Would a "Smart" woman or man writer fall for this?
By jswindell10
@jswindell10 (417)
United States
December 7, 2011 3:40pm CST
Taking a break from content mills and I got this in my box yesterday. It is an "offer" to be an contributing author for a book called 2012 Transitions (really long title) by the "Smart Women Institute".
I just found it funny that any person would so boldly ask for money($1047 USD) in this economy when anybody can e-publish their own title for a fraction of the cost and still own the rights.
Here is the link - http://www.sherimcconnell.com
Enjoy, LOL
1 person likes this
5 responses
@Fortunata (1135)
• United States
8 Dec 11
There's nothing 'smart' about this arrangement, lol!2 people like this
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
7 Dec 11
$1097 for 1500-2000 words. That means you'd be paying about 50c a WORD to publish in their book and all you get is 29 other authors to help marketing (they'll probably all be sitting back expecting YOU to market for them, of course).
Alternatively, you could sell those 2000 words to a magazine for a couple of hundred dollars, get the same (or better) publicity and make money instead of spending it.
I wonder how long it'll take for WriterBeware to do a piece on their blog about this, er, wonderful opportunity... 
1 person likes this
@jswindell10 (417)
• United States
7 Dec 11
Yeah, as soon as I finish this work for other clients, I'll add this to my blog for additional laughs.
2 people like this
@jswindell10 (417)
• United States
8 Dec 11
Just had a thought. She might be one of those women who lives in a shoddy motel(which is also her office, btw) and buys suits to take promo photos and returns them the next day.
I say this because I get things in my box asking for money but none have been this outrageous.
I guess she feels that us women would rather have somebody tell us we're smart (at any costs) as opposed to just making wise choices.
2 people like this
@jswindell10 (417)
• United States
10 Dec 11
EXACTLY. When I punched a clock, women were the worst critics of other women. Seldom was there a situation where a woman could just say "Good job" and keep it moving. Either they went way over the top when praising another woman or they shot them down verbally with an AK-47. I've only had a couple of female bosses that were about business instead of running down another woman.
And yes, this person knows that emerging writers will sometimes accept any kind of accolade, even if they have to pay for it out of their own pocket.
1 person likes this
@mr_pearl (5018)
• India
7 Dec 11
LOL... It seems to me that the scammers have got their brains stuck with the old gum. What a rubbish idea and how foolishly put... You better ignore it and continue with your work.. There is plenty of rubbish around and life is too short to waste time for that...
Have a good time!
1 person likes this
@leafygreens08 (754)
• United States
8 Dec 11
Is that a misprint? $1,047??? Well, even if it's only $10.47, one would have to be very careful where their money is going. Lots of quacks out there trying to scam people every single day. Thanks for sharing though. As a writer, I am always looking for idea for promoting my blog (see my profile) and I am often offered jobs that sound too good to be true. We just need to not jump into anything quickly, get the facts, do some research and "sleep on it" if need be before we end up regretting our hasty decision. Good luck!
@SpikeTheLobster (6403)
•
8 Dec 11
The POD companies don't charge - they take commission on every sale. You can publish on Lulu, Amazon, Smashwords and a ton of others for nothing.
1 person likes this
@jswindell10 (417)
• United States
8 Dec 11
I don't even think the big POD (Lulu, Booklocker) companies even charge like this.
1 person likes this
@leafygreens08 (754)
• United States
8 Dec 11
Well, I am published with Createspace and they DO CHARGE for promotional services, if you want to use them. Yes, you can publish your book for free there, but Createspace offers supplemental services like designing, editing and marketing and it all costs money. Even their promotional kit (flyers, bookmarkers, etc) isn't free, and I guess I can't blame them. Check out their services and you will see some of their packages are well over $1,000. And I do like Createspace. They are very nice and very professional. I am just glad I was able to do all my own work (layout, design, art, editing) so I could keep the cost down to almost nothing.
I am not very familiar with Lulu or Smashwords. I am looking into Smashwords now to see about getting my book converted into ebook form. Amazon wants to charge me about $160 to convert my book (tiaera.blogspot.com) and so does Createspace.
@jswindell10 (417)
• United States
8 Dec 11
I think authors get a whole chapter which is supposed to justify the $1094.
1 person likes this
