Publishing Associates, Inc. (Fred Cleveland)

[victoriastrauss]

A truly amazing news story about Fred Cleveland, a "publisher" who managed to keep fleecing authors despite having more than two dozen judgments against him.

Audrey LaGrand said she received a $2,600 civil judgment against Cleveland. LaGrand said Cleveland was contracted to publish and print her book How to Get Out of Job Jail.

LaGrand said Cleveland used her credit card number to pay for another client's printing.

Like many of his former clients, Burns and LaGrand said Cleveland ignored the order to pay.

A CBS Atlanta investigation uncovered a trail of angry customers so long, their stories could be turned into a novel.

According to Fulton County court records, more than two dozen individuals and companies have sued Cleveland since 1993. He has been arrested for "theft by deception" by authorities in Dodge County after an author said he didn't provide copies of her book.

A court in Nashville, TN, ordered Cleveland to pay a $42,000 judgment for not publishing a cookbook.

Writer Beware never got any complaints about this guy--but we should have.

- Victoria

 

[Old Hack]

Victoria, that's one gobsmackingly dreadful story. How can this man still be doing what he's doing? Why is he still out there, taking money from people?

Oh, hang on...

*reads any number of the other posts here*

I get it now.

Wowsers.

 

[happywritermom]

Wow. That's scary.

 

[CaoPaux]

Has continued to publish at least through January of this year.

 

[CaoPaux]

Not finding any further activity. Nor any trace outside his LinkedIn of "The Fulbright Media Network" this was supposedly a division of.