The credited ‘Launch Team’ for the book Infiltration

Promotion of the book: Infiltration by Taylor Marshall

In exchange for reviewing the book on Amazon, each member of the launch team received their name in the book and was given a free copy. However, Amazon requires disclosure of this type of arrangement, and very few reviewers provided that disclosure. Here is one example. Also, some of the reviewers are students or former students of Taylor Marshall’s online school, New Saint Thomas Institute.

Here is the text of a post on Taylor Marshall’s blog, which has now been removed. I took the text from Archive.org here

“Dr. Taylor Marshall’s Infiltration Launch Team
by Dr Taylor Marshall

Thank you for wanting to join our Launch Team for Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Catholic Church from Within. We are looking for 200 “Launch Team” advanced readers who are:

* willing to read a private (do not share) advanced copy of the book in pdf format,
* give us feedback,
* write a review of Infiltration on Amazon.com
* and help promote it when it debuts on May 20 2019 (tentative publish date).

If we select you, then your name will be printed on the last page of the book with a “Thank you” from me.

If you are willing to help me promote the book, please fill in the forms below and we will notify you within the week if you have been selected.

Godspeed,
Taylor Marshall”

The book in fact has over two thousand “launch team members” who received free copies of the book in PDF format in exchange for the above agreement to both write a review on Amazon and help promote it. That is contrary to Amazon’s Terms of Service, unless these facts are reported in the review. I could find only one reviewer who so reported.

Here is a similar Launch Team used for another Amazon book by him, Sword and Serpent 2. Then for book 3 in the series, here is the now-deleted post looking for launch team members:

“Become Part of Sword and Serpent BOOK 3 Launch Team (Application Page)
by Dr Taylor Marshall

Thank you for wanting to be part of my Sword and Serpent 3 Launch Team. All members of the Launch Team will receive a free digital copy of the novel before it’s published to the public and have their named printed in the back of the novel with a thank you message from me.

For Book 1 Launch Team, we had over 1000 applicants for the first two novels’ Launch Teams.”

Google Cached Version

Amazon requires disclosure of this type of arrangement. Most reviewers did not do so.

Here is the list of Launch Team members listed in the Kindle version of the book Infiltration. Over two thousand free copies of the book given to secure a truck load of good reviews. Dishonest? You tell me.