A few weeks ago, self-proclaimed self-publishing “guru” Emeka Ossai announced plans to close his My Self Publishing Blueprint course. I had written a blog on Emeka where I questioned his claims of the self-publishing success on which he founded the legitimacy of his course. I was relieved recently to see he was closing the course, but I wondered what he would do next. He answered my question with a loudspeaker.
Emeka promises 12 Zoom calls with him over an 8-to-15-month timeframe.
Emeka sent me an email with my name and wrote, “Jermaine I made this just for you, please give it a look and let me know what you think.” I’m not sure it was sent specifically to me or if it was a mass email with my name on it. Anyway, the email led me to a Google Doc with Emeka pitching 12 calls with him for nearly $5,000.
In the document, he promises 12 Zoom calls over an 8-to-15-month timeframe with unlimited emails. These calls and emails with him will supposedly help self-publishers increase profit.
I have a few contentions with his offer. One issue is, Emeka mentions a book he’s working on and promises the book will be a major success. For the five years I’ve been following Emeka, I haven’t seen any of his books, not even on Amazon. He claims to have sold thousands but has offered no verifiable proof.
Moreover, he didn’t even name the current book he’s working on. Even if he is really working on one, he’s banned on Amazon. I’m not sure he’s sold as many books as he claims.
What can Emeka tell you for $416 an hour?
The salesman that he is, Emeka claims the $4,997-course is “technically free” since it is one’s investment in one’s self. This is such a condescending way of selling things to your audience. He’s basically saying, “They’re so dumb, they’ll pay me and think it’s free.”
Also, at $4,997 total for the 12 Zoom calls and some emails, that’s the equivalent of paying Emeka roughly $416 per hour. What can he tell you for $416 an hour you can’t learn with a little YouTube focus and books, if you want?
Moreover, Emeka plays some reverse psychology in his document by saying he is only accepting 4 – 5 self-publishers. Basically, he pulled the ole, “Hurry up and buy because space is limited.”
He isn’t even trying to sell anymore. He isn’t hustling. He’s sending out emails and promising Zoom calls to avoid any heavy lifting.
Emeka declares results are not guaranteed.
Five grand is a lot of money, and if you have it, you’re better off throwing it in a pit of fire than giving it to Emeka. Even with all his hype about his Zoom calls, he declares results are not guaranteed. It’s a gamble. Remember, no matter how much you think you’re winning, the House always wins in the end.
Jermaine Reed, MFA is a college professor and writer from Chicago, who creates fiction, nonfiction and local and national news stories. Subscribe and share to get new blog posts, writing advice and free books. Get his recently released Science Fiction novel A Glitch in Humanity by clicking here. Follow J Reed on Twitter @jreed913.
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