A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: If the offer is too good to be true...
It is Tuesday. 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.
This week, we share feedback about offers that authors, particularly self-published ones, who get offers, particularly via email, but sometimes by phone, text, and, rarely, postal mail for services like re-publication, marketing, promotion, awards, and you name it. Most of it sounds too good to be true, but those offers can be enticing. How do you know if they are legitimate? There are ways -- and all offers should be checked out thoroughly, keeping in mind that a legitimate publisher will rarely contact an author for republication of a book seen on Amazon. They have too many good submissions overwhelming them to seek out others. Just saying...
How to recognize scams
The offer seems too good to be true. It probably is not true. Check it out thoroughly.
Another red flag is a direct contact from a publisher about a book seen on Amazon. Bona fide publishers do not seek out authors in this week. In fact, they do not need to seek out authors at all. They are usually overwhelmed by the number of unsolicited manuscripts they receive, or they work through agents.
A "publisher" that asks for all your rights is not a bona fide publisher. This is theft of intellectual property, but since authors sign away their rights, the theft cannot be prosecuted. I had an acquaintance to whom this happened; I wish she had come to me first, but she really wanted to self-publish and through she was doing so. Just Publishing Advice has an excellent discussion of this scam and how to avoid it.
Reedsy has an excellent article that goes into a long list of red flags, whether that be for "publishing companies" that are suspect, "literary agents" who are suspect, or activities that are suspect.
The Authors' Guild has a good column about other kinds of scams: brokering, film adaptation, and impersonation.
Aspiring Writer Academy has a good column about predatory publishing companies and fake literary agents.
Author Media describes what makes something a scam -- whether as a literary agent, in publishing, or for marketing.
How to check them out
One place to start is with the Writer Beware list, maintained at the SFWA site by Victoria Strauss, a real contribution to the world of writers.
You can also check out the company at the Better Business Bureau. Check for complaints. If the company is not listed, it does not mean that it is a scam. Many companies choose not to seek BBB accreditation for a variety of reasons, including that it is not particularly pertinent to what they do. So, focus on complaints, and that will tell you something.
A simple Google search about the company can tell you a lot, especially where authors have made complaints in various fora about scams. And don't forget co-pilot, which can assess and advise, as well as research.
Here is an obvious one: ask your publisher. Most publishers will be able to tell you pretty quickly whether an offer you have received is legitimate or not. MSI Press will do research for our authors where we do not already know. We are committed to protecting our authors from scammers.
At the very least, ask the company making the offer for contact information from satisfied authors. Then, check out those authors before contacting them. How well are their books selling? Check how often they appear in a Google search and their ranking on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
My response when they call me
So, how should you respond if you are contacted by a scammer? Delete the email, trash the snail mail, and hang up on the caller.
As for me, an author as well as a publishing company editor, I cannot help myself at times when I get a phone call from a scammer. What do I do? (I am not suggesting that anyone else do it.) I take a grandmotherly tone with the caller (nasty-nice, as we New Englanders are really good at) and suggest that this is not a good line of work for them -- scamming authors. They should respect themselves enough to go get a good paying job that provides an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. They do not have to work for scammer, and if they do so willingly, shame on them. If they feel that it is the only job available to them, they should reassess. They own themselves something better. They usually hang up, but this response also typically rattles them -- and that is not a bad thing. Maybe some will go get a better job!
Bottom line: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. (That is the case with most things in life.)
See more Publisher Conversations with Authors 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 that 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.
Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.
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Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.
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