It's a scam that ruined the hopes of dozens of book authors hoping for a Hollywood dream ending, and it bilked them for an average of $10,000-40,000 as well.  The scammers created an elaborate fraud, in which they duped authors with dreams of turning their books into films by leading them to believe the company could pitch their projects to executives at top film companies. So the victims would pay more and more to write the material needed to make a pitch, such as a script, logline/synopsis, and show bible. But the company used imposter executives at real companies, so their pitches went nowhere, though the author's books might have real potential to become films if presented to real executives.

         THE BIG CON: The Story of a Book to Film Scam, The Victims, Other Writer Scams, and How to Avoid Being a Victim tells their story and how readers can avoid becoming a victim of the many scams that target unsuspecting writers, publishers, and others.   

        The book describes the investigation that revealed the scam after an internationally known author, Gini Graham Scott, unwitting wrote this material for over a dozen clients, unaware that it was a scam until she spoke to one of the victims who was having trouble paying the company to present her material to the "top executive" at one of the biggest real companies. But it was all an elaborate hoax.

        Then, the book introduces ten of the victims and their projects and discusses the many scams targeting writers and self-publishers. Finally, it discusses how to recognize a scam and avoid becoming a victim, and what to do if you are scammed, including possibly getting back any money you have lost.

       THE BIG CON will be a documentary film featuring many of the victims, with half the proceeds going to compensate those victims.  A Facebook group was just set up to feature the book and to search for stories for a companion book on other scams: I Was Scammed.  The link to the group is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1060223038128200.  There is also a GoFundMe campaign to help compensate victims for their losses at https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-victims-of-a-scam-recover-their-money

       The book has received many endorsements, including these:

       "It's appalling that scammers dash the hopes and dreams of book and script writers, as well as take their money.  And some books and scripts have real potential. I'm also appalled as a publicist that the scammers use what real publicists do to promote a fake scheme. The Big Con provides an illuminating look at this scam."

            Jana Collins, CEO

            Jones & O'Malley PR Agency, Los Angeles, California

        "There are so many internet scammers these days.  The Big Con does a great job of exposing some of them and featuring the victims of one of these scams."

            Gustavo Sandi

            Insights Online Digital Architects, Oakland, California

        "The Big Con is an important alert for creatives in any field not to get caught by phony offers from scammers that prey upon their dreams to make it big and find fame and fortune.  Unfortunately, the ten victims featured in the book had worthy projects that might have been turned into films by legitimate producers had they not encountered the scammers."

John Covert

Singer/Songwriter with 3000+ songs

Leader of the Crystal Image Band 

  For more information and to set up interviews:

Karen Andrews

Executive Assistant to Gini Graham Scott

Changemakers Publishing and Writing

Lafayette, CA 94549 . (925) 385-0608  

changemakers@pacbell.net

www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com