Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2025

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  MindStir Media ripped me off!!!After signing a Platinum Contract in February 2024 for $10,899 I spent 8 months dealing with their rookie errors. ******** ***** in sales was good at signing me up, but after that dealing with ***** *********, ********* *., and ********************** in production was awful. For example, we all agreed to launch the book in August pre the election but with so many of their mistakes and turnaround delays it got pushed to October. This cost me valuable time in sending out review copies. Also, at the last second, their print department decided to change to cover graphics!!! And, then after the final proof was sent out they forgot to include the color inserts!!!Worse of all, after I terminated the contract in January 2025 and moved everything to IngramSparks, Mindstir is now refusing to send me my royalty money and is threatened me with legal action for "harassment" if I keep up my demands for payment.Even ** ******** hands are unclean as I spoke with him in January 2025, where he agreed to release all my metadata, but ** assured me that the accounting and royalty disbursement due to me for the prior quarter, before IngramSpark took over, would be handled by MindStir diligently and I would be paid. He gave me his word and I believed him.Basically, I believe MindStir screwed me out of $20,000 to $30,000 in royalties!!!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2025

  Mr. *******,

  As we stated in an email to Mr. ******* yesterday, we went above and beyond by helping him transfer his book to ****** directly. We are no longer printing his book or selling it in any form. He has also repeatedly threatened us with legal action so we sent him an official termination of contract email Tuesday which is our right as per section VII of the contract attached. 

  We have fulfilled all obligations under the contract. We recently sent him an April 15 royalty statement and check via **** first class. We also advised him yesterday, which I will paste below, that he will receive a final statement and/or check when we mail out the next batch on July 15 and that will be his final report with MindStir Media.

  Since he is no longer our client, we asked him to please refrain from communicating with us in the future, which he is now blatantly ignoring. 
  

  Please also be advised that as per section XV of our contract, we are not liable for any sort of punitive, indirect, incidental or consequential damages
  arising out of or related to the terms of this Agreement, including but not limited to lost profits, costs of procurement of
  substitute goods or services or business interruption.
  
  Finally, his complaint is full of intentionally false information which could be deemed as defamatory, claiming that we ripped him off or we owe him tens of thousand dollars in royalties is absolutely false. 

  We will not be able to comment on this any further through BBB. Our next step, if Mr. ******* persists, is to send this to legal for defamation and harassment.

  COPY of Tuesdays email sent to Mr. ******* :

  Subject: Contract cancellation 
  
  4/22/25
  
  Mr. *******,
  
  
  This email serves as confirmation that we have canceled your contract with MindStir Media LLC, dated 2/29/24. As you are aware, you requested that we help you transfer your book to your own ****** account. We complied and assisted you with this process, and we are no longer selling copies of your book. On more than one occasion, you also violated section VII by threatening us (with legal action), which also gives us the right to cancel your contract. Publisher may also terminate this contract if Author threatens or abuses the Publisher (including its workers) in any way. Threats or abuse, as defined at the Publisher's sole discretion, will not be tolerated.
  
  
  Our next royalty reporting period will be July 15 and that will cover January through March 2025 sales. We will mail that particular statement on July 15 via **** first class mail as always, and that will be our final report sent to you.
  
  
  All of our contractual duties have been fulfilled. As you are no longer our client, please refrain from contacting us in the future. Continuing to contact us could now be construed as harassment.
  
  
  Management 
  MINDSTIR MEDIA LLC

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/24/2025

  Additionally, the only e-book version that is currently for sale are the ones he uploaded himself on Amazon and ****** & *****. We are not selling his e-book as that Mindstir version was canceled along with our print versions. Note on both of the listings below that the publisher is listed as ******* *******, not MindStir Media. Links to his uploaded ebooks are below for reference:

  Amazon: ***************************************************************************

  B&N: **********************************************************************************************

  The print versions of his book are also being sold under his name and his name only through his own personal ****** account. He will have to communicate with them his preferred method of royalty payment going forward.

  A final note: His previous Mindstir royalty statement and check were mailed on April 15 on time (according to our published schedule) via **** first class mail. A check stub is attached, check number 2657 for total $474.21. We expect him to receive these items soon if he has not already.
  

  Once again, I would like to reiterate here that his final Mindstir royalty statement will be sent on July 15 according to our schedule via **** first class mail.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/28/2025

   
  Complaint: 23241829
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because:

  I dispute that MindStir used good faith and best efforts to go above and beyond helping me transfer my book to ******.
  

  I dispute that MindStir is no longer selling my book in any form.
  

  I dispute that my rights and remedies are illegal or torturous.
  

  I dispute that MindStir has fulfilled all their contractual obligations.
  

  I dispute that MindStir is acting in good faith if they claim they are no longer selling or presently collecting money on my behalf until April 15, 2025 and beyond.
  

  I dispute that I have terminated my rights to pursue action against MindStir directly and/or indirectly and reserve my rights for punitive, indirect, incidental or consequential damages.
  

  I dispute that my claim in knowing false or defamatory.
  

  Mindstir refused to send me or my accountant proof of payment when requested on April 22, 2025, and there was no accounting information posted on my online designated MindStir Client Portal.
  

  MindStirs claim that they were damaged is fatally infirm since my actions were not malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent,wonton or grossly reckless. Plus, any income I would receive would be donated to charity and not declared as a taxable profit.
  

  MindStir cannot be made whole again because they have not demonstrated nor suffered any material loss needed to restore fair market value, nor any out of pocket expenses, such as the need to rent replacement property or the cost of services to cover indirect and foreseeable losses which were caused as a direct result of my dispute.
  

  However, I believe I could conceivably be entitled to claim liquidated and incidental damages in the event this matter escalates further to litigation.And of course, general, special, future and restitutionary damages for the pain, suffering, inability to perform certain functions as a result of what I believe is a MindStir breach of contract. Yes, indeed for all those sleepless nights and lost profits.
  

  I reserve all my rights and remedies, including filing a Slapp Motion against MindStir.
  

  This is a simple business dispute, and perhaps there was no criminal intent just a lapse in judgement by MindStir. Please ask ** ****** to call me if he wants to negotiate a reasonable settlement.  He has my number. Good day.
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/28/2025

  We stand by our previous statements 100%. We can no longer comment on the BBB regarding this as we have sent it to legal.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/23/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed a $3800 contract w/MindStir Media on 04/08/2024 to publish my second book, "My Mother's Secret" under the pen name ***** *******, and by 11/13/2024 had hit a brick wall. The contract stipulates that it generally takes about 90 days o produce a book, but after seven rounds of formatting/reformatting over seven months, the book interior was still not fit to print. With no solutions other than more of the same forthcoming, I officially terminated the contract on 11/15/2024. The only substantive difference between the first and second books was that the second one had a Jewish theme. MindStir does not issue refunds when they fail to produce a satisfactory product, but on 11/21/24 ******** ************, Mindstir Author Support Manager did agree, that since no book had been forthcoming, Mindstir would apply the remaining money in the second contract to additional marketing for the first book and promised that the sales team would reach out about this. Despite several follow-up requests, this is the last I heard from them, and it is obvious they have no intention of following through..

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/23/2024

  Im sorry for the delay in sales reaching out to you; it is Christmas week and they are a bit backed up but they will certainly get back to you after the holiday. We have noted here that we are giving you a $2500 credit toward marketing your first book with us which was published successfully. Have a happy holiday.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Mindstir Media, as a hybrid publisher, to edit, format, and publish my book manuscript. I signed a contract with them on June 27th, 2023 and paid them $10,800
  
  As of March 27th, 2024, (9 months later) the book is still not published.
  
  From the contract, "Publisher agrees to produce the paperback of the Work as quickly as possible with the understanding that there may be circumstances that cause delay. Normal turnaround time for releasing a book is approximately 90 days after Publisher receives payment in full and all publishable materials such as the manuscript. This is not a guaranteed timeframe. Publisher will contact Author immediately if delays are expected."
  
  The reasons for the delay are: Aug 11th, the editor they hired quit and we had to restart copyediting from the beginning. Oct 2nd, the formatter use the wrong page size for the book interior and we had to restart. Feb 6th, the design team formatted my cover to the wrong page size. Frequently I've found errors in their work - glaring errors. For just one example, I'm attaching a screen shot of the ebook file they sent me where an image is pixelated beyond readability. This is the second revision after I specifically asked for them to fix the images.
  
  In order for revision to get turned around it often takes their team between a week and a month.
  
  This organization is grossly incompetent. I signed the contract with the loose expectation that this would be a 3 month process. We're now at 9 months with no end in sight.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2024

  ****,
  

  I am very sorry that this project has taken longer than any of us anticipated. As you mentioned in your statement, we do aim for a 90 day turnaround time, but it is not guaranteed (Section XIV of the contract). The good news is that your physical version of your book is done and you should have a printed proof copy this week for approval. Our office manager is also working with the design team to fix the e-book version.

  Unfortunately, we cannot offer you a refund as that would be against our contract, section VII, which clearly states, “Author is not eligible for a refund under any circumstance.” See contract attached.

  We will, however, see this project through and make sure that it gets published ASAP. We will also work to market the book as outlined in the contract.

  Once again, I’m sorry for any delays. My office manager, along with myself, will be monitoring this situation closely. In fact, Jarod will be calling you at 3 PM today to discuss all these matters in detail. It’s my understanding that you have a call scheduled for that time. Thank you.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/11/2024

  I’d like to assert here that his BBB complaint contains false information. We reached out to him and warned him that this could result in a defamation lawsuit. We do not try to restrict honest feedback or customer reviews; however, when a client lies in a review or public complaint, we reserve the right to take swift action to protect our reputation and livelihood.
  
  In his complaint, he claimed that revisions take between a week and a month. This is a false statement. We refuted this with him with actual examples.
  
  This matter has been sent to my attorney who will handle this from here on out. We will no longer be in direct contact with this client.
  

  i’d like to also take this opportunity to mention that MindStir Media has been in business for 15 years, has published over 1000 books, and is an Inc. 5000 fastest growing private company in America. Overall, we have a sterling reputation in the publishing industry. In a world where reputation is everything, we take false information posted about our company extremely seriously.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/11/2024

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I filed this BBB claim requesting a refund and that Mindstir Media finish the job. Mindstir has refused the refund request. With regards to finishing the job, here is what has transpired:
  
  On the day after I filed this claim (3/28), I received an email from Mike S***********, Editor, informing me that the press release announcing my book had been distributed - even though my book was not yet finalized and was not yet for sale. I was not notified before the press release launched.
  
  On March 27th, a physical copy of my book was mailed to me, via UPS to my PO Box. When I pointed out that I didn't think UPS delivers to PO Boxes, my Project Manager, Rylan N******** responded, "yes it can be delivered to a PO Box, there should not be a problem with that. I quickly double checked that just incase." Then on April 1st, Rylan let me know that my book could not be delivered. "I received an email from UPS stating that there was an issue with the delivery, of course. I was not able to see anything incorrect with the address so I reached out to customer support and eventually was able to speak to a human. I was told that UPS does not deliver to PO Boxes - despite the fact I was told otherwise. I apologize for that."
  
  On April 4th, Rylan sent me a new revision of the digital ebook, "for your review and approval. Please take a look and let me know if there are any further revisions you wish to see made." This set a clear expectation that I would review and approve before moving forward.
  
  
  On April 8th, Monica K****, Marketing Specialist, emailed me to inform me that, "I have added your book to the Mindstir Bookstore". In addition to being listed for sale on the Mindstir website, my book was published to Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I was not notified beforehand. I had not approved the next ebook draft from four days prior. I had not received or approved of the physical proof of the book. I'm attaching a screenshot of my book listing on Mindstir's website. Note also that the book is listed as "literary, memoirs," which it belongs to neither category, that it is listed as hardcover, when it is actually paperback, and that the page count listed is 381, while the actual page count is 296. 
  
  Based on this action, I wrote a letter to Mindstir CEO, JJ H***** on April 8th, informing him of Mindstir Media's breach of contract. The Publishing Agreement signed by me on June 27, 2023 states in Paragraph XIII that the publisher’s responsibilities include: “All editing is done in Microsoft Word using the track changes tool, so Author will see every single change made and will be able to approve and reject each individual change.” Therefore, I wrote, "I wish to immediately terminate the contract pursuant to Paragraph VII of the Agreement." I am attaching my letter of termination for reference. 
  
  Based on this series of events, I do not feel satisfied with Mindstir's efforts to finish the job, and I do not accept their response. 
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2024

  This matter has been sent to legal because the client has erroneously claimed that we are in breach of contract. To be clear here, nothing the author outlines here constitutes a breach of contract. The contract does not specify the timing of the proof being sent or distribution or even promotions. It does specify, however, in section VII, that the author will not be eligible for a refund under any circumstance. We are upholding this decision, and we have ended our business relationship with this client.

  Client also conveniently left out the fact that we replied to his claim of breach of contract, showing him proof that on September 1 we sent him the track changes version of his edited manuscript, to which he replied on Sept 5 re: how wonderful a job the copy editor did.

  We have commented on this matter as much as we can through the Better Business Bureau. Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/20/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I hired Mindstir Media to promote my already published book/books. I was placed with a "project manager" who was argumentative, rude, condescending and inefficient. As a result of spending over 8000 dollars I saw no increase in book sales. Weeks would pass with NO communication and then ALL communication ceased. I am now out thousands of dollars and sorry I ever contacted Mindstir Media...

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/20/2023

  As per our terms and conditions on our website, our fees are nonrefundable *************************************************************************

  Mr. ******* hired us to provide four marketing services, and all services were rendered, and in some cases overdelivered (we provided many more blogs in the book tour than required). We do not control the outcome, as each book is different and we can’t force people to buy a book. We cannot guarantee a certain number of sales.
  

  Mr. ******* will not be receiving a refund. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/23/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *** ******* **

  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/24/2023

  MindStir Media is upholding our terms and conditions and not offering a refund, as per my previous message re: agreed upon terms and conditions stating no refunds at *************************************************************************. This is our final decision. We find it unreasonable and, frankly, shocking that Mr. ******* bought from us mid-March, took full advantage of our services, and then 7 months later suddenly demands a refund because he feels the work we already rendered no longer suits him, he has changed his mind due to the outcome, and/or he feels our communication hasn’t met his expectations despite the fact that we exchanged at least 75 emails with him and our work is concluded. On more than one occasion we have shared with him proof of the work provided, but a manager will reach out to him directly one final time this week to discuss as well.
  
  MindStir Media has been in business going on 15 years, has won over 65 awards, and we are an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company in America, partnered with a renowned entrepreneur from Shark Tank. We have published over 1000 titles, many of which are best sellers. We have also successfully helped well over 1000 authors with book marketing throughout the years, including helping a 7-year-old become a bestselling author. We take pride in our sterling reputation in the industry, with our authors as well as with the BBB and beyond. We are sorry that this author is displeased with the outcome, but we cannot force a certain number of consumers to buy his book and we cannot verify his sales numbers (we are not his publisher). All we can do is professionally provide our marketing services, as we have always done, and allow consumers to either embrace his product or not — and count on his publisher to supply him with accurate sales statements. In this case, if his claim of lack of sales is true, it seems that consumers were not drawn to his niche poetry book for various reasons despite our efforts and he has decided to blame us instead of accept that his poetry or book product (cover design, description, price, categories, etc.) might not have resonated with potential readers. 
  
  Our many reasonable author clients throughout the years understand that there is an inherent risk with book marketing and advertising, and yet they are pleased nonetheless with our work and impressive reach that always results in exposure at the very least. Mr. *******, unfortunately, is not one of those reasonable clients.
  
  We wish Mr. ******* the best, but a refund will not be provided for all the reasons outlined above.
  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/24/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I do not accept the business's response as a resolution to my complaint because: [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution. If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *** ******* **

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  As a new author, I purchased the $8400 Best Sellers package in February of 2023. The publishing manager described the process to be 3 months on average. It's almost October and my book still hasn't been published. The customer service is horrible, I get responses from different people who do not seem to know anything about my book's progress/timeline etc. This was a terrible experience for me as a new author, investing so much money and not getting anything after 7 months of back and forth. They refused to issue a refund and did not provide any answers as to whether my book would ever be published. I had to self-publish on ****** KDP and it only cost me $450. This company really takes advantage of new authors' lack of knowledge of how to publish and promote their books.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/25/2023

  I’ve attached a copy of the contract.

  The contract states in Section XIII, under Bestseller Campaign, that the only situation where the author would be entitled to a refund — $3000 — would be if the book didn't hit bestseller status within the first 90 days of our launch. 
  

  We did send her a printed proof for approval (a final copy of her paperback), but she never approved that printed proof, making it impossible for us to make the book available on ****** and run the bestseller campaign. Here is the tracking number for that printed proof: UPS # ******************. It was delivered in Aug.

  Also below is a link to her Instagram where she showcases that exact printed proof copy we produced to her followers, stating that the book is published. Note the ******** ***** logo on the back of the book, that is our logo. She seems very happy with the quality of the book that we have produced for her here: *******************************************************************

  She emailed us yesterday with a request for a partial refund, and we responded the same day, on a Sunday. We did not refuse the $3k refund according to the contract. We are in the process of resolving this directly.

  It should also be noted here that we’ve called her at least five times in the last 24 hours and each time it goes straight to voicemail to an inbox that is full.

  J.J. H*****, Manager

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/25/2023

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  **** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed a contract with Mindstir Media/Seacoast Press to publish my novel. Their team members are incompetent and have not completed their agreed upon requirements under our contract. Most recently they published the wrong version of my book. I am in conversations with a lawyer to seek damages. I've attached our agreement.
  
  There as been one error after another.
  
  I'd like a full refund of my payment and no association with this firm gong forward.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 03/16/2023

  BBB received notice from consumer that their complaint was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/16/2023

   
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  ****** ******