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Post by shawninmon on Mar 11, 2014 17:00:09 GMT -5
I've never heard of these guys before today and now I've run into them in two separate spots... have you heard anything about them? AuthorOffer.com
I'm suspicious because they claim to have half a million subscribers, but have an Alexa ranking of zero. I can't find anything about them other than from them. They look like Bookbub, but I'd like to know more about them before I sink money into them. Anybody? Bueller? Bueller...? |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Mar 11, 2014 18:15:43 GMT -5
Sorry, no news, I've never heard of them, but you're right to be cautious. The domain was registered in December of 2013. That's amazing if they built such huge email list in just 3 months. Like, WOW amazing. BookBub spent a ton of dough in Adwords and Facebook ads building their list. I remember seeing their ads before they became well known.
I would suggest you wait a few weeks before trying them out, let others try it first. Plus they're aren't cheap either. Don't get me wrong, if they're legit, I would pay that in a sec to get my book in front of hundreds of thousands of readers, but too many unknowns right now.
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 11, 2014 18:26:45 GMT -5
I'm suspicious, too, but I'm thinking it's probably a quasi-legit site -- a brand-new service with no real track record, made-up testimonials, and inflated/invented download/purchase and genre-interest numbers. The address list it's promoting to could be purchased. If so, there's no need to have developed them organically through the site itself.
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Post by Alan Petersen on Mar 11, 2014 21:02:38 GMT -5
The KB is all over it now. Interesting to see how it turns out.
Nothing wrong with being new, there have been several BookBub type sites that posted on the WC, but they were up front, we're just starting out. I have one that I've been working on in the back burner. Book Bub model but just for mystery thrillers, but building that subscriber list is slow if you don't have a fat bankroll.
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 11, 2014 21:08:22 GMT -5
The fact that they are using "authors" on Goodreads to spam other offers with bogus coupons and are using stock image photos to represent their testimonials seals the deal for me.
Oh, and these Goodreads authors are saying they ran an ad a month ago, yet there is no proof the mailings were being sent then. I think their critical error is in including one of Phoenix's books.
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 11, 2014 22:26:44 GMT -5
OMG, you're right. If there was ONE PERSON'S discounted book that I'd choose to have picked up as a test case, it'd be Phoenix's. Awesome. Now we'll know exactly what's what. Heh, heh, heh.
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 11, 2014 23:25:33 GMT -5
I always know my brain will be expanded when I read a post from her or Ed. Mostly I know that it will be based in fact and not hyperbole.
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 11, 2014 23:39:45 GMT -5
I always know my brain will be expanded when I read a post from her or Ed. Mostly I know that it will be based in fact and not hyperbole. Totally. They're KB treasures. |
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Post by Alan Petersen on Mar 12, 2014 0:26:39 GMT -5
I think the fact that they're using testimonials with non-existent cities and stock photos of "clients" probably means those testimonials are fake, which speaks volumes. I think that they're full of it (500K list).
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 12, 2014 2:09:38 GMT -5
I think the fact that they're using testimonials with non-existent cities and stock photos of "clients" probably means those testimonials are fake, which speaks volumes. I think that they're full of it (500K list). Yeah, those seem fakey fake fake to me, too. Can't wait to see what Phoenix says tomorrow! |
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 12, 2014 12:35:17 GMT -5
And now that Phoenix has posted her results, we know.
Lots of anonymous Goodreads authors telling other writers that they netted 900 sales, but Phoenix reports (if I remember right) that she got a MAX of 14 downloads?
Blech.
Scammy McScammersons.
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 12, 2014 12:37:47 GMT -5
Totally! That result is way worse that I thought it would be. Based on the site's quality, I figured they actually did have a list -- just not a good one. Now I'm thinking they don't have a list. They probably have a paid click farm, like FBS, so that free books will get results, but the discounted books are just there as a cover, so they look more like Bookbub.
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 12, 2014 15:44:22 GMT -5
There are people with bad intentions out there, thinking up new ways to separate we poor writers from a few of our sheckels.
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Post by The Scroggins! on Mar 12, 2014 16:11:11 GMT -5
Figures I'd stay away from internet forums for a whole day and miss all the fun.  |
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 12, 2014 16:27:07 GMT -5
It wasn't nearly as fun as the FBS threads.  |
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 12, 2014 17:30:10 GMT -5
It wasn't nearly as fun as the FBS threads. That's because no one has shown up to defend themselves yet. So far, it's like kicking a punching bag. If they show up and try to lie their way out of it, then things will get interesting. |
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Post by Daniel on Mar 12, 2014 18:13:52 GMT -5
I love it. I just did a Google search on AuthorOffer.com, and this is what came up as the #4 entry:
That gave me a good laugh.
If AuthorOffer is really a scam, they will probably lay low. No point making themselves a target if they can't do anything to defend themselves anyway.
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 12, 2014 18:52:01 GMT -5
I love it. I just did a Google search on AuthorOffer.com, and this is what came up as the #4 entry: That gave me a good laugh. If AuthorOffer is really a scam, they will probably lay low. No point making themselves a target if they can't do anything to defend themselves anyway. There are moments when I really love the internet. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Mar 12, 2014 19:03:27 GMT -5
Believe it or not, the KB thread was showing up high in the results just a couple hours after Jim K. started it. Google sure it speedy.
Some folks during the FBS thing pointed out that by defending themselves, FBS kept the thread on the front page for several days, where the dishonest and gullible could see it. Maybe authoroffer *should* send someone by!
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Post by shawninmon on Mar 12, 2014 21:01:35 GMT -5
Believe it or not, the KB thread was showing up high in the results just a couple hours after Jim K. started it. Google sure it speedy. Some folks during the FBS thing pointed out that by defending themselves, FBS kept the thread on the front page for several days, where the dishonest and gullible could see it. Maybe authoroffer *should* send someone by! I'd love it if they did, if only for the popcorn factor. I kinda hate it when KB'ers fight among themselves, but I love to see the community come together and tear a scammer apart. Does that make me a bad person? |
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