Publishing – The Newest Scam?

Though scams and con artists are relatively rare in this field, they do exist.

Recently, a new problem has emerged, and it’s related to publishing.

This came to my attention a few months ago, when an associate mentioned that he’d paid someone to publish his book.  However, the book was never published and the associate never received a refund.

When I asked for more information and didn’t receive a reply, I assumed that everything had worked out.

Yesterday, when I was reviewing several new ghost-related books, I started noticing a pattern.  Some books had very negative reviews.  They referred to editing and proofreading issues, not necessarily the content of the books.

When I checked to see who’d published those books, all were published by one company. That company does not even have a website for its books.

Further research traced the publishing name back to the person who’d accepted money to publish a book… and then didn’t publish it.

Since I’ve worked with several publishers — as an author, an editor and an illustrator — here’s my advice.

Never pay anyone to publish your book

Regular publishers will not charge you anything to publish your book.  (That should be in neon lights.)

In fact, some publishers pay you an advance, anticipating how much you’ll earn from the book.  That helps cover your expenses while you’re completing the book.

A few publishers will charge you if they have to do extensive editing to make your book ready to publish.  Most good publishing houses — with full editorial staffs — don’t even ask for that.

(However, if your writing isn’t very good, you should probably expect a per-hour fee for professional editing and rewriting.)

If a publisher is paid by the author, that’s usually called vanity publishing. It’s been a long-term practice, dating back to the 19th century and perhaps earlier. I don’t recommend it.

Check their reviews at Amazon.com

Find other books from that publishing house.  Be sure they’re in your same field.  (A publisher with no ghost-related books may not know how to market your ghost-related books.  You’ll want to see at least two or three books in your field.)

Then, go to Amazon.com and read the reviews of those books.

First of all, be sure their books are at Amazon.com.  It’s America’s top online retailer.  If your book won’t be at Amazon.com — or it won’t be placed there, quickly — look for another publisher.

Then, read the reviews, especially the negative ones.  Look for anything that suggests cheap paper, shabby bindings, ugly bookcovers, poor editing, or too many proofreading errors.  (A few errors are unavoidable, even with a great publisher.)

In addition, be sure that the books earn good reviews for their content.  It’s not the end of the world if you’re published by a company that signs contracts with any (and every) author that approaches them… but it’s better to choose a publisher you’re proud of.

What rights do you give the publisher?

• Does the publisher own the copyrights to your book for a certain number of years?
• Can they sell the contract to another company?
• Can they let your book sit in their warehouse, and never see the light of day?
• Does your contract require you to publish all future books through that publisher, or at least offer them your future books?  (That’s called “first option” or “first refusal,” in some areas.)
• Do they control — or have an option for — the use of your pen name?  In other words, can they use your pen name for the work of other writers, to capitalize on your popularity?
• Can you veto an ugly cover or a significant change in the content of your book?  Are there specific terms for resolving that?

Those are just a few really important aspects of publishing contracts.  (Every published author has at least one horror story.  I have  couple of them, myself.)

Never sign a book contract unless you understand every section of it, and agree with it, to the letter.  Don’t trust what the editor or publisher says that the phrase means; get a second, independent opinion.

If you’re not sure about a publisher, check the Book Publishers section at Preditors & Editors.  (Also, if you were badly treated by a publishing house, report them — with documentation — to that website.)

How long will your book stay in print?

Some publishers’ books are like magazines; they’re only available in bookstores for a very brief time.  Harlequin books (romance novels) are a classic example of that.

However, if your book is published by a company that doesn’t keep books in print, your contract should allow you to place that book with another publisher as soon as the book is out of print.

Know when, and under what circumstances, you can take your book to another publisher.

Few authors get rich

If you’re hoping to become rich and famous from your books, think again.  You might achieve some level of fame; getting rich is another matter.

For some books, I’m paid a flat fee for my work.  That’s usually paid on a per-page basis. (After over 20 years as a published author, that’s usually a three-figure amount, per page.)

I’m paid an additional fee for illustrations that I provide.

Whether the book is a best-seller or fails miserably, I earn the same amount.  That’s the risk I take when I agree to that kind of contract.

Other publishers pay me a percentage of what my book earns; for a book that sells for about $15, I’m earning an average of less than 25 cents per book.

That’s not unusual in niche nonfiction, and that is the realm of ghost-related books.  In many cases, you won’t earn minimum wage from your books… not unless they’re best-sellers or keep selling for years & years.

If you’re looking for an alternative

I love some of the publishers I write for.  They’re fun companies with great editors, brilliant production teams, and excellent distribution.  I plan to continue writing for them, indefinitely.  (Well, those quarters add up eventually!)

However, I’ve also become an independent publisher, and I recommend that  as an alternative.

(That is, I’m not recommending my publishing house;  I’m suggesting that you consider starting your own. I am expanding to work with a few other authors, but that’s not the point of this article.)

Independent publishing

Thanks to resources such as LightningSource.com and CreateSpace.com, anyone can become an independent publisher.

Of course, there are issues that you may not want to deal with.  They include:

• Book design
• Editing
• Proofreading
• Preparing illustrations
• Cover design – graphics and text
• Marketing and distribution
• Promotion

However, as many other authors describe it, independent publishing means about 10x the income for about 4x the work.  From my experiences so far, that’s exactly right.

LightningSource.com

There are some up-front charges to set up a book with LightningSource.com, and several technicalities to work with, but your potential, long-term profits are best with them.

However, I don’t necessarily recommend them to anyone who’s new to writing and publishing. (Pros will be more comfortable with the financial risks as well as the extra work involved.)

CreateSpace.com

For many people, it’s better to start with CreateSpace.com, which is conveniently owned by Amazon.com.   Though you’ll be doing all the work yourself, your only up-front expense will be the wholesale cost of a proof copy of your book.

That’s usually less than $10 (including shipping). It’s required so you see what your book will look like before it’s sold to the public.

Skip the scams

As you can see, you have several options if you want to write a book.

None of them involve paying someone to publish your book, especially someone whose editorial staff (if there are any) don’t do a very good job.

• You can find a regular, mainstream publisher who handles books similar to yours.
• You may choose to become an independent publisher.
• You might work with a group of friends — each with their own publishing skills (cover design, editing, proofreading, etc.) — and help each other publish, independently.

And, though I do not recommend it, you can pay someone else to publish your book.  If you choose that route, be absolutely sure that you’re getting your money’s worth.

But frankly, I can’t think of any reason to pay someone else to publish your book for you.

If you have questions or comments, use the form below.  I’d like to know about your publishing experiences, and your questions about writing and publishing.