Behind the Cover of Beneaththecover.com

Book marketer/publicist Michael R. Drew has put together a site called beneaththecover.com under the guise of helping aspiring writers with expert advice...except all the "advice" is coming from publicists and self-publishers looking to sell their services to the unwary.

In an apparent bid to legitimize their effort, they have been reaching out to "hundreds" of authors, hoping to convince them to provide free content to the site. I'm one of the authors they contacted. Lehi Drew wrote, in part:

Just wanted to let you know about our trend-setting website. And I’m hoping you’ll like it enough to accept our invitation to become a contributor. You see, I’ve seen your blog site,A Writer's Life, and I think you’re a great writer..

Our website is dedicated to professionals of the book industry, and it’s called Beneath the Cover (www.beneaththecover.com).  It also has an associated blog site, Push the Key (www.pushthekey.com).

What’s in it for you? As a contributor, your name and blog site will be constantly seen by hundreds and even thousands of book industry visitors every day. At our site, we draw people from every level of the book industry, including authors, writers, marketers, publishers, editors, and agents.

Your Articles. As visitors see your articles on a regular basis and enjoy your style and the substance of your expertise, they’ll become familiar with your writing, your expert reputation, and your marketing platform.

Wouldn’t it be great if you sent a manuscript to a publisher or an agent and they responded with, “I’m familiar with your work on Beneath the Cover, so I took the time to go over your manuscript. Let’s talk.” Wow!

Wouldn't be great if a publisher got my manuscript and said "Lee is so damn witty and good looking, we'll give him a $1 million contract without reading a word!"  That's about as likely to happen as the ridiculous fantasy Beneath the Cover is trying to entice me with. I ignored Lehi's email. So, a week later, she tried again.

First, let me reassure you that this is not part of a mass mailing from a list of names/sites that I bought or got from someone else. I AM mailing to hundreds of writers like yourself, but I've been to each site personally.

So, it's not a mass mailing, but they ARE contacting hundreds of writers. Hmmm. She went on to say:

You, obviously, have had a lot of experience writing. I can see that, not only by the fact that you've done screenwriting, but by the number of books you have listed on your blog. I am confident that this shows that you have great insight into how the book industry works. 

I would very much like for you to become a weekly contributor to Beneath the Cover. I think that because you're an experienced author, that you would have advice for other authors trying to get published and writing.  I really think that, plus your knowledge of the industry, would make you a good fit with us and our other contributors.

I responded that if she really read my blog, she'd know that I wouldn't be the least bit interested in lending my time, effort, or good name to help them sell promotional and self-publishing services to writers under the guise of offering "advice."  In fact, if anything, my advice would be to avoid their site. I also said:

Your site is an outgrowth of Michael Drew's book promotion business and, not surprisingly, the majority of your contributors come from the self-publishing industry or are selling book promotion & marketing services... which creates a real conflict-of-interest when it comes to the "advice" they are giving.

Your contributors have something to sell, and so does Drew. The only thing that I or any other published author would be doing by contributing to your site would be lending our credibility to your underlying effort to advance the promotional and self-publishing services your experts are selling.

I don't see any published authors among their experts, so it  looks like their "not a mass mailing" to hundreds of authors hasn't worked. I guess real authors are a lot smarter than the hucksters think we are.

UPDATE:  They also contacted my brother Tod, asking him to contribute to their site. He asked them what they pay...and they said not a dime because "Beneath the Cover is a cooperative venture for building marketing platforms of everyone involved." At least they were honest with him about their real motives (though it's pretty obvious to anyone who visits their site). I'm surprised they haven't brought in Lori Prokop  or the experts over at Airleaf  as contributors yet...

Comments

They must have a real death wish contacting you for their site. Who are they going to try next? Victoria Strauss?

They ought to try J.A. Konrath. He'd do it. I'm sure Jim Hansen would, too.

[Richard Cooper]

Tell them you'll write a weekly advice column exposé of vanity presses, publicists, agents, et al., for a negotiated price.

[Dan Williams]

Lee,

It sounds like your analysis goes down to the depths on this one. It rings true. It's too bad, too, because a legit site on this very subject would provide a wonderful window on the publishing industry, an industry with so much fascinating stuff going on just about all the time.

Dan

The Drews hit you and Tod with this scheme? How stupid is that? It's like a bank robber fleeing the scene and stopping to ask a police officer for directions to the freeway. For a guy who bills himself as a marketing expert, Drew is a moron.