Also, they may not know about all the options available to them. Perhaps some new authors are not all that confident in the computer skills they need for the publishing process. So why would anyone pay someone to do it for them? Then use a secure and safe means to send your manuscript file.Īnyone can publish a paperback or an ebook for free using self-publishing companies such as Amazon and Apple. Make sure you do your research, ask for referrals, and proceeded slowly. Hiring any service online should be approached with caution. Scammers hide behind these types of email accounts with addresses that often consist of a jumble of letters and numbers. If it has the site name, for example, and, you can proceed with reasonable assurance.īe careful if there is no website, and the email address is Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail with a non-descript name. You can ask the editor if they have a website, or you can do a Google search. It should list price estimations for a variety of editing services. The scammers didn’t even change the title, only the author’s name.Īuthors need editors, so how can you avoid this new trap?įirst, check if the editor has a website. I was only made aware of this awful scam by an author who fell for the trap.Īfter sending the Word document for editing, it took only two days for the book to appear on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. So not only do you lose your money, but you also lose your book. But once you send your manuscript, they publish your months of years of hard work for themselves. The Editor in Thiefīut new Kindle Unlimited charlatans have found a shortcut. Vanity presses only want to sell books to authors, not to readers. If your dream is to be a published author, there are better and far more cost-efficient ways to do so. Is it a legitimate company or not? Judging by this advisory on BBB, it is one company that could cause you concern. But they never mention anything about selling your books to readers.Ī lot has been written about possible Page Publishing scams. They usually offer to publish trade books and be a one-stop shop for publishing. There are a lot of vanity book publishers and publishing businesses that operate in a similar manner. 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 Their defense: They aren’t being deceptive because they aren’t trying to sell books. “Author Solutions preys upon the dreams of authors by selling them expensive services that sound exciting but do not actually sell any books. 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.” In other words, unlike a traditional publisher, Author Solutions makes money from its Authors, not for them. “Author Solutions operates more like a telemarketing company whose customer base is the authors themselves. And also AuthorSolutions’ defense in a class-action lawsuit. These two short quotes from a page on The Alliance of Independent Authors explains the vanity business model very well. All of these names should raise red flags for authors. These include AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, AuthorHive, iUniverse, Palibrio, Partridge Publishing, Trafford Publishing, and Xlibris. Writers beware! Author Solutions has a reputationīy far, the most commonly mentioned vanity publisher is Author Solutions. They can so quickly turn into nightmares. If your goal is to become a published author, beware of publishers selling dreams. You can publish a book with these companies with only a minimal investment in preparing your book.īut unfortunately, some new authors continue to fall for the same old traps. You can use Amazon KDP, Apple, Nook, Smashwords, and Draft2Digital, to name a few of the many reputable self-publishing services. Self-publishing is a free service available to all authors. Some of these publishing houses call themselves self-publishers. I get a lot of messages from authors who have been published by a vanity publisher and have regrets. Sadly, in today’s publishing world, many new authors fall prey. It is a classic approach of vanity presses that try to lure you into expensive contracts promising to produce quality books. These are inducement offers for an author to buy an expensive publishing package. It is a signal that you should be very suspicious.įree manuscript appraisal, a free handbook, free book marketing, or free editing are common. Watch out for publishing businesses that make you an offer that includes the word free. Summary The warning signs of a scam publisher
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