Summary: In this episode, we are going to talk about publishing scams and how to avoid them!<br> This episode was inspired by the <a href="https://www.authormedia.com/3-signs-of-a-publishing-scam/">Author Media blog post by Caitlin Muir</a>.<br> Announcement:<br> We have a <a href="http://ok.com/groups/221538801999580/?ref=bookmarks">Facebook Group</a> now! New location for episode discussions. You can also ask questions of the group. <br> What Makes Something a Scam<br> <br> Over Promising, Under Delivering<br> Fraud<br> Unlawful<br> Unethical<br> Price Rarely Effects if Something is a Scam Or Not (Scribe Writing vs Xlibris)<br> <br> <br> Common Scams<br> <br> Vanity Publishers (they make money whether you succeed or not.)<br> <br> And they be well known names: Reader’s Digest for example<br> <br> $8,500<br> .09 cents per word for editing … 90k = $8,100<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Jim’s neighbor<br> Fake Agents (legit agents are members of the <a href="http://aaronline.org/">Association of Author Representatives</a>)<br> <br> There’s no way you’d get married without dating the person, and having an agent is a business marriage. So date first. <br> Sometimes agents don’t know they’re a scam …<br> Agents who charge for anything<br> <br> <br> “Marketing Services” <br> <br> Blog Tours<br> Social Media Packages<br> PR Campaigns (Spending money to send a press release to 500 journalists is a waste of money)<br> We’ll get you into bookstores! TV shows! On every podcast ever created!<br> <br> <br> Pay to Enter Writing Contests<br> <br> Not always …<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> General Rules of Thumb<br> <br> Find a happy customer first. <br> <br> Ask in the <a href="http://ok.com/groups/221538801999580/?ref=bookmarks">Novel Marketing Facebook group</a>. <br> <br> <br> Ask for the numbers! If they say you can’t measure the effectiveness of their work, be careful.<br> Ask for an average ROI<br> Ask Lots of Questions<br> <br> Can you give me the names of some of the people on your sales team?<br> What is the name of your last book to hit a best seller list?<br> Where can I go and look at your work?<br> <br> <br> Read the Fine Print<br> <br> Arbitration Clause (Who picks the arbitrator?)<br> The more fine print, the more likely they are to be hiding something.<br> Who owns your copyright after you sign?<br> How easy is it to cut ties? Are you locked in?<br> <br> <br> Look for financial incentive alignment. If you pay a lot of money up front, whether your book thrives or not, there is no financial incentive to see you succeed. <br> <br> <br> Warning Signs<br> <br> Flattery about your writing.<br> No Money Back Guarantee <br> They’ve never failed<br> Reading Fee – Legitimate Publishing companies don’t charge to read your book. <br> Up Front Publishing Fees – Traditional Publishing Companies shouldn’t be charging you for anything. A legit self publishing company should charge you as you go. <br> If they are owned by <a href="https://www.authorsolutions.com/Our-Services/US-Partner-Imprints/">Author Solutions</a>, run. <br> Pushy Sales Tactics<br> Promising to Make You a Bestseller <br> Listing on Amazon.com (Scammers prey on the tech unsavvy. They ask you to pay them to list your book on Amazon. Many authors don’t realize that it only takes a few clicks of the mouse to be able to sell your book on Amazon.<br> <br> <br> Publishing Services Thomas’ Recommends<br> <br> <br> PR firm … Turning Point: <a href="http://www.turningpointpr.com/">http://www.turningpointpr.com/</a><br> <a href="https://www.createspace.com/">CreateSpace</a><br> <a href="https://www.ingramspark.com/">IngramSpark</a><br> <a href="https://www.draft2digital.com/">Draft2Digital</a><br> <a href="https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/">Amazon KDP</a><br> <br>
