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A Scam Is A Scam Is A Scam

Apr 10, 2014
by Caroline Miller
Carolyn Kellog, how to make the N.Y. Times Best Seller list, L. A. Times
2 Comments

I mentioned earlier that Susan Stoner, author of the Sage Adair mystery series, and I are preparing for our YouTube book program, “Just Read it.” Our first 5 airings begin with a review of top paperback sellers listed in the New York Times.

Recently, she and I met to compare notes. We were both surprised by the poor quality of some of the books we’d chosen. They were so poor, in fact, that under normal circumstances, I’d have had to be paid to read them.

 Carolyn Kellog, columnist for the L. A. Times may have an answer to the question, “Why do poorly written books get a New York Times ranking?” http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-pastor-contract-resultsource-bestseller-lists-20140305,0,7039368.story#axzz2vZId6D2z. One way is to spend of tons of money on promotion.

 Agencies like Result Source, Kellogg explains, are in the business of making a silk purse out of a literary sow’s ear. For a six figure fee, they will buy 11,000 copies of a client’s work, enough to guarantee it will appear on the best seller list. The fame lasts only a week, but it gives the writer bragging rights about being a bestselling author now and into the future.

 Companies do exist whose purpose is to expose those who game the system. Book Scan, for example, provides information on the type of sales — whether they are actual customers or bulk book buys. Unfortunately, technology can provide ways to mask the distinction and promoters, like Result Source, don’t hesitate to use them.

Chicanery erodes trust in a marketplace already in decline. Companies like Result Source don’t care when there’s money to be made. For a price, statistics on the number of dog barking complaints in Pocatello, Idaho could burst like a super nova to the top of the best seller list.

money changing hands

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of creciendocontunegocio.celeris.cl)

 

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2 Comments
  1. Louise Labby Carroll April 10, 2014 at 2:30 pm Reply
    Ugh! I had no idea. How disappointing! However, I must admit that I usually buy a book based on a recommendation from a friend or family member.
    • Caroline Miller April 10, 2014 at 3:15 pm Reply
      Most people do listen to their friends, Louise. But what I revealed today is just one of the many ways members of the public can be duped. Knowledge is power. Thanks for you comment.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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