July 8, 2022

How to identify publishing scams to protect you and your work

 

We hear from authors who have been scammed by predatory publishers, fake or unskilled publicists offering promotional services, or marketing companies offering promotional services on social media several times a week. Sometimes daily. The problem is so prevalent we cannot express enough, how critical it is for authors to take precautions. We meet so many authors who have been scammed by companies that we are genuinely very deeply concerned. There are people out there who are turning an author’s dream of becoming a published author into a nightmare. Whether you publish with New Book Authors or a different publisher, be sure to follow the steps below as you research companies to publish your manuscript. It is perfectly acceptable to work with a publisher who has upfront fees for their services. Whatever path you choose be sure to find a publishing company that can deliver on their promises and produce a beautiful book with proper formatting, editing, and distribution.

 

As an author preparing to publish a book you are entering into a business agreement. It is important to protect yourself, your creative work, and to research the company you’ve chosen to publish your book. Check out our list below on how to identify publishing scams, red flags, and offers authors should avoid. This section is updated regularly to reflect the latest scams.

 

1.) Where there’s smoke there’s fire. Look for consumer complaints and reviews on Better Business Bureau and other online websites. Check Google reviews. Even if a company is not BBB accredited, the BBB will still accept and publish a complaint to protect consumers. Look for negative reviews about the company. In some cases, negative reviews can be more illuminating than positive reviews. Beware of competitors who  “review bomb” reputable publishers with one star ratings. Predatory publishers engage in a number of aggressive unethical behaviors and sales strategies to steer authors to their websites.

 

2.) New warning: 2023 – Beware of inexperienced writers who have started their own self-publishing service or video platforms claiming to “help” authors publish their books. Some are well-meaning and honest. But others are in it to make money. Some influencers are writers and may even offer to publish your book pro-bono but lack the experience a publisher can bring. Especially if the writer has bad habits that they pass on to your book. Many authors and their books suffer from extremely poor sales as a result of the influencer’s inexperience or anecdotal publishing background.  There are also self-publishing start-up companies that boast cheap prices but lack the experience to properly publish your book (editing and formatting problems are also an issue). Some hide behind legitimate brands, creating a variation of trusted platforms like Kindle or KDP.

 

“The latest and most dangerous publishing scam is Vanilla Heart Publishing and Vanilla Heart Publishers,” according to an author who recently contacted us. The allegation is that, “Vanilla Heart Publishing is taking credit for books it did not publish.” The author has provided evidence for the claim.  You can find details and the full complaint on http://publishingscams.com, which includes a link to the chat conversation where the scam took place. Publishingscams.com is a new website that allows authors to report publishing scams before the scammers can hurt more people.

 

I saw a fake Harper Collins website and there are numerous fake Amazon, KDP, and KINDLE publishing websites, which seems to be the new rage for scammers. Beware of these amateur publishing services. Unfortunately, since the services launched as recently as 2022-2024, there hasn’t been enough time for them to accumulate bad reviews since they are not listed on many review sites and may not have a Google review page. Look for publishers with 5 years or more experience in the publishing industry. Remember that companies like “HarperCollins” would not outsource work to a company asking for $4000 (believe it or not, we met an author who fell prey to this scam too). Penguin Random House offers a list of companies that they are not affiliated with that have perpetuated acts of fraud using Penguin Random House’s name, intellectual property and logo.  Check the name against this list to ensure you are not being scammed via the list of companies on Penguin Random House’s website (click here).

 

BEWARE of publishing companies offering to publish books for $299. Before proceeding, we recommend checking Amazon for some of their titles. Check the “Look Inside” feature. Unfortunately, books published by websites offering to publish for $299 are releasing books that are very badly formatted and unfortunately does not meet professional publishing industry standards. A first-time author might think it’s a great deal. However, we’ve found that nearly all of those titles were not published properly. In fact, an author without any experience at all would be better off without their help. Since the company is using Amazon’s platform to publish the book, your book will not be returnable which means local bookstores will not carry your book on bookshelves. Returnability is a big deal if you are interested in seeing your book on bookstore shelves.

 

3.) When you finally choose what appears to be a good publisher, be sure to read the fine print and research the company you are interested in.  Some predatory hybrid publishers are asking authors to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) or other agreements to avoid scrutiny through public complaints about their business practices. This is a huge red flag. The NDAs are also asking authors to settle their grievances with a private arbitrator located in the publisher’s state, prohibits the author from joining a class-action lawsuit against the publisher, and from filing a lawsuit in court. Unscrupulous and “expensive” publishing companies are finding new ways to prevent complaints about their services from becoming public. If a book publisher is asking you to sign an NDA or any other agreement  to silence you, that’s a huge red flag. Do not sign and move on.

 

4.) Beware of “writing” and “ghostwriting” websites that offer “publishing” services. There are many of them flooding the internet with spam ads and they are usually owned by people in foreign countries pretending to operate in the U.S., inexperienced self-published authors selling services, or a single vanity publisher drowning out the “competition” under multiple brands and web addresses, running afoul of Google’s rules. The websites are run by people who couldn’t do for themselves what they promise they can do for you. You’ll find new “publishing companies” online every day. Sadly, the owners of these websites know very little about the publishing industry beyond what they learned from internet search results and scant experience formatting and editing their own manuscripts.

A number of fake “Amazonpublishers” and fake “KDPpublishing” websites have also emerged. These are websites using Amazon’s trademarked name without permission to dupe unsuspecting authors into believing they are affiliated with Amazon. Many of the fake Amazon (AMZ or KDP) publishers are in foreign countries and cannot be held accountable for scamming authors with subpar or falsely advertised services. These companies are also advertising that they can make your book into a “New York Times Bestseller.” This is a false advertising. The fake Amazon publishers cannot get your book on the NYT Bestsellers list. Thee false promises is a huge red flag and indicates that this is not the type of company you should allow to publish your book. They charge very small publishing fees and do the absolute bare minimum before distributing your book to Amazon, where unfortunately, no one will find or buy your book. The formatting is typically poor and does not meet publishing industry standards. The book will also never meet retail standards for inclusion on bookstore shelves. Any author publishing a book with a fake “Amazon Publisher” website does not stand a chance of becoming a successful author and will not sell books to anyone beyond their extended family members. Some predatory publishing websites are even promoting “Amazon Publishing” in their ads (usually on Bing where ethical advertising standards are fairly low). These websites and their customer service teams are not real publishers. Ghost writers are not publishers. Failed self-published authors are not book publishers. Many of the newer websites advertising publishing services were launched in 2022 and 2023. Look for information about how long the publisher has been in business and pursue a company that has more experience.

 

5.) Beware of ads with poor grammar. I saw one ad that read, “Completed your Book?”

 

 

6.) Beware of companies that make promises they can’t keep. Chances are, they are not being truthful. One company promised an author that they could “guarantee 1,000 books sold” if the author paid them $16,000.  Beware of scams that “guarantee” a specific number of sold books or specific results.

 

7.) Beware of aggressive ads on search engines, aggressive sales campaigns via infomercials, 800 numbers, and FREE author kits. An “author kit” is a sign that the company is hiding something, like expensive fees. They hide this information in order to gain your loyalty before revealing their expensive costs. Today’s publishing models offer the same services as traditional publishers and do it well. But be wary of companies that spam your email and call excessively.

 

8.) Beware of companies that specifically target “Christian” books and authors. While you’re at it, look up Tate Publishing , a once-popular Christian publisher out of Oklahoma. “Jason Neal, a former Tate client, posted an online comment to The Journal Record last month, saying the Tates ‘used Christianity’ to cheat their clients.” Around 2,200 authors were scammed. Many of these companies do not share the same values as the authors they publish.

 

9.) Beware of companies that plagiarize content from reputable websites. Some scammers have even copied us verbatim. One publisher now “introduces” itself as a publisher for “new authors” despite being in business for more than a decade.

 

10.) Beware of companies that charge $3,000 to $4000 to publish a print-on-demand (POD) book and “monthly payment plans” to pay this huge debt. If it takes a year or more to pay a publisher to publish your book, it’s probably not the best arrangement. There are companies that charge $5000 to $7,000 to publish a book. One company that boasts a connection to one of the Big Five, charges anywhere from $11,000 to $17,000 to publish a “Christian” book. Another company that boasts publications for executives, CEOs, self-help gurus, and Christian authors has fees that go up to as much as $60,000. At this point, the author isn’t covering fees to publish their own book, but unwittingly investing in that company without a financial return. This is a gross overcharge. There’s no print overhead involved in the production of your book if it’s printed on demand so it should not cost the company $3000 or more to publish a book.  What else are they offering to justify those costs? If price is a concern, look for alternatives to Dorrance Publishing, Author House, Palmetto Publishing, Page Publishing, Fulton Books, Xlibris, Manhattan Publishing, Xulon, Olympia, and many other companies that charge big bucks for publishing a book and often with little return to authors. They’re counting on inexperienced or computer illiterate authors to not do their research, and to click the first company that shows up in search results. Otherwise, if one of those companies feel like a good fit to you, and you have money to splurge, go for it. Be sure to do your research before you begin.

 

11.) Look for any signs of marketing for newly published titles.

 

12.) Don’t be afraid to say NO if you don’t like what a company is offering or if you feel uneasy about clause in the contract or fees.

 

13.) Beware of companies that are so busy that they outsource publishing your book to workers in other countries. You’ll want to steer clear of “publishing mills.” These are not real publishing companies. They’re a publishing mill. 

 

14.) The publishing industry has changed over the past two decades and traditional publishing models are no longer the norm in publishing and don’t always guarantee the best outcome for authors. As a result of the author’s lack of marketability or fame, a traditional publisher may not offer as much marketing or support for books written by midlist authors, as the publisher may not expect the book to make much of a profit. In traditional publishing, the publisher doesn’t pay royalties until the publisher has recouped their publishing costs. Those costs can come from the copyediting, marketing, advances, and costs associated with printing the book. Authors won’t receive a royalty until their books have sold enough copies to turn a profit and  “earn-out.” That being said, going the nontraditional route is perfectly acceptable, as long as you make sure you are making wise decisions. If you choose a nontraditional publisher, make sure that you are working with a publishing company that has your best interests at heart.

 

Update:

One of our authors received an email from a publishing company claiming that they were assigned to take over pre-production of the author’s book. The company claimed to have the author’s files. Alarmed, the author called the company and learned the company did not have their files. We’re told the company then pitched publishing a book with the author. If you receive one of these emails, please let us know. Do not send a copy of your manuscript. This is a form of wire fraud and malicious advertising. We have seen an uptick in unscrupulous tactics by author services companies  from copying content on our websites to targeting “new authors” in order to exploit their lack of experience. Many of these companies are “author services” companies rather than creative or artistically driven companies like New Book Authors. Author services companies exist solely to profit from authors. The company involved is listed on a screenshot of the email below (click thumbnail).

 

The letter above is obviously a scam. New Book Authors does not outsource “pre-production” to author services companies. Any author receiving a letter like this should notify us immediately.

We also saw an ad that was bearing our name, but pointed to a different publisher. Please always look for “NewBookAuthors.com” in the web address. If it points to any other publisher, it is a scam.

We encourage authors to do extensive research before entering into a contract or agreement with any publisher.