There Are More Book to Movie Scams Out There – Be Careful

/ John W. Howell

Photo by Tyson Moultrie on Unsplash

Hi SEers. John is with you today. It is midweek, and hopefully, it is going well for you.

Today I was going to talk a little more about humor, but I received a couple of emails that I want to discuss with you. These emails were sent from well-known directors and producers in Hollywood. These men have made millions in feature films and are among the elite of their industry.

The gist of the emails is that my book has been vetted and will be suitable for translation into a film.

I should be excited, right? I should be honored that these entertainment business leaders are contacting me to make a movie for one of my books. Believe me when I say the names on these letters are household words for movie-making. So, why am I sitting here and making a post out of this information rather than ordering a new Bentley turbo convertible? It is straightforward. These letters are a scam. A clever ruse but a scam nonetheless.

How do I know? The first indication of a scam is that no one in Hollywood, famous or otherwise, would contact an author by email regarding a movie opportunity. Movie opportunities are arranged through one on one discussions with producers. Producers don’t call authors. Authors or their representatives call producers. So anyone claiming that a book has already been vetted for a film is lying unless you happen to be Prince Harry.

The second indication is that there is no mention of the book title in question. It is just called “your book.” So, the thought immediately comes to mind which book are they talking about? But, of course, if you only have one book, then that clears up the issue fast.

The third indication is a careful look at the sender’s email address. You will find that the email does not match the convention of the legitimate company. That is because the email belongs to the scammer and not the person named in the email.

The fourth indication is some mention of materials that will be needed to complete the film agreement. They vary by letter but boil down to Film Pitch Deck, Cinematic Trailer, and /or Marketing Evaluation. Here is where the scammers make their money. These items will cost about $5,000. “But wait,” you say. If the book has already been vetted, why do these items need to be made available? Yeah, good question. A legitimate film deal has money coming to the author, not the other way.

If you get one of these emails, I hope you do what I did. Trash it and fuggedaboudit. These scammers are getting very creative, and although we would all like to see our books on the big screen, the opportunities for having that dream come true are minimal indeed. So do not let the dream cloud your eyes.

How about you? Have you received any of these kinds of emails? Let’s talk about them in the comment section.

90 thoughts on “There Are More Book to Movie Scams Out There – Be Careful”

  7. Ah. Though the thought may have been good for a second or two no one is going to wish one of my books for a film. Lol though there is a cheap art house film out there based on one of my books. A heroic effort too but it ran out of money before the end. Never got a release. I never expect such a thing to happen and so would be suspicious.

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  10. With every new year comes a new scam that some waste-of-space has created to trick, hurt and rob people. It’s a shame, but it’s become a deep part of the internet. All we can do is just what you have done, share these scams, expose them, help our fellow creatives of the sharks out there and hope they don’t catch any people.

    Thanks for sharing this!

    Liked by 2 people

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  12. I’ve been called a few times from these various shills. If you ask them to identify their company and Google them afterward, most have a long line of complaints or don’t even exist.

    The other regular scammers I get in my email are people offering to help market one’s book. (for a substantial fee, of course) Part of their pitch is getting one’s book in front of thousands of people. I have never dove into it very deep because I can smell the stench a mile away. The hook is that so many writers hate marketing that a few people will fall for this nonsense.

    Thanks for the warning, John.

    Liked by 2 people

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  14. Scams galore! Excellent post, John. Scammers are the worst people on the planet. I get all sorts of emails, texts, and phone calls from these soulless creeps. Delete, delete, delete! That’s the only solution. Thanks for sharing your experiences here, John.

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  17. I am so freaking tired of scams and being bombarded by texts and emails on a near daily basis with people trying to take advantage of me. This is one I hadn’t heard about before, John. I’m so glad you put it under the spotlight to warn others about it.
    Whenever someone wants money for something, it’s trash in my book!

    Liked by 3 people

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  18. Excellent post, John, with some very logical conclusions. I haven’t received any of these offers, but do the same as you. Look for those clues, dump it in the trash, and fuggedaboudit. Thanks for sharing your advice. You might save some authors A LOT of money.

    Liked by 2 people

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  22. I’m used to the emails that bombard my in-box from book promoters, but what irks me more are the phone calls from “production companies” in Canada. It’s kind of creepy when they call your personal cell number. Thanks for sharing, John.

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  23. I get similar propositions on social media sites a lot, and I get plenty of phishing emails (and report all of them), but I’ve yet to get an email about turning my work to film. It would be so nice if these talented people put their skills to good use instead of committing illegal acts to scam hard-working people out of money. Sorry that happened, John.

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  27. GolDurn it! And here I was all excited that Parrimont and 22nd Century Foxx wanted to make a movie out of Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains!
    I’d even thought about the casting! Rod Serling, Walt Disney, Phil Morris, heck… I was even checking to see if I could grab an afterlife cameo by President Roosevelt sporting his cigarette holder!
    But now … Now all my dreams are dashed, left in the mud to molder.
    Sigh.
    – MJM

    Liked by 4 people

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  28. Thank you for exposing another scam, John. It’s been a while since I received a movie possibility, but I get plenty of others. Nowadays, I always look at the sender’s email address–then delete it as you’ve advised. So frustrating. I suspect writers are particularly vulnerable because of our exposure on social media — and our hope that our work will be received well. This is a timely post.

    Liked by 3 people

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  29. Good job picking up on the clues, John. These belong in the trash. These guys adapt the same techniques they’ve used for years. The sad thing is, they keep using them because they work. Thanks for spreading the word.

    Liked by 2 people

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  30. I haven’t received one of these, but honestly, if I had “inherited” all the money that scammers claim, I’d be a billionaire many times over. It is sad that many people get tricked into such scams. Just when you think you’ve heard them all, another new one appears. Great post, John.

    Liked by 2 people

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  32. Alas, no big name film directors have been in touch. However, I have had suggestions that I send my book (with a fee) for consideration because they think it stands a good chance. There’s also the numerous kind offers from people who can make me a bestseller (although, a glance at their credentials makes me wonder why they didn’t apply this expertise to their own outpourings). Without some hefty clout behind you, it’s tempting for an Indie author to grab at anything that might give them the recognition that they think they deserve. Great post, John!

    Liked by 2 people

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  33. Pingback: There Are More Book to Movie Scams Out There – Be Careful | Legends of Windemere

  36. I think the scammers count on authors getting so excited about a movie deal they forget to think things through. It’s sort of like those phone calls that tell you the IRS is sending people to arrest you unless you pay your taxes immediately in itunes gift cards. It’s sad that some people get sucked in by these scams.
    Your post is a timely warning, John.

    Liked by 3 people

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