Publishing Pitfalls to Avoid

Right out of college, I didn't know how to distinguish one publisher from another. To me, there were the "big ones"—Penguin, Harper Collings, etc—and then smaller presses. I wish I had more education on the industry before I headed into the workforce.

I got my start in publishing due to a wonderful author and now great friend. She read one of my blog posts, then asked if I wanted to edit her memoir. I excitedly said yes and soon connected with her book coach.

Neither of us knew that this publisher was a vanity because, of course, they do not advertise as one. Rather, they proudly advertise as a publisher that will give you 100% of your royalties. Sounds great, right? Well, since they don't receive any of your royalties, they have no real investment in the quality of your book. Their profit comes from your astronomical fees. The owner at the top of the pyramid keeps most of the profit while underpaying their freelancers. A vanity recently reached out to me with an offered rate of $0.0010 per word for a proofread. According to industry standard, a fair rate would be more than ten times that number.

The Author's Guild regularly updates signs of scams in publishing: receiving unsolicited offers from agents or publishers, receiving checks that are voided before being able to be cashed, and promises of large advances by prominent agents who are certainly being impersonated. They list these "publishers" by name (most notably Adelaide Books, White Bird Publications LLC, and Propertius Press), and if you're looking for places to send your manuscript, it's worth checking out their regular alerts. Many vanities claim to be hybrids, so it takes a discerning eye and caution to discover their actual business model.

All of this to say, I care about your writing and do not want to see it in the wrong hands.

Even Big Five publishers are affected by scammers. Recently, someone posed as a Hachette representative and scammed an author out of 14,000 dollars. They did this by writing a fake offer letter and a promise of a high advance. Hachette put out this statement in regard to this scam:

"HBG will not ask for payment of a fee to review a manuscript or to enter into a publishing agreement with an author. Remember, the publisher pays the advance to the author in a publishing agreement, not the other way around."

Here is the full article:    Fraud Alert | Hachette Book Group

Also, The Author's Guild is a credible organization but does requires a membership; if you are in a financial place to invest in one, I'd recommend it! This is their site page on cautioning against scams: ​​Avoiding Publishing Scams - The Authors Guild

Again, I want your writing to land in a good press, a press that cares about your story. Whether that is through Amazon KDP, an independent publisher, a true hybrid, or a Big Five, there will be a home for your manuscript. If you'd like to chat more on this topic, email cardinalflowereditorial@gmail.com.

Toodles!

Claire