For the past week I’ve been keeping track of unbelievable offers arriving in my mailbox.  They’re not rated as spam (YET!) by my reputable mail server, although it manages to find fifty to sixty others a day that it automatically removes for me.  No, these appear to be genuine offers from talented and wise sources – until you read the small print.

 

I received ten offers from printing companies , all of whom seem to think I need business cards, brochures, posters, billboards, newsletters, and postcards to advertise my latest book. OK, I’ve used some of those products in the past, but when a company insists you buy at least 500 business cards at a time, how many times do they expect you to have to re-order?

 

I also received three offers to let me access new collections of genealogical records – free all during the current holiday weekend. Obviously they think their target audience includes lots of people with no place to go and nothing to do while others are partying.  Still, the offer sounds generous, doesn’t it? This was one offer I actually checked out.  It promised to provide wills from millions of people in all 50 states. Did it? Well, I found a couple of listings from my family tree, but that’s all there was – just a listing.  A will exists for John Smith of Anytown.  Can I see it? Well, here’s a picture of the listing.  Now you have to travel to Anytown and have the County Clerk try to find #584938720-138.

Another promises to help readers de-clutter and organize their lives with worksheets.  They’ll even send you the first 17 worksheets for free.  They arrive, fresh and colorful, as downloads you can print off as needed.  For the most part, these worksheets have an interesting title at the top --: “Things To Do,” “Chores,” “Box Contents,” and “Closets” – followed by a page of blank lines. If you want more information, you’ll have to pay to take the whole course.

 

Others are “free” video courses.  Turn up your sound and watch while we tell  you how to:

·             Market Your Book for Free

·             Create Content Everyone Needs

·             Create Your Own Webinar

·             Write a Blog by Filling in the Blanks

·             Automate Your Book to Audio

Every one of then spends over an hour talking about other people’s success stories. And at the end, you’re told to accomplish your goal by ordering an expensive book, a course, or a private coaching session.

 

Here’s the worst one I found this week. The seller is a college drop-out who claims to have written several best-selling books before he was old enough to drink. And he offers to teach you:

·             How to develop an idea for your book in thirty minutes.

·             How to write that book in two hours.

·             Write, publish, and market your book in three easy steps.

·             Go from “no idea” to published author in ninety days.

·             How to write a best-seller, even if you are bad at writing and can’t type.

·             Earn a six-figure income instantly