upto 300k reach and 12-15k visits to your profile. meaning your profile will get the attention of a wide range of Followers who are eager to discover new and captivating stories. Plus, it could help you to gain more dedicated Followers! Gaining a larger audience can be a great support for lifetime
We require 2-3 pictures + a caption for the post
Price is 75$
Let us know if this fits into your marketing budget
️Erin Richardson
instagram.com/erinrichardsondesigns21
www.erinrichardsondesigns.com -
@ArtistErin wow! That’s crazy. I wonder what drives someone to act like that? Maybe the author who contacted you was tired of getting a bad deal from her publisher or something? I don’t want my road to be contingent on taking advantage of anyone!
It’s hard to even know what to do these days. I’m glad there’s less of an ability for the big publishers to gatekeep. But, it’s also frustrating how easy it is now for companies to pose as publishers and take advantage of people who have dreamt of getting a deal their whole life. I think my dad learned a lot from this experience, but how many fall for it? He probably would have if I hadn’t rained on the parade. -
@ArtistErin that feels so scammy!!!
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@Pamela-Fraley Right?? It's a strange time we are in. Snake Oil Salesmen everywhere. That could be a great picture book premise
What character might the creepy slimeball be? I have been turning this one around in my mind... I keep seeing the wolf wearing a trenchcoat!I was doing a time audit and starting to plan 2025,,, thinking I want to surround myself with people who don't agree with me. My sisters are this way, so is my mom! I love checking in with them... they don't have ulterior motives and truly care about my well being. It's nice to have those people around you that have the courage to do what you did for your Dad, looking out for you... I tend to have bright and shiny object syndrome. It's a practice, to listen within and follow my heart. I know your Dad at his age has encountered his share of bumps along the way. I do hope he stays the course! I have to retrain my brain daily, practicing the thoughts that support the kinds of people and deals come my way that are beneficial!
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@Pamela-Fraley Yeah, I replied to her in a short and polite no thanks.
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@StudioHannah I am always surprised how many people don't see that stuff and just walk blindly in to what should be an obvious trap. If something is too good to be true, it usually is.
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@ArtistErin While she may not be "scammy" per se, the promises she is making are way over-inflated. There is no way you will get those numbers per post. (12-15k visits to your profile!!? How would she measure that?) Nothing on any of her profiles has gotten anywhere near that reach.
And the English is just off enough to raise an eyebrow.
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@tombarrettillo Thank you Tom! With my very limited understanding of social media and the algorithms in place, I am very skeptical about future promises. Even big budgets and full marketing teams project but cannot promise. I have had to learn to listen to extreme languaging (always and never) along with broad sweeping magical talk (pay me and I'll tell you the secret hack to success) kind of stuff that is fluff really.
We just got to keep on truckin'
And draw something -
Hey Pamela, I know the post is a little old and I am definitely too late to reply to this, but I am gonna do it anyway as I believe it can help someone who reads this too.
I am a publishing consultant and I also work with a publishing company. A very good friend of mine who happens to be my client, asked me about this company Kravitz and sons. They reached out to her with these marketing plans that were really promising and eventhough I was already marketing and distributing all her books, I wanted to consider these guys as well just to see if they can do it better than me. However, being in the industry for so long, I wanted to do my research before getting ahead with this. That's when I found your post and the very statement about them being partners with Ingram is a definite lie. In fact the whole plan they sold to your dad is a lie. Not that its not possible, it definitely is. But these guys are gonna drain your pockets to get something done that doesn't cost anything at all.
They must have given a review to your dad's book with critical analysis and everything stating why it is important for him to distribute and promote his books and the potential. That's all bullshit, its all chat GPT. There's no panel doing this critical analysis if that's what they've told him. This is phishing, that's how they do it. And once you pay them, they'll ask you for more and more everytime for a new service. Paying for the services is not the problem here. But what they'll sell you would be the most useless service of all time, and they know it yet they'll charge a highly unreasonable amount for it. So yes, it is a scam, and I hope your dad didn't fall for it.
