Publishing.com Anmeldelser 2.382

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to pay $8,500+ for a program that changes faster than a toddler’s mood swings, buckle up. AIA (AI Publishing Academy / Publishing.com) is the gift that keeps on disappointing.
I joined in summer 2023, not just the basic program—no, I bought the Accelerator, the “premium” tier that supposedly comes with 10 coaching calls. I used two. Why? Because my “coach” had the energy of someone who skimmed a blog post about publishing once and decided they were qualified to teach it. I looked up the requirements later:
1. Must be able to work remotely
2. Must have published one book
That’s it. No sales requirement. No success requirement. No expertise requirement. Just… a pulse and a PDF.
So yeah, I didn’t bother with the remaining eight calls. That was the only real difference between the Accelerator and the basic program, and it was about as valuable as a screen door on a submarine.
The Platform That Never Stops Changing (Except When You Need It To)
Within my first year, the structure changed. Then changed again. Then changed again. Coaching calls became group calls—because nothing screams “premium support” like paying thousands to listen to strangers talk about their problems while your own questions get five rushed minutes at the end.
Modules moved. Features vanished. Tools broke. The AI platform—where all my content lives—became inaccessible. And when I asked in their Facebook groups whether the site had moved or changed, the admins didn’t approve the post. They didn’t message me. They didn’t help. They just quietly buried the question like it was radioactive.
Support: Now You See It, Now You Don’t (Mostly Don’t)
I’ve reached out to support three times in total. The most recent? Over a week with zero response. Not even a “we’re looking into it.” I get faster replies from companies I’ve spent $0 with. Meanwhile, $8,500 apparently buys me the privilege of being ignored.
And let’s be honest: support has always been the Achilles heel of this operation. Unless, of course, they’re trying to upsell you. Then suddenly they’re wide awake and ready to “help.”
Nickel-and-Dime University
Everything is an upsell.
Need help? Upgrade.
Want clarity? Upgrade.
Want support? Upgrade.
Want the thing you were originally promised? Upgrade.
It’s like paying for a car and being told the steering wheel is a premium add‑on.
Transparency? Never Heard of Her
Their marketing is a masterclass in selective truth. They’ll show you screenshots of royalties and talk about “escaping the 9–5,” but they’ll never show you the ad spend, the time, the risk, or the actual math behind those numbers. Everything inconvenient is tucked away like a family secret.
And then came April 2026.
FTC: “We Need to Talk.”
The Federal Trade Commission hit Publishing.com with a $1.5 million settlement for deceptive marketing, misleading passive‑income claims, and conditioning refunds on positive reviews. That’s not a “oopsie.” That’s a full‑blown “you got caught.”
After that, the company scrambled to rebrand itself as a “long‑term portfolio building” academy. Translation:
“We can’t legally promise passive income anymore, so here’s a new buzzword salad.”
AI Integration: The Shiny Distraction
Between 2024–2026, they pivoted hard into AI everything—AI writing, AI covers, AI narration, AI optimization. Which would be great… if the tools actually worked consistently. Or if you could access them. Or if support existed.
Meanwhile, Amazon and Audible tightened their rules to combat AI spam, and AIA’s response was basically, “Good luck out there.”
Final Verdict
AIA / Publishing.com is a constantly shifting maze of:
• Ever‑changing program structures
• Coaches with the expertise of a damp sponge
• Support that ghosts harder than a bad Tinder date
• Endless upsells
• Zero transparency
• Admins who silence questions instead of answering them
• And a documented history of misleading marketing, courtesy of the FTC
If you’re considering investing, ask yourself:
Do you want to pay thousands for a program that evolves faster than you can keep up, offers support slower than a sloth on NyQuil, and hides the real costs behind a curtain of hype?
If yes, this is your place.
If not, save your money—and your sanity.

They hard sell and under deliver. I’ve been trying to call and talk to a human, calling about 5 different numbers and they magically are all disconnected. I’m angry and unfortunately for me I still owe bread financial $3,000 thousand dollars because I bought into their $10,000 dollar program. Don’t waste your money watch YouTube videos for free. I learned by expense. Don’t make the same mistakes. Sure you get a corse, but nothing else.

There is a great deal of "it only costs xx dollars", but then you have to continually pay to get the most up to date products and training. Then, in the middle of my membership, they changed the course to focus more on TicTok selling. Those of us already in the Amazon training course, were told that we have "Lifetime Access" going forward without having to purchase anything else. That was great! However, since the change, I am unable to access the program and customer service is a joke. I've been trying to get them to fix this, but working with the customer service team has been ineffective. I still cannot access the program to continue writing. This investment was a mistake for me and I paid close to $20,000.00 for this program and starting my LLC, etc. Not recommended by me.

One of the worst experiences of my life. I spent eight months writing the commands to create a manuscript; the program kept dropping whole chunks of my subchapters. The tech guys blamed me for making mistakes in my commands: I sent them copies and they admitted there were no mistakes. After months of getting the run-around they said there was a computer bug on their end, and they'd work on it. In the end, they said they were unable to fix it. So the system was not able to publish a manuscript for a book I spent eight months researching and writing commands for. I asked for a refund, given they acknowledged that the problem was on their end, and was told I could not get a refund unless I published a book! I wrote the Mikkelsen Twins directly to explain the issue. They never replied.

Oh, and the "Academy"? Pure ripoff. The teacher/professor starts by asking what you would do with an extra $50,000. The guy refused to go off-script and tell me now much it cost. I had to answer all kinds of ridiculous questions first; questions aimed at getting me primed to pay thousands of dollars more. Guess what? I was offered a scholarship!! Yes, the chance to pay thousands more. The best part? I asked the teacher/professor how many books he'd published, and he said he was working on his first. The guy was a salesman pure and simple.

Adding to the issue was the fact the support people I was dealing with kept leaving the company, so I kept having to start over again from square one with each new one who would blame me for writing bad commands.

These guys are snake oil salesmen. They're really good at it. But if even one person can benefit from my experience it'll be worth it having spent the time to write this review.

I joined Publishing.com mainly for the training and the community, and it’s been super helpful. The lessons are structured and easy to follow, and what I didn’t expect to love as much was the community side—being able to ask questions, see what others are doing, and stay accountable makes a big difference. It feels like a real support system (not just a bunch of videos). If you want guidance and a place to learn with others, it’s worth it.

I am extremely impressed with Publishing.com! I began with zero experience in self-publishing and have gained invaluable knowledge throughout this process. I initially attended the free webinar and was amazed at the amount of information that was shared. I then enrolled in the 7-Day Profit Challenge and went step-by-step through writing a mini book , creating the cover and publishing the book on Amazon. I then enrolled in The Publishing Academy and began the series of lessons, then joined Publishing Accelerator, which is a program with more individual guidance. Publishing. com is an awesome program! The knowledge base is constantly evolving and students are updated in real time with the latest tips and sources for success. If you follow the steps, provide the time and effort, I believe the sky is the limit with Publishing.com! I highly recommend Publishing.com, the twins, every staff member and the resources they provide!! Thank you so much!!

It sounds good but the reality is that the Mikkleson family are like snake oil salespeople. It's one thing to listen to their training videos but the fact remains, everything hinges on using their proprietary software and buying more credits to get your ideas into print. These are expensive so its probably best to hire a real ghostwriter to help you get the book of your dreams created.

Read this if you're considering joining Publishing.com.. Do not get fooled like I did, and all the other poor suckers!

Please do not get fooled by these scammers. I am warning anyone and everyone that is considering joining Publishing.com. It's 100% a scam! So here's my story..

It's been a little over a year now, and I am still very angry that I lost 9,800 dollars from joining Publishing.com. Because I never did get any results or any benefits whatsoever from joining. Believe me these are just very heartless people that run this company! (The twins and their lil minions).

Because they don't care about douching their customers! But I tell you what though, I am coming for them legally! And they will pay eventually I promise them that! Plus I already complained to the FTC, Attorney general, and I am also trying to pursue a class action lawsuit for all of us that got suckered, and that bought into their scam, ya'll welcome)!

And yes, I did try to cancel my membership a few days later after I joined. But they would not give me a refund. So then I tried again a couple more times but no dice. Well these are just ruthless, shameless people I thought!..

Because this was thousands of dollars of mine that I just spent for nothing at all, it was not pennies!!! And so yes It still does hurt sometimes thinking about it all over again, even after a darn year!. Man, just knowing that they took me for my hard earned money of 9,800 dollars! And sometimes I do ask myself, how come I couldn't just see that it was a scam in plain sight..

And so please just hear me out or you will be upset also, and kick yourself too someday! Do not fall for their deception! Because they'll get you on a deceiving upsell zoom call and It will cost you 7,800 dollars at the end of that call too.. Which is called their Accelerated Publishing, but it's still Publishing.com.

But man, these people are just so darn greedy!!. Because listen to this, even right after I just joined Publishing.com which cost me a big 2,000 dollars already.. Well then just a couple days later they got me for another 7800 dollars, on a low down high pressure sales upsell call. And yes I know how stupid this sounds on my part, but I was very naive then!

But anyway though they are very good at suckering gullible people even like myself, and sadly I say this. So please just heed my warning to you! And so If anything can ever come out positive here for me and for the many other countless people who got scammed as well.. Do not ever consider joining up with Publishing.com.

Or you will most definitely regret it, you've been warned! Sincerely Kurt C

I enrolled in a publishing course with this company, hoping to build a better future for my kids. As a struggling solo mum, I paid the initial USD $2,000 by adding it to my mortgage, a huge step for me financially. Sadly, the experience has been extremely disappointing and upsetting, a complete waste of both time and money (which I am still paying off on my mortgage).
After joining, I was subjected to high-pressure sales tactics to upgrade to their “Accelerator” programme, which cost thousands more. During those calls, I was even asked whether I could extend my mortgage, increase my credit card limit, or borrow from friends and family, despite having already explained that I was struggling financially. I found this approach deeply unethical. Thankfully, I did not agree to join the Accelerator programme and give them even more money.
I also discovered later that there were many additional costs that were never disclosed before enrolment. Expenses such as editing, formatting, book covers, advertising, KDSpy, Grammarly, and reviews are all presented later as “optional” if you question them. In reality, however, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to handle these tasks on your own if you have no prior experience in the publishing industry. I have struggled to continue with the programme because of these extra costs, which I was not aware of. I was firmly under the impression that the initial USD $2,000 investment would cover everything I needed. Even when they tried to sell me the Accelerator programme, no one ever mentioned these other unavoidable costs.
When I twice requested a refund, I was told I was outside their refund window. Their refund window is only three days (!!), which feels completely unreasonable given the size of the investment. I am now out of pocket a large amount of money that I do not expect to recover.
I have reported my experience to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and strongly encourage others who feel misled to do the same. I understand that the company is currently being investigated by the FTC. I also find it concerning that another reviewer (who left a two-star review here on Trustpilot for publishing.com) mentioned that many of the five-star reviews were allegedly written by people who were offered free coaching calls in exchange for posting them. This claim has not been addressed publicly by the company at the time of writing, which I find troubling.
Based on my experience, I would urge anyone considering this course to research carefully, ask detailed questions about all costs, and think twice before committing. In my view, the Mikkelsen Twins and their staff operate more like aggressive, ruthless, and uncaring salespeople than educators.

I joined Publishing.com after seeing their ads about creating “passive income” through self-publishing with the help of AI.
They promised a simple, step-by-step system, lifetime access to their Publishing.ai software, and personal coaching to guide me through every stage. It sounded like a safe, structured way to build a small business from home, something achievable if I just followed the program.
I signed up for a basic program that cost around $2,000, which was a lot for me financially. They then made me feel like I was some exceptional candidate for a program that few would have access to. I later realized that they were scheming to upsell me another $8,000. I repeatedly told the marketing agent that I did not have the money for the upgraded program, raised all the red flags, but due to aggressive marketing and reassuring responses, “there’s no reason this can fail if you follow the steps,” I signed up with money I didn’t really have.
And I started following the program.
I followed every single step exactly as instructed.
My coach confirmed my progress, reviewed my outlines and covers, and told me everything looked good. I published my first book within a month, and eventually a lot more, all according to their guidelines. I did everything right, and I worked hard, far more than the “8–10 hours a week” they had promised would be enough.
The costs kept rising because what they don’t tell you is that for a book to have a chance to be successful, you have to pay for an original cover, editing, etc., and, of course, Amazon ads that are not a simple thing to master.
But this is not all.
Group sessions abruptly replaced my one-on-one coaching calls. My coach was suddenly gone. The Publishing.ai platform, sold as “lifetime access,” is currently quietly shut down.
Now they start selling new “AI publishing” with a “Done-For-You” package for $997 to $2 497. So the lifetime tool I paid for didn’t become obsolete; it was abandoned because it cost them money to maintain.
I asked for a refund that was refused more than once because if you join the PA program, you actually forfeit the satisfaction guarantee, something the recruiter on the call didn’t mention… of course.
The truth is that for every one student who manages to succeed, hundreds don’t, many losing their savings, going into debt, or working themselves to exhaustion trying to make the system work as promised.
After thousands of dollars and months of effort, I earned NOTHING. No passive income but a growing debt I have to cover by working like crazy on my day job.

They got my trust, my time, and my money. I got broken promises and disappearing tools.
If you’re thinking about joining, please look beyond the polished marketing.
If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

They have an a great program that walks you step by step how to create, publish and market books on Amazon and Audible

Just to let people know, they incentivized 90% of these reviews by offering free coaching calls for their course.

Also: the business model of publishing has an even lower success rate than crypto trading. And more than 90% of crypto traders lose. Search the statistics, even those from major publishing houses, sell no more than 200 books in lifetime. At 10$ price, that’s 2000$, barely covers the cost of the course you are buying.

But you do you.

Only reason it’s not 1 star is because they will in fact teach you how to build a low quality ai written book like they say they do. However, they are grifters, and they are selling you a horrible business model that is very saturated

When I came across Publishing.com, I was at a point in my life where my retirement income was not sufficient to cover my bills. By following this program, I was able to create a retirement income that will see me through my future years!

I wanted to share a little milestone with this amazing community. When I first started on this journey, I had no idea if it would actually work out… but step by step, book by book, the effort has started to add up.
This isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about proof that persistence pays off. If you’re in the middle of writing, editing, or doubting whether your book will ever find readers—don’t give up. it just takes one good book. my first 7 didnt do well.
Every day you put words down or push a project forward, you’re building toward this.
If I can do it, so can you. Keep writing, keep publishing, and keep believing in yourself.

this company scammed me for $7000 that I paid for ghost writing and publishing they said they going to call a trainer but no one did, I had to get financing from Bread financial they are chasing me now because I DID NOT have all the money

Publishing.com is a very costly program, as others have said, and a significant amount of the extra money needed to publish in addition to the course costs are hidden until it is too late.

More importantly, they recently launched a new 'course' focusing on advertising on one platform on social media. The course was nowhere near finished when it was launched, but there were promises that it would be forthcoming. I have now been signed up for months and only a tiny amount of the course has actually been done. None of the information in it is new, and has already been discussed at length in other parts of the program. I have gained absolutely nothing.

This course should be included in the extortionate main membership cost anyway, but if you going to pretend you are releasing a course that is another couple of thousand that will teach students something new, you should actually release it when people have paid.

I have asked for a refund on the basis that what I paid for has not been delivered -we shall see how fair the support team are.

I bought the course thinking that I would be able to make a living, writing, and selling books. I’m over two years into it and I spent about $30,000 and I have received a little over $1000. I put my heart and soul into it, but it wasn’t enough to make my bank account healthy.

I paid just under a couple grand to publishing ai because I thought that it would cover all things needed to publish a book on Amazon. That was simply not the case, unfortunately. The ad made it seem as if everything was going to be included. If you want things done professionally, you still have to pay extra for editing in addition to formatting, cover design, and even access to their AI tools.

They offer a Q&A through Zoom, and this helps answer questions. During the course of my onboarding call, the rep suggested joining an additional program that also includes a mentor feature and they asked me about my credit card limit after I went on to say I could not afford it, which truly felt unprofessional.

I wish the ad had been more forthcoming overall about the extra costs. It could work when you are okay doing a lot on your own. However, you will be disappointed likely if you pay a couple grand and expect a full-service experience.

THIS is the level of outstanding, responsive, and consummately professional "above and beyond" tech and representative customer service we all hope to experience when an issue arises that requires superb and dedicated resolution. Sandy, Dan, and the overall team at Publishing AI CRUSHED IT in a FIVE-STAR execution! Bravura Performance, and THANKS AGAIN!

I am ever so grateful to Sandy in Support at Publishing.com. She has exceptional empathy and understanding. She listened to my personal challenges, including health issue setbacks. I even had a suspension from a social media platform all because I wasn't sure of what I was doing and was only trying to get the Publishing.com group on my existing page. She assured me that I could continue my coursework and to feel free to contact Support going forward. Her kindness and professionalism turned what could have been a stressful situation into a positive one. Thank you, Sandy, for truly caring about your students. You are awesome!!