Strategic Book Group / Strategic Book Publishing / Eloquent Books / SBM

usually sherry is right in there and reading and offering a contract really soon.

"Sherry" is probably an auto-responder at the early stages of the scam. The acceptance is sent without apparent human intervention.

SBP fraud!

thank you so very much everyone from saving me from this fraudulent company! i also recieved a contract from SBP that asked me to give a $895 dollar upfront payment! im a young writer in mexico still in college and i think its a disgrace they do this.. gladfully i did some googling about them and thankfully i found this. this is why we should always do research people!!! lol. if anybody knows about a good and decent publishing company that specializes in young adult fiction (or is open to that more than others) please let me know!

thanks to y'all soooooo much!

and glad to have become a brand new member of this site,

H.F. Kanan

Welcome to AW, fuschiahundred!

You can find a reputable publisher by going to a bookstore, look inside the front pages of books similar to your own, and getting their web addresses.

Follow their submission guidelines to the letter.

Don't answer Google ads, as those nearly always lead to vanity and scam operations.

And stay away from PublishAmerica. They're bad guys, too.

If you have doubts about a publisher or agent, Googling their name + "scam" is always a good idea.

And AW members are always glad to help!

You can try Wild Rose Press.

wanda45451964 said:

You can try Wild Rose Press.

Click to expand...

Wanda, why are you suggesting this press to someone who doesn't write what they publish? The Submissions page for Wild Rose says they've closed their YA line, and we don't even know whether fuschiahundred is writing romance anyway, which is all Wild Rose publishes. This is just another example of why you need to learn to research and to stop advising others on things you don't know about.

Writers’ Literary Agency -- more to the scam

Just wanted to mention that I've done the dance with the pit vipers over the past week-and-a-half, and they just sent me a list of works they claim to have sold to publishers. Most of the books they listed were sold to their own publishing company, Strategic Book Publishing, and are listed in Amazon.

The reason I mention this is that, if those are genuine sales, and if the authors published by Strategic Book Publishing contracted with Writers’ Literary Agency (or one of their alter-ego agency names), then the agents are collecting 10% for having sold the book to...themselves.

I haven't seen anyone mention this rather blatant conflict of interest either here or on the other umpteen sites that have described WLA, so I thought I'd mention it here.

The other interesting point I took away from their email is that they claim to have sold a book to HCI, which publishes the Chicken Soup series. The book is called Bipolar and Pregnant, and a quick check of Amazon showed that there is indeed a book by that title published by HCI. What I don't have, however, is proof that WLA sold the book to HCI as the author's agent.

What I don't have, however, is proof that WLA sold the book to HCI as the author's agent.

Click to expand...

There is no reason to believe that WLA initiated the sale to HCI. It is certainly true that WLA was sending around copies of that author's contract, including the amount of the advance and the royalty percentages.

As to how WLA goes about collecting 10% of the money that authors pay to be vanity published--I believe I recall seeing once that WLA was magnanimously waiving its fees for those sales.

We have mentioned before that if selling a book to a vanity press is easy (and it is), how much easier must it be to sell a book to a vanity press that you yourself own?

The former Strategic Book Publishing website is now titled "Strategic Book Marketing--Progressive Book Marketers & Publishers." The URL remains the same, as does the content.

Yet another round of name shuffling appears to be in progress.

- Victoria

The clock is ticking for Robert/Georgina/Mary/pick any alias

I had to try a bunch of their links, just for giggles. There are a lot of dead ones, including the "Featured Writers" link.

I doubt if Bobby/Georgina (the number of aliases never fails to crack me up) has a whole lot of time left. I'm guessing he's trying to figure out how to sneak away to S. America.

Fletcher picked a bad year to get caught, what with the Florida AG getting ready to run for governor. My bet is that all their current cases are going to be prosecuted hard . . . as it will make for good campaign material.

AEG PUBLISHING

Here is the link to their website, where you can find details and address. in the following messages received from them you can find names and telephone numbers, if that is useful to anyone.
I am an unpublished writer and obviously came upon AEG PUBLISHING and they agreed on publishing me against fees.
All of that is listed below.

i have found out by anther website that a published writer has worked with them and complain: see below

Strategic Book Publishing AEG Publishing Group

Posted: 2009-08-25 by Bob Williamson


Fraud

Complaint Rating:
Company information:
Greenhouse Neutral Foundation
130 Naranga Place
Australia
Phone: 61 8 9295 6035
greenhouseneutralfoundation.org

I have a publishing contract with the AEG Publishing group that was arranged by Writer Literary Agency. The book ZER Greenhouse Emissions - The Day the Light Went Out - Our Future World was published in October 2008 and I purchase from them 300 copies to be shipped to me as the author here in Australia. They indicated in the contract that until there were 300 copies (not including the copies I purchased) there would be no royalties payable. The sales reports indicate that only 24 copies have to date been purchased. Although this seem unusual as all the work I have been doing to sell them I did not question these figures. I paid them funds to represent me at the New York book fair in May also US$250. I then subsequently paid a furthe $395 to have them produce an e-book of the title. They forward a free PDF copy to me and the royalties were to be 50% of all e-books sold. I have been working every hour I can to sell the book and direct buyers to the web address for the book at the publisher http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ZEROGre...Emissions.html and know many have reported to me that they have purchased - My royalties have not show up on the statement via royalties page. Today I did a seach to be horified to see that the whole of the operation from Writers Literary to the AEG publishing Group is a scam. This could cause the demise of our not-forprofite environmental education foundation .
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to my message:

AEG PUBLISHING website: http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/

(the thing that strikes me is that they said in previous emails that they published thousands of writers, yet, it's flashing in yellow on their own page that they just published their 700th...
not a good start after reading previous threads....

Emails received copied here so that if you receive exactly the same then you can rest assure it is scam...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIRST EMAIL:

We are sending you this email because we want you to see our commitment to
the authors we have published. We do everything we can to market our
authors and their books!

We sincerely want to publish your book
and market it in the US and around the world.

Join us now and be ready for the London Bookshow.


We hope that your writing career is proceeding successfully, and that you
will choose us for any of your publishing needs.

*******
We offer finance plans and allow you to 'pay as you go'.

We know that you want to get your book published so you can start making
money with it. We are happy to take a long term view with you. This also
allows us to prove ourselves to you, one step at a time.


One of the deals we are MOST PROUD OF, IS A DEAL TO SELL OUR AUTHORS' BOOKS
IN CHINA.
Here is a page from our partner's catalog when they go to the Beijing Book
Show this year.
http://www.strategicbookgroup.com/St...oup-China1.JPG

At the world's largest book event, Book Expo USA, New York - Strategic &
Eloquent Publishing exhibited their authors' work to an enthusiastic crowd
and great success. To see pictures of our participation in the the event,
please visit
http://s639.photobucket.com/albums/u...albumview=grid

We had a dozen authors perform book signings and we are happy to say that
none of the authors went home with any left over books! Deals were made and
it was a great show!

http://www.strategicbookmarketing.co...furt-2009.html shows our
exhibit in Frankfurt where many relationships were built and deals are in
process.


We plan to be there next year with more authors.. And we hope you are there
with us!

Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

For a current listing and an example of our hundreds of books published
please visit www.StrategicBookGroup.com.


Ps. You can trust that we will produce your book. OVER 1000 authors have
published with us in the last few years. They can be viewed at
www.StrategicBookClub.com. If you sign up with us, we will deliver!


To see how we handle the production and marketing aspects of our business
you might visit www.aegpublishinggroup.com/clientcare.html We are committed
to efficiency.

To see more about our world class marketing company please visit
www.StrategicBookMarketing.com

Let us publish and market your book. Our marketing department is better than
our competition!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL 2

Hello!

After review of your book query which was sent to us by our sister agency,
we would like to examine your work for publishing. (For reference, your
query is at the bottom of the email). We have an immediate need for books
of all genres that came about because of our recent exhibit at the Frankfurt
Book Fair. See the note at the bottom of our email.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOUR WORK IS NOT FINISHED PLEASE LET US KNOW. We need
finished work. If your work is not finished then you should work with the
agency. They can sell unfinished work.

------------------
A quick blurb about us:

We are mainly a book marketing company so we can make decisions very
quickly. Please visit our website at www.StrategicBookMarketing.com for an
overview of our company and you can see some of the fine authors we have
published and that we represent at our author site
www.StrategicBookClub.com. We have sold over 50,000 books on their behalf
in the last year. And, we love international book expos. See the note at
the very bottom.


We would like to review your work.
---------------------------------
This email tells you how to send your work to us. Our review process is
designed to evaluate both the technical quality of the writing and the
subject matter. Don't worry unduly, or spend a lot of time trying to clean
it up in a hurry. There is always time for that should we decide to work
together.


Email Us Your Work Please
------------------------------
To take the next step, would you please FORWARD this email with a copy of
your work and 2-3 illustrations (if needed) to:

[email protected]
(or simply reply to this email)

If you do not have illustrations for the work, please indicate that in your
email as well although your query has indicated that you do have
illustrations already.

Be sure that the information below is included in the email along with a
copy of your work. Please do not change the subject line. Our Review Team
will go over the work and get back to you in about a week.



Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

For a current listing and an example of our hundreds of books published
please visit www.StrategicBookGroup.com.




Additional information about our book marketing philosophy
---------------------------------------------------------
Please understand that first and foremost, publishing is a selling business,
not a writing business. We will be making our decision from a marketing and
sales perspective primarily.

Because we make the bulk of our money in selling books, where we should, you
will find that our concentration on marketing is world class. Marketing is
the toughest part of the book business. However, we do feel that we do a
better job than most. Selling books in the traditional manner is a very
straightforward process, then we add some special techniques that other
companies don't have. The books will be available to bookstores and on
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major online retailers. Every publisher that
we know of, from Random House to Authorhouse, follows this marketing
sequence.

But that's not good enough! We make money if we sell books! That's what we
both need to focus on. We are specialists in finding alternate means of
distribution and working the online search engines. When you publish with
us, you will be working with our marketing specialists at
www.StrategicBookMarketing.com . You might give that website a read. And
finally, take a look at some of the examples of what we are doing for our
clients, right now. http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/blog/

P.S. Heartfelt Praise From One of Our Authors:

I received my copy of "The Rope" today. It's hard to describe my feelings.
After all this time, it's real. It's here. And it's beautiful. I feel like I
did when my son was born. What used to be a joke, or a dream has really
happened. I received a total of eleven books this afternoon. There are fifty
more coming. I took the very first book out, and set it aside. I really want
to sign it and send it to you. I think that is only appropriate. You are the
one that has really made all of this possible. I live in a very small town.
700 people. I know most of them. News has spread quickly about the book
coming out on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, K Mart, Yahoo, and Google. They
have asked me to do a book signing and sells at the new library here in
Dorris. The support for the book has been phenomenal. I feel like a
celebrity. Tell Mark I'm not gay, but I think I'm in love with him. The
cover is fantastic. Everything about the book surpasses anything I could
have hoped for. Because of you and Mark, this is the only way a person
should consider publishing their book. I would love to be a spokesman for
you. Thank you guys. You have all been great. If you need an approval of the
book from me, you have it. But more than that, you have my respect and
admiration. Hope to hear from you soon. Terry Salyer - Author

OPT OUT: When you filled out the form you elected to receive emails from our
company. To be removed from receiving any further emails please reply or
forward this email with your email address to [email protected] and you
will be removed from any further emails.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL 3

Thank you for your manuscript. It has been received and will be reviewed in
the next week or so.

There is no need to send additions, fixes, cover designs, etc. We can work
with what you sent. There is always plenty of time to make changes if we
decide to work together. You should be receiving a response within the
next one or two weeks. We appreciate your patience in our review time as we
receive hundreds of submissions each


Would you mind helping us make a publishing decision by answering the book
marketing questions below?
--------------------------------------------------
We want to know more about your available time, your technology background,
and your sales proclivities. The key is consistency and focus.

=============================


Q) How much time per week do you have available to help us market your work?


A)



Q) How internet savvy and technical are you? Are you comfortable with new
programs on the web? Do you have a blog? Do you post regularly? Please
discuss.

A)



Q) Would you prefer to market on the web or market by going out and visiting
locations, giving talks or book signings? Some authors want to get out
there, some want to market only on the web, and some will do both. Tell us
about how you feel about selling activities. Some people are very
comfortable with public speaking and some are not.

A)



Q) Next, please read www.StrategicBookMarketing.com for an overview of the
various programs that we offer. What would you most like to do in the first
30 days after your bookis released to help market your work? Please choose 3
of the marketing techniques listed on our website and note them here along
with any pertinent comments that you may have.

(NOTE: Depending on the situation, these marketing programs are generally
free to the authors we publish under our traditional publishing contract).



1st Marketing Technique:



2nd Marketing Technique:



3rd Marketing Technique:




Thank you in advance to the answers to these questions. This will help us
make up our mind as to which type of contract and agreement we can offer
you. We would like to work with you and this will help us decide.

Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL 4

IT IS CLEARLY STATED THAT IT COST THE WRITER TO PUBLISH WITH THEM AND IN THIS EMAIL THEY SAY HOW MUCH, THOUGH THEY DON'T MENTION THAT TO BE AT A BOOK FAIR YOU HAVE TO PAY TOO.

We are sending you this email because we want you to see our commitment to
the authors we have published. We do everything we can to market our
authors and their books!

We sincerely want to publish your book
and market it in the US and around the world.

Join us now and be ready for the London Bookshow.


We hope that your writing career is proceeding successfully, and that you
will choose us for any of your publishing needs.

*******
We offer finance plans and allow you to 'pay as you go'. See below.

We know that you want to get your book published so you can start making
money with it. We are happy to take a long term view with you. This also
allows us to prove ourselves to you, one step at a time.


One of the deals we are MOST PROUD OF, IS A DEAL TO SELL OUR AUTHORS' BOOKS
IN CHINA.
Here is a page from our partner's catalog when they go to the Beijing Book
Show this year.
http://www.strategicbookgroup.com/St...oup-China1.JPG

At the world's largest book event, Book Expo USA, New York - Strategic &
Eloquent Publishing exhibited their authors' work to an enthusiastic crowd
and great success. To see pictures of our participation in the the event,
please visit
http://s639.photobucket.com/albums/u...albumview=grid

We had a dozen authors perform book signings and we are happy to say that
none of the authors went home with any left over books! Deals were made and
it was a great show!

http://www.strategicbookmarketing.co...furt-2009.html shows our
exhibit in Frankfurt where many relationships were built and deals are in
process.


We plan to be there next year with more authors.. And we hope you are there
with us!

Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

For a current listing and an example of our hundreds of books published
please visit www.StrategicBookGroup.com.


Ps. You can trust that we will produce your book. OVER 1000 authors have
published with us in the last few years. They can be viewed at
www.StrategicBookClub.com. If you sign up with us, we will deliver!


To see how we handle the production and marketing aspects of our business
you might visit www.aegpublishinggroup.com/clientcare.html We are committed
to efficiency.

To see more about our world class marketing company please visit
www.StrategicBookMarketing.com

Let us publish and market your book. Our marketing department is better than
our competition!


Please. Let me suggest that you take a good look at our 'pay as you go'
financing package. Because of the great response to our offer, we are
filling up our time slots for production very rapidly. I strongly suggest
that you get your signed contract and initial minimum payment to the office
to reserve your place in the production process. Also, once the economy
turns back up, we may not offer this program as it is not something we would
offer in stronger times.

Let's not let money stand in the way of working together! We completely
understand cash flow challenges, so we are willing to work something out
with you. We can work with you for as little as a regular payment of $50.

We like you and your work and we are willing to try to figure something out
together. This is a slow moving business and we're in it for the long term.
We would hate to lose an author that we like because of something as simple
to deal with as money.

Consider if you could make small payments of $50 every now and then.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
We are willing to provide a program like this for authors we hope to work
with. Here is how it would work. You determine what you are comfortable
paying. We will work with you as you pay us. That way we can get started,
and we can take our time and publish the work a little bit at a time. Here
is a good example of what we have to do to publish your work and where the
costs are. The example below shows how we can proceed with someone that can
afford to send $50 to us on some regular basis.

Contract Administration and Plan Accounting ($100) - It costs us about $100
to setup your file, assign your ISBN, and to issue a receipt for your
payment. This also covers the administration associated with managing the
payment plan. As you would expect, there is more overhead with this plan
simply in terms of accounting.

Manuscript Review and Preparation ($100) - As you would expect, we have a
qualified editor review every manuscript for text quality, image quality,
formatting, legal issues, etc. We use the review as a 'roadmap' for
identifying any potential problems that can be fixed as we go. You will
receive the review and go back and forth with our review team to make sure
that the next steps go as smoothly as possible.

Text Blocking ($150) - Creating a "final" text block that is ready for the
printer takes our talented designers about 6-10 hours. We also let you
proof the Text Block and then you formally sign off on it.

Back Cover Writing ($100) - Typically, the author has a hard time writing
about themselves and it is so important that we do it well. Writing a
compelling back cover takes us about 3 hours of work and going back and
forth with you.

Cover Design ($150) - Like the Text Block, creating a compelling cover, that
you approve takes us about 6 hours of work. You will approve the cover and
we consistently get high marks from our authors for the quality and impact
of our covers.

Galley Proofing ($100) - We hate errors, but they do happen. Galley proofing
is the final/final proof step before the work is uploaded to the printer.
We need to make sure that we have the correct final files and that all work
is done to specifications.

Proof Copy ($50) - A physical proof copy is printed and mailed to you for
final approval before printing.

Ingram Catalog and File Upload Fees ($100) - There are a series of one-time
fees that we pay the printer when we send your file for processing. The
Ingram fees are to make sure that your book is available for purchase around
the world by bookstores and other outlets. Also, this fee takes care of the
upload to Amazon and other online retailers.

Author Book Selling Website ($100) - The Author Book Selling website is
where your clients can buy the book on the web. We provide a customized site
that tracks purchases, etc.

We will also be providing you with a Royalty Management system to check on
your sales and royalties and we will be providing you with monthly
production/accounting statements.

And finally, the next step is Marketing... Marketing ... Marketing..


Conclusion
----------------
The costs above are given to you at 'our cost', we are not making a profit
at those numbers. And, these costs don't even include what we will expend
on your behalf when it comes to marketing, answering questions, fixing
problems, etc.

The total above is about $900. If you provided payments of $50, that's only
eighteen payments.
So, this truly is a Joint Venture Publishing project. As you can see there
are a lot of 'moving parts' and it takes a top notch company to pull them
all together.

We have already invested in getting to know each other and we hope that we
can work something out to work together. If you can afford to send us $50
every now and then, we are happy to proceed and work for you. If we can
cover our costs, we can stay in business, and if your book is out in a year,
that's still great! Once your book is out and starts selling then there is
every chance in the world that you can recoup your investment!

We hope you will join us. To participate in this program please follow
these instructions. $50 is the minimum payment we can accept because of our
costs in issuing a receipt and managing the accounting. Of course you can
pay more if you choose.


To Begin, please reply to this email and fill in your desired amount and
frequency:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------

Yes. I would like to participate in the Joint Venture Publishing Program
with a Financing Option. I am able to pay $______ approximately every
________ (weeks) and I understand that the total is $995. I understand that
this is not a formal financing commitment and that if I am late or skip a
payment that it will not be held against me. I understand that you will be
doing the work described above as I pay you and that if the work is done,
that there are no refunds. If the work is not done, then you may receive a
refund of that portion only. I understand that there is no time limit and
that I may take my time in making payments. I understand that I will
receive copies of the items described above and that I may quit at any time.

Type Your Name:_______________________________

This is not a commitment in any way. This determines if we can work
together. If we can work together we will send you the revised contract for
your final signature.

=================================================

Ok, that's it.. If you will send in this information, we will make sure that
it fits for us, and we will finalize the contract with you.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------



EMAIL 5

Thank you again for your interest in our book publishing and book marketing
company. We like what we have seen so far and we would like to try to work
something out with you in order to publish your work.

At this point we have published about 1000+ authors like you, and we are
proud of what they have accomplished. These authors are holding their work
and selling nicely. It is a good feeling to move forward like this. You can
trust that we will produce your book. OVER 1000 authors have published with
us in the last few years. They can be viewed at www.StrategicBookClub.com.
If you sign up with us, we will deliver!


The beautiful aspects of our agreement are:

1) The fifty percent royalty is industry leading, and shows that we really
are partners, and

2) if the sales are what you suggest, then you get your money back.

We think our agreement is extremely fair and takes into account the
topsy-turvy nature of the publishing business of today with its inherently
higher risks.


Before you read the information and our offer below, let us offer one
caveat. This discussion is NOT about the quality of your work. This
discussion IS about our perception of how hard, or easy it will be to SELL
your work. Many authors take a publisher's response of anything less than
"100% jumping up and down" personally.

Please understand that first and foremost, publishing is a SELLING business,
not a writing business. We are making our decision from a marketing and
sales perspective.

Based upon what we have seen, we may have a publishing option that works for
you. Our decision is based mainly on sales and marketing factors and risk
and our analysis of how hard, or easy, it will be to get to 5000 sales.
Please let me explain more.

While we are not confident that we could recoup publishing costs within the
first year of publication, we do see a possibility of recouping our costs
within the next three years. Because of this, we feel that your work is
best suited for publication under our Joint Venture publishing arrangement.

HOWEVER, PLEASE NOTE: If you plan on writing multiple books, and if sales
from the first book meet or exceed our expectations, then we will almost
certainly publish the new works under the traditional publishing model not
the joint venture model.

Here is more information about our Joint Venture program. (An agreement is
attached).

Our Joint Venture program gives you a 50% royalty and allows us to split the
cost of production with you to produce a printed book. Your one time only
fee of $995* includes ISBN, cover design, publishing, distribution,
marketing and promotion. The only elements that this cost does not cover are
illustrations and editing and editing is NOT mandatory for this offer. So,
basically, for $995 you will hold your finished book in your hand, and we
can start selling it together.

-----------------
PLEASE NOTE: If sales from the first book meet 1000 units, then you will
receive a $1000 bonus and then we will almost certainly publish the new
works without asking for your financial support of our marketing efforts.
In other words, if the first book does well, it's easy to work together to
do subsequent works at no charge to you. You will see a clause in the
contract that says that if we reach 1000 sales with your first book that
subsequent books that we publish for you there will be no shared fees AND we
will pay you a $1,000 advance.
-----------------

==================
* In today's uncertain economy we realize this may be daunting. We have a
program to reduce the risk and allow payment plans of as low as $50 per
payment. Please see the information at the very bottom if this is of
interest to you. NOTE: WE WILL ALSO DO THE WORK AND YOU WILL APPROVE IT AS
THE MONEY IS RECEIVED. It is a 'pay as you go' plan.
===================

Your book will be available for bookstores to order as many copies as they
wish through our Ingram distribution agreement, and it will also be marketed
through the online retailers such as Barnes&Noble.com, Borders.com,
Amazon.com, etc. In return for participating in the cost of publishing, you
are rewarded with a 50% royalty, as opposed to the standard 6%-12% royalty
provided by most traditional contracts.

Ingram is our US and international distributor. Bookstores can order as many
or as few books as they like and your book will be listed in Bowker's Books
in Print, the order source for bookstores. Your book will never run out of
print and there are no limited print runs.

We think our marketing department is better than anyone else. Please see
http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com

We use a professional marketing team that will help you promote your book.
We will send out press releases to your local media, as well as help you
increase your internet presence with social media. For more information
about our marketing and promotion, please visit www.aegauthorsedge.com and
http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/blog/ . This will show you what we've
done for our other authors, including book tours, television appearances and
interviews.

We take care of building an author website for you (which you can see at
www.AEGauthorsEdge.com by searching for any keyword). We create an author
display video (check out our YouTube channel at
www.youtube.com/authordisplay ), we take care of getting your book on the
retail websites and if desired we will set you up with social media sites
such as Myspace and others.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL 6

I ASKED FEEDBACK FROM MY MANUSCRIPT SINCE I REALISED I WAS RECEIVED SAMPLE MAIL ALL THE TIME AND NOTHING WRITING ON IT WAS PERSONAL, HENCE THE REASON WHY I ASKED FOR FEEDBACK.
HERE IS THE REPLY: (ENJOY)

Our review team has reviewed your manuscript and if they did not think it would sell they would not have recommend to publish it. Sorry, but they do not give out feedback but when you get into the production process they will review your manuscript and you will get feedback from them.
IT MEANS YOU HAVE TO PAY T KNOW WHAT THEY THINK. IT'S LIKE YOU WANT TO KNOW IF YOUR BOOK IS GOOD, WELL LET'S GET IT PUBLISHED WITH YOUR MONEY THEN YOU WILL SEE BY YOURSELF
WRONG OR RIGHT?

SORRY GUYS FOR SUCH A LONG THREAD BUT IF IT CAN HELP OTHERS THEN SO BE IT.
I AM SO DISGUSTED RIGHT NOW. ESPECIALLY THAT I HAVE JUST RECEIVED ANTHER EMAIL FROM THEM WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS AND THEY LIKE TRYING TO PUSH ME UP TO SEND MONEY. 'LET'S GET YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED AND LET'S SELL IT...."

Yet more confirmation that another name switch/business model switch is in progress: Strategic Book Publishing is becoming Strategic Book Marketing, and they are consolidating "traditional" and "joint venture" publishing under one umbrella. From the reworked Strategic website:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Strategic Book Marketing (SBM) is a progressive publisher for authors that have a strong marketing pitch. We pay all costs for those authors. SBM also offers innovative publishing partnership programs for authors that have published with other publishers, and for authors where the path to large sales numbers is not so clearly defined.[/FONT]

Click to expand...

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Possibly Eloquent Books will be phased out?
[/FONT]

PLEASE NOTE: If sales from the first book meet 1000 units, then you will receive a $1000 bonus and then we will almost certainly publish the new
works without asking for your financial support of our marketing efforts.

Click to expand...

This is a classic vanity publisher bait-and-switch. Many of the old print-based vanities used to promise that if you sold out your initial print run (which, if you accepted their offer to "warehouse" for an additional fee, never actually got printed), they'd publish your second book free.

- Victoria

I received a slightly different email from 'Tania' regarding 50% royalties and if you sell a particular number of books they'll publish your next one free. I've forwarded it to Ms Crispin, but due to its length I'm wary of posting it here. I'm happy to post it if anyone thinks it would be useful, or I'm happy to forward it to anyone who reps or PMs me their email address.

Go ahead and post it. We've had some pretty long posts here. Bobby Fletcher does tend to run on at the mouth.

Ms Crispin's advised me she's seen this before, but here goes. Get comfortable before reading!

If we are working together, please disregard this email:

**********************

You can't win with your writing career unless you are
in the marketplace selling your work! With our new
publishing "pay as you go" plan, you can afford to get
your work out there making you money!

*********************

We have hundreds of authors that tell us ... "my publisher (CreateSpace, Lulu, PublishAmerica, and numerous others) aren't marketing my book"... You will quickly learn that the money and the magic is in marketing your book. And if you read all the information found at www.StrategicBookMarketing.com we think you must agree that we know what we are talking about.


The beautiful aspects of our agreement are:
----------------------------------------------
1) The fifty percent royalty is industry leading, and shows that we really are partners, and

2) if the sales are what you suggest, then you get your money back.

We think our agreement is extremely fair and takes into account the topsy-turvy nature of the publishing business of today with its inherently higher risks.


At this point we have published about 1500+ authors like you,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
and we are proud of what they have accomplished. These authors are holding their work and selling nicely. It is a good feeling to move forward like this. You can trust that we will produce your book. OVER 1500 authors have published with us in the last few years. They can be viewed at www.StrategicBookClub.com. If you sign up with us, we will deliver!


Here is more information about our Joint Venture program. (An agreement is attached).
-----------------
If sales from the first book meet 1000 units, then you will receive a $1000 bonus and then we will almost certainly publish the new works without asking for your financial support of our marketing efforts. In other words, if the first book does well, it's easy to work together to do subsequent works at no charge to you. You will see a clause in the contract that says that if we reach 1000 sales with your first book that subsequent books that we publish for you there will be no shared fees AND we will pay you a $1,000 advance.

Our Joint Venture program gives you a 50% royalty and allows us to split the cost of production with you to produce a printed book. Your one time only fee of $995* includes ISBN, cover design, publishing, distribution, marketing and promotion. The only elements that this cost does not cover are illustrations and editing and editing is NOT mandatory for this offer. So, basically, for $995 you will hold your finished book in your hand, and we can start selling it together.

-----------------
PLEASE NOTE: If you plan on writing multiple books, and if sales from the first book meet or exceed our expectations, then we will almost certainly publish the new works under the traditional publishing model not the joint venture model.

==================
* In today's uncertain economy we realize this may be daunting. We have a program to reduce the risk and allow payment plans of as low as $50 per payment. Please see the information at the very bottom if this is of interest to you. NOTE: WE WILL ALSO DO THE WORK AND YOU WILL APPROVE IT AS THE MONEY IS RECEIVED. It is a 'pay as you go' plan.
===================

Your book will be available for bookstores to order as many copies as they wish through our Ingram distribution agreement, and it will also be marketed through the online retailers such as Barnes&Noble.com, Borders.com, Amazon.com, etc. In return for participating in the cost of publishing, you are rewarded with a 50% royalty, as opposed to the standard 6%-12% royalty provided by most traditional contracts.

Ingram is our US and international distributor. Bookstores can order as many or as few books as they like and your book will be listed in Bowker's Books in Print, the order source for bookstores. Your book will never run out of print and there are no limited print runs.

We think our marketing department is better than anyone else. Please see http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com

We use a professional marketing team that will help you promote your book. We will send out press releases to your local media, as well as help you increase your internet presence with social media. For more information about our marketing and promotion, please visit www.aegauthorsedge.com and http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/blog/ .. This will show you what we've done for our other authors, including book tours, television appearances and interviews.

We take care of building an author website for you (which you can see at www.AEGauthorsEdge.com by searching for any keyword). We create an author display video (check out our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/authordisplay ), we take care of getting your book on the retail websites and if desired we will set you up with social media sites such as Myspace and others.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Liz, Tania, Linda, Mark - Acquisitions Team

If you would like to speak with someone, please call Mark at 561-455-6066.

For a current listing and an example of our hundreds of books published please visit www.StrategicBookGroup.com.

---------------------------

At the world's larges book event, Book Expo USA, Group AEG - Strategic & Eloquent Publishing exhibited their authors' work to an enthusiastic crowd and great success. To see pictures of our participation in the the event, please visit http://s639.photobucket.com/albums/uu112/aegpublishinggroup/?albumview=grid
Can you visualize yourself at the show next year?!


====================================

What is entailed in bringing your book to market and included in the Joint Venture package?

Royalties:
------------------------------
* You will receive 50% of your book's royalties.

* You can check your royalty status at any time on our web based leading edge royalty management system.

* You can request a royalty check at any time your royalties are greater than $25 using our online royalty management system.


Production:
-------------------------
* We will assign the ISBN and manage all the setup and paperwork associated with bringing your book to market.

* You will have access to numerous book layout professionals for questions and they will help you bring the best book possible to market.

* You will have your choice of hardcover, or paperback cover, color or black and white, and your book can be printed in numerous sizes.

* You will receive two cover designs to start with, and you can work with the designers to create a cover design that you can be proud of.

* The text layout team will choose the best fonts, and paper to properly showcase your book. You can have as much, or as little, input as you desire.

* You will review and approve everything in production before the next step is taken. A physical proof copy will be sent to you for final approval before the book is released.


Distribution
------------------------
* Your book will be available on a worldwide basis at over 25,000 locations through both bookstores and online book sellers. Our distributor is Ingram books, a world leader.


Marketing:
----------------

* You will receive a professional author and book selling website as well as your book being for sale on Amazon.com.

* We will assist you with writing a compelling and selling back cover blurb.

* We will write and distribute a professional press release through a national/international news release service.

* We will assist you in reaching your local media and local groups.

* We will assign a Marketing Liaison to assist you with your questions and coach you on all the various marketing techniques that you might be interested in.

* You will receive your choice of a Social Media package, an Online Radio Interview, or a online video book trailer at no charge. Examples of each service are located online at www.StrategicBookMarketing.com

* We will market your work at book shows around the world such as the BEA show we recently exhibited at in NY.

We are committed to our authors' success. We hope you will join us. The contract is non-exclusive, you can always fire us! (Smile).... You won't though, we've only had one out of 1000 fire us and we're not quite sure that author had all their marbles).


PAYMENT PLAN PROGRAM
=========================
Let's not let money stand in the way of working together! We completely understand cash flow challenges, so we are willing to work something out with you. We can work with you for as little as a regular payment of $50.

We like you and your work and we are willing to try to figure something out together. This is a slow moving business and we're in it for the long term. We would hate to lose an author that we like because of something as simple to deal with as money.

Consider if you could make small payments of $50 every now and then.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
We are willing to provide a program like this for authors we hope to work with. Here is how it would work. You determine what you are comfortable paying. We will work with you as you pay us. That way we can get started, and we can take our time and publish the work a little bit at a time. Here is a good example of what we have to do to publish your work and where the costs are. The example below shows how we can proceed with someone that can afford to send $50 to us on some regular basis.

Contract Administration and Plan Accounting ($100) - It costs us about $100 to setup your file, assign your ISBN, and to issue a receipt for your payment. This also covers the administration associated with managing the payment plan. As you would expect, there is more overhead with this plan simply in terms of accounting.

Manuscript Review and Preparation ($100) - As you would expect, we have a qualified editor review every manuscript for text quality, image quality, formatting, legal issues, etc. We use the review as a 'roadmap' for identifying any potential problems that can be fixed as we go. You will receive the review and go back and forth with our review team to make sure that the next steps go as smoothly as possible.

Text Blocking ($150) - Creating a "final" text block that is ready for the printer takes our talented designers about 6-10 hours. We also let you proof the Text Block and then you formally sign off on it.

Back Cover Writing ($100) - Typically, the author has a hard time writing about themselves and it is so important that we do it well. Writing a compelling back cover takes us about 3 hours of work and going back and forth with you.

Cover Design ($150) - Like the Text Block, creating a compelling cover, that you approve takes us about 6 hours of work. You will approve the cover and we consistently get high marks from our authors for the quality and impact of our covers.

Galley Proofing ($100) - We hate errors, but they do happen. Galley proofing is the final/final proof step before the work is uploaded to the printer. We need to make sure that we have the correct final files and that all work is done to specifications.

Proof Copy ($50) - A physical proof copy is printed and mailed to you for final approval before printing.

Ingram Catalog and File Upload Fees ($100) - There are a series of one-time fees that we pay the printer when we send your file for processing. The Ingram fees are to make sure that your book is available for purchase around the world by bookstores and other outlets. Also, this fee takes care of the upload to Amazon and other online retailers.

Author Book Selling Website ($100) - The Author Book Selling website is where your clients can buy the book on the web. We provide a customized site that tracks purchases, etc.

We will also be providing you with a Royalty Management system to check on your sales and royalties and we will be providing you with monthly production/accounting statements.

And finally, the next step is Marketing... Marketing ... Marketing..


Conclusion
----------------
The costs above are given to you at 'our cost', we are not making a profit at those numbers. And, these costs don't even include what we will expend on your behalf when it comes to marketing, answering questions, fixing problems, etc.

The total above is about $995. If you provided payments of $50, that's only eighteen payments. So, this truly is a Joint Venture Publishing project. As you can see there are a lot of 'moving parts' and it takes a top notch company to pull them all together.

We have already invested in getting to know each other and we hope that we can work something out to work together. If you can afford to send us $50 every now and then, we are happy to proceed and work for you. If we can cover our costs, we can stay in business, and if your book is out in a year, that's still great! Once your book is out and starts selling then there is every chance in the world that you can recoup your investment!

We hope you will join us. To participate in this program please follow these instructions. $50 is the minimum payment we can accept because of our costs in issuing a receipt and managing the accounting. Of course you can pay more if you choose.


To Begin, please reply to this email and fill in your desired amount and frequency:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes. I would like to participate in the Joint Venture Publishing Program with a Financing Option. I am able to pay $______ approximately every ________ (weeks) and I understand that the total is $995. I understand that this is not a formal financing commitment and that if I am late or skip a payment that it will not be held against me. I understand that you will be doing the work described above as I pay you and that if the work is done, that there are no refunds. If the work is not done, then you may receive a refund of that portion only. I understand that there is no time limit and that I may take my time in making payments. I understand that I will receive copies of the items described above and that I may quit at any time.

Type Your Name: _______________________________

Filling out this request is not a commitment by you in any way. This determines if we can work together. If we can work together we will send you the revised contract for your final signature.

=================================================

Ok, that's it.. If you will send in this information, we will make sure that it fits for us, and we will finalize the contract with you.

For your review, here is a copy of the agreement:


STRATEGIC BOOK MARKETING
JOINT VENTURE BOOK MARKETING & PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
50% Royalty To Author; $1000 Advance and No Fees on Subsequent Works


This Publishing Agreement is between __________________________________ (AUTHOR) hereinafter referred to as AUTHOR and Strategic Book Marketing dba Strategic Book Group, LLC., (“PUBLISHER”).

This agreement covers the parties’ respective obligations regarding the publishing of AUTHOR’S book, entitled

______________________________________________________
TITLE (the “BOOK”).


1. OWNERSHIP OF BOOK

The AUTHOR at all times retains 100% of all right, title and interest in and to the BOOK and its content, including all copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property associated with the BOOK.


ADVANCE: The AUTHOR will receive a $1000 bonus when one thousand books are sold. If sales of the first book published by PUBLISHER for AUTHOR reach 1000 units then the PUBLISHER’s contract for Subsequent Works will be issued with no marketing or other fees to author.


2. LIMITED LICENSE TO PUBLISH

a. For Print and EBOOK formats

AUTHOR hereby grants to the PUBLISHER the non*exclusive, worldwide license to print, publish, distribute and sell the BOOK in print form in the English or any language on behalf of the AUTHOR. The AUTHOR also grants to the PUBLISHER the right to make excerpts from the BOOK viewable on the PUBLISHER’S Web site, or partner Web sites that have entered into agreements with PUBLISHER, in order to facilitate sales of and publicize the BOOK.

If AUTHOR chooses to have an eBOOK version of AUTHOR'S BOOK created by PUBLISHER, AUTHOR hereby grants to the PUBLISHER the non*exclusive, worldwide license to print, publish, distribute and sell the BOOK in eBOOK form in the English language on behalf of the AUTHOR. The AUTHOR also grants to the PUBLISHER the right to make excerpts from the BOOK viewable on the PUBLISHER’S Web site, or partner Web sites that have entered into agreements with PUBLISHER, in order to facilitate sales of and publicize the BOOK.

b. Storage and Handling of the BOOK

AUTHOR grants PUBLISHER the right to store, use, transmit and distribute electronic copies of the BOOK as required to facilitate the printing and distribution process. This grant includes the PUBLISHER’s vendors and affiliates.

c. AUTHOR maintains all other rights

All rights associated with the BOOK (except PUBLISHER’s limited right to publish the BOOK on the AUTHOR’s behalf), including movie, television, radio, foreign, and all other derivative rights belong to the AUTHOR only.


3. TERM OF THE AGREEMENT & TERMINATION

The Agreement shall continue for the term of the copyright or 7 years unless either party terminates pursuant to the terms set forth herein.

a. Termination by AUTHOR

AUTHOR may terminate this Agreement at any time and for any reason without refund of any monies paid if PUBLISHER has begun work.

b. Termination by PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER may terminate this Agreement and publication of the BOOK without cause, upon written notice to AUTHOR if, in PUBLISHER’s judgment, the BOOK may subject PUBLISHER to the risk of litigation. In no event will the PUBLISHER be obligated to publish a work, which in its opinion violates the common law or statutory copyright, or the right of privacy of any person, or contains libelous or obscene material. Further, if PUBLISHER reasonably deems the content of the BOOK to promote hate, violence, illegal activities, PUBLISHER can terminate the Agreement. If termination by PUBLISHER occurs before publishing the book the Publisher will refund Author’s monies.


4. SERVICES PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER

a. Cover Design

The PUBLISHER shall assign a BOOK cover designer to create up to two (2) original BOOK cover concepts. The Author should provide direction and input. Once the BOOK cover concepts are completed, they will be provided to the AUTHOR for the AUTHOR’s acceptance of one of them. The AUTHOR acknowledges that the publishing process cannot proceed until such time as the AUTHOR approves one concept and the final BOOK cover.

The cover designer will also layout the rest of the cover, including the spine and the back cover (the content and any photos of AUTHOR or those the AUTHOR wishes to be used on the back cover will be provided by the AUTHOR).

If the AUTHOR has any photos or other artwork to be used on the cover, the AUTHOR warrants that the AUTHOR has the unequivocal right, title, and interest in said photos or artwork to place said photos / artwork on the BOOK cover.

If the AUTHOR does not like either cover concept, the AUTHOR, at the AUTHOR's expense may hire an outside cover designer. AUTHOR acknowledges that the PUBLISHER uses its best efforts to produce a cover acceptable to the AUTHOR, but the PUBLISHER can make no guarantees that the AUTHOR will like the cover.

B. Book Layout

The PUBLISHER shall provide for the design and layout of the text of the BOOK and will provide AUTHOR with an electronic file for review and comments. The AUTHOR is responsible for providing all the elements of the book, including but not limited to the text, illustrations, and any other materials necessary to produce the book. The AUTHOR shall review the layout prior to the BOOK being sent to the printer to have the proof copy and/or any other copies of the BOOK printed. Publisher highly recommends that the AUTHOR’s manuscript be professionally edited BEFORE being submitted for pre-press production. Revisions to the book layout should pertain mostly to formatting and layout changes. Revisions do not include more than 20 editorial changes (i.e. punctuation, spelling, grammar) and additional spaces in between characters or words that were in the original manuscript document. Any additional rounds of revisions will be at the prevailing change rate, currently $50/hour. Author is completely responsible for all the content within the book unless noted herein.

AUTHOR acknowledges that layouts for books (e.g. coffee table, novels, cookbooks etc.), with the exception of the genre children’s books, will require an additional placement and printing fee of $6.00 per each image not created by the publisher exceeding six (6). Such fee shall be paid by Author. Any such fees will be presented to the author in writing.

Please note that unless specified, all non-children's books will be in black and white. If the author desires color pictures inside the book, it will affect the ultimate sales price of the book and the book may require special handling. Please alert the Contract Manager if the work contains color images. This does not apply to children’s picture books in which color is standard.

c. Copyright Registration

The publisher shall provide the copyright information in the name of the AUTHOR or the author’s designee based on the information provided by the AUTHOR. The Publisher shall provide the AUTHOR with one copy of the work at no charge for copyright registration along with the proper forms for copyright registration. The AUTHOR shall provide the copyright registration services (currently around $40). All copies of the BOOK that are distributed to the public will bear a copyright notice in the name of the AUTHOR as prescribed by the applicable copyright laws of the United States of America.

d. ISBN and Bar Code

PUBLISHER shall provide an ISBN and Bar Code and shall affix both on the appropriate places on the BOOK. However, for an ebook, if the Bar Code is not needed, the Bar Code will not be provided. The ISBN only identifies the name and contact information of the PUBLISHER. Should AUTHOR terminate this Agreement, AUTHOR must remove PUBLISHER’S ISBN from any future copies of the BOOK AUTHOR publishes. The Publisher retains ownership of the publisher’s printing files.

e. Proof Copy and Printing of BOOK

The PUBLISHER shall provide a printed proof copy of the BOOK for AUTHOR’s review. Once AUTHOR acknowledges receipt of and approves the proof, the BOOK is finalized and any other changes requested by AUTHOR shall require AUTHOR to pay additional fees depending on the number and scope of changes requested. AUTHOR acknowledges that other than the proof copy of the BOOK, and the copy provided by the publisher for the copyright registration, no other printed copies of the BOOK are promised by the Publisher to be included pursuant to this Agreement.

f. MARKETING

The PUBLISHER shall provide the following services for a one time only MARKETING fee of $___995____ to be paid upon contract signing by the AUTHOR. (Payment Plans Are Available).

Marketing will include but not be limited to:

A professional press release will be written and released to national media in the US or internationally or both.

The Publisher will create a unique website for the Author where the book can be purchased online.

The Publisher will make the book available to all bookstores and online and traditional channels through their distributors, Ingram Books and Baker & Taylor which are, at the time of this contract, supplied by Lightning Source. This includes Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com. The publisher makes no guarantee or assurances that bookstores will order the books.

The publisher will conduct other marketing programs as mutually agreed upon with author. Please visit www.StrategicBookMarketing.com for examples of the various book marketing programs that we offer.


5. LISTING OF BOOK FOR SALE AND FOR PUBLICITY

a. Listing BOOK for Sale Through Online Retailers

PUBLISHER shall ensure that AUTHOR’s BOOK is presented to Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Borders.com, and other online retailers. PUBLISHER makes no guarantee as to how long it will take the BOOK to appear on any third party retail or other website, but will make its best effort to provide these sites with title information in a timely manner. PUBLISHER makes no warranties or guarantees that sales of the book will be made through these sites or any other methodology employed by PUBLISHER.

b. Listing The BOOK on Amazon Search Inside and Google Books

As part of listing the BOOK for sale on Amazon, etc., AUTHOR authorizes PUBLISHER to list his/her BOOK on “Search Inside” services from Google, Amazon, or other publishers. If AUTHOR chooses not to be listed in either of the above, the AUTHOR must send PUBLISHER an email stating so. PUBLISHER makes no guarantee as to how long it will take the BOOK to appear on any third party website or that it will appear there.

c. Listing of BOOK in Bowker's Books in Print - PUBLISHER will also facilitate the listing of AUTHOR’s BOOK in Books in Print after book is in print form.


6. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

The AUTHOR will submit all Required Materials relating to the BOOK. Required Materials are:

A signed copy of this Agreement (either via electronic signature, fax or mail)

The manuscript in Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format or Microsoft Works or any editable format, including Mac..

All image files. Publisher does not scan images unless agreed upon.

Any and all other materials supplied by, or agreed to be supplied by, the AUTHOR for inclusion in the BOOK.


7. BOOK EDITING SERVICES

If the AUTHOR has paid for book editing services, the parties acknowledge that the PUBLISHER has no control of the content within the book. Author is solely responsible for any errors other than formatting or design which, upon approval by AUTHOR, become AUTHOR’S responsibility.

8. DATE OF PUBLICATION

The date of publication shall be within 60 days of the Final Approval Date. The Final Approval Date is the day on which the AUTHOR approves the paperback proof copy. In no event will the PUBLISHER be responsible for delays in publication caused by circumstances beyond its control. If the Publisher does not cause the book to be released within 12 months of the contract signing date, the publisher will refund all monies to author.


9. NO GUARANTEE OF MINIMUM SALES

The PUBLISHER makes no promises that any of its products or services will result in the sales of a minimum number of copies of the BOOK. The AUTHOR acknowledges that the PUBLISHER has no control over the purchasing decisions of book buyers and is not liable to any party if sales of the BOOK do not meet the AUTHOR's expectations.

Author Must Initial Here ___________


10. PAYMENTS FOR BOOKS SOLD ON ONLINE RETAILERS, THROUGH AUTHOR'S WEBSITE & ROYALTIES

a. Payments for BOOKs Sold on Amazon.com and other online retailers procured through publisher are paid quarterly to the AUTHOR, from the day PUBLISHER receives payments from Amazon.com or any other third *party retailer. PUBLISHER shall pay all amounts to AUTHOR via check, Paypal, or other mutually agreeable mechanism.

b. Payments for BOOKs Sold Through PUBLISHER – PUBLISHER shall pay all amounts quarterly, or upon demand by the author, to AUTHOR via check or other mutually acceptable means.

The Publisher further agrees to allow the Author or his/her agent, at the Author’s expense to review all books and records kept by Publisher relating to the sales of the Work for the prior two years, during normal business hours during the term of this agreement provided two (2) weeks prior written notice is received. The Publisher will keep such books and records in accordance with accepted standard accounting practices. There shall not be more than one (1) audit in any calendar year not more than one (1) audit with respect to any calendar year. All expenses of the audit shall be the responsibility of the author.

Royalties are calculated on a calendar quarterly basis, ending on the last day of March, June, September and December. Quarter*ly statements of sales and returns will be forwarded to the Author with payment no later than 30 days after the end of each quarterly calendar period. Any and all royalties payable hereun*der shall be subject to adjustment due to returns and shall be subject to a reason*able reserve for returns. Publisher reserves the right not to issue a royalty payment for less than a minimum threshold (currently $25) and will accrue such monies until such time as the minimum threshold is reached.


c. Royalties

The AUTHOR shall receive 50% of all royalties on BOOK sales. Royalties are calculated as a percentage of Sales Price less Cost of Printing. Shipping is paid by the buyer of the book. AUTHOR will approve the suggested retail cost of the book and the printing cost.

The author shall have the right to purchase their books at the following Author’s Purchase Price (APP). The APP is calculated as follows. This is an example only, the actual numbers will vary.

Assume a Suggested Retail Price = $16
Assume Print Cost = $4
Therefore, Net Sales Revenue = $12;
Author Royalty to is $6 (50% of net sales receipts)
Author Purchase Price is the print cost plus the publisher’s percentage ( $6 + $4 = $10). Royalties are not payable on Author Purchases.


11. AUTHOR'S Warranties and Indemnities

The AUTHOR represents and warrants to the PUBLISHER:

That AUTHOR is the sole owner of the BOOK and of all the rights granted to the PUBLISHER.

That AUTHOR has not assigned, pledged, or otherwise encumbered the rights to the BOOK.

That AUTHOR has full power to enter into this Agreement.

That the BOOK and all rights therein are free of liens, claims, or interests of any kind.

That the BOOK is entirely original except for portions thereof for which legally effective written licenses or permissions have been secured.

That the BOOK does not violate or infringe upon any personal or proprietary rights including without limitation privacy rights, contract rights, or publicity rights of any other persons or entities.

That the BOOK is not libelous or obscene.

That the BOOK does not infringe upon any statutory or common law copyright.

That any information contained in the BOOK is accurate, and any recipe, formula, or instruction contained in the BOOK is not injurious to the reader or to any other party If any claim, action, or proceeding based upon an alleged violation of any of these warranties is made (i) the PUBLISHER will have the right to defend the same through counsel of its own choosing,

(ii) no settlement will be effected without the prior written consent of the AUTHOR, which consent will not unreasonably be withheld, and (iii) the AUTHOR will hold harmless the PUBLISHER, any seller of the BOOK, and any licensee of a subsidiary right to the BOOK, against any damages finally sustained. If such claim, action, or proceeding is successfully defended or settled, the AUTHOR will indemnify the PUBLISHER against the entire expense (including reasonable counsel fees) attributable to such defense or settlement. If any such claim, action, or proceeding is instituted, the PUBLISHER will promptly notify the AUTHOR, who will fully cooperate in the defense thereof, and the PUBLISHER may withhold payments of reasonable amounts due the AUTHOR under this or any other agreement between the parties. These warranties and indemnities will survive the termination of this Agreement.

Publishers Liability Insurance Rider: Publisher offers the Author the ability to be included on the Publisher’s insurance policy as a named insured. Please inquire to the Contract Manager if that is of interest. There is a one time administrative fee of $495 for this service for the paperwork and time to set the process in place. (We are not selling insurance. This is a paperwork handling fee).


12. PERMISSION FOR COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL

If the AUTHOR incorporates in the BOOK any copyrighted material, AUTHOR will procure, at AUTHOR's expense, written permission to reprint it. The AUTHOR agrees to retain all such written permissions. The AUTHOR agrees to deliver all such written permissions to the PUBLISHER at the PUBLISHER's request. PUBLISHER will provide a copyright request form at author’s request to help facilitate this process.


13. SUITS FOR INFRINGEMENT OF COPYRIGHT

If the copyright of the BOOK is infringed, the AUTHOR is responsible for commencing any legal action the AUTHOR deems necessary. However, the AUTHOR and PUBLISHER may jointly pursue a copyright infringement action, but the parties must agree in writing prior to any joint commencement of any legal action.


14. ADDITIONAL SERVICES BY PUBLISHER

Any additional services provided by the PUBLISHER have their own specific terms and conditions and must be agreed to separately by the AUTHOR in writing, which may include mail, fax, email or electronic signature.


15. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

a. Notices

All notices required or permitted under this Agreement shall be addressed to the addresses listed below and/or may be sent via email.

b. Entire Agreement

This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties and there are no other promises or conditions in any other agreement whether oral or written. This Agreement supersedes any prior written or oral agreements between the parties. The parties agree that both contributed to the drafting of this agreement and both have had the opportunity have this agreement reviewed by legal counsel.

c. Severability

If any provision(s) of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable. If a court finds that any provision(s) of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, but that by limiting such provision would become valid or enforceable, then such provision shall be deemed to be written, construed, and enforced as so limited.

d. Modification

This Agreement may not be modified or amended except by written instrument signed by the undersigned parties hereto.

e. Waiver

The failure of either party to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver or limitation of that party's right to subsequently enforce and compel strict compliance with every provision of this Agreement.

f. Applicable Law and Prevailing Parties

The validity, interpretation, construction, performance, enforcement and remedies of or relating to this Agreement, and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder, shall be governed by the laws of the State of North Dakota (without regard to the conflict of laws rules or statutes of any jurisdiction), and every legal proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought in Bismarck, ND. Each of the undersigned parties hereby consenting to the exclusive jurisdiction of said courts for this purpose. The prevailing party in any suit brought by either party hereto to enforce the terms hereof shall be entitled to recover from the non prevailing party all of said party's reasonable costs, distributions and attorney's fees, including all costs and attorneys fees incurred in attempting to collect any judgment hereunder. (Note: We chose Bismarck because it is the furthest, coldest place we can think of. And it is neutral territory so to speak so Bismarck will keep us from arguing about what the venue is).

g. Assignment

Any person or entity to whom any right, title, or interest in this Agreement be assigned shall be subject to and bound by all of the terms and conditions herein as if they were the original party hereto.

h. Currency

All dollar amounts set forth in this Agreement and in those incorporated as part of this Agreement (book editing and copyright registration services) as in U.S. dollars.

i. Counterparts, Fax Signature and Electronic signature

This Agreement may be executed in one (1) or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original but all of which together will constitute one (1) and the same instrument. Further, one or both parties may execute this Agreement via electronic signature or fax and such signature will be deemed to be original.

By: ______________________________ By: ______________________________ Date: ______

Vice President Signature of Author

Email address: ______________________


Electronic Signature Option: We are happy to use an electronic signature option should you desire it. This saves each of us time and money and decreases our time to market. To use the Electronic Signature Option, simply type your Name and Date above and then type your birthday or your middle name in the space below. By typing your birthday or middle name you agree to honor the terms of the contract and signify that you accept the electronic signature by both parties.

We will type our signature and return it to you via email. Either option is fine with us.


Author’s Birthday or Middle Name to accept the Electronic Signature Provision.

____________________________________________________________




BOOK MARKETING INVOICE:

==============================

Total charge: $995


Check:

Please remit payment to:

Strategic Book Group - Marketing

PO Box 333

Durham, CT 06422


Paypal: Please use the email address of [email protected]


Credit Card:

You may use our secure site: http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/payments.html *Please note that you must change the quantity to the dollar amount you are paying. 995 items will come out to $995.

Or, you can fill in the information below and fax it our secure fax: 646-861-4909 or email it to [email protected]


I hereby authorize Strategic Book Group - Marketing or their credit card processor, to charge my credit card a one time fee of $_____USD only.

Signature(typing your name here is acceptable as a signature):_______________________________

Card Number: _________________________

Exp. Date: __________

Name on Card:__________________________________

Exact billing address of cardholder:_______________________________________


______________________________________________


Wire Information or Western Union: Please inquire for more information.


ROYALTY PAYMENT INFORMATION FORM

For all non-US residents: We prefer to use Paypal for your payments. If you do not have a Paypal account, please go here to set one up: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_registration-run and then fill in the information below.

Paypal email address for receiving royalty payments: _______________

Phone number: ___________________

Mailing address:

For all US residents: Please fill in the information below:

Social Security No.: ____ __ - ____ - _______

Or Corporate Name/EIN: _________________________________________

Name: _______________________________________________________

Checks Payable to: ____________________________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________

City/State: ____________________________________________________________

Zip: ______

Phone: ( ) __ - ___

Fax: ( ) ___-____

Income Tax Withholding Notice: This form represents W-9 information collected from individuals/companies receiving payment. The publisher is required by law to obtain this information. If you or your company refuses to provide this information your payments may be subject to 28% Federal Income Tax withholding, as well as a penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service under section 6723 of the Federal Tax Code.


I certify under penalty of perjury that the above information is true and correct.


Print name:____________________________________________________________

Signature: ____________________________________________________________

Date: _________________________

* We will only issue royalty checks to one author. If there are multiple authors, please choose the one that will receive the royalty checks. That person should fill out this form.




Hello,
Please find attached my manuscript. I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you for your interest.
Yours faithfully,
Franchesca Todd

> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: SBP-EB: Query Received Publisher Would Like to Review Your Work
> Date: Sat, 4 Apr 2009 06:57:31 -0400
>
> Hello!
>
> After review of your query, we would like to examine your work for
> publishing. (For reference, your query is at the bottom of the email).
>
> ------------------
>
> We are a traditional publisher and from your query form, we believe that you
> might fit our publishing criteria. We are a smaller, boutique publisher so
> we can make decisions very quickly. Please visit our website at
> www.StrategicBookPublishing.com for an overview of our company and you can
> see some of the fine authors we represent at our author marketing site
> www.AEGauthorsEdge.com.
>
> ******************************
>
> March 2009: AEG Publishing Group is Proud to Announce the Publication of
> our 500th Book! Please visit www.AEGauthorsEdge.com to see many of the fine
> authors we represent.
>
> ******************************
>
>
> We would like to review your work.
> ---------------------------------
> This email tells you how to send your work to us. Our review process is
> designed to evaluate both the technical quality of the writing and the
> subject matter. Don't worry unduly, or spend a lot of time trying to clean
> it up in a hurry. There is always time for that should we decide to work
> together.
>
>
>
> Email Us Your Work Please
> ------------------------------
> To take the next step, would you please FORWARD this email with a copy of
> your work to
>
> [email protected]
> (or simply reply to this email)
>
> Be sure that the information below is included in the email along with a
> copy of your work. Please do not change the subject line. Our Review Team
> will go over the work and get back to you in about a week.
>
>
> Word or .rtf is better because we need to understand if there are any
> formatting problems and to get to the word count, both of which are
> troublesome to figure out in PDF format. If it is a graphical design format
> then PDF is fine, just let us know the word count.
>
>
> To see the fine authors we represent and learn a bit more about our
> marketing and PR team, please visit www.AEGauthorsEdge.com.
>
>
> Warmest regards,
> The Acquisitions Dept.
> Strategic Book Publishing
>
>
> To take the next step, would you please FORWARD this email with a copy of
> your work to [email protected] . Be sure that the
> information below is included in the email along with a copy of your work.
>
> Please do not change the subject line.
>
>
> -----------------
> A "From the Heart" Testimonial
>
> As a first time author I want to thank Strategic Book Publishing for walking
> me through the book publishing process. I chose SBP because of its
> professional response to my manuscript submission. From the beginning the
> SBP people treated me with respect, courtesy, and with a genuine interest in
> my book. At each level of the progression they were quick to respond thereby
> keeping the book on or ahead of the publication schedule. Now that the book
> has been released, Strategic Book Publishing is focusing its efforts in
> bringing "Stories of the Street: Images of the Human Condition" to the
> market place through a well orchestrated marketing agenda. I recommend them
> to both first time and seasoned authors. SBP is a joy to work with! Rev.
> Steve Best, M.Div. Volunteer Police Chaplain, Emeritus
>
>
>
> Additional information about our publishing philosophy
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Please understand that first and foremost, publishing is a selling business,
> not a writing business. We will be making our decision from a marketing and
> sales perspective primarily.
>
> If you work with us, you will be working with the Strategic Publishing Group
> and all of the resources within our company will be available to you and
> your work. At this time we approach the book market with the following
> entities.
>
> The Global Book Agency (www.theglobalbookagency.com) - TGBA works the
> international marketplace, either taking books from the US to other
> countries, or bringing books from other countries to the US.
>
> Strategic Book Publishing (www.StrategicBookPublishing.com) - SBP is our
> traditional publisher. We pay all costs associated with bringing a work to
> market. In general we accept work across all genres where the pathway to
> 5000 sales within 12 months is clearly defined.
>
>
> Strategic Book Marketing (www.StrategicBookMarketing.com) - SBM is the
> marketing arm of all the companies in the group. It offers services to both
> in-house, and non-group published authors. We believe that SBM is one of
> the best book marketing consultancies in the world.
>
>
>
> Making Money And Risk
> -----------------------------------
> The name of the publishing game is making money for the author and the
> publisher while managing risk. Win-win is the only sustainable relationship
> worth pursuing. Making money usually involves risk, and he who takes the
> greatest risk receives the greatest reward.
>
> We believe there are three publishing models that make sense in today's
> rapidly changing publishing world.
>
> 1) Traditional Publishing - Publisher Takes Risk
> 2) Joint Venture Publishing - Risk is Shared
> 3) Self Publishing - Author Takes Risk (Not Recommended)
>
>
> 1: Traditional Publishing - In traditional publishing, the publisher takes
> all the risk. They put up the money, and therefore they get the lion's share
> of the profits. The only risk the author takes, is that the publisher won't
> perform, and if that happens, the author should have an 'out' clause so that
> all the author loses is time, not money. Our traditional publisher is
> Strategic Book Publishing (www.strategicbookpublishing.com). SBP is a
> traditional publisher, meaning we pay all costs and offer a traditional
> publishing contract where the author gets an average of about 12-19%
> royalties and a sliding scale with increasing profits as sales increase.
>
>
>
> 2. Joint Venture Publishing / Shared Risk - This is a new model in the
> industry, and many authors are opting to publish this way and it helps the
> publisher bring more books to market because the author helps mitigate the
> risk.
>
>
> 3. Self-Publishing - Not Recommended: A final note about traditional
> self-publishers, versus our Joint Venture publisher - Self-publishers such
> as Authorhouse, iUniverse, or Trafford (and even Publish America) are
> "document mills". The number one complaint that we hear is that, "their
> marketing support leaves a lot to be desired". Also, in traditional
> self-publishing, the author takes the risk, and yet, the publishers still
> make the lion's share of the money. It's a dumb model for the author in our
> opinion. In general the author pays anywhere from $500 to $5000 to have the
> book published. However in many any cases our research shows that these
> companies are marking up the cost per book so much that the author is
> getting the short end of the stick. (On a side note, Publish America is not
> a self-publisher, however they pretty much leave marketing up to the author,
> and nobody we know has made any money with them.)
>
>
> Because we make the bulk of our money in selling books, where we should, you
> will find that our concentration on marketing is world class. Marketing is
> the toughest part of the book business. However, we do feel that we do a
> better job than most publishers. Selling books in the traditional manner is
> a very straightforward process, then we add some special techniques that
> other companies don't have. On the traditional side of marketing, we use the
> same processes and procedures as all major publishers. Books are sent for
> review to leading industry writers, ads are taken out in book selling
> periodicals, ads are sent to libraries, etc. Then, once sales are made,
> your books will be available through the major traditional distributors such
> as Ingram and Baker & Taylor. The books will be available to bookstores and
> on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major online retailers. Every publisher
> that we know of, from Random House to Authorhouse, follows this marketing
> sequence.
>
> But that's not good enough! We make money if we sell books! That's what we
> both need to focus on. We are specialists in finding alternate means of
> distribution and working the online search engines. When you publish with
> us, you will be working with our marketing specialist at
> www.StrategicBookMarketing.com . You might give that website a read. And
> finally, take a look at some of the examples of what we are doing for our
> clients, right now. http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/blog/
>
>
>
>
> P.S. Heartfelt Praise From TWO of Our Authors:
>
> I received my copy of "The Rope" today. It's hard to describe my feelings.
> After all this time, it's real. It's here. And it's beautiful. I feel like I
> did when my son was born. What used to be a joke, or a dream has really
> happened. I received a total of eleven books this afternoon. There are fifty
> more coming. I took the very first book out, and set it aside. I really want
> to sign it and send it to you. I think that is only appropriate. You are the
> one that has really made all of this possible. I live in a very small town.
> 700 people. I know most of them. News has spread quickly about the book
> coming out on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, K Mart, Yahoo, and Google. They
> have asked me to do a book signing and sells at the new library here in
> Dorris. The support for the book has been phenomenal. I feel like a
> celebrity. Tell Mark I'm not gay, but I think I'm in love with him. The
> cover is fantastic. Everything about the book surpasses anything I could
> have hoped for. Eloquent Books (Because of you and Mark) are the only way a
> person should consider publishing their book. I would love to be a spokesman
> for you. Thank you guys. You have all been great. If you need an approval of
> the book from me, you have it. But more than that, you have my respect and
> admiration. Hope to hear from you soon. Terry Salyer - Eloquent Author
>
> ----
>
> Allan, My experience working with SBP and Eloquent Books has been (and
> continues to be) excellent and I can strongly recommend them to you?without
> reservation. A JPV is a perfect, very affordable method for previously
> unpublished, yet talented authors to get their work published. That having
> been said, however, in order for the entire process to work smoothly, you
> will have to hold up your end of the bargain throughout the entire
> publishing process. For example, in order to be able to meet the various
> production timetables cited for each step involved in the publishing
> process, e.g., manuscript submission, manuscript preparation, proofreading,
> rewriting, etc., you must ensure that you meet deadlines too. In the quest
> to get their work published as quickly as possible, many authors literally
> throw something together and expect the publisher to do most of the ?grunt?
> work, or to try and make a ?silk purse? from a ?sow?s ear.? Unfortunately,
> it doesn?t quite work that way, and that?s true whether you are dealing with
> a joint-publishing house or a more ?traditional? publishing house. Just
> remember this adage: ?garbage in, garbage out.? If you are really serious
> about publishing a professional looking, high-quality book, and are
> interested in working with true professionals, then I strongly recommend
> that you proceed with SBP (or Eloquent Books). You won?t be disappointed!
> Hope this helps put your mind at ease, but if you have additional questions,
> don?t hesitate to contact me! Best regards, Mike

James D. Macdonald said:

"Sherry" is probably an auto-responder at the early stages of the scam. The acceptance is sent without apparent human intervention.

Click to expand...

Why am I suddenly reminded of something like Futureworld? "Your Respond-O-Bot 9000[sup]tm[/sup] is equipped with an almost lifelike email personality. Choose from Sherry, Heather, Tracy, or Debbie."

A final note about traditional self-publishers, versus our Joint Venture publisher - Self-publishers such as Authorhouse, iUniverse, or Trafford (and even Publish America) are "document mills". The number one complaint that we hear is that, "their marketing support leaves a lot to be desired". Also, in traditional self-publishing, the author takes the risk, and yet, the publishers still make the lion's share of the money. It's a dumb model for the author in our opinion. In general the author pays anywhere from $500 to $5000 to have the book published. However in many any cases our research shows that these companies are marking up the cost per book so much that the author is getting the short end of the stick. (On a side note, Publish America is not a self-publisher, however they pretty much leave marketing up to the author, and nobody we know has made any money with them.)

Click to expand...

Bwah ha ha ha ha!

Wait. They're serious.

MM

The total above is about $995. If you provided payments of $50, that's only eighteen payments. So, this truly is a Joint Venture Publishing project. As you can see there are a lot of 'moving parts' and it takes a top notch company to pull them all together.

Click to expand...

Math fail. Oh wait!

The total above is about $900. If you provided payments of $50, that's only
eighteen payments.
So, this truly is a Joint Venture Publishing project. As you can see there
are a lot of 'moving parts' and it takes a top notch company to pull them
all together.

Click to expand...

It's actually a cut 'n paste fail!

You know what baffles me? Yes, I know, many things, but this especially: this guy has to know the Florida AG is building a case against him, but he's still trying to pull people in rather than beating feet to a non-extradition country. Why, I wonder?

Gravity said:

You know what baffles me? Yes, I know, many things, but this especially: this guy has to know the Florida AG is building a case against him, but he's still trying to pull people in rather than beating feet to a non-extradition country. Why, I wonder?

Click to expand...

He needs money for lawyer's fees, or he truly doesn't believe he'll be convicted? Purely speculation on my part, of course.

Wow! They responded to my query and want to review my book! Amazing since I never queried them.

frandavea said:

Wow! They responded to my query and want to review my book! Amazing since I never queried them.

Click to expand...

My guess: A spammer used your address as their random return address, and Fletcher responded that he wants to represent an offer for pills that will make him please her all night.

I'm certain that Dr. Mbouno of the National Bank of Nigeria is equally baffled by Fletcher's offers of literary representation to requests for aid in moving THIRTY SEVEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS out of that country.

frandavea said:

Wow! They responded to my query and want to review my book! Amazing since I never queried them.

Click to expand...

Happened to me, too, like two weeks ago.

That e-mail is full of incorrectly spelled words and gramatical errors. Granted, I'm not an editor or a gramatical expert, but I don't claim to publish books, either.

OMG! That response made me laugh out loud!

James D. Macdonald said:

My guess: A spammer used your address as their random return address, and Fletcher responded that he wants to represent an offer for pills that will make him please her all night.

I'm certain that Dr. Mbouno of the National Bank of Nigeria is equally baffled by Fletcher's offers of literary representation to requests for aid in moving THIRTY SEVEN MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS out of that country.

Click to expand...

I love reading your posts in response to Robert Fletcher.

Folks, I have a question that I'd seriously like your advice on. Let me start with just a bit of background:

At our bookstore, we are having a signing in two weeks by a local author. Her book was published by Eloquent Books. Since we are a small bookstore in a small market, the only signings we ever have are by local authors who are vanity, subsidy, or self-published.

We didn't mean to order her book into the store, but we did and we have 12 copies. We got her book in by accident--my manager emailed corporate to find out about it, since the author was harrassing us unmercifully. I believe my manager was hoping to be able to tell her sorry, we can't order it. However, corporate emailed back that it was orderable, had a zero (yes, ZERO) percent discount, and that they had very helpfully taken it on themselves, unasked, to order us 12 copies. !@#*%($)#!!!!! Don't they work for the same corporation, and don't they have clue that zero discount means we can't possibly even break even on this book?????????!!!!!! Well, never mind that--as long as the books are coming, we might as well have the signing.

The books arrived, and the cover is awesomely good. It's good enough that several customers, seeing the "Author Signing" display behind the counter, have asked to see the book. However, once they read the first page with its egregious editing errors and see the price ($22.95) vs the slimness of the volume, they give it right back to me. Whoever said the reading public could spot a vanity-published book within seconds was not mistaken.

I have googled "eloquent books florida attorney general" and gotten back the 27-page complaint the AG filed last September for the case against Bobby Fletcher, all his aliases, & his myriad DBA names, including the publisher of this book, Eloquent Books. The complaint asks that the defrauded customers (read: authors) be reimbursed their actual costs, plus $10,000 per charge that is upheld ($15,000 per incident if they are senior citizens, because in Florida we are pretty serious about protecting our senior citizens).

So, finally, here's the question: When the author comes to the bookstore for her signing in two weeks, should I just keep my big mouth shut, or should I let her know that she could possibly get all her money back plus punitive damages if the charges against her publisher are upheld?

On the one hand, it's a real dream-breaker to learn one has been scammed big-time, but on the other hand I'd hate for her to lose her chance to get her otherwise-lost 'investment' back, plus extra for the punitive damages. On the third hand, even if the charges stick, it's possible BF will weasel out of paying any of the judgment.

So, what do you think--should I tell her, or not?