Publishing company denies scamming first time authors

Jan 26, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – The dreams of four young female authors were shattered after what they described as a distressing and costly experience with a local publishing company, Learning Tree Group Media and Publishing.

The women claim they collectively lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and were left with poor-quality publications, delayed deliveries, and late communication from the company, believing that the business is a scam.

However, the owner of the company, Dennis Adonis denied the allegation of scamming his customers, calling it an unfortunate circumstance.

Among the issues reported were books being published without proper editing, prolonged delays in printing and delivery, inconsistent communication, no payments or knowledge of online sales. Frustrated and disheartened, the authors have stepped forward to share their experiences, describing the ordeal as a scam that robbed them of the joy of becoming first-time published authors.

Phebe Wallerson’s experience

One such victim is Phebe Wallerson, a poet and former town clerk of Region Seven (Bartica). In an interview with this publication, Wallerson explained that she has always loved reading and poetry and began compiling a book of poems in memory of her late sister, who died in 2024. She planned to launch the book on October 26, 2025, to mark the one-year anniversary of her sister’s death.

However, Wallerson said her plans were derailed after she entrusted her work to Learning Tree Publishing Group, where she encountered multiple setbacks and was left deeply disappointed with the final product.

Publishing company under fire for allegedly scamming first-time authors

Phebe Wallerson

Wallerson detailed that in July 2025 she was introduced to the company through Facebook. She said the company’s website appeared authentic and showcased several published works. In August, she contacted the company seeking editing services, printing, and online publication of her book. The company’s CEO, Dennis Adonis, responded, and a business relationship was formed.

“I saw his post and saw other persons speaking about their experiences, so I contacted him. I chose the platinum package, which was the most expensive package he had. It included publishing, a banner, and 50 physical copies,” she said.

Wallerson stated that she paid $200,000 in cash on August 27, 2025, after initially receiving a quotation of $236,000. She was informed that the books would be ready within two weeks, by September 9, 2025, “The promised date, he said it would take him two weeks to get the book, well, the book could be published within two days, but because I wanted to go through the process where I got my own ISBN number, it would take me two weeks. And he agreed, he said, yes, we’ll have it before, then we’ll have it by the 9th of September,” she said.

Wallerson added, “I gave him the deadline because I told him my date that I want the books out and in hand for a launch would have been on the 26th of October.”

However, those expectations were never met. Wallerson said updates were only provided when she repeatedly contacted Adonis, sometimes waiting more than two weeks for a response.

Before printing, Wallerson requested a draft of the book, which Adonis agreed to provide. However, she said no draft was sent for more than a month. “I waited over a month for the draft, it never came, all the while I’ve been talking to him through WhatsApp messages, calling repeatedly, nothing, nothing, it’s always, yes, I’m getting to it, yes, I’m getting to it, yes, I’m getting to it,” she said.

By the end of September, a draft was finally submitted, but Wallerson said she was dissatisfied after noticing that little to no editing had been done. She later learned that the book had been published on Amazon without her approval, without corrections being made, and without her receiving a single physical copy.

As a result, Wallerson was forced to reschedule her book launch after paying a non-refundable deposit for the venue and pre-selling 100 copies.

“The book went online on October 24, but I didn’t have a single copy in Guyana. I couldn’t do a launch on the day I wanted to do it,” she said.

Wallerson further explained that to date, she has not received any records of online sales or any payments from purchases made. She said requests for sales reports were either ignored or met with unverifiable spreadsheets. “On request, he sends you a spreadsheet of the sales that he says is being made or was made on the books, but you can’t get to see from Amazon. You have no proof that in fact he sold 10 books or he sold 3 books. I’ve been asking him since about two weeks now to have a record of sales for the books as well because I haven’t received any money from the online sales,” she said.

Eventually, Wallerson purchased two copies herself to showcase at her rescheduled launch on November 8. She later received 100 copies but expressed disappointment at the numerous errors and poor print quality.

“When I got my two copies that I ordered, I could not believe that the book was still in the state pre-edit before I told him about these edits that I needed. So, he, in fact made no changes to the book, did no edits. So now the book that I have in hand is actually without all of the changes that I want. Some of the words are to the corner of the book, you can’t even see all of the titles here,” Wallerson explained.

She added, “So when I got my book, I told him I was so disappointed in the quality. But at the time when I got the book, the launch was already set on in motion. I had already pre-sold copies of the book. So, I had to actually give out books that I’m not proud of.”

Wallerson stated that she invested over $600,000 in total and described the experience as deeply painful, especially given the emotional significance of the book. Despite this, she says she is moving forward and hopes to publish again in the future.

Similar Experiences from Other Authors

Other authors, Melissa Moore, Kachell Morris, and Vanisha Ramnauth reported similar experiences involving poor communication, delayed deliveries, and substandard work.

Kachell Morris, a 25-year-old nurse from Eldorado Village, West Coast Berbice, said she paid $250,000 in October 2025 for proofreading, publication, and 73 copies of her book. To date, she has received only a limited number of copies, no evidence of editing, and no earnings from online sales.

Kachell Morris

Morris said she requested a refund in January 2026 after months of delays but was informed she would receive only $23,000. She has not received that refund.

“It’s frustrating because I collected money from people for the books that would come in. I told him this book supposed to be here by now and I paid in full. I sent all of these messages. He did not respond to any of them during the day.”

Morris explained that her book details her journey living with scoliosis, including surgeries, bullying, and personal challenges. Despite the setback, she remains determined to republish her book independently.

Melissa Moore, a teacher, also reported losses after engaging with the company in September 2025. She paid $100,000 via MMG for publication and an additional $66,500 for 35 copies. Months later, she had received neither the books nor a refund.

Melissa Moore

Nothing was coming from me. I reached out to him and I told him it’s been a month since I made my order, and he’s saying that there’s a problem on Amazon’s side and that he’s looking into it, trying to get the books here as soon as possible. I had the same conversation again. He said he was experiencing the same thing. And so, I kept reaching out, reaching out, and they are the same excuses and delays,” she said.

Moore explained that she invested her savings from writing academic papers into the book, which focuses on the challenges faced by teachers. She expressed disappointment but remains open to publishing again—though not with the same company.” I was hoping that the savings I invest in this, I would make a profit. It was a sacrifice indeed,” she said.

Vanisha Ramnauth, a single mother and teacher from West Coast Berbice, also accused the company of scamming her. In January 2025 she paid $54,000 for proofreading and cover design. She later ordered 25 copies, which arrived with multiple errors. “The 25 that I ordered, I gave it to a few lecturers, some close friends, family, and that is how I found out about the errors, because persons were reaching out to me and asking me if this is how it’s supposed to be, if this word is supposed to be here, or stuff like that. I felt embarrassed because I told them that I thought this was a professional company, and I paid for him to proofread the manuscript before publishing.”

Vanisha Ramnauth

Ramnauth said she has not received any sales reports or earnings from online purchases. She explained that she invested her limited savings while earning less than $100,000 at the time, hoping the book would be an investment in her future. “I was receiving a low salary apart from having to pay bills, pay rent and taking care of my family. That was basically all of my savings. I wanted to invest in my future. I said that this book, I looked at it as an investment in my future and where I want to be maybe a year or two years from now. So, it was the little savings that I was saving each month that I took to give it to him to publish my book,” she shared.

Despite the experience, Ramnauth said she is working on republishing her first book and is currently writing a second.

Kaieteur News understands that at least one other individual, Tomeika Bonds, had a similar experience.

Company Responds

Meanwhile, when contacted, Adonis denied that the company is a scam.

“It’s not a scam. We have systems in place, but there were delays due to internal and external factors. We have since improved our systems,” he said.

Regarding unedited manuscripts being published, Adonis stated that edited documents are typically sent to authors for approval before publication. “Whenever we get these books, we are not the authors of these stories we would send the edited document to the authors for approval before we publish, to have them run through it to make sure everything is okay,” he said.

On refunds, Adonis said discussions are on-going and that refunds are expected to be issued between next month and early March. “At no point did we indicate that we would not refund dissatisfied clients,” he said.

While admitting that he does not have evidence of the authors receiving payments from online sales, he explained that Amazon pay-outs take time. “Amazon takes a little while before they pay out, there is only so much I can do, “he said. Adonis added, “They then pay within 60-90 days of the end of the month in which the royalties were earned. So, for instance sales that happened in December might not come through until February month end into March.

Adonis added, “Learning Tree is a dream come true for me. They’re many times that I honestly wanted to give up on this company and just shut everything down. But through the years, I’ve just been consistently trying to grow it into something that can make a difference.”

Adonis acknowledged there were instances where delivery timelines were not met and regrets the inconvenience to his clients. “Once these issues were identified, we proactively reached out to the affected customers to offer resolutions, including refunds or alternative arrangements.”

The company stated that it actively improving its internal processes and overall customer experience to ensure greater consistency and reliability moving forward. “While it is unfortunate that some past clients experienced delays, we are using this feedback as an opportunity to strengthen our operations and service standards. We remain open to correcting the experience for any dissatisfied customers and would welcome the opportunity to continue serving them under improved conditions.”

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authors, Learning Tree Group, Phebe Wallerson, Publishing company, scamming

One thought on “Publishing company denies scamming first time authors”

Roechelle Bovell January 27, 2026 at 1:02 am

I am now aware of this article. I have suffered at the hands of Mr. Adonis, who is yet to produce the books he was paid to have here. I have had to cancel my launch also. Everything I read here is identical to my experience with Learning Tree. I am confused at his use of the word “we”, since to the best of my knowledge Mr. Adonis is the sole operator of this Business. I am in the process of taking Mr. Adonis to court.

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