Publishing.com Honest Review: Scam or Legit?

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their success story with publishing.com's AI Publishing Academy, having learned self-publishing from the Mickelson twins' YouTube channel. They detail their journey from struggling with coaching to achieving financial freedom through self-publishing, debunking scam accusations by showing their $451,000 royalty earnings. They address common concerns about the course, market saturation, and the refund policy, advocating for the course's value and offering personal bonuses for joining.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker has been a student at the AI Publishing Academy for over 5 years and has had significant success in self-publishing.
• 💡 Initially, the speaker lost money trying to self-publish without proper guidance and had a poor experience with a paid coach.
• 🔑 The speaker credits the Mickelson twins' free YouTube videos for providing valuable knowledge that helped them succeed in self-publishing.
• 🌍 The speaker was able to quit their job, live a digital nomad lifestyle, and even meet the Mickelson twins, thanks to the success of their self-publishing business.
• 💰 The speaker has made substantial passive income from their initial work in self-publishing, which continues to pay dividends years later.
• 📈 The speaker shows a royalty income of $451,000, emphasizing that this is only a part of their total earnings from various publishing platforms.
• 🤔 The speaker addresses skepticism about the course's legitimacy by explaining the nature of book publishing royalties and the enduring demand for books.
• 🚫 The speaker defends the course against accusations of being a scam, pointing out that the success of the business model is based on the timeless practice of book selling.
• 🔄 The speaker discusses market saturation, arguing that the publishing market is not saturated and that new opportunities for success continually arise.
• 💼 The speaker clarifies the refund policy of the course, explaining that it encourages students to complete the process of publishing a book before considering a refund.
• 🏆 The speaker explains why the Mickelson twins sell the course instead of just self-publishing, highlighting the greater profitability of educating a large audience.

Q & A

What is the speaker's background with the AI publishing Academy?

The speaker has been a student of the AI publishing Academy for over 5 years and has learned about self-publishing and publishing audiobooks from the Mickelson twins' free YouTube videos.

Why did the speaker initially struggle with self-publishing?

The speaker struggled because there was no proper course or roadmap available at the time, leading to significant financial loss and a poor experience with a paid coach.

What was the turning point for the speaker in their self-publishing journey?

The turning point was when the speaker decided to trust their gut, fire their expensive coach, and follow the free videos by the Mickelson twins, which eventually allowed them to quit their job and live a digital nomad lifestyle.

How has the speaker's life changed since adopting the self-publishing methods taught by the AI publishing Academy?

The speaker was able to quit their job, travel extensively, live in different parts of Asia and Australia, and meet the Mickelson twins. They have not had a traditional job since and enjoy a high degree of freedom in their life.

What is the speaker's perspective on the passive income generated from self-publishing?

The speaker believes that much of the money they make now is passive, stemming from the initial work done in the first couple of years, which continues to generate royalties repeatedly.

How does the speaker address the criticism and skepticism about the AI publishing Academy being a scam?

The speaker counters the criticism by showing their own royalty earnings, explaining the legitimacy of book sales and royalties, and offering their personal experience and success as evidence of the course's value.

What is the speaker's advice for individuals considering joining the AI publishing Academy?

The speaker suggests that interested individuals should visit their referral link to sign up for the course at no cost, gain access to their 11 free bonuses, and join their private Mastermind for direct help and feedback.

How does the speaker respond to the claim that the market for self-publishing is saturated?

The speaker argues that the market is not saturated, citing the continuous success of new authors and the expansion of Amazon into new markets, which increases the potential reach and sales for self-published books.

What is the speaker's stance on the refund policy of the AI publishing Academy?

The speaker supports the policy, stating that it encourages students to complete the course and publish a book, after which they are likely to find success and not request a refund due to the earnings from their published work.

Why do the Mickelson twins sell the course instead of just self-publishing their own books?

The twins sell the course because it is more profitable to teach a large number of people how to self-publish, and they still maintain a team for their own publishing efforts, making good money from both endeavors.

What should someone do if they can't afford the course?

The speaker suggests saving up money to join the course or using the financing option to make small payments over time, emphasizing the importance of investing in the course to avoid the pitfalls of trying to learn self-publishing on one's own.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Self-Publishing Success and Common Misconceptions

The speaker reflects on their five-year journey with the AI Publishing Academy, sharing personal success stories and addressing common questions about the course. Initially, they struggled with self-publishing, losing money due to a lack of proper guidance. After discovering the Mickelson twins' free YouTube videos, they were able to quit their job, live a digital nomad lifestyle, and even meet the twins. The speaker emphasizes the passive income potential of self-publishing, as they continue to earn from initial work done years ago. They also mention the skepticism and accusations of being a scammer that they face online, but counter this by showing their royalty earnings of $451,000, excluding other sources of income. The speaker offers free bonuses and access to a private Mastermind group for those considering joining the course.

05:01

🚫 Debunking Scam Allegations and Market Saturation Concerns

The speaker tackles allegations of the course being a scam, explaining that the accusations often come from those trying to hijack traffic for their own lead generation businesses. They discuss the negative perception on platforms like Reddit, where people criticize without firsthand experience. The speaker clarifies that the course teaches how to publish books on platforms where people are already buying, thus earning royalties is legitimate. They address the concern of market saturation, arguing that new content still has the potential to succeed and that the market demands higher quality, which is now easier to achieve with AI assistance. The speaker also defends the course's refund policy, stating it encourages students to complete the process and find success, rather than seeking a refund after exploiting the resources.

10:03

🤔 Addressing Common Queries about the Course and Self-Publishing

In this segment, the speaker answers several frequently asked questions. They explain why the Mickelson twins both sell the course and publish their own books, highlighting the greater profitability of running a large-scale educational business. The speaker also discusses the refund policy, emphasizing the importance of commitment to the course for success. They address concerns about the cost of the course, suggesting that potential students either save up or use the course's financing option. The speaker shares their own experience of starting with a limited budget and offers advice on how to begin self-publishing with minimal investment. They conclude by inviting viewers to join the course for access to additional bonuses and support.

Keywords

💡Publishing.com

Publishing.com is mentioned as the platform where the AI Publishing Academy is hosted. It is the central focus of the video, as the speaker discusses their experience with the platform and its courses. The speaker's success and the course's legitimacy are tied to this domain, indicating its importance in the video's narrative.

💡AI Publishing Academy

The AI Publishing Academy is the educational program that the speaker has been a part of for over five years. It is the source of the knowledge and strategies that have led to the speaker's success in self-publishing, and it is a key element in the video's theme of online learning and entrepreneurship.

💡Mickelson Twins

The Mickelson Twins are the creators of the content on Publishing.com and the AI Publishing Academy. They are presented as influential figures in the speaker's journey, providing free educational videos on YouTube before the speaker joined the academy. Their role is central to the video's message about the value of the right mentorship and guidance in achieving success.

💡Self-publishing

Self-publishing is the method by which the speaker has achieved financial independence and a digital nomad lifestyle. It is the core activity that the AI Publishing Academy teaches, and it is the main subject of the video. The speaker's success with self-publishing serves as evidence of the course's effectiveness.

💡Digital Nomad

A digital nomad is someone who leverages technology to live and work with locational freedom. The speaker mentions living this lifestyle, which is a direct result of their success in self-publishing. This term is used to illustrate the potential lifestyle changes that can come from the course's teachings.

💡Royalties

Royalties are the payments made to authors for each copy of their book sold. In the script, the speaker reveals earning $451,000 in royalties, which is a testament to their success in self-publishing. This term is central to the video's theme of financial success through self-publishing.

💡Scams

The term 'scams' is used to describe the skepticism and negative perceptions some people have about online courses like the AI Publishing Academy. The speaker addresses this by sharing their personal success and explaining the legitimacy of the course, which is a significant part of the video's content.

💡Refund Policy

The refund policy is a point of contention mentioned in the script, with some individuals claiming difficulty in obtaining refunds. The speaker clarifies the policy, stating that it encourages students to complete the course and publish a book, after which they are unlikely to want a refund due to the success they will have achieved.

💡Market Saturation

Market saturation refers to the concern that too many people are joining the course and flooding the market, making it difficult for new entrants to sell books. The speaker dispels this notion by arguing that the market for books is not saturated and that new opportunities for success are always available.

💡Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is mentioned in the context of assisting in the writing process, making it easier and more cost-effective to produce high-quality books. This term is relevant to the video's theme of leveraging technology for self-publishing success and reflects the evolving tools available to authors.

💡Financing

Financing is discussed as a potential solution for those who cannot afford the course upfront. The speaker mentions a firm that offers small payments over time, allowing individuals to start the course and build up royalties to pay it off. This term is part of the video's advice on overcoming financial barriers to entry.

Highlights

The speaker has been a student of publishing.com's AI publishing Academy for over 5 years.

The speaker learned about self-publishing and audiobooks before there was a course or roadmap available.

The speaker lost thousands of dollars trying to self-publish without proper guidance.

A coaching experience cost hundreds of dollars per hour without yielding results.

The speaker credits the Mickelson twins' free YouTube videos for turning their publishing journey around.

After following the Mickelson twins' advice, the speaker was able to quit their job and live a digital nomad lifestyle.

The speaker has not had a traditional job since adopting the self-publishing methods taught by the AI publishing Academy.

Initial work in the first couple of years has become extremely passive, generating recurring income.

The speaker has received criticism and accusations of being a scammer despite their success.

The speaker shows $451,000 in royalties as proof of the course's effectiveness.

The speaker offers 11 free bonuses and access to a private Mastermind group for those joining the course through their referral link.

The speaker defends the course against accusations of being a scam by explaining the nature of book publishing royalties.

The speaker addresses the saturation of the market, arguing that high-quality content can still succeed.

The speaker discusses the refund policy, emphasizing the importance of commitment to the course for success.

The Mickelson twins are questioned about why they sell the course instead of just publishing their own books; the speaker explains the profitability of teaching.

The speaker advises on how to afford the course, suggesting saving up or using financing options.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of following the course's step-by-step guidance to avoid common pitfalls.

The speaker invites viewers to join the course through their link for additional bonuses and support.

Transcripts

I've been a student of publishing.com in

the AI publishing Academy for over 5

years now and in today's video I'm going

to share with you some of my results and

as well I'm going to answer the most

common questions that show up in my

inbox almost every single day so I

learned about the Mickelson twins before

there was a publishing.com or before

there was an AI publishing Academy when

I learned about them all they had was a

YouTube so they're just uploading free

videos and at the time I'd already

learned about self-publishing and

Publishing audiobooks and I was trying

to do this on my own and I'd lost

thousands of dollars just trying to

figure things out because there wasn't

really a proper course or road map at

the time so I was actually paying a

coach hundreds of dollars per hour to

help me and it was one of the worst

experiences I've ever had because I lost

so much money and I got nothing out of

the coaching so I was watching the Twins

videos and learning a lot from them and

then one day I brought it up to my coach

I was like hey I'm not really getting

any with this but I have been watching

these guys the mikkelson twins on

YouTube and they think this and that and

I'm thinking of trying that and my

coaches basically told me that I need to

stop watching those videos and just

stick to the coaching so at this point I

trusted my gut and I fired the coach and

I went with the free videos by the

mikkelson twins shortly after this I was

able to quit my job and I went to Bali

different parts of Asia I lived in

Australia for quite a while and I

basically lived the digital Nomad

lifestyle and and I even ended up

getting a chance to meet the melson

twins when I was traveling and to this

day I have never had a job again

business is great and I'm able to do

whatever I want with my time so that

could be traveling I could go fishing or

I could just work regular 9 to 5 hours

it's completely up to me and to be

honest a lot of the money that I've made

it's the initial work that I did in that

first year or two that has now become

extremely passive and I keep getting

paid again and again for that work that

I did years ago so there isn't that many

businesses out there that I believe are

truly passive but I would say

self-publishing the way AIA teaches is

one of those business models I've done

other videos on the course and it

doesn't matter what I say or what proof

I have there's always going to be people

that say I'm a grifter or a scammer or

basically the worst things and

unfortunately it's just the internet and

that's just the nature of people and it

doesn't matter what proof I provide some

people are just not going to believe it

and that's complet completely fine but

for those of you that are actually

considering joining the course let's

quickly log into one of my dashboards

and we'll take a look at my royalties

all right so here we are inside my

account you can see

$451,000 in royalties so this doesn't

include any of my other accounts or any

global distribution or any audiobooks

things like audible this is purely just

Kindle paperback and then some hard

covers so if you add it all up it's

obviously a lot more money but don't see

the point in going into every single

account today yeah if you do have any

questions about this just drop them down

below before I get into the questions

portion of the video if you're just

looking for confirmation that this

course works and someone else has been

successful with it and you've got that

confirmation I'm just going to let you

know that I do have 11 free bonuses plus

access to my private Mastermind and in

order to get that for free all you have

to do is go down to my URL go to the

Trevor

bonuses link and then click sign up on

there so this is my referral link you

sign up absolutely no cost to you you

get all my bonuses and access to the

Mastermind as well as all the bonuses

that AIA offers as well and I get a

small commission from publishing.com in

return all right so let's get into the

questions the first one is kind of the

hot topic of this video and I've kind of

already answered it just by showing you

my results but is the course a scam now

I get this so often and unfortunately it

doesn't matter what online business

you're in everything's a scam According

to some people but I just want you to

ask yourself have you ever purchased a

paperback book or a Kindle or have you

purchased an Audi Book on a platform

like Audible for a lot of us that answer

is probably yes on a yearly basis if not

like a weekly or monthly basis if you're

a big reader so someone is getting paid

every time you do that they're getting

paid a royalty now if you think about it

that way you realize that all we're

doing is publishing good books on a

platform where there's a ton of buyers

already and they're purchasing it and

you're getting paid and when you break

it down that way it kind of simplifies

it and you go okay well obviously books

are not a scam people have been reading

them forever and they'll be reading them

forever in the future as well now part

of the reason that I do these videos is

because this course has basically

changed my life you know I went from

doing a bunch of awful jobs and you know

selling cars bars and all sorts of

things I never wanted to do and I could

never control my time and then I go and

I see videos or websites saying that the

mikkelson twins are scammers and the

course a scam and besides the fact that

I have a bonuses that I offer and you

know I get a small commission when

people sign up I make all my money

through selling these books I feel like

I need to defend it and I just want to

explain what all these other results are

that you're going to find when you

Google this course 99% of websites that

will show up are basically websites that

are trying to take the traffic the

people that are searching publishing.com

and AI publishing Academy and going yeah

it's not a good course it's it's a scam

but I have this lead generation business

that does work sign up here so they're

trying to hijack traffic they're trying

to redirect people that are thinking of

joining and getting them to get into

some other program that definitely

doesn't work but this is how they do

business so the goal and they'll make up

fake reviews about every single course

out there and they're just trying to

steal that attention for what they're

offering unfortunately Reddit is pretty

negative and there's a lot of people on

there that see the ads that come up for

this course because it's extremely

popular and when you do so much

advertising it it gets a lot of people

upset so one person will go in there and

say that oh these ads are running or a

scam and someone else will go and they

go yeah obviously they are I looked at

that myself I know it's a scam but at

the end of the day 99% of the people

that comment on these have never taken

the course they have no idea they've

never published a book they're just kind

of adding on all this negativity the

blind leading the blind basically now

occasionally there is someone that says

hey I joined and it wasn't ethical or

you know they didn't want to give me a

refund and this kind of thing so what

happens is people will watch this stuff

and they'll want to join the course

they'll get excited but then they'll get

inside and they'll go oh there's some

lessons I have to take I got to learn

about publishing and I have to publish a

book like I thought I was magically

going to get rich and I mean obviously

you have to complete the course and

publish a book it's kind of like going

to University if you want to graduate

you got to go to class except I would

argue this is much easier cuz in like a

week maybe two weeks tops you can pretty

much have the entire thing figured out

and that's all rinse and repeat but

anyways these are the kind of people

that will go comment and say negative

things and then a bunch of other people

that have no idea about it will pop on

and then you know people like you will

go look up the course looking for some

honest feedback and you will run into

these things and it's just unfortunate

because a lot of you are going to have

really good chances of being extremely

successful with this business model but

you'll get deterred because you'll see

these fake reviews and number two is is

it saturated is the market saturated

basically saying did to many people join

the course and now I can't sell books

and make money or you know in this case

someone might say to me oh you can't do

YouTube it's too saturated the reality

is someone is going to put out a book

tomorrow and it's going to sell

thousands of dollars someone's going to

put out a new YouTube video that's never

done one before and it's going to get a

million views and things don't get

saturated They do change though like if

you go back 5 years ago you could

publish books that were shorter and

maybe you know not quite as good and do

pretty well but now the market demands a

little higher quality so even though

this change has occurred we have things

like artificial intell Ence has come in

and can assist you in writing these

books at a really high level so it's

actually gotten cheaper and easier to

produce higher quality books at the end

of the day I would actually say that

it's easier to make money now than it

was when I started 5 years ago and the

other thing is Amazon is a massive

company so they're always growing

they're going into other countries I

sell books that I didn't even mean to

sell in English in places like Germany

almost as often as I do now in Canada

it's because has become such a big

Marketplace the more expansion they do

and the more marketplaces they get into

the more money you automatically make

just because there's more reach and

there's more people using Amazon number

three is in regards to the refund policy

so for whatever reason people will go

online and say oh they wouldn't give me

a refund and you know or it was really

hard to get one and the truth is that

you shouldn't join this course with one

foot in one foot out just join knowing

that you're going to do what it takes to

be successful UC F and to create a

different and like better life for

yourself you need to look at this like

you're joining a university you know if

you go to university are you going to

pay for the year or semester or whatever

and it put thousands of dollars out and

then you're not going to show up to

class and then at the end of the year

you're going to go hey can I get my

tuition money back obviously they're

going to say no this course costs a

fraction of what you would pay to

actually go to university but this is

what people do they join the course they

partake in things they get coaching they

reap all the benefits but then maybe you

know six eight months later decide H I

want my money back they allow you to get

a full refund up to a year but the one

thing that they want you to do is

publish a single book go through it the

whole process and then you're eligible

to get a refund and the reason that they

do this is cu they know when you publish

a book and you do everything you're

supposed to you're going to find success

and you're not going to want the refund

because you're going to make a bunch of

money off that book and you're going to

keep doing it and the other thing is if

you just join and you decide within the

first few days like hey this isn't for

me you can contact them and get your

money back that's not a problem but the

people complaining about you know having

an entire year are people just trying to

abuse the system basically and they

haven't done anything to get a book out

and they've soaked up all the resources

and then they want their money back so

the fourth question I get is very common

is people say hey why don't the

Mickelson twins just publish their own

books and don't tell anyone about this

stuff you know why are they selling the

course if it's so profitable the obvious

answer is that you make way more money

running a company selling shovels than

just mining for the goal and I know they

still do publish and they have a whole

team for that now and so they still make

really good money off that kind of stuff

but it's much more profitable to teach a

large amount of people how to do

something there's lots of students that

do six figures a year and even some that

do seven figures a year by themselves

with the help of some Freelancers and

some assistance from AI but you're not

going to become a company making

millions and millions of dollars and be

you know number 19 fastest growing

private company in America just by being

a self-publisher so obviously it's more

profitable to run a large business like

this and if you think this is fake this

is Inc magazine right here who are these

guys these are the mikkelson twins and

if you go purchase this or read this

number 19 fastest growing private

company in the US now as much as I'd

like to think I could do that with just

me and my laptop publishing books

probably not do I think that I'll be

doing over a million dollars a year self

publishing books in the future yeah I do

think that uh I'm going to get there and

just like some others have last but not

least number five I can't afford the

course what should I do now I'm torn

about how I answer this because there's

two different ways to think about it one

I'm going to tell you just go do Uber

Eats or door Dash or odd jobs outside of

your work whatever you have to do to

save up the money in order to join and

then the other half of me would tell you

to get started for free and just learn

off of YouTube and then you know get a

few books out and then once you're

making some royalties you can reinvest

them into the course now the reason I

feel conflicted with the second answer

which is one I give sometimes is I tried

to figure this business out on my own

with free YouTube videos and although

there wasn't as many good ones back then

I ended up wasting way more money in

time than if I had just signed up for

the course in the first place so I could

have spent that money and had a

perfectly paved drawn out path that

shows me exactly what I need to do to

avoid all these failures and mistakes

that I made versus me spending double to

Triple trying to figure it out on my own

and my biggest concern is that if you

get into this and you don't know how to

do things that you're going to do things

wrong and you're get frustrated and give

up before you find success versus if you

had the course you would join and

everything is just laid out step by step

so you're not likely to have much

failure if that makes sense it's kind of

like going to University if you go to

school for accounting and there's going

to be a teacher there and they're going

to take you through the whole process

it's going to be a proven way to teach

you accounting versus if you're just on

YouTube trying to kind of piece

everything together and figure it out

yourself probably going to be very

frustrating so my advice would be to

just save up the money and then join

when you're ready I do have bonuses that

address starting with little to no

budget in my bonus package for this

course because that's how I had to start

I only had money to get into the course

I didn't have any money for the rest of

the publishing process but luckily you

can do this pretty cheaply and I believe

if you're located in the US the other

best option is to use the financing

which is through a firm basically you

can set up small payments over you know

the course of a year or two so you can

kind of jump into it right away and get

started build your royalties up pay it

off and then go from there but that's

completely up to you it depends how you

want to do things I hope this video has

been helpful and if you do have any

other questions drop them down below and

if you are interested and joining click

my link down below and you can get

access to my 11 bonuses as well as the

private Mastermind which is the only way

to really get direct help and feedback

from me okay thanks so much for watching