Lee Goldberg

The Hollywood Talent Agency / Writers Edge Production Scam

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I got an amazing email the other day.

Dear Lee,

I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to reach out to see if you would be open to or considering pitching your book to production companies for a potential film adaptation. With the growing demand for book-to-film projects, this could be a great opportunity to bring your story to a wider audience.

To make this possible, we have submission specialist partners who can assist you in submitting your work to the right production companies. They work closely with industry professionals and can help navigate the submission process effectively.

Additionally, as part of this process, you will have the opportunity to speak with an award winning film adviser and studio manager via Zoom. This session will help prepare your work before submission and provide valuable insights into the adaptation process, ensuring you are well-equipped for the next steps.

Please let me know if this is something you’d be interested in exploring, and I’d be happy to facilitate the connection. Looking forward to your thoughts.

–
jim Collins
Producer’s Representative
Hollywood Talent Agency

I was so excited! The “Hollywood Talent Agency” was interested in CALICO! I couldn’t wait to speak to a “submission specialist partner,” “film advisor,” “studio manager,” or “producer’s representative.”

So I immediately called “Jim Collins” at the “Hollywood Talent Agency” … and it was a guy in the Philippines or somewhere else outside the U.S. who’d never heard of Jim, the talent agency, or me… but would check with his “endorsement people” to see if I had an “endorsement” and would get back to me. I emailed Jim and let him know about the snafu. A short time later, I then got this email:

Dear Lee Goldberg,

This is Darius from the Writer’s Edge Production. I actually received an endorsement from Mr. Jim Collins for a discussion for your book Calico. It was too late for me to know that there will be someone who’ll call me. So I asked the Talent Agency if there is someone named Lee Goldberg that I am expecting.

So, I got your email from them and let me know when you’re gonna call for an discussion.

Best regards,
Phone: (323) 412-8503
Email: darius@writersedgeproduction.com
Website: writersedgeproduction.com

I called back… and let “Darius” know I was recording the call… and talked with him for over half an hour. The video is below, but I cut out about 15 minutes — the guy’s grasp of English was terrible, and he had a hard time carrying on a coherent conversation while also reading from, and trying to integrate, the dialogue from his sales script. 

Nothing he said made any sense at all. It was such an obvious, ineptly executed scam, that the call isn’t much fun to watch …and wasn’t a lot of fun for me, either, since it was hard work trying to follow what Darius was saying and because it was so ridiculously easy to trip him up with just a few simple questions.

As I expected, it turned out to be the old “pitch deck” scam. You are required to have them produce a video pitch for you, which they will submit (for a fee) to their “VIP contacts” at the studios, because that’s the only way to get your book considered.

For this service, I would get a “certificate of submission” to prove the pitch deck was sent out. He warned me that only 50% of these submissions result in an option.

The only new twist to the scam was that he told that I would get to work with “an award-winning film advisor” and “studio manager” who is also an “award-winning director” and “film teacher.” When I asked him who this was amazing person was, with a shelf of awards, he said it was the acclaimed filmmaker Warut Snidvongs.

So I looked up Warut on imdb….and he has one short film to his credit as a “collaborating director,” and multiple credits as a grip, gaffer and camera operator. I don’t know if this Hollywood superstar is really involved with “Writer’s Edge Production” or “Hollywood Talent Agency,” but his credits don’t exactly inspire awe …or suggest he has any experience getting books adapted into movies. I mentioned this to Darius, who said Warut is widely respected all over the world and is working on a major motion picture right now called “Red Card.” So I looked that one up on imbd… it’s a Mandarin-language film, with a whopping $100,000 budget, and Warut is a lowly camera assistant on it.

I asked Darius what advice Warut, who is obviously someone very low on the Hollywood production ladder, could give me on selling my book to the movies. Poor Darius didn’t know how to deal with that question. He fumbled through an answer that didn’t make any sense. I suspect that Warut is the guy who’d be producing my useless pitch deck… if, indeed, Warut has anything to do with this lame operation.

When I revealed to Darius, mostly because I was exhausted by now trying to parse his bad English, that I am a bestselling author and experienced TV producer… and that I am well aware of the pitch deck scam…and that I take great delight in outing people like him on social media…he was flummoxed.

Darius said what they do isn’t a scam because they disclose to people that they only have “50/50 chance” of getting an offer from a studio.

I said what makes it a scam is that you aren’t actually a literary or talent agency. Studios don’t require a pitch deck with a book or screenplay submission. You don’t have any VIP connections at the studios. And you, “Darius,” aren’t who you say you are…

This is all about getting aspiring authors who know even less about Hollywood than you do to pay you outrageous amounts of money for a useless pitch deck and other “services” that will never get their book sold to anybody. But it will empty their bank accounts. That is the scam, and I will let everybody know it.

He called me an awful, dishonest person.

That almost made the half-hour I wasted on this worthwhile.

UPDATE: Here is a video of the call. 

Remembering Joseph Wambaugh

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Lee Goldberg with Joseph Wambaugh Los Angeles Times Festival of Books 2012

I’m very sad to hear about Joseph Wambaugh‘s passing.

Like my brother Tod Goldberg, who has posted a Facebook remembrance of Joe, I don’t remember how I first met him, only that he was a friend of our family for years. It was probably through my Mom, and maybe at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference. But I have all of his books signed, and several photos with him over the years.

The last time we actually saw each other face-to-face (but not the last time we talked) was at the 2012 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books…he’d asked me to interview him on stage to promote his latest HOLLYWOOD STATION novel. I was delighted to do it. I read up on his old interviews, watched on YouTube his old appearances on Johnny Carson and Tom Snyder, and figured I’d just ask him the questions I knew he already had great answers for…and a few fresh questions of my own.

We had lunch together beforehand, and it was all great….but just before we were supposed to go on stage, he pulled me aside and said…”I can’t do it. We have to cancel the interview.” I thought he was joking, but he wasn’t. He was having a panic attack. I told him you’ve been on Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin, this is nothing. I’m going to ask you softball questions you’ve been asked before, nothing you can’t answer. But he shook his head. I can’t do it. I’ve lost it. I’m terrible. I said you’ll be fine, if you don’t have the anecdote, I’ll give you a gentle reminder. You’ll kill, trust me.

And he did. He was wonderful, totally at ease, funny, insightful, his usual. But as we got off stage, he was shaking…and he said, “that’s it, I’m done. I won’t appear on stage ever again.”

To my knowledge, he never did.

But we stayed in touch. He blurbed a book of mine (KING CITY), he blurbed a book for Brash (Jack Bunker’s TRUE GRIFT…and there’s a great story behind that, too, but I will let Jack share it), and he congratulated me on LOST HILLS, which he thought was a great crime novel. I resisted the urge to ask him if I could use it as a blurb 🙂

He told me the secret to his cop novels was taking fellow cops to Ruth’s Chris, buying them a steak and some drinks, and letting them talk…and then just listening to what they had to say. Not so much to the specific stories, but the way they *told* their stories, what were the key details that matter to them, the observations they made, the language they used, how they held their bodies as they spoke… it never failed to inspire him.

And his work never failed to inspire me.

He will be missed.

Gene Hackman

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Lee with Gene Hackman in Owensboro

I was saddened to hear about Gene Hackman’s passing. I had a brief encounter with him after he retired and had become an author.

He was a guest at the International Mystery Writer’s Festival at the RiverPark Center in Owensboro, KY, which was run at the time by Zev Buffman, a well-known Broadway producer.

When I arrived, I was brought on stage, given the key to the city, a gavel making me an honorary judge advocate, and then the Governor (or was it the Secretary of State?) honored me as a Kentucky Colonel, telling me I was joining a long list of people including Pope John Paul, Elvis Presley, Florence Henderson, Teddy Rosevelt, Harlan Sanders, etc. I joked that he was making a terrible mistake, he had the wrong person, etc. There was a lot of laughs and that was that.

I was staying at the Comfort Inn, off the freeway, along with some of the other authors, but also truck drivers, traveling families, etc. It’s place people usually stay on their way to somewhere else.

So, the next moring, I went down for breakfast, and it was mobbed with people…families, screaming kids, etc. I sat down with the late Bob Levinson to eat my bagel and Gene Hackman comes in. At first, nobody noticed him. The last person you expect to see at a Comfort Inn in Owensboro is somebody famous, certainly not an Oscar winning actor.

Hackman went through the motions of gathering his breakfast, and one by one, people recognized him… they were startled. They’d did spit-takes, or jumped back, or shrieked, and on each occasion, he smiled politely and took their shock in stride. It impressed me. It was also hilarious. Bob and I could have spent all day watching people react to Gene Hackman.

Later that day, Hackman was also brought up on stage, and given the key to the city and the gavel, and then the Governor made him a Kentucky Colonel, repeating the bit that Hackman was joining such luminaries as bla bla bla bla and, of course, the Governor looked at me now with a glint in his eye, Lee Goldberg.

Later, I approached Hackman and asked if I could have my picture taken with him, and he said of course…we also exchanged signed books.

I asked him what he was doing in Owensboro, and he said that Zev had given him one of his first jobs on Broadway, so if Zev calls, he shows up. I mentioned how impressed I was by his reaction at breakfast to being recognized and he said was used to it, but it had also surprised him, because off-camera, he looks like such an “everyman,” that he can often get away unnoticed.

I think that may have been one of his great gifts as an actor. He didn’t look like a movie star. He looked like a regular guy … but I think, when he wanted to, he could also *be* one.

My Call with the “Brokers AB Literary Agency” Scammers

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Yesterday I got a phone message from “Jamie Brown” at Brokers AB, a “literary agency,” informing me that four major publishing companies wanted to buy my book for $250-400K. All Brokers AB wants in return is a 12% commission on the sale. Wow, how exciting! I googled Brokers AB, and learned they also do business as “WGA Publications,” and even have the audacity to list the Writers Guild of America website as part of their company. They are based in one of those “WeWork”-type shared offices in Oxnard, CA.  I called them back today… and played along for a while before questioning their entire, idiotic scam. Here is the entirety of the phone call.

The “Stellar Literary California” Scam

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Today I got an unsolicited call from a “business consultant” at “Stellar Literary California” offering me a literary agent and self-publishing services. His pitch quickly disintegrated without much prodding. My favorite part was when he tried to convince me that he was calling from California….and not the Philippines or somewhere like it.

I did say one thing in the conversation that wasn’t true…not that this putz would know the difference: you don’t get 100% of the royalties if you publish through KPD. What I should have said is that there is no upfront charge for formating, interior design, or a basic cover. (Sorry my disheveled appearance and the crumbs on my face… I was writing & munching popcorn when I got this call and rushed to return it).

You can learn more about “Stellar Literary” at Writer Beware

 

Six Common Scams Aimed at Writers

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Lately, I am getting swamped by email and phone with publishing scams…which is a mistake, since I am an experienced, published author. Their primary targets are self-published, inexperienced, and desperate writers, who are easy to sucker.  Here are six common scams and how to avoid them. 
 
1. If any agent asks you to pay upfront for representation or “publishing services,” it’s a SCAM. Reputable agents make their money by getting a 10-20% commission from your work (the percentage depends on whether it’s for Hollywood or print).
 
2. If any TV program or podcast asks you to pay to be a guest, it’s a SCAM. Reputable TV shows *never* ask for money…and don’t pay you to appear, either (with the exception of paying your travel and hotel if they need you to come to New York or L.A., for example, but it’s exceedingly rare in this age of Zoom etc).
 
3. If any celebrity podcast wants to pay *you* to be a guest and/or wants to access your Facebook page for a live event, it’s a SCAM.
 
4. Don’t submit your book to any so-called “literary awards” competition that charges an entry fee, especially any with a city title in their name like the Los Angeles Book Awards, Paris Books Awards, London Books Awards, etc., it’s a SCAM. The vast majority of reputable awards, from organizations like Mystery Writers of America, Western Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, etc. do not charge a fee. (I can think of only three exceptions — the Romance Writers of America, the Crime Writers of UK and Crime Writers of Australia all charge entry fees, and they shouldn’t).
 
5. Do not pay for reviews from any publication (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Midwest Book Review), nobody in the industry takes the paid reviews seriously and using one to tout your submissions to an agent or publisher marks you as an amateur hungry for praise. It’s a SCAM and those industry trade publications should be ashamed of themselves for doing it. Kirkus and Publishers Weekly seperate their “legitimate” reviews from their “paid” reviews by putting them in different, monthly sections of their magazine. I think the Kirkus one is called “Discoveries” and the PW one is called “Booklife.” As an incentive to pay for Booklife reviews, PW occasionally selects one to feature among their legitimate reviews.
 
6. If you get a call or email out of the blue from a studio, talent agency, or supposedly a big company like HBO or Disney, that wants to option the movie or TV rights to your book, and maybe even offers you a huge amount of money, but first wants you to pay to produce a “pitch deck” or “theatrical trailer,” it’s a SCAM.
 
Finally, always Google the name of the company or individual that’s hitting you up with this incredible offer… and check Writers Beware before you act on anything. If someone claims to be a big producer or director, check their credits on imdb…usually they don’t have any or they don’t even exist… or, if they do, they could be pretending to be that real individual. Contact the “famous” or “reputable” person or their agent directly, not with the contact info you’ve been given, but through contact info you’ve found on your own for their agent, office or production company, to see if the person reaching out to you is the real person or a fraud.

The “Our Film Agency” Scam

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Today I got a voice mail from “Our Film Agency” letting me know the exciting news that HBO Max is offering me $250,000 for the film rights to my book TELEVISION SERIES REVIVALS. Pretty amazing, huh? Especially for a non-fiction reference book published years ago! So I called them back and left a message…and then they called me back a few minutes later, this time claiming to be Columbia Pictures. Here’s a video of my conversation with the inept scammers.