Believe it or not, Bookpal is even sleazier and stupider than Outskirts Press

Pay-to-publish company Outskirts Press is a frequent target for my wrath because of its dishonesty, incompetence and overall sleaziness.

I've just found that a competitor has descended to an even lower level of hell.

Bookpal (not to be confused with Book-Pal.com or PayPal) claims to be "Australia's leading self publishing company."

While I am in the good old USA and have never run after a 'roo, hugged a koala nor played a didgeridoo, I am on Bookpal's email list and receive periodic pitches to buy its services.

The latest email, from Debbie of the Bookpal Team, touts "Publish Now and get $1,754 of Book Marketing!"

Here's a frightening part of the package:

"Amazon 5-star Reviews. One of the major criteria when people visit online web stores is to see what other people have to say about your book. Our book reviewers will provide you with three reviews on your book listing on Amazon, and will provide you with a 5-star rating. This will help your book be seen in a positive light and enhance the chances of readers buying it."

That's right. Even before anyone at Bookpal reads your manuscript, the corrupt company is guaranteeing to provide reviews on Amazon with the highest-possible rating. This means than any review of any book published by Bookpal must be assumed to be worthless, and that Amazon has become an unwitting co-conspirator of the Bookpal scam.

But Bookpal's attempted manipulation of the book business goes even further:

In the past, others have offered similarly sleazy promises, usually involving motivating lots of people to buy a book at approximately the same time. This way a book can become a bestseller for an hour, and the author and publisher can boast about the dubious achievement for a lifetime.

It's possible that someone at Bookpal has a conscience because the following is also on the company's website:

However, since the paragraph above -- which says that Bookpal is a liar -- was posted in 2011 or earlier, it may well be that honesty is not Bookpal's current policy.

 

Bookpal should not be your pal. Stay far away.

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