The wrong book publisher can turn your dream of becoming an author into a nightmare. One out of each eight people call themselves a writer, which means you can find roughly 24 million individuals in the United States who carry that banner. Unfortunately there are charlatans and scam artists just waiting to ambush the unsuspecting author. How can a novice writer protect themselves against unscrupulous publication publishers?
Anyone can call themselves a publication publisher. Always remember cash flows towards the author from the book publisher, not the other way about.
What to look out for: The book publisher charges the writer a fee up front, to have their book accepted, considered or read. These fees are occasionally called a reading payment, intake payment or administrative fee.
The publication publisher directs authors toward specific editing services or gives authors’ names to these services, using the caveat that if the writer hires the editing service, their book will be published. Every publication needs editing. It's part of the publisher’s job to provide that editing at no cost.
The publication publisher offers a contract where the author has to pay for part of the publishing costs. The acquisition editor will occasionally say that the publisher’s list is full for that season, but the author’s publication has so much going for it, they would still like to publish it. Nevertheless the publisher’s resources are fully committed and also the author will have to share within the expenses.
Some book publishers offer contracts which are unfair, like they obtain rights that should remain using the writer from the work. Some book publishers’ contracts contain a clause that if the writer says anything negative about the publication publisher, there's a monetary fine. There are also publication publishers who hold the rights for a lengthy time period, regardless of whether the publication is still in print or selling.
The book publisher doesn’t disclose they are a Publish on Demand (POD), or vanity/subsidy publisher, or actually denies they are a POD book publisher. There is nothing wrong with an writer utilizing a subsidy/vanity publication publishing company as long as the writer is well aware of the disadvantages.
Publish on Demand books are not, as a rule, stocked by bookstores. Some POD book publishers will insist that their books are obtainable in book stores, as a way to get about this issue. Obtainable isn't the same thing as stocked. Available only means the publication can be ordered via the bookstore. Since the majority of books sold, are stocked and sold by bookstores, this situation puts a damper on sales.
What else can a writer do to check if a book publisher is legitimate?
Go to the local bookstore and see if any of the book publisher’s titles are stocked. Ask the manager if necessary.
Search the Internet using the book publisher’s name plus the word ‘scam’ or ‘complaint.’
A publication publisher’s website is targeted to its customers. If the web site promotes the books they’ve published that’s a good sign. If the web site is focused on recruiting writers, that’s a bad sign.
Go to forums or bulletin boards that are for writers and see what the authors who have published with the publication publisher you’re considering have to say about their experience.
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