You're absolutely right, the described scam is not money laundering.
I think you could, however, use a very similar method to actually launder money. The SSN/account would need to be accurate; the taxes would need to be paid; and the contents/price would need to be a plausible if low-quality example of the typical self-published book. You'd pay people dirty cash to buy copies of the book, and/or use single-use debit cards bought with dirty cash.
If I we're to use my ill-gotten gains to buy cryptocurrencies, I could, at a small loss, buy Amazing gift cards from independent sites which accept crypto. At that point, aim straight up money launderin
I think you could, however, use a very similar method to actually launder money. The SSN/account would need to be accurate; the taxes would need to be paid; and the contents/price would need to be a plausible if low-quality example of the typical self-published book. You'd pay people dirty cash to buy copies of the book, and/or use single-use debit cards bought with dirty cash.