Publishing School: Pitfalls of self-publishing, Part I

Watch out for scams and schemes that take your money
and leave you fuming.

Most self-publishing services comply with the laws of the land. This is why the written proposals become binding contracts when you indicate by your signature that you accept the terms offered. After that you have little or no legal protection from a publishing agreement if you change your mind about what you want from your publishing service. Here are some ways that authors get trapped in written agreements:

Subsidy publishing. Although substidy publishing is a perfectly legitimate way to publish certain types of books, today the term "subsidy publishing" is too often used to mean that the author subsidizes all production costs, bears all financial risks, and pays a healthy margin to the company that accepts your book and your fees.

Vanity publishing. The term, "vanity publishing" is often used to describe any self-published book since the author provides the funding to produce the book. Often, however, "vanity publishing" refers to a method of printing with high prices, a handful of printed books, and a written agreement that strips the author of all rights of ownership, including the right to re-publish your own book.

Partners. Now and then a book producer uses business terms such as "publishing partner" or "joint venture" to make you think they will do more for you than they have any thought of doing. These businesses often state that you should assume some of the financial risk up front, which ends up being enough to pay all the cost of producing your book.

Overseas opportunities. Shielded by international boundaries, some clever individuals offer to take your book to India, Hong Kong, France, Germany or even the UK when all they take is the fees you pay. It's harder to check out the credentials of a business in another country, but if you belong to a professional publishing association such as PMA you can find out if enticing offers from overseas have any merit. Often they don't.

Flashing red lights: When you see any of the following, it's a good idea to run the other way...

"We'll write your best-selling novel for you in three weeks."

"We'll sell your book for you"

"We edit for $1 a page"

"We'll take care of your ISBN and other legal details for you"

"We'll print your book in 24 hours for $1 a book"

"Use our stunning templates for your book covers"

Click here for Another pitfall

 

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