Unique situation here: First preditor introduced me to second preditor. Previous publisher, Reality Press, LLC published my book without presenting a galley to catch errors.
Refers me to a publicist prior to my realizing she did not have book proof-read. Publicist insists it takes a complete year to properly service my book.
Contract cost me $9,000.00 plus a $500.00 retainer fee. After retainer fee was paid, publicist reads my book and states it was not acceptable for her services.
She exposes the horrible work ethics of the publisher who owes me to date over $3,000.00 that we should pull out of Reality Press and learn to self-publish ourselves. Belinda Williams told me she was going to help me and so we began a partnership.
We were establishing a relationship leading to a good partnership I thought. I paid her $900.00 to learn how to type-set my book.
I paid for my ISBN numbers, registration for the company (Angel Press Publishing), set-up fees everything it took to get Daddy's Girl self-published.
We worked from a distance. She kept stating we would work out our publishing company contract and author contract but she never did it.
The next thing I know, she had taken up with another author, created a contract without me signing it or knowing what was promised to the author from Angel Press Publishing.
I'm still paying for Publicist services amounting to little or nothing. $700.00 per month. My book was delayed from her learning typesetting for over two months.
She kept telling me she was going to transfer everything in my name and open an business account for both of us to the business.
To this day, I have no clue how many books sold other than the LSI to Lightining Source. I have no clue of the sells on paypal via on line.
She refuses to give me my account to my book. She pretty much took the book and the company. She told me her attorney's name was Martha and she was setting up our contracts.
At work one day she called and set up a conference call. She and this alledged attorney was trying to make it appear Belinda is pretty much doing eveything and I had little to contribute.
I told them both you are undermining me. Give me my account to Daddy's Girl, take the company. I didn't want to work with a partner who establishes accounts with other authors without me.
I paid $250.00 for the contracts she claim she was picking up from her attorney which was the other half of $500.00. When I paid my half I thought the attorney was for Angel Press.
It turns out it was her supposedly attorney. It's over a year now. I have no account and no royalties paid to me. She claims she invested over $10,000.00 in the business.
Her services did not prove to be $9,500.00. I have no invoices or itinerary showing any work done on Literary Lifestyle's behalf. I only have paypal receipts of payments I made to her.
I paid $600.00 for business cards, post cards and bookmarks I never received. $450.00 for editing of another book I never received. I paid for two radio shows: $80.00 I never received.
I paid for advertising banner: $30.00. Never received. She made me think we were the best of friends as well as business partners.
I never understood why she didn't want the public to know she was my partner in Angel Press. One minute she is Belinda Williams the next minute she is Tanya Williams or both.
I paid out over $13,000.00 to her in one way or another and have nothing to show for it. One book signing, one press release, supposedly books in Barnes & Nobles. Yet to see that.
She refuses to resolve told me each time I e-mail her she was forwarding it to her attorney. Claims attorney e-mailed me papers. I never received anything.
To this day I have no contracts, no royalties, no invoices.
I shared my horrific experience with someone and Belinda treated me as though she was a sociopath. Befriended me and dropped me like a hot potatoe after my money was gone.
Between these two experiences I had to file bankrucpt. I just never imagined lighting striking twice.
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