Susan Keller

I got the most exciting email from the fourth largest talent and literary agency in the world. They loved my book, Mostly Sober: A Love Story and a Road Trip and wanted to make it into a movie!

The six-figure numbers in the email were spectacular. What a high!

But we had to move fast. The agency needed a video trailer to show producers from the biggest companies in Hollywood—you would recognize all of them—in less than two weeks. And they had just the company to do it. I sent them my e-book and $3,000.

A few days later, I received a horrible video. Most of it was a woman surrounded by alcohol and doing nothing but drinking. Even out of a bottle in a paper bag. That never happened in my book.

I went back and forth with them on the content. They were cheerful but inept.

I hadn’t told anyone about this offer except my daughter and her husband. I didn’t want to bring it up and then fail. Enter my friend, Barb. She and my daughter Elspeth are friends. Elspeth mentioned this amazing offer and Barb said, “Whoa, hold on. There are a lot of authors getting scammed.” She asked how I had paid for the video trailer. Credit card. Thank goodness. Had they gotten information about my bank routing numbers, all of my funds might have been wiped out.

Long story short: I got my money back and felt just fine about the whole thing. I thought: Maybe this is a message: I should find the agency that does book to film adaptations.

It’s remarkable how a scam can turn into an opportunity. Something that initially looked wonderful, turned out to be a hoax, then morphed into an unforeseen opportunity. I’m doing the work now.

Make your own miracles. I know you can!