Focus On Words and the Grift to Take Your Money
I'm so tired.
You might remember a piece I wrote a few months ago about a company called Wrote By Me, later rebranded as Focus On Words, which I called out as a scam. Well, the scam has grown like mold. So let’s talk about it.
(If you haven’t read my last article, I recommend catching up here.)
At the time of my last article, Focus On Words offered a murky, convoluted service that turned out to be, very simply, a landing page. Think Shopify, but pretending it’s more. Authors could link to their books across platforms, with priority given to purchases made through Focus On Words. In theory, this meant higher royalties. In practice, it changed almost nothing for authors.
It’s not an inherently bad service. Lots of services offer a mini website landing page. They’re just typically cheaper, clearer, and more honest than what Focus On Words.
The real problem isn’t that Focus On Words is offering an expensive mini website, its that they claimed to be so more. They misled authors offering free ISBNs that I don’t think ever happened. They promised marketing, which turned out to be an AI chatbot, not surprisingly for the same price as ChatGPT. They hyped up a discoverable online bookstore to rival Amazon which… still hasn’t launched.
Likewise, their website holds no information about any of these services. In fact since my last article there is even LESS information on the website. Their terms of service don’t match what they claim to offer. And to find out what they actually do? You have to book a call with the CEO.
None of this is normal. And while their CEO would like to label it “revolutionary”, he’d tell us “we just can’t comprehend with our little minds what he’s doing”, the truth is simply that he knows nothing about the industry, its standards, its laws and regulations. That’s not revolutionary to me. It’s snake oil. It’s fraud.
And here the thing. I wanted this to be real. I wanted someone to build a genuine alternative to Amazon. But as I watched CEO, Django DeGree, show his true motives and values online, I realized this was a scam through and through.
Prince Charming is a MLM Salesman
DeGree posts 3–5 marketing TikToks every day. They’re slick, fast-talking videos that say very little. He’s confusing and opaque on purpose, sometimes starting with a common author question that he never ends up answering. Over two or three months, I watched him insult authors who asked basic questions. Berate people who pointed out his misinformation. Then I watched him parrot their corrections in his next video like he’d known it all along. Like he hadn’t JUST learned that information from people he dismissed.
And unless you’ve been watching closely, you’d miss it. If you see just one or two videos, he sounds confident, sounds like a solution. If you're a new or overwhelmed author, his pitch might feel like a lifeline. That’s exactly who he targets. Because if you know the industry, you’re not easy to con. You ask too many questions. You might even recognize he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
It’s giving MLM salesman. Why put the information transparently on the website where you can critically think about it? Not when they can trap you in a meeting and create fake exclusivity and urgency. They don’t give you the opportunity to realize you should absolutely walk away. It’s the same energy here.
This man, this company, doesn’t care about indie authors. Your manuscript is their path to a paycheck and they’ll say whatever you want to hear in order to take part of your art.
Insert Grift 2.0
Now Focus On Words claims to be a traditional publisher. And are we surprised? DeGree got the idea while hosting his zoom info session on the upcoming online bookstore launch. When asked a question by an attending author, DeGree relented that Focus On Words was akin to a hybrid publisher, but the idea clearly bloomed into something bigger after the session was over, as he raced to social media a mere days later to announce they’ve been “funded” (no details about what that means of course) and that if you’ve ever wanted to be traditionally published, now’s your chance.
No agent needed. Just hand over your manuscript and your personal info, which they’ll run through AI. If you're selected, you can pay them $100 per month for their shiny new publishing services.
Let’s be clear, they contract out these services. They invest nothing in your work. You could hire your own freelance editor, formatter, or designer, etc. That can be overwhelming, which is why many authors might lean on a company or consultant to do it for them. But there are trusted, author-vetted platforms like the Independent Authors Exchange (IAX), Author Guild, that you should use instead of Focus On Words. You can even use Reedsy, IngramSpark, who have robust tools and education with no middle man.
If you let Focus On Words take care of things for you, here’s what that tender loving care looks like:
No advance (author paycheck)
You pay $100 per month
No agent to advocate for you or explain your contract or legalese
No clear information up front
A “publisher” that offers less than you could get on your own
And if you haven’t gotten it by now, let me be abundantly clear, Focus On Words
Focus On Words is charging authors for outsourced services, offering no real investment in return, then collecting royalties. They get paid twice in a grift they hope you are too dumb to notice.
But real publishers don’t charge you. The money flows to the author. Always.
So let’s discuss how Trad publishing is supposed to work so that you and others can protect yourselves.
Traditional Publishing
In general, an author seeking traditional publication submits their manuscript to literary agents. If a literary agent thinks they can sell your book, they offer you representation and work with the author to prepare the manuscript for submission to publishers. They do not get paid unless you get published. Then, just as the author searched for a good match in an agent, the agent then searches for the right publisher for the book.
If a publisher makes an offer, the agent helps the author negotiate the contract. This step is crucial (especially for new authors) because literary agents are experts in the legal and business aspects of publishing. They know how to spot red flags in contracts, and they advocate for fair terms on behalf of the author.
Once the contract is signed, the author may receive an advance. This is your paycheck. Unless you're a household name like Stephen King or V.E. Schwab, this likely won’t be a life-changing sum, but it's a gesture of the publisher's investment in the book.
From there, the publisher takes on the production of the book: multiple rounds of editing, professional cover design, marketing strategy, distribution, and—if the publisher has the resources—book tour planning. There are always exceptions to this process, but in broad strokes, this is the industry standard.
Scammers in publishing are nothing new, but they are getting more savvy. They show up on your social media speaking the language, promising shortcuts and an easy path. But all they’re really offering is a paywall wrapped in charisma.
You deserve better.
Protect yourself. Ask hard questions. Get second opinions. Learn what you don’t know. There’s a whole community of indie authors who’ve walked this road before you and would love to help. You just have to ask.
And if you don’t have anyone to ask, well… you can start by asking me.
Happy writing!