Danielle D.
I started working with Alex in March…
I started working with Alex in March 2025 to publish my book. At first, the process seemed promising—communication was clear, and everything moved along smoothly. But things took a sharp turn when Alex introduced me to someone he described as a major book retailer with 600 stores. This person claimed I could earn $60,000—but only if I paid $10,000 upfront for copies of my book. When I asked why this amount couldn’t just be deducted from future sales, his response was: “Because I don’t know you. I’m only doing this as a favor to Alex.” The conversation quickly turned uncomfortable. He insisted everyone has to pay something, which felt like manipulation designed to pressure me into handing over money. Then he began haggling—offering a “deal” for $7,500, then dropping it to $5,000. I kept repeating that I simply didn’t have that kind of money and had already invested all I had into publishing. His response? “I know exactly how much you paid.” That comment crossed a serious line and made me feel even more exposed and taken advantage of. Afterward, I confronted Alex about why he would set up a meeting like that, especially when such a large financial ask was involved. His only explanation was that he wanted me to see the “bigger picture,” which didn’t sit right with me. It felt like he was either in on the scheme or willfully ignoring serious red flags. I did my own research and found out that legitimate, traditional publishers don’t charge authors fees to stock books. I also discovered that the so-called retailer only owned 6 stores, not the 600 I was led to believe. The whole thing reeked of a scam that played on my passion and vulnerability. Despite everything, I stayed focused on completing my book. I documented everything and reported the incident to Alex’s supervisor. Following that, Alex delayed the publishing process by three weeks. He started claiming I wasn’t responding to emails about edits, even though I had saved and CC’d all my communications to prove otherwise. I had to escalate the issue again to get things moving. My book was finally published last week. There haven’t been any sales yet, and honestly, the entire experience has left me disheartened. What was supposed to be an exciting journey turned into a draining and disappointing ordeal. I now realize I was sold a dream without transparency or integrity. I will not publish another book with this company, and I will not be working with Alex again.