I'm an Unwilling "Cover Model" thanks to a Creepy Author

So, this is my picture on Wikipedia:

However, some creepy-creepster decided he could use my image for commercial gain by selling his own book (which is possibly plagiarized - see my review posted below) with my face on it as the book cover. I am upset about this. I feel violated.

EDITED TO ADD: This is NOT MY BOOK. I have nothing to do with this and have no control over it.

Click to enlarge

Fortunately, a woman who was on Amazon looking for a book to buy ran across it, and recognized me (which is amazing in and of itself, since they didn't credit my name anywhere, not that doing so would make it anymore legal or morally right). She contacted me and told me what was going on (thank you!).

I reported it to Amazon KDP. Since the author is in Kindle Unlimited, that means he's in KDP Select, which means he's exclusive to Amazon, which means I don't have to go chasing this cover down all over the place, thank goodness. I just need Amazon to take it down...in all their countries.

UPDATE 9/2/15: SUCCESS! Amazon agreed to take it down from all countries within 2-3 days!

click to enlarge

Update 9/3/15: WHEEE! It's gone! :D

The book was up for 4 days total before takedown.

This is the 1 star review I posted on the book's product page, to warn other readers (as of this writing, my review is not yet showing up on Amazon):

That is my picture on the cover, but I am not a cover model. I am a NYT and USA Today bestselling romance author, and I've worked really hard to get there. I did NOT give this "author" Ricky Andrew permission to use a picture of me as his book cover. That photograph is copyrighted by the photographer, and I *never gave* Ricky Andrew a model release or the license to use my pic for his commercial gain. He has no right to use me, a woman who has worked her ass off writing romance novels since 2010, as an unwilling "cover model" to sell his book. If it even IS his book.

Why do I think he might be plagiarizing as well as stealing another author's likeness? If you Google "Ricky Andrew Author," all you find is other links on Amazon to his other books...no author website, no Facebook, no Twitter, no way to contact him (I tried) -- and most of those links lead to books which have already been taken down. Books only get taken down on Amazon if they are violating copyright. Even out-of-print books have pages that stay up on Amazon forever. So something is fishy here, beyond him using my picture against my will to sell his books.

Since he is claiming to be a romance author, then I have a feeling he knows exactly whose photo he was using, which is really icky and makes me feel targeted. And now this book is actually selling. Please, readers, do not think I have anything to do with this atrocity. I am an unwilling participant. I have already notified Amazon KDP.

If you bought this book, whether through KU or not, please ask Amazon to refund your money so that these guys can't gain from violating me. Readers, thank you for your support, I appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Shoshanna Evers

UPDATE: Amazon WON'T post my review! I got an email saying:
Your review could not be posted.
Thanks for submitting a customer review on Amazon. Your review could not be posted to the website in its current form. While we appreciate your time and comments, reviews must adhere to the following guidelines.

UPDATE 2: Amazon won't post my amended review, either!

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Since there is no "look inside" feature for this book, I wasn't able to put any of the content through a plagiarism detector. If anyone has the book already (please don't buy it) perhaps you can find out for the romance community which other author "Ricky Andrew" may have ripped off.

UPDATE 3: Another author read the sample pages and said it might not be plagiarized, it looks like a poor translation from another language (although that could possibly be from another author's book, then translated to English using an online translation tool.)

Click to enlarge to read a sample

How you can help: On the bottom of the book's page on Amazon is this:

Would you like to report poor quality or formatting in this book? Click here

Update 9/2/15: (as above) Thank you for your help! Amazon is now removing the book! I imagine I won't get any of the money they earned while it's up, but I don't even care about that at this point. They'd had it up for $2.99 and then made it free. *smh*

(Don't bother clicking to report a copyright violation, because only the copyright holder can do so unfortunately). But I hope if enough people complain about the book they will take it down. 

Sample wording: The "cover model" on Perfect Billionaire Baby is a real author who did not give her permission to be used on a book cover. Ricky Andrew is using her for commercial gain, and not only is that illegal, he is violating her and it is morally wrong. Please pull down this book and don't support Ricky Andrew's scam to bait readers into thinking she is affiliated with the book when she is not.

Also, thank you for warning other readers away from that book, since many of you were able to post reviews where I wasn't allowed to.

click to enlarge - I'm taking screenshots bc Amazon will be removing the book!

Thank you!

UPDATE 4: That scumbag is on the YA Contemporary Romance Free Bestseller List on Amazon. There are legitimate great books that should be in that spot. It makes me so angry.

Click to enlarge if you want to get angry too

Oh hey - if you click through to the Wikipedia page about me, you'll notice it's a bit out of date. If you do Wikipedia updates and feel like updating it with my other other books that hit NYT and USAT lists since it was originally posted, and current books, email me for info or for help with anything else you need! :) Thanks!

Books on Amazon  |  Books on B&N  | Books on iBooks | Kobo | ARe

Cover Reveal for The Tycoon's Convenient Bride...and Baby!

Coming July 28th, 2014 from Entangled Indulgence!

The Tycoon’s Convenient Bride… and Baby
a sexy contemporary romance by Shoshanna Evers

Thank you to all the book bloggers who participated in the Cover Reveal! You rock!

If you want to participate in the Release Day Romp that includes a tour-wide 6-prize giveaway. 

you can sign up here!

 
Be notified when this book releases!

Blurb:
After her brother and his wife go missing and are presumed dead, Lauren Peters plans to raise their infant daughter. Her brother's will, however, stipulates that baby Callie can only be raised by a married couple. Lauren’s as single as they come.

Mack Hansen can’t stand idly by while his business partner’s baby is thrown into a foster home. As he sees it, there’s only one solution—he and Lauren will marry for the sake of the baby—and he’ll keep his attraction to her at bay.

 Lauren knows that Mack is all about business, including their marriage of convenience. But her unexpected feelings for him have her turned upside down. With passion sizzling between them, can Mack keep Lauren from stealing his heart…and becoming his wife for real?

Sign up for my New Releases Newsletter to be notified when The Tycoon’s Convenient Bride…and Baby releases!

Can’t wait? You might want to read Snowed in With the Tycoon, another sexy contemporary romance…which is out now!    

New release from S&S: THE ESCAPE!

THE ESCAPE just came out! It's my fifth book with Simon & Schuster Pocket Star, and the second book in The Pulse Trilogy.

I also found an app called WordSwag, in which I was able to take quotes from my book and make them into word-art, like these:

 

Cool, right? :) Here's a blurb and links to THE ESCAPE.

The Escape, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy 

Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Amazon UK 

In Book Two of the erotic dystopian Pulse Trilogy, Jenna escapes New York City only to be tracked down by a soldier who might be her only hope of survival. Jenna doesn’t know if she believes what Emily and Mason told her—that America is rebuilding and a better life awaits her outside of Manhattan.

But with the power grid down and no connection to the outside world, Jenna will die if she stays at Grand Central’s FEMA camp, selling her body to soldiers. Private Ken Barker is sent to capture Jenna when she escapes—but Jenna knows he’s one of the good guys and tries to seduce him into joining her. Their passionate sex kindles something even stronger than lust between them, and when Barker goes back to Grand Central he sees the horrors there with new eyes.

Now it’s his turn to escape the city, and he knows he must take Jenna with him or she’ll die at the camp. On the road, they’ll start a new life together, hoping against hope that the electricity between them will prove more than just a spark—that together they might finally light up their dark nights.

THE ESCAPE, Book 2 in the Pulse Trilogy is available now on Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Amazon UK 

Cover Reveal for The Pulse!

The Pulse, Book 1 in the Pulse Trilogy from Simon & Schuster Pocket Star, releases November 25, 2013 and is available for pre-order now!

S&S.com: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Pulse/Shoshanna-Evers/The-Pulse-Trilogy/9781476728254

Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Pulse-Book-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00C0CPCXG/ref=sr_1_9?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1377725270&sr=1-9&keywords=the+pulse

iBookstore: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/isbn9781476728254

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pulse-shoshanna-evers/1115234242?ean=9781476728254&itm=1&usri=9781476728254

Should You Change Your Self-Pub Book Cover?

Hello Fellow Writers!

the new cover!

I've been very blessed to have worked with publishers that have incredible cover designers, but when I set out to self-publish some books, I had to hire my own cover designer.

I love his work, and I think part of the reason Overheated is an Amazon Erotica Bestseller is because the cover is smokin' hot. (I hope the other reason is because readers like the story, lol). I also loved my cover for Snowed in With the Tycoon, but... it's not selling nearly as well as Overheated.

So I lowered the price from $2.99 down to $1.99 for a month to see if that helped, and it did not. Then it went back up to $2.99. Then I dropped it all the way down to 99 cents for a month. Sales tripled... but for the gamble to pay off my sales would need to be six times higher at the lower price point, not three. So back up to $2.99 the book went (which is a good price anyway since it's a full length book, more than twice as long as my Ellora's Cave novellas that sell for over $4). Interestingly, Amazon chose to lower it again to 99 cents on my behalf, on sale from $2.99. So I don't think the price is what's keeping the sales down.

Could it be the book? I don't think it is, because readers really seem to connect with the story, based on the 4 and 5 star reviews it's been getting, and the emails I get (thank you!!).

the "old" cover

Which makes me wonder... could the lower sales be due to the cover? The cover I love and that I paid for? *sob*

Only one way to find out. I had the cover redesigned by the same artist, and this time the hot guy is replaced by a hot *couple*.

I figure the experiment couldn't hurt - and hey, isn't it so awesome that we get to play with our self-published books like this to see what readers want the most? Because ultimately, what I care about is giving the reader what she (or he) wants - even if I thought my previous cover was hot stuff, people vote with their wallets - and I'm listening.

Agony/Ecstasy Book Cover - Revealed!

Hello Fellow Writers!

Here's a sneek peek of the Berkley Heat Agony Ecstasy book cover, which will be in bookstores everywhere December 1st. My story "The Wooden Pony" will be in this anthology!