146 – How to Spot a Publishing Scam
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.novelmarketing.com/146/ In this episode, we are going to talk about publishing scams and how to avoid them! This episode was inspired by the Author Media blog post by Caitlin Muir . Announcement: We have a Facebook Group now! New location for episode discussions. You can also ask questions of the group. What Makes Something a Scam Over Promising, Under Delivering Fraud Unlawful Unethical Price Rarely Effects if Something is a Scam Or Not (Scribe Writing vs Xlibris) Common Scams Vanity Publishers (they make money whether you succeed or not.) And they be well known names: Reader’s Digest for example $8,500 .09 cents per word for editing … 90k = $8,100 Jim’s neighbor Fake Agents (legit agents are members of the Association of Author Representatives ) There’s no way you’d get married without dating the person, and having an agent is a business marriage. So date first. Sometimes agents don’t know they’re a scam … Agents who charge for anything “Marketing Services” Blog Tours Social Media Packages PR Campaigns (Spending money to send a press release to 500 journalists is a waste of money) We’ll get you into bookstores! TV shows! On every podcast ever created! Pay to Enter Writing Contests Not always … General Rules of Thumb Find a happy customer first. Ask in the Novel Marketing Facebook group . Ask for the numbers! If they say you can’t measure the effectiveness of their work, be careful. Ask for an average ROI Ask Lots of Questions Can you give me the names of some of the people on your sales team? What is the name of your last book to hit a best seller list? Where can I go and look at your work? Read the Fine Print Arbitration Clause (Who picks the arbitrator?) The more fine print, the more likely they are to be hiding something. Who owns your copyright after you sign? How easy is it to cut ties? Are you locked in? 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. Warning Signs Flattery about your writing. No Money Back Guarantee They’ve never failed Reading Fee – Legitimate Publishing companies don’t charge to read your book. 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. If they are owned by Author Solutions , run. Pushy Sales Tactics Promising to Make You a Bestseller 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. Publishing Services Thomas’ Recommends PR firm … Turning Point: http://www.turningpointpr.com/ CreateSpace IngramSpark Draft2Digital Amazon KDP Final Thoughts When in doubt, ask in our Facebook Group . Featured Patron Time Drifter Series (Affiliate Link) byLauren Lynch who writes faith-infused historical fantasies created to challenge readers of all ages. Explore ancient civilizations like Tikal, Pompeii and Cappadocia from a Christian worldview. Sponsor: MyBookTable is a way to quickly and easily build an online bookstore on your WordPress website. Use it to rank #1 on Google for your book and to boost your book sales on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Get it free at MyBookTable.com. Novel Marketing Patrons save 25% on MyBookTable Pro.
Listen to the full episode here: https://www.novelmarketing.com/146/ In this episode, we are going to talk about publishing scams and how to avoid them! This episode was inspired by the Author Media blog post by Caitlin Muir . Announcement: We have a Facebook Group now! New location for episode discussions. You can also ask questions of the group. What Makes Something a Scam Over Promising, Under Delivering Fraud Unlawful Unethical Price Rarely Effects if Something is a Scam Or Not (Scribe Writing vs Xlibris) Common Scams Vanity Publishers (they make money whether you succeed or not.) And they be well known names: Reader’s Digest for example $8,500 .09 cents per word for editing … 90k = $8,100 Jim’s neighbor Fake Agents (legit agents are members of the Association of Author Representatives ) There’s no way you’d get married without dating the person, and having an agent is a business marriage. So date first. Sometimes agents don’t know they’re a scam … Agents who charge for anything “Marketing Services” Blog Tours Social Media Packages PR Campaigns (Spending money to send a press release to 500 journalists is a waste of money) We’ll get you into bookstores! TV shows! On every podcast ever created! Pay to Enter Writing Contests Not always … General Rules of Thumb Find a happy customer first. Ask in the Novel Marketing Facebook group . Ask for the numbers! If they say you can’t measure the effectiveness of their work, be careful. Ask for an average ROI Ask Lots of Questions Can you give me the names of some of the people on your sales team? What is the name of your last book to hit a best seller list? Where can I go and look at your work? Read the Fine Print Arbitration Clause (Who picks the arbitrator?) The more fine print, the more likely they are to be hiding something. Who owns your copyright after you sign? How easy is it to cut ties? Are you locked in? 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. Warning Signs Flattery about your writing. No Money Back Guarantee They’ve never failed Reading Fee – Legitimate Publishing companies don’t charge to read your book. 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. If they are owned by Author Solutions , run. Pushy Sales Tactics Promising to Make You a Bestseller 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. Publishing Services Thomas’ Recommends PR firm … Turning Point: http://www.turningpointpr.com/ CreateSpace IngramSpark Draft2Digital Amazon KDP Final Thoughts When in doubt, ask in our Facebook Group . Featured Patron Time Drifter Series (Affiliate Link) byLauren Lynch who writes faith-infused historical fantasies created to challenge readers of all ages. Explore ancient civilizations like Tikal, Pompeii and Cappadocia from a Christian worldview. Sponsor: MyBookTable is a way to quickly and easily build an online bookstore on your WordPress website. Use it to rank #1 on Google for your book and to boost your book sales on sites like Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Get it free at MyBookTable.com. Novel Marketing Patrons save 25% on MyBookTable Pro.