Scam of the Month

It's been a while since I've had a scam-of-the-month, so maybe I should call this Scam of the Quarter?

Anyway,  a whole bunch of folks have emailed me today about the insipid "Book Millionaire" scam. Seems there's this get-rich-quick marketeer named Lori Prokop who is the host, executive producer, and co-creator (with her sister) of a new reality show called "Book Millionaire" ( she's "extremely excited to be executive producer and co-creator" of the show.  And let me just say that I'm extremely excited to be writing this post on this blog).

Lori is, of course, the author of Awaken Your Million-Dollar Intuition, Enlightened Intelligence ,I Could Have Quit $10 million Ago,  and Jesus Teenager: How To Be The Coolest Kid Around and other books you've never heard of.  But who else could possibilty more qualified to host this show?  Oh yes, the show.  I was so swept up in awe with Lori and her amazing accomplishments, I almost forgot all about it. Here's the pitch (Italicized comments are mine):

Eight people with dreams of seeing their book ideas become published and being the next author launched to best selling and celebrity status will meet Book Millionaire’s Publishing Committee during July 2005 to start filming of Book Millionaire Reality TV Show.

Here's your chance to finally become America's next Best Selling Author and Reality Show TV Celebrity!  We are scouting for the next group of candidates [The next group? There hasn't been a first group yet]  for America's hottest new reality show [How can it be America's hottest reality show if it hasn't even aired yet?]. Act now. We launch people to best selling and celebrity status. [They do? Who??] Picture yourself featured on national television where millions of potential viewers listen to you about your story, writings, book or book-to-be and you have the chance to prove you have what it takes to be America's next published Best Selling Author and Book Millionaire.

In the first season, the Candidate Authors will be split into multiple teams. They will compete in real-world book promotion assignments. Prominent companies  and currently published books [Lori's books, of course!] will also be part of the tasks . Viewers will watch the drama unfold as the tests reveal Candidate Authors personalities, marketing skills, creativity, result-producing talents and abilities for working on a team with others they may or may not get along with.

Viewers will feel the excitement of intense tasks and growing stakes as the doors to publishing success open. The Candidates’ goal is to be  The One [Not to be confused with The Jesus Teenager] who is headed to press . Each week one Candidate Author will hear the dreaded words, “The doors to publishing have closed.”[What refreshing originality, Lori] With the show climaxing in the final episode when one Candidate Author will hear, “You’re Published!” [By Best Seller Publishing, no doubt, but more on that later]

The winner of Book Millionaire will be granted the ultimate dream — to enjoy the lifestyle of being a successfully published author. And they will receive additional prizes to help achieve the goal of Best Selling and Celebrity Status [You won't actually be a bestseller or a celebrity, but you'll get a nifty certificate redeemable for status] and becoming America’s next Book Millionaire [Though you won't actually get a million dollars].

Book Millionaire is being aired on cable nationwide Fall 2005.

Imagine achieving the "lifestyle of a successfully published author." Let me give you a taste of what you can hope for:  I had El Pollo Loco for lunch today, picked up my daughter at school, and got a haircut. Will they get to do that? I think not. I've earned those perks the hard way, pal. They'll also get additional prizes to help towards the goal  of Celebrity Status, something I bet Lori knows a lot about. I know I wake up every day and ask myself  "Gosh, what can I do today to achieve my goal of Celebrity Status? I think I'll say something nasty about fanfic."

What Lori hopes you'll do, of course, is go to one of her get-rich-quick seminars, get-rich-quick books, get-rich-quick tapes, hire her for qet-rich-quick consulting or  pay her to publish your book through her get-rich-quick vanity press, Best Seller Publishing. 

Look for "Book Millionaire" to show up as Paid Programming on a local cable channel near you, sometime around 2 a.m. between the infomercial for the The Meat Syringe and Ron Jeremy interviewing porn stars who use  Y-Bron, "the natural viagra."

Comments

[James C. Hess]

Well, if it was on television its gots tah bah true.

Right?

Here's a thought: Let's get a schmuck to stand at center stage and everyone who puts up a buck can take a wack at them. It's not gonna get a book published, but it would make for interesting telebishion.

[Mark]

Considering all the other reality shows, I'm not surprised someone is trying this with books. However, I'll wait until they get a big name behind it and it deals a little more with writing before I sign up. More like American Idol then The Apprentice for me.

[Lee Goldberg]

Mark, this is a Paid Informercial, not a real show. It will never have a big name behing it (except for that famous Celebrity, Lori Prokop). Lori is producing it herself as a tool for selling her get-rich-quick seminars, books, tapes, underwear and whatever the hell else... (and using contestant applicantions as a way to fatten her mailing list of suckers hungry for Celebrity Status and the Best Seller Lifestyle). She's buying the time on cable to air this thing, assuming she ever actually produces it.

[Mark A. York]

Isn't this the perfect niche for a vanity press product?

[Adam]

Give Lori a break: at least she has a really cool last name. Prokop. Man, I love that. Prokop. Prokop & Prokop. Prokop, PI.

[Jim Winter]

Hey, if it's Ron Jeremy's lead in, you know it has to be good.

[Patrick Hynes]

Hate to say this, but it's a damn fine idea for a reality show and I'd watch it just to see the aspiring Hemingways act like "real authors" for the TV audience.

[kitty]

You crack me up! I'd kiss Pat Hynes if I could for directing me to your blog.

[Martha O'Connor]

Hi Lee, thanks for posting this. I was able to warn some friends away. Great work!

[Vikk Simmons]

This is so sad. As if writers don't have enough to watch out for in this life, now enter Ms. Prokop.

[BPM Smith]

Here's a better reality TV show: author must complete a 30 city 30 day book tour, snort a kilo of cocaine, and convince Paris Hilton to go on a date. Said author becomes a jabbering zombie, like all reality TV show contestants. The end.

[Lori Prokop]

This is Lori Prokop, Executive Producer of Book Millionare Reality TV.

Yes, all authors hopefully have family and loved ones they can have "normal" lives with. It is also exciting and a different lifestyle to be on book tour, speaking or other activities that are unique to being an author. That is the lifestyle that we are talking about.

And no, this is not an infomercial. Instead of bashing the show or myself, how about using your talents to help? I'd be very happy to hear your comments or ways you would like to participate. I promptly and kindly return all emails personally that are sent to lori(at sign)bookmillionaire.com .

Our goal is to make this a winning opportunity for writers throughout the writing community. You will notice that the genres are very open. We are also interested in working with a variety of experience levels.

How about instead of rants and bashing that we work together to make this a fun experience that really helps writers?

[marty]

Strange how the blurb advertises that the "winner" will become a celebrity best selling author but the competition conditions states no such thing is promised at all. Nor do entrants apparently do anything such as actually write. "Do a book tour" -- without a book. So the winner will become a "Bestselling" NON writer.
And of course, the executive producer, author of many get-rich-quick books is certainly a person I'd trust. After all, how could you disbelieve the author of "If You Need Extra Money Right Now Your Home Computer Could Be A Goldmine!".

[Barbara E.]

I actually downloaded the application for fun and it is 18 pages and basically a contract that says that the show can use anything that you write for their own ends without being liable for copyright infringement. On the application which also includes an 11 minute video tape by you, you have to sign in about 6 places that you will not prosecute or hold the company liable for stealing your ideas. The sad thing is that part of the application is you have to give them marketing ideas for your book. Any writer who signs this has to be on crack.

By the way I found this link from the CW board and your comments are hysterical. This whole show is a big scam and they can use your writing without liability. Who would want this?

[RICK LANDINI]

I have known Lori Prokop for many years and know that she is a wonderful person. She has helped many people in her life, especially children. When I first met Lori it was one of the most difficult times in my life, without even knowing me she reached out and helped me immensely to get through my problems. Lori is a very conscience writer and a very honorable person. It is absurd for anyone to think that Lori would be involved in a scam. Lori is very dedicated to anything that she does and for anyone to slander her without knowing her is an act of a coward. As I experienced in my life, writing lies is very easy when you don't have to look the person in the eye. I would challenge anyone to look me in the eye and say anything bad about Lori Prokop. You know the old saying, "Opinions are like a....., everyone has one".
Rick L.

[Sid Dithers]

So, Rick, what happened to "BOOK MILLIONAIRE?" Has the world famous Lori Prokop started shooting it yet? When it is airing? Where is it airing? Who are the sponsors?

[Claudette Walker]

I think we should give Lori and Book Millionaire a chance. She is trying to do something great and support rather than negativity is my contribuation to her effort. She has not attempted to sell anything other than an idea for a show that could benefit some writer's. I wish them great success.

Claudette Walker

[notamoron]

Claudette -- that's just the advice I'd expect from a self-published "author" of "sexually charged intellectual
fiction" like this:

The son of a political figure in the Tampa Bay area was arrested for selling cocaine. His father was a friend of Rose’s, and came to him for help. The police have the young man, who had never been in trouble before, dead to rights. There was no hope of a victory at trial. The young man had sold the drugs to an undercover agent, and the whole drug deal was on videotape. Either he had just begun dealing drugs, or he had been very lucky and had avoided the attention of the police for a while. Rose advised the young man to “drop a dime” (a term used for squealing) on his drug suppliers. Rose believed he could negotiate probation if the young man cooperated with law enforcement. The boy could then take probation and go off to college. Since the young man had never been in trouble, and could provide the police with a major ring of drug dealers, Rose knew he could get the kid a second chance in life. Rose negotiated the deal with prosecutors before the boy informed. He dropped a dime on the men from Miami who had sold him the drugs for resale, and he was given a sentence of probation.

http://www.abacusbooks.com/Enter.asp?width=1024&height=768

Some advice, Claudette: Take a remedial English class and learn about verbs and tenses. You might also want to hone your basic understanding of sentence structure. Hint: it's also a good idea for a sentence to have a subject unlike, say, this example of your sexually-charged, intellectual prose:

Still coming up on her from behind, it followed her in pursuit. Nervous, she made a wrong turn.

[Lee Goldberg]

The police have the young man, who had never been in trouble before, dead to rights.

That's the most intellectual, sexually-charged prose I've read all year.

[Claudette Walker]

Res ipsa locutor

[notamoron]

I could say the same about your prose. Maybe you should have written your book in Latin.

[Rich Jerk]

Oh I feel this is the the starting of all these TV nonsense, one person commented about having some guy stand in the middle of the stage and get hit for bucks, well, that has already happened in Japan and Korea on normal TV so its just a matter of time to have it on our TVs ;)

[ShereeTroy]

I'm reading these postings a year after they were originally written. What's the latest on Book Millionaire? Still the same opinions as last year? I'm especially curious since I'm one of the first round of writers "who must be on crack" for submitting my application and video. Now we're being asked to submit finished chapters and I'm worried I'll be susceptible to heroine addiction by continuing.