Need a ghostwriter? Don’t use these sites
Apparently, I’m a Scam Magnet — Third One This Year
Looks like 2021 is my year to be a scam magnet — and your year to get ripped off if you use these ghostwriting websites.
In Freelance Writing Scam — Learn From My Narrow Escape, I wrote about my first scam hit—a freelance writing con from “Rosemarie Scott” who was (poor thing!) afflicted by ataxia.
About six weeks later, I wrote Another version of the same writing scam after the same scammers (who were too lazy to change the disease) tried to lasso me again.
These emails targeted me as a freelance writer, but I’ve since heard from illustrators, painters, a designer, and a medical writer who were also targeted by the same scam.
The latest rip-off
When four strangers contacted me out of the blue for ghostwriting and I asked how they found me, each one said my picture, name, and company (Ghostwriter Global) are listed on these scam ghostwriting sites:
· Brilliant Ghostwriting (brilliantghostwriting.com)
· GhostWriting Venture (ghostwritingventure.com)
The websites look so similar, I believe it’s one company. And to be 100% honest, there was another site claiming I am on their staff, but now I can’t find that name.
On their Authors page, these companies show lovely headshots of “their” ghosts, along with a simplistic but poorly written blurb for each.
I assume most of the other ghostwriters listed on these sites have also had their names and reputations co-opted. After publishing this, I intend to inform each one whose contact info I can find.
Fortunately, one of the people who contacted me was kind enough to share her email exchange with GhostWriting Venture, which claims I wrote Bridget Jones’s Diary.
For your protection and my emotional/professional satisfaction, here are those exchanges—the client’s name is *** to protect her identity
(wish I could format this article better, but Medium has its limits):
Fri, May 21, 2021 at 7:34 PM Jennifer Brown
<jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com> wrote:
Greetings ***,
Hope you are in good spirits.
Thank you for visiting our website and your interest in GhostWriting Venture, Let me provide you with the procedure and package details, if it suits you then I’ll get your order placed and get your process started off.
Many famous celebrities, chefs, actors, business people, and even novelists (like James Patterson) hire ghostwriters to write books for them.
In a nutshell, a ghostwriter is a writer who will help you write a book for you and give you 100% credit for the book, and against that, he would charge for his service.
Our Process:
This is in reference to our conversation, please find all relevant info regarding the ghostwriting services mentioned below.
First of all, we will assign a team of four writers/editors to your project and you will be in constant communication with one of them throughout the process.
After you have signed up and paid for the package, you will get a questionnaire form to fill out the brief details about your book and your goals for this book. Once you fill the questionnaire form the writer will then schedule a call with you, at your convenient time to ask if there are any concerns within the details and will get connected with you and your story.
According to your instructions, we will write your book chapter by chapter based on your given outline & every 10–12 days we will receive each chapter for changes and modifications and would work according to your feedback & make sure it’s completed in a professional book format to get published.
We will be working with you side by side and will always require your feedback on each stage before proceeding further. The book would be easily completed within a 60–80 Days timeline.
We have professional Ph.D. qualified in-house writers and retired professors who would be taking care of the book for you
The Writing Team
1. Managing Editor.
2. Lead Writer/Ghostwriter.
3. Lead Editor.
4. Final Editor.
Package Details:
Best Seller Package: $66,660.00 slashed to $ 17,500
1. Design and Develop a Unique and Captivating Book Trailer Video.
2. Ghostwriting original content based on interviews and research.
3. Completion of your book of around 200–250 pages as per the requirements/outline.
4. Revisions to our writing per your feedback and guidance.
5. Meticulous editing to ensure your text is free of error.
6. Adjusting the layout and presentation for the publishing standards.
7. ISBN & Copyrights.
8. Pursuing Local, Regional, Or National Media Attention
9. Writing Bylined Articles For Trade Magazines
10. Pitching Article Ideas To The Press
11. Going On A Virtual Book Tour
12. Creating An Image Quote Campaign
13. Design And Develop An Author Website To Market Your Book
14. Dedicated Web Hosting
15. Creating Social media platforms
16. Marketing Post On Multiple Channels Including Facebook, Twitter And Instagram
17. Use A Launch Team For Book Marketing — Books Will Be Marketed In 51 Countries From Four Regions (USA, UK, North America, South America & Europe)
18. Exclusive Book Review On Good Reads
19. Building An Email List And Sending A Regular Newsletter
20. Influencer Outreach For Book Promotion
21. Audiobook Creation
22. Amazon Ad Boosting
23. On-call availability to discuss your project and consult with you from beginning to end
24. Getting Endorsements (Blurbs)
25. Reach Book Clubs
26. Seeking Reader Reviews
27. Extensive Online Distribution
28. Global EBook Distribution To Major Retailers
29. Global EBook Distribution To Public Libraries
30. Premium Digital Marketing — Maximum Worldwide Exposure to The Targeted Audience, With Guaranteed Results. (Maximum Traffic Will Be Generated And Complete Statistics Reports Will Be Shared)
31. SUBMISSION TO PRODUCTION HOUSES FOR MOVIE ADAPTATION
32. Recommend Your Books To The New York Times For Their Best Seller Column.
33. Publishing on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble (if required)
34. Create an account with each of these websites.
35. Available in 3 different formats EBook, Hardcover and Paperback
36. Amazon will be responsible for printing and shipping your book globally
37. 3 month Paid & Unpaid Marketing. Let me give you an example for better understanding. (Now when we do marketing, we give you a 1000 reads guarantee within 3 months.)
Plus you are backed up with all the assurances as:
100% Ownership Rights Guarantee
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
100% Unique Content Guarantee
100% Money-Back Guarantee
Following are the samples of Premium Book Video Trailer
Moreover, here are links to view platforms where you can read about us:
Our website: https://ghostwritingventure.com/
Good Firms: https://www.goodfirms.co/company/ghostwriting-venture
Bark: https://www.bark.com/en/us/company/ghostwriting-venture/bb0n3/
Design Rush: https://www.designrush.com/agency/profile/ghostwriting-venture
Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ghostwriting-venture
Top Video Production & Marketing on Yahoo News: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-video-production-companies-march-103500548.html
Top Digital Marketing Companies on Yahoo News: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/designrush-ranks-top-digital-marketing-104000307.html
Top Web Design & Top App Companies on Yahoo News: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-design-top-app-design-105000525.html
Our Authors: https://ghostwritingventure.com/authors/
Read about our top 10 Authors here and choose your author.
Our Past Works: https://ghostwritingventure.com/biography/
Reviews About Us: https://ghostwritingventure.com/testimonial/
Please find attached to this mail:
1. Sample writing by our female Author as per your genre
2. The Non-Disclosure Agreement
3. The Ghost Writing Venture Agreement
The Next Three Steps:
1. Kindly sign the two documents and return.
2. Click here to complete the payment.
3. Affirm that you have received the Invitation to our In-house CRM.
Let me know if there are any other questions.
Best Regards,
Jennifer Brown | Senior Content Strategist
Email: jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com
From: “Jennifer Brown” <jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com>
To: ***
Sent: 5/22/2021 11:12:31 AM
Subject: Re: Ghost Writing Venture welcomes you ***!
***,
As per my analysis of your project, Ms. Samantha Subert seems to be the right fit.
Please find attached her sample work to this email. Let me know your input.
Then we will move onto scheduling a meeting with her via phone. Let me know a feasible time slot so that I can book an appointment with her.
From: “Jennifer Brown” <jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com>
To: ***
Sent: 5/22/2021 1:07:41 PM
Subject: Re: Re[2]: Ghost Writing Venture welcomes you ***!
Greetings ***,
Please find attached some of Ms.Sabriga Turgon’s samples to this mail. Let me know your input.
More samples by the remaining 3 authors are on their way.
From: “Jennifer Brown” <jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com>
To: ***
Sent: 5/22/2021 4:28:26 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: Re[2]: Ghost Writing Venture welcomes you ***!
Greetings ***,
Please find attached some of Ms.Sabriga Turgon’s samples to this mail. Let me know your input.
More samples by the remaining author are on their way.
Sat, May 22, 2021 at 8:24 PM
*** wrote:
Jennifer,
I need to speak with your top few writers prior to finalizing my order.
Once I see sample and speak with them:
I will finalize the order.
Sun, May 23, 2021 at 12:12 AM
*** wrote:
It is good, but not great as I am afraid Samantha is too young for me.
I mentioned I need woman writer 40–50th who shows light humor throughout dark obsticle
I would love to see Andy W work and Sabriga Turgon.
I will be open to Alex McR and David. R work as well.
Sun, May 23, 2021 at 1:19 AM
*** wrote:
Is this Andys work or Sabriga: email is contrary to attachments.
Who wrote My Horizontal Life?
Sun, May 23, 2021 at 1:31 AM Jennifer Brown
<jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com> wrote:
Greetings ***,
My bad! This is Andy’s work. Got it mixed up, deep apologies. Ms. Andy wrote My Horizontal life and Yes Please.
Sun, May 23, 2021 at 5:29 AM Jennifer Brown
<jennifer@ghostwritingventure.com> wrote:
Greetings,
As per Company policies, it is not permissible to carry out zoom or facetime calls as it is not in the companies best interest.
Priorly, At many instances such means have been unfortunately misused and abused with respect to the writers privacy.
Hence why, for a smooth and hassle free journey, The communication is maintained through our encrypted telephonic line.
Further, I am booking an appointment for 1:30pm EST on Monday with Ms. Andy W.
********
My informer ended her conversation there, so I went to the GhostWriting Ventures (or is it Ghost Writing Venture?—the company can’t decide how to spell its own name) chat and talked as a potential victim…I mean, client:
Alex De’Souza
Hey there
How are you doing today
Are you looking for Ghost Writing, Editing, Formatting, Publishing Services, OR Marketing services with 100% ROI?
Me: Ghostwriting
Alex De’Souza
Perfect
Can you tell me something about your book & how many pages are you anticipating for this Book?
Please update your info
Me: I’m not sure about page numbers because I haven’t written the book, but it’s a memoir. What is your company’s process?
Alex De’Souza
I can suggest 150–200
You are requested to share the following details: Name Email Address Contact Number
Me: What is your process?
Alex De’Souza
Let me guide you
Alex De’Souza
Can you share your contact details Name Number Email address
Me: Please tell me about your process
Alex De’Souza
Our Process: So, once you book the order and send us the signed Non-disclosure agreement, we will send you a questionnaire which you have to fill up and send it back to us. Then we will assign four writers for your project one will be the primary author and the rest three will be to assist him with research and proofreading, the main writer will review the information that you sent us and give you a call to listen to your story/ideas and ask you questions accordingly. After that, he will draft the outline himself and present it to you within 72 hours so you can see if we are going in the right direction or not. If not you can submit your feedback and we will have it revised as many times as you want until you are delighted with the outline. Once you have approved the outline we will start working on the first chapter talking to you specifically about that portion of your story and drafting the outline. Present it to you within 3–5 days so you can see if we are going in the right direction or not. If not you can submit your feedback and we will have it revised as many times as you want until you are delighted with the chapter. So, after we get your satisfaction in the first chapter, we will proceed to the next chapter, and the process will remain the same until your book is ready. According to your instructions & make sure it’s completed in a professional book format to get published on different platforms. We will be working with you side by side and will always require your feedback on each stage before proceeding further. The book would be easily completed within a 40–60 Days timeline. We have professional Ph.D. qualified in-house writers and retired professors who would be taking care of the book for you The Writing Team Dedicated Account Manager. Managing Writer and Editor. Lead Ghostwriter. Lead Editor. Final Editor. Lead Illustrator/Designer. We will deliver it in different formats, such as E-book, ready to Print, MS Word, PDF, etc.
Alex De’Souza
Please share your contact details Name Number Email address
At this point, I said I’d get back to him and hung up.
The obvious takeaways from these examples:
· A company that slashes its price from $66,660.00 to $17,500 (and can’t decide how to write the currency) is clearly desperate to reel you in
· A company that mixes up who did what writing… it could be a simple mistake or yet another effort to force you into accepting whoever they choose
· A company that won’t allow you to see who you’re working with, even over common virtual platforms like Zoom or FaceTime? Highly suspicious.
The most honest statement in the whole email exchange is: “As per Company policies, it is not permissible to carry out zoom or facetime calls as it is not in the companies best interest.”
Even if both your eyes are blind and your third eye is on strike, it’s hard to ignore the errors in capitalization and spelling, not to mention the unwillingness of the company to work in whatever way suits the client.
· Avoid like Covid any writing company with bad English grammar and syntax: “Hence why, for a smooth and hassle free journey, The communication is maintained through our encrypted telephonic line.” and “Priorly, At many instances such means have been unfortunately misused and abused with respect to the writers privacy.”
Yikes. There are more tells, but you get the picture.
I hate seeing people get ripped off!
Do you want these people writing your grandma’s memoir, your community’s success story, or the history of your business?
Ethical, experienced ghostwriting companies abound, so please do not be taken in by obvious scam companies. Get referrals from people you trust or from reputable ghostwriting clubs or associations. Most importantly, speak to the company before you sign on the dotted line, then follow your gut—if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
One of the beauties of social media is its broad and immediate reach. Please pass the word about these scam sites to anyone looking for a ghostwriter.
