Book Printing Guide

Archive for the ‘Publishing Scams’ Category

This is one of the oldest scams in the business. In this scam writers enter a contest sponsored by a publisher where the prize is either publication or cash. The problem is that hundreds of thousands of naive authors often pay huge fees to enter the contest.

Of course there are organizations that do offer legitimate writing contest. One example is the RITA award sponsored by the Romance Writers of America which awards works and authors in their genre. Legitimate publishers who are starting a new line will also often hold a writing contest. Any entry fee charged by legitimate organizations holding a writing contest is usually very minor, between $25 and $50.

Having some knowledge is the best way to avoid scams and fraud. Joining a legitimate writing organization is one of the best ways to become and stay informed. You should also inform writing organizations if you fall victim to a scam so that other writers can be warned.

The most popular of the publisher scams is an ad placed in the paper asking for submissions for a new publishing house or claiming that you can become a published author almost overnight. Unfortunately these ads draw hundreds of manuscripts from unsuspecting authors.

Often these ads will appear in the back pages of writers magazines or guides. They will all require that the writer pay a fee of some kind, such as a printing fee or reading fee. Authors should know that fees are never charged by reputable publishers for publishing your book.

Co-op or joint venture publishing is another popular scam used by some publishing companies. While these publishers do print and market your book, and pay royalties, just like reputable publishers, they will require that the author pay for half of all the production costs. Remember that reputable publishers will never ask you to pay to publish your work. Often the nave writer will end up paying a fee which is much higher than the actual production costs without ever knowing it.

The internet has become a boom for these types of scam artists. They charge authors a monthly maintenance fee, but promise electronic publication of an authors work for a small set up fee to reel you in.

There is almost no trick that wont be used by these scam artists in an attempt to capture the money of a hopeful but nave writer. Many will use names that are strikingly similar to real major publishing houses. Others will claim to have special relationships with major electronic publishing websites that enable them to get your book placed there. Any publisher that charges you a fee to publish your book is not legitimate.

Self publishing is always an alternative offered to the author and is different than any of these publishing scams. Authors of specialty books with small markets may find that this is a profitable avenue for them when it comes time to publish their work. Any self publishing company that is used should be completely researched so that you can avoid falling victim to these scams.

Here is how the scam begins: An agent tells you that you have the best book they have read in years and are going to be their next star author. All that is needed is a little polishing of the material, so they send you to an editing service.

Upon your return from the editing service, with lots more work completed and thousands of dollars paid, they inform you that your book is still not good enough to submit to publishers. This book doctor scam leaves authors feeling like they have been victimized twice, once by the agent and once by the editor.

Reputable agents make their money selling your work, so you should not expect to see any money until that happens. The normal commission paid to an agent is ten to twenty percent of what the author was paid. The author should not have to put out any money ahead of time.

This is a scam that is made all the more tragic because it hit legitimate professionals hard. Reputable free lance editors who can help an author polish a book prior to submission to a publisher do exist. Unfortunately their reputation is often tainted by the thousands of others who are in partnerships with corrupt agents.

Reputable free lance editors have a list of credentials they can provide, with most of them getting their start with major publishing houses. Be cautious of any free lance editor who charges upfront fees.

Always ask about the standard editing fee which you will be charged prior to signing a contract or handing over your work. The Professional Writers Association of Canada lists reasonable rates at $50 to $100 an hour, of $3 to $5 a page. You can avoid falling victim to a book doctor scam by conducting significant research prior to signing a contract.

The unpublished author is in a little bit of a bind. More and more publishers will only accept manuscripts from authors who have agents, causing agents to be more selective about the clientele they choose to represent. Reputable agents these days will often limit their client base to writers will a proven track record of success. This has led to a rise in disreputable agents who scam unwitting unpublished authors.

When looking for a literary agent there are two main things you should be aware of: Literary agents do not have any state or national licensing requirements and be wary of any agent who charges a reading fee.

Reading fees, often as high as $500, will be charged by less than honest agents. These agents often have no intention of marketing your work or representing you as an author. Some reputable agents do charge a more modest reading fee of around $50 to weed out submissions from authors who are less than serious. Research is the only way to distinguish a reputable agent from a scam artist. You may also want to consider first submitting your work to an agent without a reading fee.

You can also belong one of the following organizations: Romance Writers of America rwanational.org Sisters in Crime: sinc-ic.org Mystery Writers of America: mysterywriters.org Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc: sfwa.org

Exorbitant Agent Fees Most reputable agents will not ask their clients to pay for normal business operation costs such as phone calls, copying, and postage. There are, however, many scam artists who will charge all of these fees and more, many asking for the money before any work has been completed on the clients behalf.

Unscrupulous agents will also often ask writers to pay $30-$100 a month as a representation fee. This is a fee for them to represent your work to publishers. Many writers have ended by emptying their bank accounts only to have their unpublished work gathering dust in the hall closet.