A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Is the Publisher Who Is Making Me an Offer Legitimate?

 

It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic addresses the problem of scammers trying to take advantage of authors and their desires for better sales and recognition. Sometimes these come by email, sometimes by phone. There are some tip-offs when you are dealing with a scammer -- and typically the phone calls are from scammers. Legitimate marketers and publishers do not have time to make a lot of cold calls, and they are too busy fielding requests for services to go hunting down authors and offering services.

Here are some indications that have been discovered by a scammer:

• You are being offered a publishing contract, but your book is already published! While some such may exist, I personally do not know of any legitimate publishers who go looking for books to re-publish. These posts explain why publishers generally would not and do not do this.
• The publisher does not have the trappings of legitimacy. Generally, publishers belong to publisher associations; these affiliations will be indicated on their website. Among these are International Association of Publishers (IBPA) and regional associations like PubWest, There are some lesser ones, as well. Look for these icons on their site.
• The publisher is not listed in Writer's Market. Most legitimate publishers can be found there. WM can be found at most public lirbaries.
• The publisher does not have its books on Amazon, B&N online, etc., the ranking of its books are very high numbers (the lower the number the higher the sales), and/or the quality of book covers is poor. 
• The publisher does not list books that have earned awards -- if it does, check the award site to make sure the books have been awarded.
• Books on the offeror's site have not been reviewed by credible reviewers such as MidWest Book review, Library Journal, US Review of Books. 
• The offer is for foreign rights, book fairs, and marketing that seem expensive -- generally, your publisher will either be undertaking this activities or making them available to you at low/reduced cost.

 Still unsure? Here are some things you can do:

• Ask your publisher (if you are traditionally published); publishers know the scammers, recognize scams, and have resources for checking out claims.
• Check out the company at the Better Business Bureau.
• Check the Writer Beware list of scammers.
• Contact an author's union.
• If it is a publisher that contacts you with an offer of marketing or, for self-published authors, traditional publication, contact the authors of books on its website and find out the inside information.

 The bottom line is that there are as many scammers out there as there are publishers and likely more. Buyer beware applies. 

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: If an offer seems too good to be true, it may well not be true. Check it out first--carefully.

Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                                Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter

                          Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, and Instagram.