I hate ETHAN. Just want you to know. You don't have to be angry at him. I'll do it for you. The Present Giver is a beautiful book. Maybe this was a nod for the universe to look for a real opportunity to send this out into the world again. I never realized it was self-published. I loved every word when I first read it and would adore seeing it given new life. It's a beauty. And so are you, Abby, and Forrest. xo
Dear Nan, thank you. I've been laughing at myself all weekend. The unbelievable thing is that I questioned Fake-Ethan from the beginning. It was all too good to be true. I wrote to Abby to get her thoughts, and also did a search to confirm that Ethan was a real person at that publishing house, but before I heard back from Abby, I'd already taken the bait even with my doubts. So silly. But man, they're good. He's still pursuing me. I wrote to both he and the supposed editor yesterday. Told them they were losers for exploiting writers that do honest work. Fake-Ethan wrote me a compassionate, understanding note in response, told me again that he was the real guy. And "the editor" wrote an indignant letter saying he's an established editor with a reputation to uphold. Ay yi yi. But, yes, um, their scam did make me want to manifest the dreams for real. Not sure I have the energy for it, but it gives me lots to think about. thank you for caring and for your kind words.
You're in a good place about it, it seems. Let it sink in, simmer. It's all good. You'll know what to do. And maybe that's nothing. But maybe it isn't! xo
Oh, how heartbreaking but also, how resistant to petty twerps we become as we get older (twerpiness is their problem, or more likely, they were made twerpy by circumstances!) Still, my heart goes out to you (again).
So sorry this happened. Your book sounds beautiful. The cover certainly is. I'm buying a copy. I've heard about this scam. It, like all scams, is such a jolt to me regarding how far some people will go to take advantage of others. I'm delighted that you are taking it so well. I hope that blesses you with many others who buy the book, too. I look forward to reading it.
Ah Susan, thank you. It really is unbelievable. Ethan and whoever he might be working with are still pursuing me despite my challenging them yesterday. It's nuts how good they are at exploiting the dreams we writers have, or at least I have. Thank you for your support. It means a whole lot, especially today.
me too. I'm going to go through the motions of reporting the scam. Don't feel terribly hopeful about that, but I'll feel better about myself if I do, and writing this blog is part of fighting back.
wow scamming authors must be an industry / it just happened to me / i kept asking questions though / didn't want to fork over $1200 and finally holes began to appear in her story / not only do you get dissed by the publishers but then you get conned by people who are pretending to understand and respect all the work you put into your book / what a world / i also learned alot / she (if it was a she maybe it was ethan) did have some good ideas for internet marketing that i'll follow up on / glad you can laugh about it and the last line is exactly how i feel too / i'll swap books with you if you like : )
Interesting. You got far enough to get a quote. I was suspicious right from the get-go, but not quite enough to ignore these creeps. What if it's real I kept telling myself. I even searched the publisher he claimed to be, and that person exists. And the fake email address looked ok (until I looked more closely later). Anyway, I was caught. Feels really shitty to know someone took the time to figure out how to perfect their approach to writers with a dream. I'm so curious to know who they are. One of my theories is that it's someone who works or has worked for Amazon. They'd have had access to self-published books moving through, and also to personal email addresses associated with accounts. It's probably not them, but who else could it be?
Yes to trading, although I've already got one of your books. Get in touch so we can swap.
they probly researched how to sell books on amazon and then just skim thru offerings / she told me for example that after 50 reviews amazon's algorithms start recommending the book and here's the strategy to get 50 reviews / i intend to check out her (??) suggestions because she told me alot of stuff / i asked for references and she gave me two and when they replied it was the same exact response word for word and in her voice being overly solicitous to a fault / and both signed by the same person but with different sender addresses / that's when i knew she was a fraud / and like you she kept up the charade with explanations and apologies / haven't heard from her for two days so maybe she gave up / i was kind of going along with it but expressing my doubts just to see where she would go
you have a copy of The Ancient Book of Magic Secrets ??
yep. Same with me. When i told him what I thought could be better for the book, he responded with a list that matched what I'd recommended after supposedly reading the book himself. Slick, but too pat for believability. Anyway, it's over. I'm glad you quit. I had the same urge to follow it through, but finally decided to call them out. As for your book, I bought it ages ago. I'll send you one of mine if you want. PM me.
Thanks, Annie, they are. Shit. The guy knew my book, or rather, his AI assistant found details in my book, that were especially sensitive, then worked me over with those...It's stunning to me that they would do this to any writer, but to use details related to a child's death, unbelievable. They probably think they're brilliant, and in a way, they are. VERY telling about me and him/her/them.
Oh, Bar. Ethan had me too! I was also getting excited for your book, and Forrest, and you, and Abby’s painting, to have more recognition. You’re a nicer person than me, which I already knew, but I hope Ethan wakes up in the middle of the night choking on his lies.
Thanks, Cack. I think getting "sucked in by optimism" is exactly what happened. I'm hoping that at least a few writers will read this and be warned. I'm amazed by how so many of my writing friends have already sucked in. So creepy and sick.
Bar, I absolutely loved your book and think that it should have a wider audience. Thank you so much for publishing it and making it available to all. Your courage has helped make this planet a more human place where we share our joys and sorrows!
thank you, Amy. It's good to hear this, especially from you who didn't know me back then. If I'd published it before my marriage broke up I might have been more comfortable promoting it further, but that didn't feel right at the time. Thankfully, a lot of people read it anyway, word of mouth I guess, which feels pretty darn good too. Better in many ways.
First a vent, the troll needs a punch in the nose. Nan, I’ll hold him, you punch him. Sitting in a dark room in his pajamas, looking for victims, only coming out at night, circles under his eyes, eating stale pizza and other junk. I call them raccoons. 😤 If they keep pursuing tell them you will need an advance, say $50,000, before you can devote time to it. Ha!
Don’t feel bad. Disappointed is ok but so is being human. It’s the world we live in today. You caught them. Savor those first exhilarations and thoughts about things you love and things you would revise. Those are real and must have felt good. And are still possible.
Bar, you know what an impact your writing in The Present Giver had on me. Your writing brought up a wave of emotions from my more recent similar journey. My copy has multiple bookmarkers in it. From there discovering your songs, music and evocative lyrics, wow. And Bar’s Monday Morning Musings (all trademark rights assigned to you!), some serious, some heart tugging, some joyous, all thoughtful and uplifting. And all looked forward to, regularly read and shared by family and friends.
I'm smiling thinking about you punching some thug in the nose. You are right!! The dudes deserve it and I'm being sexist even saying their dudes, but I think that's because they were impersonating men. I love the idea of telling them I need an advance. That would have closed things down real fast! But don't worry, I haven't responded to their follow up. Once I called them out, I ignored their last ditch efforts. Losers is how i think of them. But they were very good at their scam.
And thank you, Bill. Your interest in my work has been a gift.
Hi Nan! I’m here following Bar and Abby! Lol I’m finishing second memoir … and I need a Substack next. Would love to reconnect! I’m ready to story slam:) tell me more:) xo
Hey. Cool. I'm working on my first memoir. I've been here writing for over two years, and I have a design stack and work with writers here who need help branding their stacks. AND I started a story slam project about 6 months ago. It's called Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! It's a monthly online feminist story slam. Not a competition. Abby did our March event, and Bar is planning on doing one too. It's taking off. The only requirement is you have to have a Substack site because I want to network writers and help them grow. And the stories are phenomenal. Take a look! https://www.whambamthankyouslam.com/
Love that you two are re-connecting here. Excellent!
thank you, Lorraine. You're a darling, and who knows. Life is a mystery and the publishing world is too. Not my strength, as you know. Writing my blog every week is floating my boat for now. xoxo
I'm sorry that happened and I hate that people are so cruel. I loved reading The Present Giver; it is so beautiful, moving and love-filled. I always loved that Forrest got to be a little boy, undefined by his illness. Maybe it's time to send the book around again. It took Madeleine L'Engle 10 years to get A Wrinkle in Time published. Who knows what could happen. Sending you love and hugs.
This is sweet to read, Julie. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you read the book. You know a lot more about me because of that effort and I'm grateful.
It's hard to believe that there are people who enjoy this kind of cruelty. They're very good at what they do.
You are not alone! Phishing is out of control. It’s disgusting.
As for your beautiful, wondrous book, I was just looking at it a few days ago while unpacking books for their new shelves. I held it in my hand lovingly before placing it alphabetically before Abigail Thomas books :)
Thank you, Kirsti. Very sweet to imagine you holding my book so lovingly. Warms my heart. An added bonus to be on your new shelves with Abby. Do you alphabetize by first name or last? We could be neighbors either way.
I hate ETHAN. Just want you to know. You don't have to be angry at him. I'll do it for you. The Present Giver is a beautiful book. Maybe this was a nod for the universe to look for a real opportunity to send this out into the world again. I never realized it was self-published. I loved every word when I first read it and would adore seeing it given new life. It's a beauty. And so are you, Abby, and Forrest. xo
Dear Nan, thank you. I've been laughing at myself all weekend. The unbelievable thing is that I questioned Fake-Ethan from the beginning. It was all too good to be true. I wrote to Abby to get her thoughts, and also did a search to confirm that Ethan was a real person at that publishing house, but before I heard back from Abby, I'd already taken the bait even with my doubts. So silly. But man, they're good. He's still pursuing me. I wrote to both he and the supposed editor yesterday. Told them they were losers for exploiting writers that do honest work. Fake-Ethan wrote me a compassionate, understanding note in response, told me again that he was the real guy. And "the editor" wrote an indignant letter saying he's an established editor with a reputation to uphold. Ay yi yi. But, yes, um, their scam did make me want to manifest the dreams for real. Not sure I have the energy for it, but it gives me lots to think about. thank you for caring and for your kind words.
You're in a good place about it, it seems. Let it sink in, simmer. It's all good. You'll know what to do. And maybe that's nothing. But maybe it isn't! xo
I love you, Nan.
I love you right back, my Bar. xo
Oh, how heartbreaking but also, how resistant to petty twerps we become as we get older (twerpiness is their problem, or more likely, they were made twerpy by circumstances!) Still, my heart goes out to you (again).
So sorry this happened. Your book sounds beautiful. The cover certainly is. I'm buying a copy. I've heard about this scam. It, like all scams, is such a jolt to me regarding how far some people will go to take advantage of others. I'm delighted that you are taking it so well. I hope that blesses you with many others who buy the book, too. I look forward to reading it.
Ah Susan, thank you. It really is unbelievable. Ethan and whoever he might be working with are still pursuing me despite my challenging them yesterday. It's nuts how good they are at exploiting the dreams we writers have, or at least I have. Thank you for your support. It means a whole lot, especially today.
I was happy to do it. It astounding that Ethan is still pursuing you, and part of me hopes his arrogance will get him caught.
me too. I'm going to go through the motions of reporting the scam. Don't feel terribly hopeful about that, but I'll feel better about myself if I do, and writing this blog is part of fighting back.
Yup. That makes sense. You have to do it for yourself. Then if they are caught, all the better.
wow scamming authors must be an industry / it just happened to me / i kept asking questions though / didn't want to fork over $1200 and finally holes began to appear in her story / not only do you get dissed by the publishers but then you get conned by people who are pretending to understand and respect all the work you put into your book / what a world / i also learned alot / she (if it was a she maybe it was ethan) did have some good ideas for internet marketing that i'll follow up on / glad you can laugh about it and the last line is exactly how i feel too / i'll swap books with you if you like : )
Interesting. You got far enough to get a quote. I was suspicious right from the get-go, but not quite enough to ignore these creeps. What if it's real I kept telling myself. I even searched the publisher he claimed to be, and that person exists. And the fake email address looked ok (until I looked more closely later). Anyway, I was caught. Feels really shitty to know someone took the time to figure out how to perfect their approach to writers with a dream. I'm so curious to know who they are. One of my theories is that it's someone who works or has worked for Amazon. They'd have had access to self-published books moving through, and also to personal email addresses associated with accounts. It's probably not them, but who else could it be?
Yes to trading, although I've already got one of your books. Get in touch so we can swap.
they probly researched how to sell books on amazon and then just skim thru offerings / she told me for example that after 50 reviews amazon's algorithms start recommending the book and here's the strategy to get 50 reviews / i intend to check out her (??) suggestions because she told me alot of stuff / i asked for references and she gave me two and when they replied it was the same exact response word for word and in her voice being overly solicitous to a fault / and both signed by the same person but with different sender addresses / that's when i knew she was a fraud / and like you she kept up the charade with explanations and apologies / haven't heard from her for two days so maybe she gave up / i was kind of going along with it but expressing my doubts just to see where she would go
you have a copy of The Ancient Book of Magic Secrets ??
yep. Same with me. When i told him what I thought could be better for the book, he responded with a list that matched what I'd recommended after supposedly reading the book himself. Slick, but too pat for believability. Anyway, it's over. I'm glad you quit. I had the same urge to follow it through, but finally decided to call them out. As for your book, I bought it ages ago. I'll send you one of mine if you want. PM me.
I love that beautiful book. I hope you’re not beating up on yourself. They are getting so good at this shit!
Thanks, Annie, they are. Shit. The guy knew my book, or rather, his AI assistant found details in my book, that were especially sensitive, then worked me over with those...It's stunning to me that they would do this to any writer, but to use details related to a child's death, unbelievable. They probably think they're brilliant, and in a way, they are. VERY telling about me and him/her/them.
Oh, Bar. Ethan had me too! I was also getting excited for your book, and Forrest, and you, and Abby’s painting, to have more recognition. You’re a nicer person than me, which I already knew, but I hope Ethan wakes up in the middle of the night choking on his lies.
I'm so sorry, Lisa. I love your last sentence too! I hope you didn't get to the point of sending money. Ugh!
Oh, this pisses me off.
yep. Pretty sick stuff. There's probably a musical equivalent.
Well, Bar,
Good for you for exposing these jerks. It's so easy to get sucked in by optimism. In fact, dreams do come true sometimes - so keep on dreaming.
Thanks, Cack. I think getting "sucked in by optimism" is exactly what happened. I'm hoping that at least a few writers will read this and be warned. I'm amazed by how so many of my writing friends have already sucked in. So creepy and sick.
Bar, I absolutely loved your book and think that it should have a wider audience. Thank you so much for publishing it and making it available to all. Your courage has helped make this planet a more human place where we share our joys and sorrows!
thank you, Amy. It's good to hear this, especially from you who didn't know me back then. If I'd published it before my marriage broke up I might have been more comfortable promoting it further, but that didn't feel right at the time. Thankfully, a lot of people read it anyway, word of mouth I guess, which feels pretty darn good too. Better in many ways.
First a vent, the troll needs a punch in the nose. Nan, I’ll hold him, you punch him. Sitting in a dark room in his pajamas, looking for victims, only coming out at night, circles under his eyes, eating stale pizza and other junk. I call them raccoons. 😤 If they keep pursuing tell them you will need an advance, say $50,000, before you can devote time to it. Ha!
Don’t feel bad. Disappointed is ok but so is being human. It’s the world we live in today. You caught them. Savor those first exhilarations and thoughts about things you love and things you would revise. Those are real and must have felt good. And are still possible.
Bar, you know what an impact your writing in The Present Giver had on me. Your writing brought up a wave of emotions from my more recent similar journey. My copy has multiple bookmarkers in it. From there discovering your songs, music and evocative lyrics, wow. And Bar’s Monday Morning Musings (all trademark rights assigned to you!), some serious, some heart tugging, some joyous, all thoughtful and uplifting. And all looked forward to, regularly read and shared by family and friends.
You are certainly a legit writer Bar.
I'm smiling thinking about you punching some thug in the nose. You are right!! The dudes deserve it and I'm being sexist even saying their dudes, but I think that's because they were impersonating men. I love the idea of telling them I need an advance. That would have closed things down real fast! But don't worry, I haven't responded to their follow up. Once I called them out, I ignored their last ditch efforts. Losers is how i think of them. But they were very good at their scam.
And thank you, Bill. Your interest in my work has been a gift.
I love this book … the author, Bar … the book cover artist, Abby and of course, Forrest.
I agree with Nan. I think it time to move this story into a wider impact zone!
Love you, Bar! Thanks for sharing.
Lorraine! Are you writing here? Do you know about my story slam? Nice to see you here. xo
Hi Nan! I’m here following Bar and Abby! Lol I’m finishing second memoir … and I need a Substack next. Would love to reconnect! I’m ready to story slam:) tell me more:) xo
Hey. Cool. I'm working on my first memoir. I've been here writing for over two years, and I have a design stack and work with writers here who need help branding their stacks. AND I started a story slam project about 6 months ago. It's called Wham! Bam! Thank You! Slam! It's a monthly online feminist story slam. Not a competition. Abby did our March event, and Bar is planning on doing one too. It's taking off. The only requirement is you have to have a Substack site because I want to network writers and help them grow. And the stories are phenomenal. Take a look! https://www.whambamthankyouslam.com/
Love that you two are re-connecting here. Excellent!
thank you, Lorraine. You're a darling, and who knows. Life is a mystery and the publishing world is too. Not my strength, as you know. Writing my blog every week is floating my boat for now. xoxo
I'm sorry that happened and I hate that people are so cruel. I loved reading The Present Giver; it is so beautiful, moving and love-filled. I always loved that Forrest got to be a little boy, undefined by his illness. Maybe it's time to send the book around again. It took Madeleine L'Engle 10 years to get A Wrinkle in Time published. Who knows what could happen. Sending you love and hugs.
This is sweet to read, Julie. Thank you. It means a lot to me that you read the book. You know a lot more about me because of that effort and I'm grateful.
It's hard to believe that there are people who enjoy this kind of cruelty. They're very good at what they do.
You are not alone! Phishing is out of control. It’s disgusting.
As for your beautiful, wondrous book, I was just looking at it a few days ago while unpacking books for their new shelves. I held it in my hand lovingly before placing it alphabetically before Abigail Thomas books :)
❤️❤️❤️
PS apparently there’s a music scam too. What a world. So many crummy people.
Thank you, Kirsti. Very sweet to imagine you holding my book so lovingly. Warms my heart. An added bonus to be on your new shelves with Abby. Do you alphabetize by first name or last? We could be neighbors either way.