Stansted: Literary scam leads to audio book deal for writer AJ Campbell
A Stansted author has secured the audio book rights to all four of her crime novels after she was herself the victim of a literary scam.
Amanda Campbell, who writes under the name AJ Campbell, lives in Bentfield Close with her family and is establishing herself as a successful writer since launching at the start of the Covid pandemic.
Her first book, Leave Well Alone, topped Amazon's best-sellers list and books two and three – Don't Come Looking and Search No Further – also sold well. Her latest, The Phone Call, is set for release on July 1.
Amanda revealed she had just received confirmation from leading UK audio book publisher WF Howes that it would buy the rights to her latest novel ahead of publication, meaning all four would be available as audio versions.
"I'm really chuffed because I was scammed with my first book," she said. "Someone went on to ACX, a platform for finding narrators for audio books, and claimed the rights to my first book. I then had five or six narrators contacting me asking if this was legitimate because a book with such good ratings would not be 'out there'.
"Normally you wouldn't have to find narrators, this would already be under control, but I didn't know anything about it!"
Amanda managed to resolve the matter herself and then approached WF Howes, which bought the rights.
And she is "all guns blazing" to propel her latest crime thriller to the top of the charts. The Phone Call tells the story of 25-year-old Joey Clarke, who cares for his siblings following the death of their father when he was just 15.
He has a dead-end job with increasing debts and the only pleasure he has is spending time with the love of his life, friend Becca – and then he takes a phone call.
"He grabs the opportunity, knowing things aren't quite as they should be, but justifies it as a way of getting back on his feet. But when he finds himself party to a crime involving Becca, he panics," says Amanda.
"As Joey tries to find a way out, he becomes further embroiled in a web of secrets, lies and deceit. It's a story full of twists and turns."
