Congratulations! Netflix wants to buy your book!

Note: Today’s newsletter comes from Shawnee Delaney. CEO, Valiance Group and Expert on Cybersecurity, Insider Threat & Counterintelligence. Follow her on LinkedIn!

 “Congratulations! Netflix wants to buy your book!”

Translation: Prepare to be emotionally manipulated, financially gutted, and professionally humiliated.

PageTurner Press promised aspiring authors six-figure deals, full-page ads, and Netflix contracts—then allegedly stole more than $44 million from over 800 writers! This according to the Department of Justice.

Let me explain how this scam worked (so nobody else falls for it):

1. A “literary agent” emails or calls you. They love your self-published book! They’ve got connections at Netflix. A producer is interested. A publisher is circling.
2. You’re flattered. Hope kicks in. “This could really happen…”
3. All they need is a little something to get started:

• A paid marketing placement
• A $10K screenplay adaptation
• A “visibility campaign” in the New York Times

4. You wire the money. And then…more calls, more momentum, more fees.
5. Drumroll please… There’s no producer. No Netflix. No deal. Just an empty inbox, maxed-out credit cards, and a hollowed-out dream.

The emotional manipulation is surgical:

• Constant praise
• Fake contracts
• Voice-modded Zooms
• Fabricated budgets
• Vanity placements that look like PR

To the authors: These scammers aren’t just selling snake oil. They’re selling your dream back to you—at a 10x markup.

And to the fraudsters? If Netflix ever does pick up your story…

You better pray they cast you as a minor character in "Fraud & Furious: The PageTurner Takedown".

I’d watch it twice.

**Thank you, Shawnee!

Tip of the Week: Stay Safe

Here’s how you protect yourself—and your dignity:

- Real publishers pay authors, not the other way around.

- If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

- Pressure + flattery = a classic manipulation cocktail.

- Google the agent. Verify the domain. Ask someone who knows the industry.

- If you feel rushed, pause. If you feel confused, ask. If you feel flattered, get curious.

This tip added by MeiMei: 

Legit hybrid publishers ask for somewhere between $2-$12K (or $75K for Forbes Books or another “brand name”), but they have you sign a contract and lay out very specific deliverables, usually including an edit, cover design, layout, listing on Amazon, audiobook, and more. Always be sure to vet hybrid publishers by talking to other clients of theirs first!

Quote of the Week:

What started with the promise of a Hollywood dream turned into a devastating nightmare for victims. Authors should stay vigilant, do their research, and think twice before giving money to anyone promising a blockbuster deal.

• U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath