Blueprint Books Availability Update

There is nothing mysterious going on with my Blueprint books. I have had several blog readers contact me regarding availability and consider it a good time to post a statement.

Paperback editions of all books are available from Amazon and can be ordered from B&N and almost any bookseller with one exception - Blueprint for an Escort Service (my original Blueprint book) has been updated and the paperback is in the proof process, but will be "in stock" on the Amazon site soon, hopefully by 20 February 2012, if not sooner. When an interior file is changed a proof must be sent to the publisher (me) and then accepted. I do not anticipate any issue and expect to accept it within a couple of days.

The updated Blueprint for an Escort Service ebook is now available in the Amazon Kindle store. The updates are incorporated throughout the book. You will see that the publishing date is February 9, 2012 on its product page: Blueprint for an Escort Service

Amazon may make the updated Kindle copy available to anyone that purchased the original edition in past. This includes any downloads on the New Year's giveaway. You may have to contact Amazon and request the updated copy.

I have removed The Complete Blueprint for an Escort Service from the Kindle store and this title is now only available as a paperback. This book included most of Blueprint for an Escort Service 2: Beyond the Original Blueprint, which will be available in the Kindle store and as a paperback. Some of the tech related information is outdated, even though these books were published in 2010. The budget plan included in both is no longer viable as costs of everything (licenses, for one example) have at least doubled in price. However, Blueprint 2 does offer some time and money saving information and I have lowered the price of the Kindle edition - it should be available by 16 February.

I feel that the updated Blueprint for an Escort Service covers it, with any technology advances or new issues. If you purchased any of the paperbacks, just view the major updates on the Blueprint Updates section of my website: Blueprint Updates

I have removed all of my books from Google Books and the Google ebook store. There is nothing mysterious with this situation either. It was an issue of a Google ebooks reseller discounting my ebooks by 55%. A $9.99 title (Blueprint books) was selling for $4.50. The Terms and Conditions with Google ebooks store allowed resellers to do this. Not only would I have been hit financially with the reseller, Amazon would match the price - effectively devaluing my books everywhere.

I could have sold my books for $149-700 just as anyone else offering information about opening and operating escort services does as my information is more thorough (and now completely updated); however, chose to set a lower price - $9.99 for the ebook. One major reason for this is that watching these prosecutions is distressing to me. I dealt with it when Google discounted to $7.99, but that was where I had to draw the line and when I found my main seller available for $4.50, well, I quickly pulled the plug. I really loved Google ebooks and the ability to sell there too, so this was upsetting for me.

I chose to remove the ebooks from the B&N Nook store only due to low sales. It was a rare occasion when a copy of anything sold there.


Hope this clears-up the questions concerning what is going on with my books.

Vilifying the Escort Service Owner

The vilification of escort business owners is something that I have seen often in the last 20 years, but more recently it has escalated with each indictment or arrests that involved owners and operators. The high number of people (mainly independent escorts) voicing a hatred of escort service owners in online forums most recently is a result of the Classy DC Escorts indictment and the inclusion of the gun/violence charge.

The truth about the use of a gun and threats by the owner of Classy DC Escorts (if it even happened), is that these people were robbing him. The escorts he allegedly threatened and the driver/booker that he allegedly beat while “brandishing a gun” were stealing from him and the business – the thievery is a fact. If it is all true then he needs an anger management class – no one was actually shot or anything – and to learn to walk away from thieves that rip his wallet from his pocket. As hard as it is to do this, walking away is the only choice.

As I visited various forums shortly after the indictment was handed down, the vicious nature of the posts and clear hatred of escort service owners was all too obvious. I didn't say a word as I do not know anyone connected to Classy DC. Back when Jeane Palfrey (the former DC Madam) was arrested, convicted, and then committed suicide, the posters were 90% vicious bitches from hell. Many were considering her suicide to be reason for celebration. I couldn't hold my tongue and I let them have it – Jeane often caught and said goodbye to thieves. I haven't posted on the TER or Big Doggie forums since.

The bottom line is that if these independents didn't like working with the service, all each had to do was leave, exit, open their own damn business. Just as there is no real excuse for “brandishing a gun” in attempt to retrieve stolen money, there is also no excuse for the thieves. One crime is no better than the other! (actually as long as no one was really shot, I consider brandishing a gun to be the lesser offense)

There will be many independents that cross your path and steal your fees at every opportunity. I still have one that I refer to as “the Christmas thief,” but really it was my fault that she got away with as much as she did. If I had been paying attention as I should have been, the most she could have stolen was a fee or two. As angry as I was at the time, mainly due to my misplaced trust, I knew that my only option was to walk away. That was what I did.

I wonder how they'd feel if any owned a restaurant and an employee was stealing from the register on a nightly basis. Would they blame the party that threatened or even hit the thief? The restaurant owner has the option of dialing the police, but the escort service owner really does not.

Some anonymous party posted a wild and unprovable allegation against the owner of Classy DC on my other blog a couple of days ago, but I deleted it in minutes. I figure that he was in the business since 2006-07, and the feds were investigating from around the middle of 2009, so if such a crazy accusation was not included in the indictment, it has to be entirely baseless and the anonymous poster probably plays a part in the case (like informant).

Every time a newspaper comes out with a story about an underage prostitute being pimped on Backpage, the same crowd lays the blame on the existence of escort services. Only a complete moron would blame the entire escort industry because some idiot commits such crimes. But isn't that exactly what they're all doing by demanding the removal of the “adult services” and “escorts” categories on Backpage? Everyone is supposed to pay for the crimes of a few. Not in this lifetime. I hope that Backpage holds its ground.

Anytime an escort business owner is arrested or indicted many blame the entire industry, as if we all had some hand in the party's business or do everything as they did. A main rule here is that all escort services are not created equal. No two services operate exactly the same. I do not know about everyone else in the biz, but I am sick and effing tired of being called a pimp by idiots and thieves. If the escorts didn't want to be escorts, they wouldn't be. Don't let these people pull your leg – they all want the damn money.

[End of rant, for now anyway] 

Classy DC Escorts Indictment

This is a short informational post concerning the "Classy DC Escorts" indictment unsealed a couple of days ago. The case is in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia and the defendants were indicted by the Grand Jury. Thanks to a reader for alerting me on the indictment and the fact that unindicted co-conspirators (UCC) from this case are seeking work from services in other areas. I will offer my thoughts and dissect the story and indictment on my Accused Madam Blog late tonight.

Thanks to someone for uploading the indictment on Scribd. The case is USA v. Akuiyibo et al.


Posted on my other blog: Initial Thoughts on the Classy DC Escorts Indictment

The Escort Business: Reflections and Thoughts

I hope that the readers of this blog are having a happy new year, or at least are on the road to a better future. Many of you arrive at this blog by typing the phrase how to open an escort service so I must imagine that this is your intention.

This blog actually gets more reads than my Accused Madam Blog, unless I am blogging about topics of interest to many people, like trials in the news or well-known cases like the Miami Companions case or the Southwest Companions arrests. I never intentionally ignore this blog – it's just that there isn't much that has changed in the escort business, so what is there to say?

When I offered two of my books free through Amazon Kindle store at the end of 2011, the downloads overwhelmingly (4 to 1) favored my “Memoirs” book and not the “Blueprint” book. I considered this odd as I sell so few copies of Memoirs in comparison to any of the Blueprint books. If you missed the free offer I am sorry, but it's available at a low price for anyone actually interested in opening an escort service.

The tech aspect of opening and operating an escort service is always evolving, but the rest of it stays the same. As the internet and search indexing change so do the businesses seeking clients online. I found no solid reasoning to publish a new edition of “Blueprint” over tech stuff as I am not an expert on that topic anyway. Just build a website viewable and findable on smartphones and laptops alike and do not forget the new focus on local and you'll do fine.

State and federal law enforcement agencies have not paid anymore attention to the escort business than they always have and often this is dependent on the area you choose to operate in and the level of acceptance. Always take the safe and consistent side and realize that all money is not good money. Learn to walk away. Realize that you owe no one an explanation for anything that you do. When people start questioning me, I start making up stuff. No random stranger or old acquaintance appearing out of nowhere should ever be questioning you and if it happens, head the other direction quick.

A person that I have posted an article about on both blogs long ago (Doug Ketcher of the former Sweethearts Escorts of South Florida) dropped by to comment as he was recently released from prison. I am sure that his ordeal is not anything that any of you ever want to go through and I implore you to pay attention to what I have stated in the book. I feel for Mr. Ketcher, but at the same time, I didn't have his party and neither should you. Acceptance of credit cards for your business and pretending the IRS doesn't exist as you rake in the big$$$s could place you in harm's way and it is never “worth it” as Mr. Ketcher stated in the comment.

And then there is the New York High Class case.... There were drugs involved in the case and it is not just an escort service prosecution. I have no clue if the many defendants are guilty of anything or not, but according to the indictment, the case involved drug delivery to clients. A similar set-up of the infamous Jason Itzler (of NY Confidential fame) took place a couple of months later in the same jurisdiction. Just skip the drugs and you won't have the sort of problems that any of these defendants currently do. Your mommy should have taught you that much, but if she didn't then take heed of the warning now.

Realize that most of the YouTube videos posted on my blogs have significance to me in one area of life or another. I have never just posted random videos. Not that it matters to you... I'm just sayin'....

If you have attempted to post a short comment and link to your escort website here in past, please realize that if I allowed all comments with adult business links to go through, this blog would be finished in short time. I like my blogs and the US is a censored country, no matter what they tell you, so the comments won't be posted.

On a rare occasion I will let a comment and link to a conservative site go through, but I check that link later to make sure it hasn't evolved into a porn site. One semi-intelligent poster dropped his real comment with a profile link on my other blog long ago and the profile was nothing that mattered at that time, but soon readers were flocking to this seemingly unimportant article. Yes, his profile link became a XXX explicit porn advertisement. It was deleted.

I recently changed my consultation policy on my website to accommodate the small group of people that asked everything from..., well, you have the idea, I'm sure. In the books I do advise that you are welcome to contact me with a question or two and you still are, but if it reaches the point of exasperation and is too time consuming for me, I'll be responding with a link to the consultant page of my website. The one party that actually paid for email consults actually turned out to be really nice and just wants to make damn sure everything is correct. That is something I do understand. Just realize that I cannot hold your hand through the set-up and opening of a business as it places me in jeopardy.

Realize that I do not allow anyone to place me in legal jeopardy. This is something that I learned form my many years in the business and my subsequent prosecution and acquittal by jury. Yes, people have tried – one too recently for comfort. If I even suspect that your goal is to throw me under a bus for your own prosecution, well, I react different ways. Sometimes I ignore the party and other times I just start making stuff up, but whichever route I choose, realize that you are no match for me, at least not in anything even remotely related to the escort business.

Last, but not least, please do not bother downloading my titles for free on one of those illegal file sharing websites. Realize that I can't be in the business because of my past and I barely survive. I don't think $8-10 is too much to pay for a book that could help you make hundreds of thousands of $s legally and safely, do you?

Stay safe and prosper!

Vicky Gallas

Blueprint FREE in All Kindle Stores 29-31 December 2011

Blueprint for an Escort Service and Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando are my New Year's present to you:

From 29 December at approximately 12:01AM Pacific Standard Time (PST) through 31 December 2011 at approximately 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time (PST), both ebooks are free in ALL Amazon Kindle stores.

Blueprint for an Escort Service description:

“Blueprint for an Escort Service” is written with legal issues in mind, but from a business perspective. The idea is to send out sexy escorts or dancers/strippers by the hour, and not for sex. If opening an escort business or entertainment company is your plan, this book will save you unimaginable trouble and avert potential disasters at every corner.

You are receiving the benefit of my 13 years of experience in the escort business, and the 13 years does not include several years of knowledge developed from the arrest, case, and trial that resulted in my acquittal by jury. If you are going to read advice and operational plans in relation to the escort business, don't you want that advice to come from the one escort service owner in the US that beat racketeering and conspiracy charges?

This book is written for those people that suddenly find that they're on the verge of poverty and have the desire, audacity, and guts to dig their way out of that hole. It is also written for the wage slave that wants to live for a change, or the single mother that wants to spend time with her children, not working 50 hours a week for nothing. It could also be for the person with health problems that can't go out and do physical work, or for the reader that simply wants to know about escort business operations. Adult business is what you make it, and it certainly can be fun, exciting, and profitable all at the same time. It is a potential solution to financial problems.

The entire point of the book is to make opening an escort service or entertainment company anywhere a simple project. Some chapters are short as it is not my intention to reinvent the wheel. The word count total is 32,000.

Memoirs of an Accused Madam: The War on Adult Business in Orlando description:

The story begins in early 1993, with the discovery of blocks on escort service telephone lines in Orlando area resort PBX systems during large convention bookings. The blocks began in the late 1980s and were not isolated to the Orlando area, but were also in operation in Las Vegas. The blocks have evolved, but still exist today.

In 1992, Vicky Gallas opened escort services in Orlando, Florida. Two years later she became the focus of an intense criminal investigation that resulted in her arrest in late 2001, and subsequent jury trial and acquittal in 2003. In this hard-hitting memoir, she reveals how racketeering and organized crime charges were brought against her based on proof so flimsy that agents and prosecutors could not get a wiretap or a warrant to search.

For anyone fascinated with the foibles of our criminal justice system, the sensational Orlando connection, and how escort services really work, this is a must-read book.

Happy New Year! 

On the Escort Murders in Detroit and Safety

I, like many that purchase my Blueprint books, am not a big fan of the independent escorts that post on Backpage. They offer ridiculous *specials* and many post ads that do more than allude to prostitution and the great majority are clueless when it comes to actually verifying clients for safety reasons as is obvious by this current story: 3 of 4 Detroit women murdered had profiles posted in the escort section of a website

An excerpt from the article above:

““We don’t have very many ways to keep ourselves safe other than to go by the sound of the guy’s voice,” said the woman who did not want to be identified. She asked us to conceal her identity because she uses the site as a part time job, selling her body to support her and her daughter."

Somehow the media will manage to twist this into a problem with Backpage and a problem with all escort service websites when they wake-up and realize that “Packages” is supposed to be Backpage: Detroit police say 3 deaths tied to dating services site

I am sorry for the families of the dead women and I hope the the Detroit P.D. will escalate the investigation and catch the killer.

Any reputable escort service verifies potential clients before sending out the escorts. I have discussed many methods of verification in my Blueprint books so I won't do it here and this is not a sales ploy – Blueprint for an Escort Service is set for a free promotion in all Amazon Kindle stores on 29, 30, and 31 December, 2011 PST – that is Pacific Standard Time, but don't be angry with me or Amazon if it's an hour off as all promotions have not started and ended at precisely the minute they're supposed to. You do not need a Kindle – a Kindle app for your Android, Mac, PC etc... will work fine. If you can place an ad on Backpage, you can download the book from Amazon.

Why am I giving this book away free for 3 days? Because I am sick and tired of reading about escorts dying because they don't bother to verify information and escort business owners in deep legal problems because they operate incorrectly – this is a two-part reasoning and part two will be discussed in the next couple of days.

There are the unknown number of murders in Long Island, NY of escorts that posted on Craigslist in past, the Philip Markoff murders (known as the Craigslist Killer), and the murders in Detroit of escorts posting on Backpage today. We have no idea how many more escorts that post their own ads have been murdered around the world because of a lack of knowledge in the area of verification.

Still, many do not heed the advice in the book. I am sorry that a non-professional in an apartment can't be verified, but it is what it is. I do not hate apartment dwellers – I am one. Not all money is good money and the sooner you learn that, the better for all involved, especially in relation to the escort business. I hope that independent escorts all over the world download the book free – there won't be any excuse for not verifying a potential client.

So now we brace for the media and so-called "sex-trafficking expert" onslaught when they all figure out that the dating website referred to in many different articles is not “Packages” and is actually Backpage. The truth is that this is not a new technology problem and we must only look at the Green River Killer case from Seattle area to know that.

Important Note: While many will spend their days attempting to get independent escorts to quit and work at McDonalds or Burger King, I prefer the reality-based approach of helping these escorts understand client verification. As with anything in life, one must take what they need and leave the rest.

Announcement: Blueprint Updates

In the near future, all Blueprint updates will be in the Blueprint Updates section of my website. I decided not to publish any future editions of any Blueprint books because there really isn’t that much to update with the exception of tech-related information.

All information in relation to website hosting and design is found on the Websites page. Working with WordPress websites is simple once you do it once and it doesn’t take too much effort to learn. These days a local presence is absolutely necessary and all updated information is found on the Focus on Local page. Any important updates related to advertising your business, including both print and online, is located on the Advertising page. Last, but not least, if using a variation of the business model in the books is of interest to you, visit the Business Models page for ideas and information.

A main theme that I will be focusing on is reaching your audience that is online via a mobile device, tablet, or smartphone. My recent research has revealed that this is how the great majority of clients and customers are searching and your website(s) and ads should be targeting this market more than any other.

Some information from the Blueprint Updates on this blog is repeated as it is still current, but there will be much new information on the above noted pages also.

I expect to be finished with this section of the website by the day after Christmas. I have been ill and am not able to do much each day or it would already be completed. I do intend to continue blogging here in the future, but not in reference to Blueprint updates.

Issues with Advertising Venues for Escort Services

The problem of state and federal prosecutors and agents going after publishers (print and internet) that offer advertising to escort services is not new to me. This is something that Orlando's MBI has done for two decades and back in 1996, they succeeded in Orlando when they threatened Sprint Publishing (R.H. Donnelley) into eliminating the “escort services” category. The MBI went after Craigslist long before attorney generals from around the US decided to attempt it.

This year the major attention is on Backpage and has been since Craigslist caved. An escort service should never advertise its business on Backpage. In my Blueprint books I state that placing a sponsor ad in the “adult help wanted” category is okay if you feel it's necessary, but if your website is up and indexed in search engines and you have your local listings (like Places – formerly Maps), you shouldn't need to advertise for escorts because they'll call searching for work at the same time that potential clients start calling. The print yellow pages are also good for that, but unnecessary if you are in a major metropolitan area, like NYC or Los Angeles, and even Miami these days.

There is an even worse issue with Backpage right now though and I figured I had better mention it here. Sure, Backpage is fine for independent escorts that work completely alone to advertise, but I'm not so sure I'd book with one if I were a client. It is just too hot, hot, hot! The fly-by-night nature of the venue – anyone with a credit or debit card can place an ad any time and it immediately appears – has various law enforcement agencies using it in a variety of ways.

Yes, there are sting operations wherein the “escort” is actually a cop. When this happens it is often a result of cops busting the escort and taking over her ads with her permission. Anyone can be a Backpage escort at any time. Having a website and getting a Places listing is a bit more complicated and far from instant in either case. I have never liked incall operations and women that advertise incall at area hotels on Backpage are immediately suspect to me. Trust me – if the hotel had a clue, they'd call the cops and trespass her quickly, and these days hotels have cameras everywhere, at least here in Orlando.

However, my reason for posting this goes beyond all of this reasoning. I have been watching a trial that is currently in federal court in Orlando. All 12 defendants are from Eastern Europe and everyone in the case was indicted for conspiracy. Many defendants also have other charges – yes, even the unlicensed massage therapists. This outfit advertised on Craigslist in past and then later Backpage and it was all incall massage or the women working at spas here in Orlando, but also in Tampa, Ohio, Massachusetts, and Georgia. There could be other states that I haven't noted too. Anyway, all they did was offer incall massage or body rubs (unlicensed). I have discussed this case and trial in more depth on the Accused Madam Blog – all related posts are listed in the Sex Trafficking Trial – Orlando label. The Orlando Sentinel repeatedly referred to it as a “sex-trafficking ring” and I didn't realize how it was really charged until I accessed case documents in PACER.

One situation that I have not posted about on the other blog is that there are a lengthy list of clients testifying against these women. There is no witness list available, but if you look at the court/trial minutes for each day you can see the names that testified that day. Transcripts of testimony are sealed, but will be unsealed in December or January, once the trial is over. But they are clients, I have no doubt about that, and there are many. The telephone numbers these people had advertised in Backpage were wiretapped for almost a year according to case documents, so anyone that made an appointment would have been contacted by law enforcement.

Beyond that, the escorts.com case was resolved in a plea deal and the site is no longer operational. That was a messy case, but more because this business had so many phone sex 800 numbers and also sold porn on other websites. The escort advertising venue was also used in the takedown of the corporations involved. Read more about this case from First Amendment attorney Lawrence Walters: Killing the Messenger: The Campaign Against Online Escort Advertising Sites; Part 1 – Setting the Stage

So where does an escort business advertise? It should have at least one website and listings in all the online local listing services that are free, especially Places. Beyond that, it is best to search for the keyword phrase that is most important to your business and see which directory listing sites show on page 1 of search results. Don't forget the print yellow pages if you are not in a major metropolitan area, and even then a bold print one-line listing sure won't hurt.

Opening an Escort Service: Yes or No

One statement that I make in my Blueprint books is that the escort business is not for everyone. Many will consider the option of opening an escort service, read the book, and then opt to pass on it. I tried to not glamourize the business and clearly state that it is highly unlikely that you will ever make $millions as some people claim.

Over the course of the last year I have received numerous emails from interested people that ask if I would do it all over again as they try to decide their own paths in life. I give you no hype on the topic, but yes, if the circumstances were the same, I'd do it all over again. I state this even though I ended-up arrested, in trial, and acquitted by jury.

Yes, I lost everything that I had as a result of the criminal case and I had more than most people (law enforcement and prosecutors) seem to think as I had invested everything in gold and silver bullion and equities. I studied the gold and silver market for almost two years and bought back when gold was $250-$280 an ounce and silver was $3.50-$5. Because of the many costs involved in my arrest and case, I also sold it all as I went along and by the time I reached trial there was little remaining. As the dealer that I sold to stated, I should consider myself lucky that I had it all to sell and cover expenses. Yes, I cried on more than one occasion over it – it was my retirement and my son's future. Who doesn't want to buy their child a new car etc... and offer financial security?

I was left with no retirement and no financial security whatsoever, gold recently passed $1800 an ounce, and silver was around $40, but it was the equities (stocks) that I really lost on. Back then I could have told you anything about any gold or silver mine in North America, South America, or South Africa. I learned much about a topic that doesn't matter at all anymore.

I decided that after knowing for fact that agents broke into my Orlando house without a court order or warrant, I never wanted to own property in the US again. I also used to have perfect credit, but really who gives a shit about credit anyway? So make no mistake here – I exited the business with less than I had when I started it in 1992. However, I was able to spend my son's years of growing-up with him instead of working all the time and we had the money to take trips to NYC, the Bahamas, on a cruise, shopping etc... all the stuff that never would have happened without that escort business.

One recent email I received:

If you had to do it all over again, would you? I've been presented with an opportunity to enter this realm, however, I am unsure if the risks are outweighed by the rewards.

Thanks for listening.

My response to that email:

Well, it was not presented as an opportunity to me - I was attempting to support myself and my child on an $8 per hour job with no health insurance and we both had health issues. So yes, I would do it again - my son and I had fun as he grew-up, we did things and had the money to. Otherwise I would have never seen him as I would have been too busy working.

If your life is already good, I wouldn't get involved in the escort business. If you are unemployed or barely surviving on a low wage job, you may want to consider it.

You also must analyze the person(s) providing the opportunity. I advise in my book that one should only have a partner if they're married or know the party really well. You can go into business on your own - you do not need an "opportunity" or a partner. Be careful - there are treacherous people involved in the escort business.

Hope that helps.

The response to my response:

Thank you Vicky. That is exactly what I needed to hear.

I assume that the emailer chose to pass on getting into the business. Many of you that read the Blueprint book may do the same. Keep the book in case your circumstances change and you decide to go ahead with the project in the future as we never know what tomorrow will bring. Also keep it because you never know when I will decided to stop selling it – yes, there has been some pressure in recent days and I admit that it is a consideration, albeit a small one.

If you are already in a dire financial situation or have similar reasons as my own for entering the escort business, plan carefully and proceed with caution. Analyze all that you say and do before you speak or do it and you'll be fine. I used to pretend that a jury was listening to every telephone conversation and everything stated to every escort; the sad part is that I still must do this because they are sore losers that never, ever go away.

So I won, but I also lost and you need to clearly understand that. I have serious enemies. Caveat Emptor.

Registration Begins on XXX Domains

Today begins registration for the new .xxx domain names. I found an excellent article in the International Business Times that explains the registrations schedule far better than I could and it includes a chart: .XXX Domain Registration: A Cheat Sheet for the Sunrise

I do not care for the segregation aspect of .xxx and feel that it will make blocking all adult websites, no matter how conservative in design, much easier for ISPs, hotels, and anyone else that so desires. However, if you already have a TLD (top level domain), you really do need to buy the matching .xxx if nothing else.

Censored by PayPal

I awoke today to read the following email from PayPal:

We are hereby notifying you that, after a recent review of your account activity, it has been determined that you are in violation of PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy regarding your sales / offers of an ebook about escort services on blueprintforanescortservice.blogspot.com.

Therefore, your account has been permanently limited.

Under the Acceptable Use Policy, PayPal may not be used to send or receive payments for certain sexually oriented materials or services or for items that could be considered obscene.

It is a trick statement as all of my books are “about escort services” including Memoirs. All are also sold on my website, The Accused Madam. I only had funds from the last three sales in the account so the balance is $30 after PayPal took its fees on the three sales and adding the previous balance of $2.

The censors at PayPal must not want anything sold that isn't for children. Does Disney own PayPal or a piece of the company?

Nothing in any book I have written could possibly be considered “obscene” or “sexually oriented material”. My books are all intended for an adult audience, but if they were rated they would all be PG or at worst R. There is nothing sexual in any book I have written.

Screw the censors at PayPal.

When I login to my PayPal account I see the following notification:

Why is my account access limited?
Your account access has been limited for the following reason(s):

• Jul 10, 2011: When you signed up for your PayPal account, you agreed to our User Agreement and Acceptable Use Policy. Because some of your recent transactions violated this policy, we've had to permanently limit your account.
  
  Please remove any references to PayPal from your website.
  
  You'll be able to withdraw any money in your account 180 days after your last transaction. We'll email you when it's ready to be withdrawn.
  

My email response to aup@paypal.com:

Nothing in any book that I have written could possibly be considered "obscene" or "sexually oriented material". While the intended audience for my books is adult, if anyone were to read and rate any of my books they would each be a PG or at most an R. There is nothing sexual in any book.

What you are doing here is incorrect, but this is the US and I respect your right as a company to not do business with anyone you choose. Welcome to Amerika, the new Disney, where everything is for children and adults do not exist except in relation to children.

Screw PayPal's censorship of me and my books. So you manage to stop me from selling ebooks that are available from Google ebooks and in Amazon's US, UK, and Canada Kindle stores and as paperbacks through any bookstore. Thanks a bunch and screw you.

Vicky Gallas

Advice for Escort Business Owners and Clients

This could turn into a complicated post if I allow it to; I will try not to go that direction herein. Anyone that has read any of my books is aware that I discuss the blocks on escort business telephone numbers and websites during conventions in Orlando. Memoirs is all about the blocking and the Blueprint books mention it more than once. I have also posted occasionally on the topic on the Accused Madam Blog.

There are always ways around such blocking. First, what do I mean by blocks during conventions?

When there are large conventions in your city you may notice that you receive few calls, if any at all. This is obvious in Orlando, at least to me. This was obvious to several operators in Las Vegas for years and civil suits were filed over the problem. In past I heard from operators in Los Angeles that it was clearly happening there as well. Now I am hearing that the practice has become all too obvious in New Orleans.

Check the conventions in your area. I cannot define “large” in relation to the number of attendees at a convention, but I have seen it with a convention of 45,000 and with a convention of 1000. Today I was asked: “What are the chances that nobody at all calls during a convention with 45,000 attendees?”

I asked what specific convention was being referenced and the answer was Rotary International. Well, the chances in Orlando that no one will call are 100%. No one at all called during the Golf Merchandise show here back in late January and 45,000 people came here for it. Imagine how many hotels fill in New Orleans when that many people come in town for a convention. Yet, not a single call. This owner had his eyes on the situation because previous large conventions brought zero calls and he has great placement in search engines.

One trend that you will notice is that you receive calls immediately before the convention and immediately after it from people there for that specific convention. Some people do arrive early or stay a day or two extra in a convention city. You may even hear from a random caller there for the convention – I try to question on how he found the website and what device he is using to dial me.

Up until mid-January, people using some advanced smartphones were able to view the site and call without issue, but something changed by the end of January 2011. I do not have a grasp on it yet and can only research and make educated guesses. When I figure it out, I'll post about it.

One thing you may notice is that your websites are still receiving high visitor numbers from unique IP addresses and the numbers get higher during the huge conventions. So is it believable that not one person from that huge convention will call to ask a question? No way in hell, especially when considering that it rings off the hook when there isn't a sizable convention in town or from outside areas when there is.

Let's consider possible solutions for the escort business

Plaster your email address on top and bottom of every page on your website. Announce on the main page that interested clients should save your email address – the blockers sure as hell cannot block your email. Include a short statement on the main page of your site that if an interested client is coming to the area for a convention they may find escort service websites blocked and may not be able to get through on the telephone. Assure them that you will respond quickly to email and instruct all to save your email address and/or book an advance appointment.

This is a plug for the adult business forums and sites that offer ads to adult business and are at the top or near the top in the keyword phrases that matter: Place ads on a few of these sites that will run before, during, and after that big convention. Use a new telephone number in any of those ads. Your number on the website may be blocked by the blockers; mine is. Repeat this, always getting a new telephone and number, for all large conventions. You decide what large is, but to me it is 10,000+.

The most know site with great ad prices is EROS. Bigdoggie.net is another well-known site that has been around for a while, but their ad prices are high. You can also post in the forums on these sites. One more to look at is World Escort Guide – they have great prices and are somewhat high in search rankings in the cities they operate in, but they are not in that many US cities. Also post an ad on Backpage if the convention is an important one - make it a sponsor ad.

While you are at it, grab your netbook and wireless modem (all major wireless companies have them) and head out to the hotels during one of the larger conventions. Sit in the lobby and see if you can search for and click on your own website using the wireless modem you brought with you. Dial your own telephone numbers from different wireless phones. Now, go online using the hotel's Wifi if at all possible. If at all possible, use the hotel's ISP for a cable connection in a hotel room reserved by a convention attendee. What worked and what didn't?

Encourage clients that visit your website from elsewhere prior to visiting for the convention to book advance appointments. To do this you would want accurate photos of escorts on the website and know each escort's schedule of availability. You may want to offer a decent discount for appointments booked in advance. You may also want to aim your marketing at other areas and try to grab potential client's attention before they come to your city. If you are in Las Vegas there are many options that are not online.


Possible solutions for clients

If you have any idea that you might be interested in seeing an escort when you attend a major convention, search in advance for the websites. Save the telephone number and the email address. Consider booking in advance or at least calling and making sure that the business will respond quickly to an email when you are ready to make an appointment.

Remember that a Google or Yahoo or Hotmail address cannot be blocked by the hotel. Never use AOL because they have always been known for blocking issues – in email and in search results. Businesses are going to need to adapt to responding immediately to emails – no more 24 notice by email stuff.

This may not be happening in your area at all, but as long as I have been aware of the problems (since 1992), I have known that a major connector is a hospitality industry entity that works closely with conventions in most major cities. The situation has evolved over time, but the convention and hospitality industry connection to the problem has never changed.

Open an Escort Business Anywhere

My Blueprint books are really more easily applied in the US, but they do have information that is useful anywhere in the world too. I must imagine that most areas of the globe have zoning rules and licenses to enter any type of business. Interacting with the escorts and answering the telephone is similar anywhere – in some areas you can be more open than in others. How to answer a telephone and collect your money would also be more the same than different in any geographical location.

There are some areas of the planet I which a person would go about many aspects of the business differently, even within the US, and certainly between the US and Canada, for example. Really it all comes down to the level of acceptance for adult business on an outcall basis. It is the level of acceptance in any geographical area that will ultimately determine how you operate and the type of license that you will want.

Another disparity will be communications: You must advertise and market in the way that is most accepted in the area you choose. It does no good to market your business entirely online if potential clients in the area look at local newspapers. It also won't help to place a print ad if all the clients are online. Every geographical area has its own unique attributes and it is your responsibility to research for the area that you intend to open the escort business.

There are some areas that are truly unique. In the US, Las Vegas is one of them. I am currently working on several guides that offer step-by-step information to open in specific areas. The Vegas guide will be released in the next couple of weeks. Once the Vegas guide is published, I intend to finish a guide that would be helpful to international entrepreneurs that intend to open outside of the US. These books will be all about getting the necessary paperwork in order and opening in as short a time as possible.


Look for my new releases in the near future.

Starting a Business

Starting a business of any type is not simple if you've never done it before, but starting any type of adult business can be complicated. My Blueprint books tell you how I did it and the few things that I would change today. None of the books can motivate you to read, research, and actually get up and deal with everything that must be done.

A few of my readers probably consider me the bitch from hell, and a few more will be feeling the same in a short time (time to cut the apron strings). I cannot hold your hand or research for you or walk you through every damn step. If you do not understand that then you probably do not belong in adult business of any type. When I state adult business of any type I include the party stripper business, escort services, entertainment outcall, and even adult clubs for that matter. You may not be entrepreneurial if you cannot manage it after reading Blueprint for an Escort Service.

Sure, once in a while a reader has a good question and asking for help is the best way to go. I will confess that this is directed at a couple of people that I am close to. Just because you are close to me doesn't mean that I will do every step of your research and work for you. In the US there is an old saying: Shit or get off the pot. This means do something or stop talking about it. In the case of adult business I will add that if you absolutely cannot manage it, then it may not be for you.

Money can be the divider here – if you have plenty of money, every part of opening an outcall entertainment business anywhere can be simple. However, if you are moving forward on a budget you may fight to get everything done, including figuring out the zoning issues and where to rent an office. Each geographical area has its own specific requirements outlined in ordinances or accessible by going and speaking to a technician in the zoning department. Read the ordinance – don't expect me to fill you in on each provision. Make an appointment with a technician and ask any question necessary to get it done.

Opening an outcall entertainment business in Las Vegas can be really easy if you have plenty of money, but it is not so simple on a budget. You cannot afford the simple and direct route of leasing an office for $1000 a month, so you must hunt for an office at a much lower monthly rental amount and make sure it is appropriately zoned first, before you rent it. Zoning for addresses that do not already have outcall businesses leasing there can get really complicated. If you want this to work for you, then you'll accomplish it.

The great thing about Vegas is that they are friendly to adult businesses. Half of your battle is already over. They will never try to do to you what was done to me in Orange County, Florida. Just follow their guidelines, get the proper paperwork done, and pay taxes as you're supposed to. It cannot be that much of a flippin' problem – at least these people won't charge you with first degree felonies for no reason at all. And because I know you so well, Vegas is the only place that you'll be getting into such business.

On that note, if there is anyone opening an outcall business in Clark County, Nevada that would like to split rent on an office please contact me. Sharing an office is absolutely okay with the county as long as the property owner is aware and signs the form. The party that I am helping will never even need to enter that office – they already have a business address, corporation etc... – and the office is for licensing purposes.

For all purposes, the outcall business is truly mobile and no one should have to go through all of this, but because the area is friendly to adult businesses it is best to just do what they require.

Image: The Welcome sign on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Shot with a Canon PowerShot G6 by Wikinews contributor David Vasquez in April, 2005. {{PD}})

The XXX Top Level Domain has final approval

The news that we have all been waiting for is here (not)! Of course we must have at least one .xxx and maybe two or three, but the expense is higher. ICM Registry will be charging $60 wholesale for each domain. so this means that the registrars will set a price higher than that figure. The .xxx domains will be available during Q2 – 2011 – this means sometime between April 1st and June 30th 2011.

In my opinion they are attempting to isolate adult businesses of all types, so don't give-up your .com or .net domains.

Any questions that you may have are answered in the FAQ section on the ICM Registry website: ICM Registry and FAQ

Website Hosting and Design for Your Business

This will be a much shorter post than the last. It could be considered both a Blueprint update and an update to the earlier post, Websites and Hosting on a Budget. If you can afford to pay a professional then you could probably skip this.

I have had several professionals seeking promotion here on this blog and all that I asked of each was to offer a decent portfolio of their work, but no one ever took me up on the offer. Two regular (non-adult) business websites could not be described as a portfolio, so I have no one to recommend at this time. Come on people - how hard is it for you to buy a few domains and create a few escort business websites for a portfolio?

This is for the escort business entrepreneur that is on a strict budget. In the Websites and Hosting on a Budget article I described the many benefits of creating a Wordpress website and I will reiterate that thought herein. Wordpress design is something that you can learn in a few days to two weeks – that depends on you – so this is the #1 reason for going with Wordpress.


Page.ly Wordpress Hosting

I still like Page.ly and they still offer the deal of registering the domain name free for the first year if they host your website. For the first website, hosting is $14.98 a month. Additional websites are free domain registration and $10.49 a month. Page.ly only hosts Wordpress so many plug-ins are already installed and Wordpress is already installed on your chosen domain. From choosing your domain name to staring at your Wordpress dashboard takes about 10 minutes. If you watch a few videos on the Page.ly website or even on YouTube, it could actually be finished in a day and ready for you to start submitting to search engines.


Go Daddy Hosting

The budget route is to go with Go Daddy. I will tell you something that few people know: If you sign-up for Go Daddy's Hosting – the Deluxe plan for $7.99 a month – you could actually host up to 500 domains on it. Yes, - let's say that you want 3, 5, or 10 websites – all could be hosted under this one $7.99 a month plan. I have been doing some website work here and there and have 10 sites hosted for that low figure of $7.99 a month in total. If you pay for a year in advance it goes down to $6.99 a month.

For Wordpress websites you MUST use Linux – not Windows – DO NOT forget to state Linux hosting to the sales representative when you call. Wordpress sites get screwed-up with Windows hosting, so if you see people screaming about Go Daddy hosting being a problem, that is likely the problem.

When you go with Go Daddy hosting it is a bit more complicated than Page.ly and you will have to do a bit of reading to install Wordpress on each domain, but then look at the cost difference. I was able to accomplish installing Wordpress on 6 domains before a complete night was over with so it isn't that hard.

Go Daddy also offers a great deal when you buy domain names in bulk – 6 or more at one time. You receive a good discount AND private registration is free. Private registration is usually $9.99 by itself for each domain so this is a substantial savings.

I was a Go Daddy and Page.ly affiliate, but am not participating anymore so these are not affiliate links – they are just links to the websites. You could also just Google each if you have doubts. If you go through Go Daddy always call. You can add the domains to the cart on the website, but call to make payment as they sometimes give you an additional discount. Don't forget that you need Linux hosting.

Search Indexing and Advertising for Adult Business

Where your website would show in Google, Yahoo! and Bing used to be somewhat predictable over a period of time, but it isn't anymore. In case you haven't noticed or wonder why your telephones stopped ringing, Google has a new and mostly unpredictable algorithm. Yahoo! and Bing often take so long to index websites that hopefully you have not isolated your attempts to get websites indexed with Google alone.

Advertising for adult businesses – escort services and party or stripper entertainment businesses that serve adults only – on the internet has become extremely complicated lately. I admit that I resent this as we are not all 10 years old and the parents of the 10 year-old (or whatever age) should be responsible for the non-adult's internet access and not the rest of the damn world. I am not sure about the rest of the world, but it seems that in the US everything is being optimized for children. It has always been that way in Orlando because of Disney so I am used to it, but I imagine the rest of the country is surprised. Welcome to my censored world.

This new obscure algorithm will soon be implemented throughout the world, so don't get too happy if you're in another country. In all that I have read recently I understand this is a really serious issue in Germany too. This surprises me – no adult ads in Google, Yahoo! and Bing in Germany? What happened that I missed? Germany has undergone serious changes since I lived there. There is a list of countries that have been affected by these new rules concerning adult content so it isn't only Germany.


Focus on Local

I think we all realized the importance of the local focus a while back. Google Maps was really great for all while it lasted, but it has changed (see previous posts) and Places is not so great. If you read through the help forums for Places you will see what I mean. If you already had a listing before the major change then you may be okay, or not. Now they are even rejecting many that use a mailing address instead of a physical location, but that is far from the only problem. It isn't only adult businesses that are having problems with Places – it is all types of business, but you could forget about phone verification as the rules have changed. Read through the Places Help Forums

People are actually changing their websites in attempt to conform to Places demands and get a listing. Now that is crazy – the website is what it is and if you delete all the keyword phrases that matter, well, your website will be worthless anyway.

A while back I had a couple of websites that were refused by Yahoo! Local. The email stated that there was no way to appeal this so don't bother trying. Please keep in mind that I have never designed and submitted any website that even had nudity! Not even a breast! Any website I have ever submitted could easily be considered general audience, but focusing only on adults. Bing Local has always been out – Microsoft has never been keen on anything adult, which is ironic as the first escort service website in the world was in Seattle, Washington (Microsoft territory). Now Bing and Yahoo! are together.

Yet you see escort businesses with listings in Google Places, Yahoo! Local, and Bing Local. So how do they get there? One way to get in Yahoo! Local is through Express Update or through City Search as both feed Yahoo! Local. City Search looks far too expensive, but I admit that I haven't read thoroughly and am not exactly clear on what you get for your $s. Express Update has a free listing option.

I am not clear on Bing Local yet – supposedly they're mailing a few postcards out so I will post when I see what happens next. Perhaps they have changed, or not.


The New Algorithm

Google's new algorithm is supposed to use a secret formula and thus far it is a secret kept from all. I am getting mixed messages between Google, Yahoo! And Bing. Yahoo! appreciates the keywords in the domain name and this will give your website higher ranking with those keywords. Read the section on Domain Implementations in this Yahoo! Advertising guide. I do not believe that Google appreciates this anymore though, and it may serve to lower your Google ranking – I have seen evidence of this in the new algorithm.

Perhaps you must have one website optimized for Google and one optimized for Yahoo! and Bing. It has all become confusing. It used to be that you simply had one website that said what your business did and offered information, and then the SEO (search engine optimization) people came along and changed that – your website needed SEO or it would sink in rankings. Now the SEO craze seems to be over, except that everyone is attempting to figure out and master the new algorithm. Read through the ongoing discussion on Webmaster World.

As an example, my site that I use for research has been lost at times and research is not really possible as the phone doesn't ring anymore, except periodically (I will get to that issue). Websites that do not relate to the keyword phrase at all have a better rank now, including one that has a couple of sentences and a telephone number and otherwise several blank pages. What the hell? Somehow I do not believe that deleting all information from my website will help it get back the better ranking. I do not get it.

I sometimes check ranking on that site from different IP addresses – easily done by checking from a Blackberry, an Android, and a PC or laptop. Well, the results are astonishing to me: Using the same keyword phrase it will not show at all (I only check up to page 5 of search results) at times, it will show on page 1 at times, and on page 2 at other times. There is no formula possible here except a rotation of some sort. There is no way to optimize with that algorithm and perhaps that is the idea, except that when it doesn't show some total garbage websites do show – and what good is that to the searcher? What good is it to the business? It is just screwed-up and nothing more.


What about PPC (pay per click)?

This is also confusing. You will certainly see PPC ads at the top and side of search results for adult business websites; however, Google has been suspending accounts of adult business sites using AdWords and Yahoo/Bing are anything but clear on adult content ads in their advertising program. Still, you see ads on all three that are wild in comparison to your mild content and images, right?

Want to be confused? Read Microsoft Advertising's Adult Content Guidelines and the Google AdWords Help forum to start. Apparently the rules do not apply to all of us.


Final Thoughts

My advice is to have at least two websites that are different and use different keyword phrases. One domain should make use of the most important keyword phrase in the URL and the other should not. They have decided to confuse us all to death. Use confusion to your advantage and have 10 different websites and watch and see which websites make it in which search engines. Now that is time consuming!

Goodbye to the Old Maps

An anonymous poster commented on Inventing a New Business Model (last comment at this time) that Google no longer offers phone verification for new listings, at least not in the “escort services” category. In other words they now want to mail you a postcard so the address in the listing must be correct. An excerpt from the comment:

“Google no longer offers phone verification for new business listings. I'm sure it's because of the category (Escort Services) I'm trying to submit a new listing under. I've tried pretty much everything to create an account this past month (using different IP"s, submitting to local directories, followed by Google Places, etc.) - but to no avail. The rules have changed, and it's no longer possible to enter rogue addresses for new listings...”

Perhaps this is where the Virtual Office could come in handy, even if you have an over-priced broom closet in a challenging (read crime ridden) area of the county as many in Las Vegas and Clark County must to obtain the “outcall promoter” license. If you're opening a service in Las Vegas you have probably figured out that you will be paying between $600 and $1000 a month for a broom closet that you'll never use, except of course to hang your license on the wall.

In my opinion, challenging Clark County on the requirement of the M-1 or M-D zoned office for the “outcall promoter” license is not really intelligent. Why? Well because they are otherwise friendly – they just want your money (for the license and the 1% of your gross revenue). It is best to choose your battles wisely.

Many office buildings in good areas close to McCarren International Airport or near the Strip offer virtual office space for a low monthly rate. They even toss in access to their meeting rooms so it could be the location that you use to interview escorts, dancers, and strippers initially. No escort in her right mind will want to meet with you at your broom closet office in an industrial/manufacturing area.

Now you could use that appropriately priced virtual office address for Google to mail you a postcard. Make sure that you rent one in a building as close as possible to the Strip resorts as the address should be in a good geographical proximity for this purpose. What's another $200-300 a month to have a real interview/ meeting room to use and an address for Google Places to send a postcard? Of course you could also use it for your listing address in Local.com or to receive all mail for your business. That's the point of the Virtual Office.

The thing about Google Places (formerly Maps) is that the top listings really ring the phone. If you are open to flexible pricing and quote a lower rate on that phone line, you'll be in the money. If you quote the same rates as you do on your website it is a waste of time. Quote $300 an hour in Orlando and you will say goodbye to 10 to 20 potential clients daily, on the average. If these blind callers wanted to pay that price they'd view your website, see the escorts, and pay it. People that call Maps listings are shopping around based on price.

Do not attempt to include a website in your Places/Maps listing as Google won't allow any in that have “escort” or “escort service” in the domain name, at least that is my latest research conclusion. No problem though – simply give your callers a website address with the lower rate and photos of the escorts as this is frequently requested.

The bottom line is that you'll spend a few hundred $s for that Maps listing and use of the meeting rooms, but as stated previously, the phone really rings and allows the opportunity to adjust your rate and book lots of calls. If you booked three (3) calls a month and charged $100 fee from the escorts for each call you would cover costs, but I am sure that you'll do better than that if you're flexible on rates.

 Of course you could also use your actual office in the industrial area for the Maps listing, but then a business with an address closer to the Strip or the particular resort the searcher is at will show in the listings above yours. This is using Las Vegas as an example and it could be different in your city and you may be able to actually have your office in the best area for business.

Edit @5pm to add: I looked on Craigslist in the office / commercial space category and found many listings for "virtual offices" that include a mailing address and box, use of conference rooms, and 24 hour access. This could easily be used for all mailing for your business and to schedule interviews and use the conference room. I believe that most cities have many listings in this category. Make sure the address is in the geographic proximity of where you want to book calls, for the purpose of the Maps listings.

Life evolves and we must evolve along with it.

Inventing a New Business Model

It is a fact that life is always evolving. Technology improves and situations change and we must go with the flow and change as well. Some changes are for the better and some are not. Sometimes there are new beneficiaries to changes in technologies and situations in life - even anti-adult business crusades.

A reviewer of my Blueprint book on Amazon made a statement that stuck in my mind - the review is titled Incredibly Useful Book, and the statement:

"...This book doesn't have 100% of the answers. Each area and each philosophy have their own complexities. But it has really valid guidance for anyone in the adult entertainment industry. For your tiny investment, you'll get thousands of dollars worth of information."

In other words, there is much information to gain from the book, though there is no one size fits all plan. There are probably as many ways of doing business as there are people in the business, and every geographical area has its issues that are specific to the area. Anyway, this isn't a book ad, so on to the idea of inventing a new business model.

Ideas always evolve and my last post was the beginning of an idea. There are a variety of situations that have changed in the escort business in the past few months.

Craigslist eliminated "adult services" and "erotic services" in the US a few months ago and as of this weekend they have eliminated these categories worldwide. Some entrepreneurial adult business owners were placing ads on Craigslist outside of the US for businesses in the US, and now that is cut.

Google Places/Maps has evolved to the point that one doesn't want to include a website with any listing because Google has issues with any adult business landing page - even when the dancers, strippers, entertainers, escorts or whatever are dressed and it is an "R" rated website. I admit that I don't get it, but then that is immaterial, right?

Backpage has adult categories as of this point in time (LOL - see date of this post), but I seriously doubt that this will continue for much longer.

I am finding that it is taking an excessively long time for escort businesses to be indexed in Google's regular search results as well these days. I'm not sure when all of this began, but I submitted several sites a couple of months ago and none show where they need to show as of yet. Perhaps this isn't a completely new problem: A few years ago it was over six months before the research site that I've used showed in the appropriate keyword phrases, but then I really didn't work at it at all either so it was unnoticeable at the time.

There isn't much money in selling ad space to independent escorts, unless you've been doing it for a while and your website is well-known in the world of adult business. Unless you have some reason to be happy with earning close to nothing for the first year or two of business this idea should be out.

I posted about the Craigslist situation on my Accused Madam Blog tonight and at the moment the best category name for the new business model that I could come-up with was appointment referral publisher. I will work at renaming the category this week, but this is the business idea behind the name:

As a business you'll only be charging entertainers and escorts one referral fee - this depends on what rate you quote as your fee will be higher if you quote higher, otherwise you have no incentive to quote a higher rate for the independent contractors. The idea is to have lots of escorts/entertainers to call at any point that you are answering. You can give only basic information - name, telephone number, and address or include some sort of verified information. The Blueprint books get into verifying.

The general rule would be that the escort or entertainer must call back immediately if she isn't going to the appointment. The reason for this is so that you could contact a different escort/entertainer and make your referral fee. You'll find that plenty of independent contractors are interested in signing-on with this type of operation - they keep more money and there's no game involved in passing out their telephone number or staying longer.

This business model must be refined and independent contractor agreements must be clear on the referral only aspect of the relationship. I'm just making changes to the same contract that I include in my books - simple.

The idea here is to take this idea and adjust it so that it works for you. It sure beats the label of escort service these days with all of these groups on a crusade to finish off adult business. It will work because the great majority of independent escorts really want to be completely independent; however, they're clueless on the topics of websites, marketing, and advertising so they'll never get search engine optimization.

What you are actually doing is marketing and publishing online and scheduling for independent contractors. Many clients call services to begin with because often these independents are unable to schedule them or do not answer a phone when they call, so build a business model from that.

Booking Calls: Ideas and Issues

It has recently come to my attention that some escort businesses in Central Florida take exorbitant fees from escorts for the sole act of passing on a telephone number. Let's be clear here: that isn't booking a call. Booking a call involves verifying client information in some way, calling the escort with the information, and then anticipating that the escort will call you when she arrives. It doesn't end there either – you really are responsible to make sure that she safely leaves that call.

This problem seems rampant in Central Florida so there's little doubt that it is transpiring in other locations as well. These businesses are not new and inept in the booking process; they are merely shirking all responsibility. One in particular that was brought to my attention actually just passes the telephone number on to the escort and tops that off by taking over 50% for a fee. So if the person answering the telephone quotes $250, the fee for the call is at least $125 and sometimes more. I was told the split was 60/40 with the higher amount going to the service by one escort and 50/50 by another, so I must assume they charge escorts differently.

In the case of one particular company that's been around for a long time they sometimes do no more than retrieve the telephone number from voicemail and call the escort and instruct her to call and quote the price and client information; often they will then go to sleep and the escort is on her own.

This could be acceptable if the company charged a small fee. I recall a business from South Florida that was open for many years – at least a decade – that only passed on a name and telephone number. They gave the escort 5 minutes to call back and say she was not going, and if she didn't call back in the 5 minutes she owed the $50 fee. It didn't matter if the escort went to the call or not or went and stayed for 5 hours, making $2000 – she owed the $50 fee. They did collections daily at a Denny's restaurant and if an escort didn't show to pay she was off the call list.

This could actually be a good way of doing business – it eliminates the concern of escorts stealing calls or pretending to leave and staying and collecting hour after hour. If the escort called back within the 5 minutes to say that she wasn't going, they called someone else immediately no matter what her reasoning was. If she did that too often (perhaps 2 times in a row?), they no longer called her and instead called someone else. Try to cheat them out of their $50 fee and you were out quick – end of that gravy train.

I have also noticed lately that so many of these independent escorts are thieves that I can't really blame these businesses. Often these escorts accept a call and then call back with a short story about why they will not be going. They then go to the call and keep all money for themselves. Who knows what they state to the client to secure his silence – I have no clue as I'm not the escort. Sometimes the client calls back later and the service finds out anyway.

With all of the thieving independents out there today that simply do not know how to advertise and market for themselves and want to steal agency clients, including the first booking fee, it may be time for change. If you are not inclined to run around all night to see who is doing what where, you may be better off with charging a small fee for the information and just letting her work on her own. I do not advise you to take 50% in such an arrangement though, and I do advise you to note the specifics in a contract so that the escort is clear on your level of responsibility and hers.

The way that you operate should be based on your level of participation and your expenses. I am seeing viable reasoning for that old South Florida business model, but prices have gone-up across the board since then and charging $60 or $75 for a name and telephone number isn't entirely out of whack. If you have plenty of escorts to call the thieves will soon realize they have been checkmated.

This business model is somewhere in-between an escort service and an internet publisher. I think I actually like the idea and will be putting it to good use.

Google Places and Banned Words Update

A couple of weeks ago I submitted a question on the Google Places forum concerning censored words. This is the question and a very helpful response that included the link below. The linked article and list is referring to Google Instant, but the same holds true for Places/Maps. This is the question that I submitted:

When and why did someone at Google decide that "stripper" is a 'naughty' word?

The Places listing was only accepted when I changed "strippers" to "exotic dancers" and is there actually a difference? No, there's not. I would like access to a list of these "naughty" words please. Is there a link anywhere?


Whether we are in agreement with the concept of banned words on the internet or not, it is what it is. These words are not banned in regular search results - they are banned with Google Instant which is explained clearly in the article: Google Blacklist - Words that Google Instant doesn't Like

Advice to New Escort Business Entrepreneurs

This is somewhat of a rehash of various issues the new escort service owner faces. I have also recently noticed certain search terms that have led people to this blog and will address a few.

On licensing issues in various geographical locations: If I were opening an escort service today I would argue my point as far as was necessary concerning the virtual office. If you read my post on virtual offices then you know that is really all you need. However, you're new to this and I wouldn't really suggest ruffling feathers quite yet. You are probably better off abiding by the bullshit zoning rules and renting an over-priced broom closet for them. Make sense?

Mentioning licensing issues, there have been searches for these terms and my thoughts follow each term:

is michelle's escort book really helpful? If you need a babysitter the answer is yes, but in my opinion you shouldn't be entering the escort business if you need a babysitter. Michelle is evasive concerning her knowledge and income and I tend to believe that she owned a small service for 2 or 3 years.

how to open escort service in las vegas – I know how, but you will need to buy my book so that you understand how it all works. Once you have thoroughly read the book (no skimming), email me and I will give you a step-by-step on getting the appropriate license in Vegas. I'm not announcing it here because I have friends in business and entering the business in Vegas and do not want to advise you to open in Vegas as there will be more services and the calls less for each, but I will still tell you how. Make sense?

escort advice – Consider buying Amanda Brooks' books: The Internet Escort's Handbook Book 1: The Foundation and The Internet Escort's Handbook Book 2: Advertising and Marketing

Amanda is still active as an independent escort and travels the world – working for herself. She has the best advice. If you feel that you need more help than a book can offer, see the link for Companion Helper in the "Blogs to Watch" area on the below right of this blog.

I had someone email me requesting advice about "hotel incall massage" this week. How in the hell would I know about incall operations in hotels people? I am anti-incall and if you read my book or this blog you'd know that. To me an incall operation is a brothel and not much more.


A recent discovery in censorship: Yahoo! Local Listings Guidelines

And we thought Google Places/Maps was getting bad? Ha! Yahoo! won't allow any adult type of business to be listed in their Local Listings (maps), which really sucks. Read the guidelines linked above and understand that they are serious. I had submitted a few entertainer / party stripper websites and was refused via email a few days later. The rest of the country is becoming like Orlando and it is a U.S. war on adult business.

Backpage under Attack on Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper and Amber Lyon are now attacking Backpage in the same way they went after Craiglist. The show is on the air right now so I cannot find a link yet. Give it a while and do a Google search for the link.

Because of a runaway girl and some idiot that sent her out via Backpage these people attacking adult business in the US will most likely succeed at censoring out any adult categories on the Backpage website. I'm sure you've noticed how prices have risen since Craigslist exited; well wait till the categories are removed on Backpage. Already – as of two or three weeks ago – no images are allowed in the "adult jobs" category.

Ad space for any adult business anywhere will be premium price. In my opinion this is overkill and purely an intention to eradicate adult business in this country except under the most controlled conditions. What is next? Internet Service Providers that host adult websites, in my opinion.

Keep your eyes open here folks – life is really changing in the US.

Blueprint Update on Maps Listings

Well, I have spent some time sifting through the forums this evening and must conclude that some extremely conservative person has set flags on words that shouldn't be any problem whatsoever. Google Places and Maps listings are in process of serious changes and I doubt that anyone is immune.

According to what I read even locksmiths are being flagged for review on listings as someone has been spamming the category. Someone has always spammed the "escort services" or "Entertainment – Adult" category so it doesn't look good. In Blueprint I discussed a guy that had 30+ listings in Maps and advised you not to do it or your account could easily be deleted. I consider 3 listings okay, but the new rules say 1 listing for a location, and they won't let you get around it if they figure out you're attempting to. It is Google and they have means of discovery that most have never imagined.

So now you should only create 1 listing in Google Places/Maps and even then you may have a problem. It doesn't look like there are any lists available of unacceptable terms, but as stated in my last post – "strippers" is unacceptable. From my reading this evening I can also tell you that "sexy" is unacceptable.

Without Maps listings you must count on your website being indexed with a decent rank – first page of relevant keyword phrases or keywords. Concentrate on tweaking the website and submitting to all search engines, but one at a time and not with one of those programs that submit your site to 100 at once.

The phones sure did ring with Maps listings so it will be missed. On the other hand, it is quality callers that visit the website and contact you and you don't have to hear from every idiot that has $100 and thinks it should be enough. There have always been far too many trash calls from the Maps listings. It was like sifting through the crap calls from yellow pages ads – you made more money, but had to hear too many people to make it.

It is time to update websites and make sure they're viewable on various devices, including Blackberry, iPhones, Android phones etc…. If you have Wordpress websites just activate the WP Touch plug-in or have your webmaster do so. If you have a website in which the plug-in cannot be installed it may be time to get rid of the Flash as it won't be accessible to a list of wireless phones.

The Google Places forums can be found HERE. This man has some really great advice concerning Google Places: Understanding Google Maps and Local Search