Author Shelby Wagner was welcomed recently into Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon-cutting.
Her most-recent book is “Learning to Dance in the Rain II – Surviving Grief, Internet Dating and Romance Scams.”
Getting the word out to beware of romance scams is her passion. Wagner lives in Sturgis and her business is writing, but writers also must be marketers, she said. No one buys books they know nothing about.
Recently, she was surprised when a stranger asked, “How’s your book doing? I see it’s all over the internet.”
Also “all over the internet” are romance scams, Wagner said.
“They are spreading like wildfire across America leaving in their wake broken hearts and emptied bank accounts,” she said.
Romance scams are an epidemic that gets little attention, but in 2019 became the costliest of all scams ever reported to FBI/FTC, she said — almost a half-billion dollars.
Wagner is uncertain how many book copies she has sold, but believes the most important thing is “how many people have benefited from reading my book?”
Readers who write a review of books on Amazon, Google My Business, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads also help an author spread the message.
Currently, Wagner’s book is on display at a dozen national and international book festivals.
Shelby’s awards include:
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2021 Living Now Book Awards Silver Medal: Relationship/Marriage.
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Firebird Book Award in Grief/Hardship.
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Royal Dragonfly Book Award in the Grief.
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Finalist Award for “Book of the Year” 2021.
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Honorable Mention in the South California Book Festival.
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Honorable Mention in the New England Book Festival.
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Award from Reader Views – Five Star Review.
It is available at the Coldwater chamber of commerce office; online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Walmart.com; and may be ordered at nearly any bookstore.
Wagner is available to speak to groups regarding the topic.
Links and contact:
Her website, bit.ly/3GmWckM; YouTube.com/shelbywagner; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Email: shelby@jayellez.com and Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Author exposing internet romance scams joins chamber of commerce
