New authors, beware of vanity publishers and experts making you offers that are too good to be true. They really are book publishers to avoid.
Have you received an email or social media message from an agent or publisher offering to publish your book?
If you are an author, you may have received many of them. On average, I get at least one per week.
Indie authors are active on social media. It makes it easy for a predatory publisher to get your contact details. Then come the offers for their too good to be true publishing services.
The warning signs of a scam publisher
Watch out for publishing companies that make you an offer that includes the word free. It is a signal that you should be very suspicious.
Free manuscript appraisal, a free handbook, free book marketing, or free editing are common. These are the inducement offers for an author to buy an expensive publishing package.
It is a classic approach ofvanity presses that try to lure you into expensive contracts promising to producequality books.
Sadly, in today’s publishing world, many new authors fall prey. I get a lot of messages from authors who have been published by a vanity publisher and have regrets.
Some of these publishing houses call themselves self-publishers. This description is simply not correct.
Self-publishing is a free service available to all new authors.
You can use Amazon KDP, Apple, Nook, Smashwords, and Draft2Digital, to name a few of the many reputable self-publishing services.
With these companies, you can publish a book with only a minimal investment in preparing your book.
But unfortunately, some new authors continue to fall for the same old traps.
If your goal is to become a published author, beware of publishers trying to sell you dreams. They can so quickly turn into nightmares.
Writers beware!Author Solutions has a reputation
By far, the most commonly mentioned vanity publisher is Author Solutions.
It trades under a very long list of names. These include AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, AuthorHive, iUniverse, Palibrio, Partridge Publishing, Trafford Publishing, and Xlibris.
All of these names should raise red flags for authors.
These two short quotes from a page on The Alliance of Independent Authors explain the vanity business model very well.
And also AuthorSolutions’ defense in a class-action lawsuit.
“Author Solutions operates more like a telemarketing company whose customer base is the authors themselves. In other words, unlike a traditional publisher, Author Solutions makes money from its Authors, not for them. It does so by selling books back to its authors, not to a general readership, and by selling its authors expensive publishing, editing, and marketing services that are effectively worthless.”
“Author Solutions preys upon the dreams of authors by selling them expensive services that sound exciting but do not actually sell any books. Their defense: They aren’t being deceptive because they aren’t trying to sell books. Of course, for nearly 200,000 authors who have paid thousands (if not tens of thousands) of dollars to buy expensive services that promised to promote their books, Author Solutions’s(sic) indifference to book sales comes as more than a bit of a surprise.”
Other book publishers to avoid
There are a lot of vanity book publishers and publishing businesses that operate in a similar manner.
They usually offer to publish trade books and be a one-stop shop for publishing.
But they never mention anything about selling your books to readers.
A lot has been written about possible Page Publishing scams. Is it a legitimate company or not? Judging by this advisory on BBB, it is one company that could cause you concern.
These are book publishers to avoid.
If your dream is to be apublished author, there are better and far more cost-efficient ways to do so.
Vanity presses only want to sell books to authors, not to readers.
The latest book scam. The Editor in Thief
It takes a long time for you to write a book.
But new Kindle Unlimited charlatans have found a shortcut. They pose as an editor. But once you send your manuscript, they publish your months of years of hard work for themselves.
So not only do you lose your money, but you also lose your book.
I was only made aware of this awful scam by an author who fell for the trap.
After sending the Word document for editing, it took only two days for the book to appear on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. The scammers didn’t even change the title, only the author’s name.
Authors need editors, so how can you avoid this new trap?
First, check if the editor has a website. It should list price estimations for a variety of editing services. You can ask an editor if they have a website, or you can do a Google search.
Next, check the email address. If it has the site name, for example, www.firstclassediting.com and [emailprotected], you can proceed with reasonable assurance.
Be careful if there is no website, and the email address is Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail with a non-descript name.
Scammers hide behind these types of email accounts with addresses that often consist of a jumble of letters and numbers—for example, [emailprotected].
Hiring any service online should be approached with caution. Make sure you do your research, ask for referrals or references, and proceed slowly.
Then, use a secure and safe means to send your manuscript file.
The self-publishing servicesscam
Anyone can publish a paperback or an ebook for free using self-publishing services such as AmazonKDP and Draft2Digital.
So why would anyone pay someone to do it for them?
Perhaps some new authors are not all that confident in the computer skills they need for the publishing process. Also, they may not know about all the options available to them.
So naturally, they look for help. If fortunate, they will find a friend or relative who can help them do everything for free.
However, new, inexperienced authors can potentially become victims when they place their trust in someone online that they don’t know.
The cost for assisted self-publishing can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Most of these services deliver on their promises. But some can be outrageously expensive for such a simple service.
However, be aware that there are also scammers who ask for payment upfront and then take your money and run.
Once again, like checking an editor, look at the website and email address, and definitely ask for at least two or three referrals from previous clients.
Taking the traditional route
By far, the best way to get your book published is to find aliterary agent to represent you.
It is not easy to succeed, but an agent will work for you to have your book published.
Usually, it will be with a traditional publishing house such as Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, or one of the many subsidiaries or imprints of these reputable publishers.
By taking this route, you may be fortunate enough to receive an advance. But they are not as generous as in years gone by.
Traditional publishers incur all the costs involved in book publishing. This includes editing, book cover design, marketing, and print production.
They will publish and distribute your book to brick-and-mortar bookstores as well as online retailers.
When you sign a book contract with a publisher who produces, distributes, and markets your book, it allows you to concentrate on being an author.
A lot of authors nowadays skip this opportunity, believing that it is impossible. But publishers always need fresh new talent, so the door is certainly not closed at all.
But you will need to knock very loudly. It’s a tough road, but it’s definitely worth a try before rushing into self-publishing.
You never know your luck.
Self-publishing means, do it yourself
If you decide to self-publish, you are the boss. For many authors, it is an enjoyable and profitable choice.
You will need to do everything yourself and pay for what you can’t do. You will probably need to pay for a book cover, an editor, negligible print book costs, and book promotion.
But your royalties will be much higher than if you were traditionally published. You can get up to 70% royalty for every copy you sell if you use Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
You can also use other publishing platforms and book distributors.
These are often called aggregators, such as Smashwords and Draft2Digital. In this way, you can sell your books on many different book and ebook retailers.
With both, you can make your ebooks available on Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo, along with many other outlets, including libraries. Their royalty rate is around 60% on average for ebook distribution.
With basic computer skills, you can have a book online and for sale within 24 hours in many cases.The publishing services of Amazon and aggregators are totally free. It is, of course, the main attraction.
But, it must be said that book sales can be difficult to attract if you are a new author.
Self-publishing is not easy street, but it is a safe way to publish if you stay with the three services I mentioned above.
Assisted self-publishing
Another alternative is to use an assisted self-publishing service.
Some of the most reputable companies include Blurb, Lulu, and BookBaby.
If you are not confident you can do everything to self-publish your book, it is a good option.
You can publish a high-quality trade paperback in a choice of book sizes and also publish an ebook version.
These companies usually distribute to Amazon and other online book retailers.
Summary
In today’s publishing industry, there are two ways to publish and be sure you will not be scammed.
Take the traditional route or self-publish and do everything yourself.
Avoid becoming tempted by offers from people and book publishers that you don’t know. It might seem like a wonderful opportunity, but it is rarely the case.
It is hard work to write and publish a book, and it’s a gamble. It’s a fact that very few books sell well.
Handing over a huge amount of money to someone you don’t know will never make it any easier or guarantee success.
But if you are considering an offer, always carefully check the reputation of a book publisher.
Don’t let sharks and publishing scams take advantage of your dream.
References:
Best and Worst Self-Publishing Services Reviewed & Rated by the Alliance of Independent Authors (Alli)
Check Alli’s vetted list for publishers with a history of problems that are clearly marked in red. These are definitely book publishers to avoid.
You will find alerts for book publishers to avoid, such as AuthorHouse, Dog Ear Publishing, Dorrance Publishing, and Page Publishing, just to name a few.
You can also find more information about publishers on the Writer Beware Blog.
Related Reading: Paying A Vanity Press To Publish Your Book – Be Very Wary
