Is this legit? I am suspicious I could be taken advantage of.

[arlengrossman]

I wrote a silly children's book (middle grade) some years ago and self-published it. It is on Amazon. I have had no success in getting it sold. I identify the main problems as being: 1) a mediocre cover. 2) no illustrations and 3) no effort to market it, because I don't know how. So I decided to get in touch with someone on Fiverr to make it good enough that people would actually want to buy it.

I found someone who seems to be able to do almost anything, i.e. illustrating, writing, covers, promoting, marketing, etc This is what I was offered: "We will be doing the following 1. Awareness $150 discount $50 2. Optin page i will offer you this free 3. Landing page $300 giving you $100 discount  4. Amazon redirection section free 5. About the author section free 6. Autoresponder $250 discount $50 7. Automation set up $50  Total = $650."  We negotiated and she agreed to $500. I made the assumption that would cover everything and that I would have a presentable book, good enough to interest readers to buy.. I agreed with this arrangement and sent the money.

The other day I was told more needed to be done. I was told: "that's good so to be able to publish the book now I will publish your Book on Amazon according to 1. Ranked Title & Subtitle I will do this for free 2. Attractive Description $50 3. HTML Description I will do this for free 4. Top Selling, Ranked and High demanding Keywords &50 5. Keywords from 6+ paid Tools $50 6. Best Selling Category $60 7. Pre-Order of Book (Optional) 8. Ebook+Paperback+Hardcover $150 9. Book Cover Designs $70 10. Pricing Technique I will do this for free Total = $430 But I will give you $100 discount"|\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ I asked why I needed to pay more than we agreed upon. This was the response::

 

I want to help publish your book again then we work on the newly published one which has the best publishing qualities....So the price is for the publishing.......The $500 is for promoYes it has been published so we will have to pause the published book to make the changes then we will republish it againtion and illustration of the book.....Yes it has been published so we will have to pause the published book to make the changes then we will republish it again....Also the reason why it has to be done that way is for the book to meet up to the modern and current publishing format......Many changes has been made on Amazon from 2019 till date so we also have to make all the necessary changes too for your book."

Fiverr is new to me. My question is whether I am being treated fairly, I thought I had already paid only to find I needed to pay more.. Does all of this sound right or am I being taken advantage of? Perhaps even scammed?

Those with more experience and knowledge, please let me know your reaction. Should I pay more? What should I do?

 

[uk1000]

2 hours ago, arlengrossman said:

3. Landing page $300 giving you $100 discount

It seems overpriced. You could search for other sellers on Fiverr to get an idea of what others are charging and maybe go with one or more of them.

eg. A Top Rated seller is offering landing page design for $45 and that seller is charging $200 for it (though I don't know if hosting is being offered).

You could check the level of the seller but I'm guessing they aren't a high level one (you could also check their reviews and how many). The offer they sent originally wasn't well written though the original offer didn't mention the illustrations.

It's probably best to go for a separate seller for the illustrations (rather than one who also does all the other things you want). That way you'd have more choice over the illustrations.

You could contact CS at the help desk at https://www.fiverr.com/support_tickets/new if you think you may have been misled about the order or you think there are discrepancies with it.

Edited August 8, 2023 by uk1000

[nika_3dartist]

I agree with uk1000: Check the person's profile to see their level and if they got any review. Not only this is a bit overpriced to me, but I would say that, as a seller myself, what they are doing is definitely not okay. The moment you agree to a price, that has to be final and cover all that is needed/promised at the start. It sounds like this person is trying to set an initial price, then taking your book "hostage" by adding more and more costs as the order proceeds. It does smell fishy.

Like uk1000 said, try contacting the CS and explain the situation. If they find that the offer is suspicious and the seller isn't legit, they will most definitely cancel the purchase, give you a refund and send a warning to the person (or suspend them). Do not accept anything else.

[visualstudios]

I don't think it's necessarily overpriced, but I do think it doesn't sound professional in the least. "I will do that for free" on half the items, and a "discount" on the other half? Why? That's a quality guarantee right there. If they were any good, they wouldn't need to discount all they do, and offer half of it for free.

What level is the seller, how's their English, how are their reviews, what skills do they have that they can prove (through portfolio, for example)?

I can definitely see a serious professional in the publishing business charging several thousands for a book publishing and promotion deal, but it won't be structured like that, it won't be described like that. That entire exchange just screams low value.

Edited August 8, 2023 by visualstudios

[lotus3000]

There are many sellers in each category. The best way to choose your seller is to check their reviews first.