Tim O’Hearn here—I’m the guy who wrote Framed: A Villain’s Perspective on Social Media. As the initial chaos of the independent book launch has died down, I’ve entered a new phase. Influential people are starting to share feedback after having read my book and I’ve been forced to assess my early marketing efforts in terms of dollar signs, success, and failure.

I’m the featured guest on two podcasts that are being published this week. The first, which is already available on Spotify and other streaming platforms (but not YouTube—yet), is Dr. Christopher Loo’s Financial Freedom Podcast.

The thirty-minute conversation covered my work, my book, and how this “side hustle,” like many SaaS businesses, actually provided a path to financial freedom. Dr. Loo is a prolific podcaster and he spent a significant amount of time researching topics relevant to my book. I really enjoyed the conversation.

If you find yourself looking for more, I’ll be featured in the newest episode of Scale Tales with Alicia Butler Pierre on April 6th. This interview was both long form story telling as well as a sharp question and answer session with Alicia. I’m saying this before I have a chance to review the final product—this is an appearance you shouldn’t miss. Set a reminder for this Sunday.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from Literary Titan and… a scam?

One murky aspect of publishing is the “editorial review.” I’ll write more about these at some other time, but the idea is that the author or publisher pays a trusted entity for an “honest” critical review which is then potentially used in marketing materials.

Yes, this is a pay to play practice. So far, I’ve received quite a few editorial reviews, both from individuals (like Chris Buetti, Dr. Kallie Pearl, and Tim Grossmann) and from independent review businesses.

It’s awkward and “murky” because an editorial reviewer needs to maintain some objectivity while also not being so negative that authors are discouraged from applying. My very first editorial review from an entity was a five-star, but it was very poorly written, so I didn’t promote it. I then checked the other recipients, and pretty much all of them were also five stars, even the ones where the Amazon blurbs were filled with errors or detailed very sketchy plot lines.

Today, I received a five-star review from Literary Titan. Although this is a lesser-known operation, it’s clear that my reviewer is an experienced critic, writer, and reader. The review was positive and it validates a lot of what went into writing my book.

Of course, the suspicion is that this is not the NYT Book Review, nor is it Kirkus. But, I’m willing to pay for feedback, even while admitting that there is a positive spin for marketing purposes. As these reviews accumulate alongside traditional reviews, I’m looking forward to seeing how my book stacks up.

What about the scam?

In my final note on this topic, I paid another provider to solicit twenty editorial reviews from their non-professional reader base. To be clear: these do not get posted to Amazon, these are only for feedback and marketing purposes.

Unfortunately, after a month, I could see that my book was still not posted to their platform, and multiple attempts at contact went unanswered. So, we’re looking at somewhere between incompetence and an abject scam. Once the Paypal dispute is handled, I’ll post a more thorough review of the experience on my blog. But, yeah, I’m out $300, and after criticizing the practice in my book, I’ve submitted my first-ever payment dispute.

Last Chance to Buy Framed for $0.99!

By my estimate, less than 15% of this mailing list has purchased Framed. No, it’s not a book that is going to teach you how to make money. No, it’s probably never going to become a screenplay. But, as the evidence accumulates, people are finding that the book has merit.

I’ve kept the prices depressed in order to get it out there. I’ve sent out dozens and dozens of promotional copies, including to the Arctic Circle!

Now that there is a consistent stream of daily sales and I have a better idea of what does and doesn’t work in the advertising space, I’m increasing the price to $1.99 (or, two dollars) this weekend. This is your last chance to buy the book for $0.99.

I will remind readers of two things:

1. If you don’t like the book, email me explaining why, and I’ll refund you in full.

2. If you pre-ordered the book, finished it, and want to read more, I’ll send you the banned chapter. So far, over 40 people have yet to claim this!

The “true” price of the ebook is roughly $7.99, and I anticipate increasingly the price steadily through the summer. I hope you will consider supporting this effort, and, if you like the book, I also hope you’ll consider leaving a five star review.