Here is a story in the Omaha World Herald about a ponzi scheme operator (Stephen Bowman) whose first scheme was to publish a book.
From article:
As a budding author in 1975, Bowman pitched a different kind of investment.
The Red Oak, Iowa, native sent letters to 500 people asking them to “invest” $35 toward publishing his fictionalized book about the 1912 Villisca, Iowa, ax murders. He has published two other books.
Books
Operation Monarch: A Conspiracy Novel
This one even got a review by Library Journal: When the Eagle Screams: America’s Vulnerability to Terrorism
Book mentioned in newspaper article: Morning Ran Red: The Villisca Axe Murders