"There's a sucker born every
minute." P.T. Barnum is said to have coined
the phrase, although there's no evidence he actually said it. Nevertheless, the
statement is accurate. Human beings are prone to believe what they wish to be
true.
Anyone old enough to remember the ad for Sea-Monkeys on the inside back cover of comic books? For a mere $1.25 (cash, check, or money order), you could own "a bowlfull [sic] of happiness." The ad featured human-like pink creatures with friendly smiles, tri-crowned head, and fish tails.
What kid could resist that? Not me.
I sent off my five quarters in an envelope, and two weeks later, I received a
packet of creepy flagellating organisms, in reality a form of miniscule brine
shrimp, observable only through a magnifying glass. Not only were the critters strangely resistant to my training [deciding what I actually wanted them to do was my first problem], but they also promptly perished.
Harold von Braunhut, the
entrepreneur who passed off brine shrimp as trainable pets, also patented X-Ray
Spectacles; Amazing Hair-Raising Monsters, a card with a printed monster that
would sprout hair-like mineral crystals when you added water; and Invisible
Goldfish, imaginary fish guaranteed to remain permanently invisible (that one
worked).
The world of publishing has its
Harold von Braunhuts as well, and they target aspiring writers. These scam
artists promise to read your book, publish it, and sell it on Amazon, where it
is sure to become the next best-seller. All for a fee, of course. Now to be
clear, I am not talking about the reasonable fees charged by legitimate editors
and reputable self-publishers who offer solid advice and provide quality
services. I am talking about scammers and scoundrels who prey on naïve people who
don't understand how publishing really works.
Several years ago, AARP The Magazine featured an article on
vanity-publishing scams: "Five Self-Publishing Scams to Watch For."
Their five warning signs are worth noting:
1. EXTRAVAGANT FLATTERY.
You know the kind of thing: "Share
your story with the world! You could be the next break-out best seller!"
Well, maybe you could, but if so, you don't need them.
2. GRAND PROMISES.
"Your book will appear in every
bookstore in America." Ha! What they mean is your book may be listed on a
book distributor database, available only if requested. That's not the same
thing as actually selling the book into stores. HUFFPOST (7/29/17) said,
"Although results are not guaranteed, and will never in fact be realized,
vanity presses imply:
*
That your book has the potential to find itself on a bestseller's list (($1,999
fee)
*
That Julia Roberts could one day play you in a movie ($3,999 fee)
*
That you could get exposure from major media outlets ($5,999 fee)."
3. INEFFECTIVE MARKETING
All-inclusive packages include
editing, proofreading, printing, binding, distribution, publicity, and
shipping. For an extra fee, they'll write a press release and email it to
thousands of media outlets, where it will be promptly shunted into spam
filters. The vanity publisher doesn't care. Their profit comes not from book
sales but from the author. They can make as much money from a flop as a
success.
4. CONVOLUTED CONTRACTS
Scam publishers typically sneak in
clauses that sound good but actually deliver little and put all the risk on the
author. For example, they may promise to deliver the books "in a timely
manner," and yet they are not responsible for "circumstances beyond
their control." Often the author is required to purchase a bunch of books
in advance. Never sign a contract until you've taken legal advice.
5. COPYRIGHT TRICKERY
While an ISBN number (International
Standard Book Number) is easy to purchase ($125 from the U.S. ISBN Agency at Bowker), and an author in
the U.S. automatically owns the copyright to his or her work, scam artists try
to convince you that you need them to navigate this "tricky and expensive
process"—which proves to be expensive because you end up paying the real
fee plus their often-extravagant "administrative costs."
Other scams include fake
"agents," who charge a reading and/or an editing fee, and fake
writing contests that charge exorbitant entry fees and may require the
"winners" to pay for their slab of acrylic and chicken dinner at the
so-called "winners' banquet."
Thankfully, there are websites out
there to help writers spot scam artists. Here are a few good ones: Writer
Beware, Predators & Editors, Publishing Central.
Have you ever been targeted by a
publishing scam? What cautions would you pass along to aspiring writers?
If it's too good to be true, it is. After sitting through several Author's Guild presentations on publication contracts, I'm not signing anything without a lawyer vetting it.
ReplyDeleteWith self-publishing available, there's no reason to get caught up in these schemes. Even if you pay for individual legitimate services (cover art, editing, formatting, publicity, etc.) the costs should never come anywhere near what these scam artists are charging. And you are in control every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteAnd your odds of becoming hugely success are certainly equal, if not greater, than with these companies.
Here's a hint. If you get a call from a "boiler room," i.e., a room where many people are pitching the same crap, you can hear others making the same pitch to other possible marks in the background,
ReplyDeleteIt's infuriating, though, how they prey on vulnerable writers. I knew a kid who was told he'd won some big poetry award. Disney World would hold a parade in his honor! He just needed to come up with $5000 for travel arrangements ... The kid got his hopes up. I wanted to hurt someone.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is weighing the desire to be published vs the reality of how hard it is. Sometimes people get tired and jump at the opportunity. I recently sat at a table signing with two authors, both of whom had used this type of press. One understood exactly what she'd signed up for --paying to bring out something she wanted to share with family and friends and which she doubted would go anywhere else. The other kept telling me how much they'd done for him and how they assured him another book or two would get him on the shelves --- of course, for less than the cost of what he was indicating, he could have rented a room, put up a bookcase and had himself on shelves himself - with as much success attracting readers.
ReplyDeleteAs someone with a special interest in financial crimes, I've been fascinated (and appalled) with how scammers prey on authors.
ReplyDeleteAs part of the Indie Author class I teach, I went through the math behind "book award scams" -- which aren't technically scams because they pay out as promised. The real winners, of course, are the people who collect the entry fees and two copies of the paperback, return a small fraction of the fees in prizes and sell the paperbacks online.
So true, Jim. They exploit authors.
ReplyDeleteTest message that reply feature now works.
DeleteYes, it does work.
DeleteOh, this is so cool! Thanks, Jim
DeleteThis is great, Jim! I also like that now the comments page includes the post. Very nice.
DeleteDebra, you are right. Some people are willing to pay anything to see their book in print and really don't care if people outside their own circle will read it. The sad part, as Kathleen said, is that self-publishing a quality product is easier today than ever before. If we want a book for our family and friends, we don't need to pay these exorbitant fees.
ReplyDeleteWordS to the wise and not-so-wise, Connie! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1990s, before the Internet was a "thing" I bought a copy of the Literary Marketplace and commenced to try to obtain an agent for my book. I had a response from one agent who told me the book needed work (so true - it still does, I peeked at it under the bed just yesterday) recommended an editor, and told me how interested they were in seeing the edited manuscript. I jumped on it. Contacted the editor, paid the $1,000 fee and waited with bated breath. I received wonderful comments and a very good line edit. The agent was no longer listed when I finished the editing work, but that didn't phase me. I contacted a skillion others. No takers.
ReplyDeleteEnter the Internet, SinC, Guppies, and Predators and Editors. I looked up the name of the editorial service I had used - SCAM. They worked hand-in-hand with "agents" and although I did receive an edited document, most people received nothing but their cashed check. I was very lucky, but it served as a cautionary tale.
I've had a couple of friends, both bright people, professionals in their day jobs, who were suckered by those scam artists. Even after being warned. Those rotten, dirty scoundrels.
ReplyDeleteSo true. So true. (And I remember the sea monkeys.)
ReplyDeleteAwesome selections! My TBR list just grew.
ReplyDelete