[scottdouglas]

I don’t know about these guys, but I do recommend Mark Dawson’s course if you really want to learn the business. I don’t think you really need any course while you’re first starting out though. You’ll find plenty of good tips here that will help get you started.

 

[ASG]

Bryan Cohen also has a good course, with even a free version which he makes available 4 times a year. Learned a lot with that one.

 

[......~......]

The thing about the popular self-publishing gurus is that they often don’t share what they actually do to get those sales, or that rank or whatever.

But I’m sure there’s no shortage of people willing to hand them cash to learn the “secrets” which will never be shared in the courses.

 

[Al Garete]

So I am on Youtube and researching about kindle publishing, and I'm seeing a LOT of ads from a pair of young guys called the Mikkelsen Twins. They claim to be making a six figure income from publishing with something called "ghost audio". Apparently the premise is, based on their presentation, that they outsource material and then publish it for profits. This sounds interesting but as anything with online marketing these days I'm a bit of a skeptic. I've done some research elsewhere and from what I can determine they aren't in cahoots with any "credible" authors or anyone in the publishing space.

Is it a scam and if so why in the world is Youtube allowing these guys to promote? What's the general consensus on these blokes?

Edited to restore the thread's original title. KBoards' prefers specific, evidence-based descriptions to name-calling. Drop me a PM if you have any questions. - Becca

Edited to change the thread title again. Further alterations will result in thread lock.

These twin guys from Publishing Life pretend to be friendly and helpful. My experience is very different. About 2 months ago I bought the course for nearly $1500. I studied every night after my full time job, I spent every weekend learning and arranging all the necessary stuff in order to publish my first book, and I didn't really bother the customer support much because I wanted to get through the very information overloaded course. I got really frustrated and lost and I voiced my frustrations to the customer support. Just after 2 emails back and forth, I got threatened that criticizing the content of the course is not allowed. After my next normal email, the customer service guy cut me off and refunded my money. No explanation other than I don't fit to the culture. Nobody asked me why I was so frustrated, nobody gave me a fair warning, our loving Twins just cut me off after all the work I have done. I wasn't born yesterday and I can see clearly through their business model. But I wanted to learn how to publish a book and maybe change a couple of things in my life as a result, so I gave it an honest go. There is a lot of nice pep talk, but the reality is very different.

When they lure people into buying their course, they say that they will do anything to make the member succeed. I have worked so hard on this for 8 weeks straight and only one time I voiced my frustrations, without any bad language or anything like that, and our loving Twins decided to cut me off, without a chance to explain why I was so frustrated with the course. If you think that this course is just a step by step manual on self publishing, and that you can easily do it if you are a single mom with 3 kids, think again. But that is the business model of so many courses out there from day trading to self publishing.

These twins really disappointed me great deal, and not because of their fame driven fake attitude, but how cold blooded they are if someone simply doesn't fit into their little click. I bot the course, I have worked hard on it for 8 weeks and because of my first frustration with the content of the course, they found inconvenient and closed my account, with a really weak and lame BS explanation via their customer support guy. They know exactly how they are playing the odds and large numbers. I do not wish them well because they hit me below the waste line and I hope people will not be fooled like I was. I just hope I can find another resource and continue.

 

[Bite the Dusty]

These twin guys from Publishing Life pretend to be friendly and helpful. My experience is very different. About 2 months ago I bought the course for nearly $1500. I studied every night after my full time job, I spent every weekend learning and arranging all the necessary stuff in order to publish my first book, and I didn't really bother the customer support much because I wanted to get through the very information overloaded course. I got really frustrated and lost and I voiced my frustrations to the customer support. Just after 2 emails back and forth, I got threatened that criticizing the content of the course is not allowed. After my next normal email, the customer service guy cut me off and refunded my money. No explanation other than I don't fit to the culture. Nobody asked me why I was so frustrated, nobody gave me a fair warning, our loving Twins just cut me off after all the work I have done. I wasn't born yesterday and I can see clearly through their business model. But I wanted to learn how to publish a book and maybe change a couple of things in my life as a result, so I gave it an honest go. There is a lot of nice pep talk, but the reality is very different. When they lure people into buying their course, they say that they will do anything to make the member succeed. I have worked so hard on this for 8 weeks straight and only one time I voiced my frustrations, without any bad language or anything like that, and our loving Twins decided to cut me off, without a chance to explain why I was so frustrated with the course. If you think that this course is just a step by step manual on self publishing, and that you can easily do it if you are a single mom with 3 kids, think again. But that is the business model of so many courses out there from day trading to self publishing. These twins really disappointed me great deal, and not because of their fame driven fake attitude, but how cold blooded they are if someone simply doesn't fit into their little click. I bot the course, I have worked hard on it for 8 weeks and because of my first frustration with the content of the course, they found inconvenient and closed my account, with a really weak and lame BS explanation via their customer support guy. They know exactly how they are playing the odds and large numbers. I do not wish them well because they hit me below the waste line and I hope people will not be fooled like I was. I just hope I can find another resource and continue.

Don't fit in with their "culture"? Got a refund? I call that a win.

Save that $1,500 for editing, a cover, and ads. And take the advice in the posts right above yours. There's so much free information available, all you need to get started and a bunch of helpful people are around if you just do the work and ask questions when need be.

 

[ASG]

After my next normal email, the customer service guy cut me off and refunded my money.

You're very lucky they gave you that refund. I'm surprised they did.

 

[travelinged]

There are so many good courses on writing and marketing that are free or close to it, and books galore. Subscribe to Joanna Penn's news alerts and listen to her podcasts (free!); ditto for Dave Gaughrin. Also Dave Chesson who developed Publisher Rocket. And Reedsy. There are step-by-step publishing guides that simplify things. Master all that, and keep learning. Whether or not they are intended that way, most other courses seem designed to separate writers from their money. Even if they are good, most aren't necessary and paying more doesn't seem to add value somehow. .

 

[David VanDyke]

There are several real courses for half that money that will give you good info and respond well with customer service. I recommend Nick Stephenson's course, myself, but there are others.

Whatever course you are looking at, do some research. Ask around. Ask here.

 

[Tinna Marie]

So I am on Youtube and researching about kindle publishing, and I'm seeing a LOT of ads from a pair of young guys called the Mikkelsen Twins. They claim to be making a six figure income from publishing with something called "ghost audio". Apparently the premise is, based on their presentation, that they outsource material and then publish it for profits. This sounds interesting but as anything with online marketing these days I'm a bit of a skeptic. I've done some research elsewhere and from what I can determine they aren't in cahoots with any "credible" authors or anyone in the publishing space.

Is it a scam and if so why in the world is Youtube allowing these guys to promote? What's the general consensus on these blokes?

Edited to restore the thread's original title. KBoards' prefers specific, evidence-based descriptions to name-calling. Drop me a PM if you have any questions. - Becca

Edited to change the thread title again. Further alterations will result in thread lock.

The question I always ask myself is “If you were super quickly financially successful at this, why would you want to spend your time to sell it to someone else unless you needed money?”

 

[KingAuthor]

I'm 100% sure whatever I say about these guys will be ridiculed. That's what people do here. But you asked, so I answered. I took the course so I'm not pontificating. I do know know these guys personally. DM me and I'll show you my income reports.

Firstly, I hear you and your caution with online money-making programs. However, this is LIBELOUS. They're not scams.
If they are scams, then scores of real students who vouch for them are also scams. Who would want that sort of publicity? It's their face everywhere and the twins spend a lot of money on ads, as you know. I supposed we all got scammed and no one wants to admit it. Honestly, that's a lot of money to be scammed for. If it were true, you'd hear a lot about it.

YOU've blocked off ace=cess to your profile and it gives no button or method to "DM" you. So I cannot request the income reports you've referenced. I'm willing to be gullible, to listen to what you have to report... but apparently , no access.

 

[Lucy's Pa]

I'm not a writer, nor am I a publisher. A few hours ago I fell down a YouTube "Rabbit Hole". I started out watching videos on how to pour a concrete patio. Those turned into a couple vids on woodworking which somehow morphed into a sales pitch having something to do with publishing books on Audible. I had no idea that I NEEDED to learn how to self publish. Thankfully the "twins" did. They even invited me to join them in their Exclusive Members Only section. Imagine my delight.
I was born at night, but not last night baby. I knew these two were snake oil hustlers from the start, yet, somehow they sucked me in. I'm ashamed to say that I almost fell for the slick, polished pile of S#(+ they were selling. Thankfully, they educated me on how to use specific words when doing a Web search. Key Words, I believe they called them. I typed in the company name and the key word "scam". Guess what popped up? This thread, that's what. All I can say is, THANKYOU. Ya'll saved me a couple thousand dollars. But mostly, you saved me the embarrassment of explaining the charge on the American Express card to my wife. I already had to explain the fishing gear I impulsively bought last week.
I will say this, .......... They're Slick! Really slick. I know better and I almost fell. Shame on me. The worst part........The 3 hours of sleep I missed.
Good night, and thanks again ya'll.

 

[David VanDyke]

And fishing gear might even, in some universes, yield fish.

 

[Desmond X. Torres]

You want to make money at this game?
First learn how to write a good story. That's the toughest part. Become familiar w/ the fundamentals. On Writing is a good place to begin, but Sandra Gerth and Fiction U have wonderful resources at reasonable prices.

Then write a few books and stick em in a drawer for a while.
Then follow and read all the free stuff the following people have up:
Dawson
Gaughrin
Cohen
Chesson

Then spend some $ on:
-Dawson's Ads for Authors

• Chesson's Kindleprenuer program
• whatever the hell Gaughrin's selling (he gives so much away for free I feel guilty)

THEN look your books over. You've had them professionally edited by now, right? RIGHT?
Find covers in your genre you like and contact the authors for a referral. 99% of them will tell you straight up if it's not in their copyright page.

Rinse and repeat.
Took me & my wife 5 years to make $ at this, and now 8 years in we're blessed.

 

[Adrian1040]

And another first post that doesn't smell like elephant dung at all. Nothing dodgy here, especially not the bolded parts and the screams of libel. How is it that you shills aren't smart enough to post something that doesn't scream bullcrap?

Did you get the course done? I am deciding on buying the course. If many people say it is a scam and many people are Saying that is it here good course to take. Who should I believe in! I like the students that are so successful, I don’t know them personally only the ads. What should I invest in, not the course or something else. How long does it take to have the one-year course learned? Is the course six hours per day? Is the course only a two minutes a day? I would like some comments, please!

 

[ASG]

Did you get the course done? I am deciding on buying the course. If many people say it is a scam and many people are Saying that is it here good course to take. Who should I believe in! I like the students that are so successful, I don’t know them personally only the ads. What should I invest in, not the course or something else. How long does it take to have the one-year course learned? Is the course six hours per day? Is the course only a two minutes a day? I would like some comments, please!

It's not a matter of how many say it's good vs how many say it's bad. Read the actual comments. See what experienced writers have said about it. And notice how all the positive stuff come from folks who only signed up to post that ONE message (not fishy at all). Then draw your own conclusions.

It's really not rocket science

 

[unkownwriter]

They're Slick!

That's how these folks convince others to spend money. It's nothing new. Remember the easy millions in real estate stuff? Or how to make loads of money selling products to your friends and having it drop-shipped? Make a thousand dollars a month stuffing envelopes?

There are always people looking for an easy way to make money, and a bunch more willing to sell them that easy way.

Look, hiring ghostwriters isn't new. Those twins didn't come up with that, it's been going on since people started writing. This scheme of doing audio books likely wasn't their idea, either. I mean, an audio is just a narrated story, which can be ghostwritten.

There's no such thing as passive income from writing. You'll always have to be doing something to keep it all working and selling. It's work. Plain and simple.

 

[Mdan1984]

I was also curious, and finally, I thought I'd give it a try. Thinking about the worst-case I'll ask for a refund. But when I joined the course, and the FB community group I realized that this really works. All you need is to learn and show the dedication to apply what you learn. The results are not the same for everyone, I just started week 2 of the course now and tbh I learned a lot. Not sure if I'm gonna get the results like others in the group who's making 10k or more p.m. but it's worth the price and a legitimate one. They do live Q&A call biweekly, this made me satisfied that people are real and I can ask all my questions.

Hello. So how did you make out with go publishing? I was going to try but chickened out in the end. You made this post I’m replying to in 2020. Its2022. Was it worth it? You making at least “some” money?
melt ne know I’d greatly appreciate it.
Mike D norwegian86@hotmail.com

 

[unkownwriter]

You need to remove your email, as this forum can be read by anybody.

That said, no one is making any money off this scheme other than the two who are pushing to people who don't know any better. Notice that not one single person who is actually writing books believes any of that nonsense? Because it is nothing but nonsense.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: there is no easy passive income from writing. None at all. There's no easy way to "make a million from Kindle". None at all.

Heck, even these twins are hustling their butts off, selling a dream to people who ought to have more sense.

 

[John Wurf]

If it smells like monkey dung, get out of the jungle. Trust your gut.

I would've thought if you smell monkey dung, it's safe to stay in the jungle. If a monkey can survive there, maybe you can too.

I'd be more worried if it's monkey carcass you smell, now that's a jungle you wan out.

 

[Jrwallzy]

So I am on Youtube and researching about kindle publishing, and I'm seeing a LOT of ads from a pair of young guys called the Mikkelsen Twins. They claim to be making a six figure income from publishing with something called "ghost audio". Apparently the premise is, based on their presentation, that they outsource material and then publish it for profits. This sounds interesting but as anything with online marketing these days I'm a bit of a skeptic. I've done some research elsewhere and from what I can determine they aren't in cahoots with any "credible" authors or anyone in the publishing space.

Is it a scam and if so why in the world is Youtube allowing these guys to promote? What's the general consensus on these blokes?

Edited to restore the thread's original title. KBoards' prefers specific, evidence-based descriptions to name-calling. Drop me a PM if you have any questions. - Becca

Edited to change the thread title again. Further alterations will result in thread lock.

They literally edited themselves onto the cover of Forbes :')