As much as it pains me to write about self publishing scams in self publishing I must.
I am regularly contacted by people seeking help because they have either been scammed or aren’t sure if the ‘offer’ they have been pitched is legit or not.
As an Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors, a judge for the Australian Business Book Awards and a member of the Australian Society of Authors I take my role as an ethical leader in the self publishing space VERY seriously. The last thing genuine self publishing advisers, coaches, publishers and production companies need is unethical people and companies.
That said, if you’re venturing into the world of self publishing how do you know what’s a scam and, MORE IMPORTANTLY, what to look out for with some of the large, global self publishing companies? Well, I’m going to share some insights with you so you don’t get ripped off.
1. BEWARE the ‘low cost’ entry offer
Many of the larger self publishing companies will entice you with a low cost offer to do everything you need to self publish. It’s tempting to take this offer up as it looks like great value. BUT! Check what services are actually been offered, what the cost of revisions are, and how many you can have. Check who owns the artwork for your book cover and internal pages. Typically, it’s not you even though you’ve paid for it. And check what happens if you want to terminate your agreement BEFORE publishing (and even after it). Do you own your own book? Typically you don’t – i.e. you can’t take/use your own book and print it with someone else.
Are you shocked? You should be. I hear you asking, ‘but I’ve paid for it’. It doesn’t matter.
Some reputable self publishing companies have draconian contracts and suck you in with a low cost offer. While not illegal their contract terms are close to what I’d call a self publishing scam.
2. Be aware of the legal and copyright laws of the country that your self publishing company is operating in
What do I mean by this? Let me give you an example. A friend of mine came to me in tears as the company she was using (US-based as many are) said they would not publish her autobiography unless she had the written approval of the people in it – her parents, siblings and abusive ex-husband. But this was her whole book. She had spent $15,000 before this issue came up. The company was adamant. She either got their authorisation or she changed all the names. Rather than lose her money she changed all the names and published under a pseudonym.
NEVER assign your copyright or IP without getting legal advice. Secure your own ISBN or work with a reputable self publishing expert who will explain the value/or not of doing this.
3. No publisher can guarantee you book sales
If they do, you’re being scammed.
They might offer you marketing and exposure to databases in the hundreds or thousands, exposure to libraries, businesses, industry organisations and more. It’s a scam. They want you to pay to produce your book and for the marketing, take ALL your rights and then leave you high and dry. Don’t fall for this. Check out this article about one such ‘publisher’. https://jerichowriters.com/austin-macauley/
4. Overpriced services
Given that you’re new to self publishing you probably don’t know how much proofreading, editing, cover design, internal page layout and printing (or eBooks, audio books) is going to cost. Too little and the result it likely to be crap. Too much and you’ve been ripped off. I’ve shared numerous articles on LinkedIn about the ‘just right’ money you should expect to pay depending on what level of quality you want.
These and other ‘must-do’ requirements are the main way self publishing scam operators work. It’s based on the ‘sunk cost’ emotional catch. You’ve invested so much to date that to not ‘invest’ that bit more seems silly, OR you don’t want to realise you’ve been dudded.
Where-ever you are right now, STOP. Don’t spend/commit any more money until you look into your ‘deal’ further. You are not alone.
5. Quick ‘make money while you sleep’ with your book offers
The scams around this have ratcheted up in recent years since ChatGPT has come along.
There are all types of offers being spruiked on Facebook, Insta and X about how you can use ChatGPT to ‘create’ books, then you can ‘sell’ them on Amazon and make millions. RIGHT.
The only one make millions off this is the person selling you their system and the social media companies raking in millions from all the ads you have to buy.
Don’t be fooled by this self publishing scam.
6. Done for you offers (DFY)
I’d like to thank David Chesson for raising this in his recent newsletter. David is the founder of Kindlepreneur. As David shares in in his newsletter:
DFY publishing is where you pay them to put together your book, and depending on their offered services, they may offer to market it for you.
There are a lot of great reasons why authors would engage with companies like this and there are some excellent options out there.
However, where things start to get bad and where authors should take a bit of caution is when these companies promise riches and success at major costs.
They’ll have run on costs – contacting the author saying they need more money to get your book in front of executives. Or they’ll have a new PR campaign and they need more money.
Or their prices are ridiculous and they want significant rights….basically fleecing the author one paper cut at a time.
Interestingly, he comments that he wouldn’t trust Google Reviews or Trustpilot. Now that’s really disappointing. But now you know. As David goes on to comment;
Most predatory publishing companies have ways of manipulating these….and because they know customers aren’t happy, these companies tend to guard their public image. So, I wouldn’t trust what you see there.
Sadly, like many things in life the principle of caveat emptor prevails: the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.
All of this reminds me of the best insight EVER from Jim Jarmusch.
Fast, Cheap, and Good… pick two. If it’s fast and cheap it won’t be good. If it’s cheap and good, it won’t be fast. If it’s fast and good, it won’t be cheap.
So, where can you go to find reputable companies and people?
The Alliance of Independent Authors (Alli) https://authorsguild.org/resource/avoiding-publishing-scams/
Reedsy (for information) https://blog.reedsy.com/scams-and-publishing-companies-to-avoid/
The Authors Guild https://authorsguild.org/resource/avoiding-publishing-scams/
Writer Beware https://writerbeware.blog/
The Australian Society of Authors
Ask me!
If I don’t know who you are dealing with I’ll find out…just as I did for someone who received an offer too good to turn down from Austin McCauley.
https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/9ocp9c/stay_away_from_austin_macauley/ https://jerichowriters.com/austin-macauley/