How to Avoid Scams in the Publishing World

By: Carla Trueheart

Along the road to getting published, most authors turn to helpful outlets and people in the publishing industry, such as literary agents, writing contests, and other self-marketing tools. Unfortunately, there are many publishing scams out there, some of them quite convincing. The biggest problem with publishing scams is that there’s a fine line between businesses charging exorbitant fees and people who are flat-out thieving money with no services rendered. Both of these are considered scams, and as authors in this business, we should know how to combat them. Mostly, that would involve being hyper vigilant, but in some cases, even that isn’t enough.

Scams in the publishing world include everything from book review scams, literary agent scams, book publishing scams, and even scams involving movie deals. As careful as I am, I’ve fallen for two such scams in my publishing career, one involving a contest and one involving a book review. The contest scam was clever. They found me through my author website, researched my book, and contacted me through my email about my book being “nominated” for the contest. They had facts, so naturally I believed them. 

The book review scam was from a company I thought I knew, but even after I paid for a book review, I never heard from them or received any review of my novel. In the end I got my money back through Paypal, but I would have preferred if this had not happened in the first place. Since then, I have not paid money to any publishing or marketing company I have not heard of, even though some are probably legit. I’m hoping some of what I’ve learned, been through, and researched will help you avoid such headaches.

Below, I’ve listed some of the common scams out there and some of the ways we might be aware of them. Keep in mind that even if you do fall for some of these, it does not mean you weren’t paying attention or that you failed in any way. Scams, by nature, are clever, and while most are obvious as scams, there are some that will occasionally miss our careful eye. 

Marketing/Book Reviews

With the rise of self-publishing and the amount of new authors out there, many online companies have opened virtual doors, hoping to help authors promote their books through marketing and/or book reviews. Some of these are legitimate companies, such as Readers’ Favorite, Justkindlebooks, Book of the Day.org, BargainBooksy, and FreeBooksy. There are, however, other companies offering services that either do not have a huge following or are straight-up scams. Overall, do not give money to companies you have not heard of or companies that do not have a social media following. Red Flag: an obviously amateur website, a company you can’t find on Google.

Self-Publishing Houses/Vanity Press

Ah, the days of AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Xlibris. Thankfully, many of these presses are exposed now, but you can always check new ones out individually. I found this helpful article: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/allis-self-publishing-service-directory/self-publishing-service-reviews/ There are some good self-publishing companies out there, but research is really needed to make sure you are getting a fair contract and a book that is not listed at a ridiculous amount of money no one would ever spend for a book by an author they don’t recognize. Sadly, I’ve heard so many horror stories when it comes to vanity presses. Keep in mind that if you give your money to one of these presses, you will forever have your book on Amazon (they really won’t take it off), and they DO NOT do any editing for you. Make sure you do your homework before dishing out any money. Red Flag: You pay A LOT of money and your book is listed for retail at a ludicrous price.

Writing Contests

As mentioned above, one of these scams got me. The company took my money, then disappeared from cyberspace. The best course of action is to make sure the website is professional and updated. If it looks like it was just constructed the day before in about an hour, it’s probably a scam. Also, make sure you have heard of the company or another writer/author you know has heard of the company. If you haven’t heard of them, you can consider researching, and make sure you see the name many times in a Google search before giving out money. Also, don’t pay a ridiculous amount to enter any writing contest. The odds are usually not in your favor. Red Flag: The company emails you claiming your book has “won” a nomination. The company website is not professional.

Literary Agents

If there is one message I could get out there to new authors it is this: DO NOT GIVE MONEY TO LITERARY AGENTS. They do not ask for, require, or need your money. They are paid the same way you are paid when you sell books: through a percentage of sales. The proper procedure for approaching a literary agent is to first send them a query letter (a synopsis of your work with your author credentials). You will then get a response in most cases, either a rejection letter or a letter requesting to see more of your work. If at any point during this process the agent asks for money, they are not a legitimate agent. Tell them you are no longer interested and move on. You will find most agents have professional websites and work with a literary agency. Red Flag: Asking for any money at all.

Movie Deals

If you are asked, out of the blue, to hand in your manuscript or book because it was optioned for a movie, do not do it. While it’s every writer’s dream to have their book made into a blockbuster movie, it happens, in most cases, after you have a bestselling book. Producers, directors, and scriptwriters normally do not approach new authors, so be leery of anyone who claims they will get you a movie deal. Red Flag: You are contacted by email (from someone you’ve never heard of before) and asked to cough up money to have your book made into a screenplay.

Poetry Scam

Beware the big book of poetry. This one gets a lot of first-time writers seeking to get poetry published. Basically, you submit a poem and they send you a congratulatory letter, saying your work is being published in a poetry anthology or other type of poetry book. The catch? You have to pay a lot of money for this book—you and everyone else who sent them a poem. This scam has actually been going around for many years, so it’s pretty perfected. Here is a link for more info: https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-avoid-phony-poetry-contest-scams-886986 Red Flag: You are asked to pay A LOT of money to see your work in print.

With any of these scams, it is best to research before paying money or entering your protected works in a contest. Read the fine print, Google the company, seek the advice of other authors, check out the website, and be extra cautious of companies that approach you by email. Good luck, and please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!

UPDATE: Beware of a new scam involving a company called OKIR PUBLISHING! They are attempting to get information/money for a "book expo" and their self-publishing services. More info here: https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-307-316-8277