Life's tough for millionaire bestselling authors. After slaving away to complete their books, they have to spend hours signing autographs for special promotions. Hard on the writing hand.
One resourceful publisher tried to find a way around this by posting an ad on Craiglist. The ad seeks to recruit a team of part-time workers to fake the autographs of famous authors.
The New York based blog, Gawker, spotted the ad but hasn't been able to identify the publisher. They could tell it was a major player, judging from the scale of the operation.
A Guardian article provides the details:
One resourceful publisher tried to find a way around this by posting an ad on Craiglist. The ad seeks to recruit a team of part-time workers to fake the autographs of famous authors.
The New York based blog, Gawker, spotted the ad but hasn't been able to identify the publisher. They could tell it was a major player, judging from the scale of the operation.
A Guardian article provides the details:
The advert says it is looking for 14 people who can do a blitz of false autograph signing on behalf of two unnamed co-authors of a newly released, and equally anonymous, book.
"You will need to be able to copy the look and style of both author's signatures," it says.
In return, the successful applicants will be paid $25 (£13) for 200 books signed.
The advert says the fake signing, to be held in Los Angeles, will run over two days at eight hours a day.
Each signing will take 15 seconds or less, and at that rate the team of 14 could sign up to 53,760 copies.
With consumers facing rising prices and less disposable income these days, it may require sacrifice to find the dollars to purchase a book. It's an insult for a publisher to pass off bogus signatures as the real thing - recruiting and paying teams of fakers to do the job makes it seem not merely cynical, but crooked.
Well known authors owe their success to the reading public. The least they can do is sign their own name. If it starts to get arduous there is always Bengay, or possible a tensor bandage to help them make it through autograph hell.
Well known authors owe their success to the reading public. The least they can do is sign their own name. If it starts to get arduous there is always Bengay, or possible a tensor bandage to help them make it through autograph hell.
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