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PageTurner Press and Media was not a publisher. Federal prosecutors say it was a front for a scheme that told authors their books had been chosen for publishing deals and film adaptations, then collected upfront fees. If you paid PageTurner, your manuscript is still yours, and it can still become a real book.
Tell us your title and what PageTurner told you. A specialist replies within one business day with where you stand, and nothing is charged unless you approve a written scope.
By Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Updated October 27, 2026
The short answer
PageTurner Press and Media LLC was a fictitious publishing company used in a fraud scheme that ran from 2017 to 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. Callers posing as literary agents and publishing or studio executives told authors, many of them seniors, that their books had been selected for publishing deals or film adaptations, then collected upfront fees for supposed taxes and transaction fees. Four people were charged, the PageTurner domain was seized, and on May 7, 2026 the founder of the Philippines call center behind the scheme pled guilty. Prosecutors put the victims at more than 800 and the losses at over $48 million. Your manuscript remains yours, and Columbia Publication can publish it properly, with a written scope and price before any payment.
Prices checked October 27, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
The money hurts. The way it was taken hurts more.
PageTurner’s callers told writers their work had been chosen, which is the one thing every writer hopes to hear. Then the fees started: taxes, transfer charges, contract costs, each presented as the last step before the deal closed. For many authors the result was years of payments, no published book, and a reluctance to trust anyone in publishing again.
That caution is right. It is also why your next step should be a company you can check before you pay anything: a written scope, a fixed price, accounts in your own name, and no fee that has to be paid to release a deal.
The public record
Everything below comes from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 to 2024 | PageTurner Press and Media LLC, incorporated in California in September 2017, presents itself as a book publisher in Chula Vista while callers sell fake publishing and film deals. | U.S. Attorney, May 7, 2026 |
| January 15, 2025 | Three defendants indicted for mail and wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy; the PageTurner internet domain is seized. | U.S. Attorney, January 2025 |
| May 7, 2026 | The founder and chief executive of Innocentrix Philippines pleads guilty; losses put at over $48 million, more than 800 victims, more than $6 million seized. | U.S. Attorney, May 7, 2026 |
Prosecutors named two other fictitious companies used in the scheme: The Metro Films LLC and WP Lighthouse LLC. Other defendants were awaiting trial when the guilty plea was announced. Case number 24CR2712-JLS.
What happened
According to federal prosecutors, PageTurner Press and Media LLC was one of several fictitious companies used to run a nationwide book publishing scam from 2017 to 2024. Callers working from a call center in the Philippines posed as literary agents and as executives at publishers and film studios. They told authors, most of them seniors, that their manuscripts had been selected for publishing contracts or Hollywood adaptations, then demanded upfront payments such as “pre-payment of taxes and transaction fees” before any deal could go ahead (U.S. Attorney’s Office).
In January 2025 a federal grand jury in San Diego indicted three people, and authorities seized the PageTurner domain (U.S. Attorney’s Office). On May 7, 2026, the founder of the call center pled guilty. Prosecutors described more than 800 victims, losses over $48 million and more than $6 million seized from linked accounts.
Columbia Publication is a paid publishing service with a commercial interest in this topic. We are not part of the case and cannot recover funds. Not legal advice.
First, report it
Keep every email, invoice and payment record. Any recovery happens through the court and the authorities, never through a company that contacts you offering to get your money back for a fee.
Want to talk it through before deciding anything?
Talk to a SpecialistYour book
Yes. Copyright belongs to you as the author from the moment you wrote the book, and paying a company that never published it does not transfer it. If PageTurner sent you anything described as a contract, keep it with your records, and we will look at it with you before any work starts.
If PageTurner or a related company did put an edition of your book on sale, a new edition under your own ISBN, in retailer accounts registered to you, becomes the version readers find.
Publishing safely
The tests that would have exposed PageTurner work on any company, including us:
When it is done
This time the book is real: edited, designed, on sale at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and orderable by your local library. You know exactly what you paid for because you approved it line by line, the accounts carry your name, and the royalties go straight to you.
Publishing it properly
Published flat fees, a written scope before any payment, and nothing ever charged to release a deal.
Ready to publish
$1,499
For a manuscript that has already been professionally edited: cover design, print and ebook interiors, ISBNs and setup in your own KDP and IngramSpark accounts.
A finished book on sale everywhere, for less than many PageTurner victims were asked to pay in a single “fee.”
4 to 5 weeks
Talk to a SpecialistMost chosen
$2,499
Global Publish plus a full proofread, a hardcover edition and a named project manager you can call.
One accountable person you can reach, every step approved by you, and a clean, corrected book at the end.
7 to 9 weeks
Talk to a SpecialistEdited and launched
$4,999
A full copyedit, Amazon keyword and category work, an author website and a press release, on top of Full Production.
The editing and launch work a real publisher does, written down and checkable, instead of a promise on a phone call.
Schedule set in your written quote
Talk to a SpecialistProtections we put in writing
Paid in full only after you approve a written scope and price. We never ask for taxes, transfer fees or any payment to release a deal.
What you can count on
How it runs
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemised quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Written quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
No. Federal prosecutors describe PageTurner Press and Media LLC as a fictitious company used in a fraud scheme. Its internet domain was seized in January 2025.
No. Recovery runs through the federal case and the authorities. Be wary of anyone who offers to recover your money for an upfront fee, which is a common follow-up scam.
Yes. You hold the copyright as the author, and paying PageTurner did not transfer it. If you signed anything, we review it with you before work starts.
Check before you trust us. We publish our prices, put every scope and price in writing before payment, never charge fees to release a deal, and register your book in accounts in your own name. Our verification page lists how to confirm who we are.
Prosecutors named The Metro Films LLC, presented as a film and sound recording business in Los Angeles, and WP Lighthouse LLC, presented as a book publisher in Indianapolis.
Most books are on sale in 4 to 9 weeks once you approve the written scope. Editing adds time, and your schedule is set in writing with your quote.
Tell us your title and what you were promised. A specialist replies within one business day, and nothing is charged unless you approve a written scope.
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