What a Book Publishing Scam Taught Me About My Intuition

Halfway through writing my soon-to-be published book, it became evident to me that I was getting scammed.

Have you ever had a little voice in your head tell you something that you ignored? Have you experienced intuition leading you down one path, but chosen to go the other direction because you felt your intuition didn’t have enough proof to convince you otherwise? Read on to experience this first- time author’s journey and how she learned the hard way to always trust her gut.

I thought I had performed enough due diligence when selecting the company that would support the writing process of the book, but I guess I was so focused on other things: You know, life, kids, my business, and the actual writing of this book; that I failed to really see what they were about.

I understood scams were out there, so I had interviewed several companies on the phone, read client reviews, checked out social media pages and websites, and even Googled the company address for the frontrunner- a generic office building located in Long Island, NY. I knew that services like this weren’t required nowadays to publish a book, but I was balancing clients and family life and was practicing what I would always recommend to other busy moms: the art of delegation.

When I decided to move forward with this company, they immediately assigned me a project manager and we got to work.? There were phone calls and communication, all coming from a United States number, but sounding mysteriously far away. When I would return calls to the company or want to answer a question, I would call the number and a receptionist would route my calls to the appropriate person, whether it be “Sienna” my project manager, “Henry,” who identified as “her boss,” or “Mike” the regional leader who oversaw “the team handling my book.”

All of them had accents that were not typically American; however, I have lived in Houston, one of the most diverse American cities for the past fifteen years, and 145 languages are spoken.? An accent alone could not be the only indication of the fraud. All the team stated they were in New York, where the company had an office. A couple of times I called and got weird responses like “voicemail box no longer accepting messages” or the sound of the AOL dial-up tone, but every week or so, a new edited chapter would be returned to me and we pressed on.

I had discomfort about the company but had put these feelings aside. I did not listen to that little voice inside of me that said, “this is bad, run away!” because I did not feel I had enough evidence to believe this voice and I had wanted things to work out with them so that the book could be published on time. It became hard to ignore the little voice inside when I received a phone call one afternoon while I was watching the kids play in the backyard - from “Henry,” who was calling to let me know my project manager had been in a terrible accident. He said she was in the “hospital recovering from a fractured leg she had experienced falling down the stairs.” He wanted to let me know they would not be responding to me for a few days and would be assigning a replacement soon and, but would I be willing to speak to Mike about the marketing package quoted?

“Mike” started his discussion with me by announcing that “by now you’ve heard that Sienna was in a terrible car accident and has been in the hospital.” He went onto say “her condition was so bad; I have not even been in to see her.” I couldn’t help but interject that Henry had just shared that she was suffering from a broken leg and not a car accident and that whatever had befallen her, the two needed to get their story straight. I also stated that maybe her accident wasn’t any of my business and it might even be considered unnecessary to share with me. Mike said curtly, “Well, that’s what you get for driving drunk. She shouldn’t have been doing it.”?

A little shocked, I expressed my concerns about her health, which were sincere since she and I had a cordial relationship we had fostered over emails and calls, but then also asked if we could concentrate on the book. Something about the emotion behind what they were saying was not lining up. My entire body was telling me that in that moment, I was being lied to. Mike pivoted to talk about the marketing services package that I had previously declined. I felt it was out of line with my goals, but he was dead set on selling it to me. Finally, I had given him enough objections that the call ended with them “promising to set me up with a new project manager soon.”

As the line went dead, I realized I had no other way to reach the team: all my communication had been through my project manager’s email. My husband looked at me with quizzical concern, but we quickly moved onto the family’s nightly routine.

That night as I tried to sleep, I was fraught with anxiety. I was replaying the entire scenario in my head on repeat and dissecting each part. I picked up my laptop and noticed that the original “agreement” the company had sent to me was missing several major parts to be considered binding. There was no formal project timeline given whatsoever, so there could be no expectation on my end for when this process would be complete. I had pre-ordered a couple hundred printed copies of the book from the company, but could not find any formal invoice and, of course, there was never any update on my order timeline, even when I would inquire.

Online, there were lot of signs that this company was not entirely who they were pretending to be. Although their Facebook page had lots of content, there was little interaction. The page itself “followed” three other entities, none based in the United States. Their Instagram was full of content, but again, little interaction. When I clicked on a few of their several thousand followers, they were bots. I also noticed that by changing the variation of the company name slightly, there were several versions of the company offering the same services under different names. Then, I went back to review some of their client testimonials they had readily shared.

Yes, the review site was real, but I noticed that each of their reviews read like classic infomercial and each name of the reviewer sounded like it was pulled from a board game or children’s novel with the first and last names beginning with the same letter and the first name being one syllable, the last name being two such as “Tom Tallman.” Every fourth review repeated. The reviews were had been created by AI. Now, over six weeks into the book project with the company, some negative reviews had popped up that were not there when I first checked. Both of the new reviews were complaints from people sharing the services the publishing company touted were never delivered and even sadder, stated they felt the company never intended to. One was out $25,000 and the other, $7,500.

When I discovered it was happening, it took a major toll on my confidence as a professional planner and caused me a lot of anxiety over my failure to identify the scam right away. Part of my job on a regular basis is sourcing quality vendors to provide services on behalf clients. “I should have known better,” I repeated to myself. This led to second guessing and refusing to admit what was happening. There were times I actually thought the voice inside my head was exaggerating the perceived danger, and it would all be fine. I was also extremely embarrassed and ashamed. At first, I didn’t want to admit to anyone that someone had bested me. I was alone in my embarrassment and couldn’t even bring myself to tell my husband about it until it was well passed.

It was difficult to even pick up the phone and speak to a friend who had been helping me with some marketing elements, but I had to admit what had happened and ask for her help in getting the book back on its feet quickly. Then, I had to call my father, accomplished writer of 59 books, both fiction and non, and admit that his college-educated, internet-literate first born was completely duped, in the book publishing industry, no less.

I started to think that other services I had hired recently, whether for me or clients, were also scammers and that maybe they wouldn’t show up as promised or deliver on time. I was anxious about what the scammers might do if I retaliated either with a bad review or negative email. I was scared that I had cost my family money and had given it away stupidly to unscrupulous people living continents away. Fortunately, my business banker at Chase was wonderful and human and took the time to talk to me and help me to understand the process. Fraud was reported and the funds were returned to my account. Even in today’s world, there really is no substitute for in-person relationships. I had called the 1-800 number for the bank and spoken to a person that was by all accounts helpful, but I needed to feel the reassurance from someone who was breathing the same air as me.

I cut ties with the company and have been working closely with real people that I know and trust to finish the book that you hopefully readers will soon hold in their hands or are view from an electronic device. It has certainly a group effort to cross that finish line. The book is still on track to be published in early summer.

?In hindsight, it’s a bit laughable that I felt I needed a binder of evidence or argument to contend with intuition, or the little voice inside my head that was trying to keep me away from danger. Sometimes, we are traveling so fast, and maybe we are getting tasks done and achieving, but we stop feeling from within. We can become disconnected from our mind and body, all the while continuing our path. If I learned anything from this lesson, it is to trust my gut in all things. In this instance, I had lost valuable time in the process, but it certainly could have been much worse. When it comes to making decision for my business and personal life, I absolutely must slow down and connect with my heart in order to succeed. I hope you will consider this lesson and apply it to your life when it counts the most.

Perhaps your intuition has led you to want to read my book. I hope readers find that the book is a guide written by a real life and imperfect Busy Mom wanting to share what she knows best with the world to make events more successful. And here’s a promise from me to you: this book comes with a “no scams” guarantee.?

Pre-Order “The Busy Mom’s Guide to Event Planning” by May 31, ,2024 to receive free shipping and complimentary digital copy and maybe even a few surprises!

About the Author:

Sara Heald is an Expert Event Planner and Reasonably Qualified Mother of Two. She lives in Houston, Texas where she is an amateur internet sleuth.

www.sarainthecityevents.com