Book Publishers - Be Careful Before You Sign With A Book Publisher

The wrong book publisher can turn your dream of becoming an author into a nightmare.

One out of every eight people call themselves a writer, which means there are roughly 24 million people in the United States who carry that banner. Unfortunately there are charlatans and scam artists just waiting to ambush the unsuspecting author. How can a novice writer protect themselves against unscrupulous book publishers?

Anyone can call themselves a book publisher.

Always remember money flows towards the author from the book publisher, not the other way around.

What to look out for:

The book publisher charges the author a fee up front, to have their book accepted, considered or read. These fees are sometimes called a reading fee, intake fee or administrative fee.

The book publisher directs authors toward specific editing services or gives authors' names to these services, with the caveat that if the author hires the editing service, their book will be published. Every book needs editing. It is part of the publisher's job to provide that editing at no cost.

The book publisher offers a contract where the author has to pay for part of the publishing costs. The acquisition editor will sometimes say that the publisher's list is full for that season, but the author's book has so much going for it, they would still like to publish it. However the publisher's resources are fully committed and the author will have to share in the costs.

Some book publishers offer contracts that are unfair, such as they obtain rights that should remain with the author of the work. Some book publishers' contracts contain a clause that if the author says anything negative about the book publisher, there is a monetary fine. There are also book publishers who hold the rights for a lengthy time period, regardless of whether the book is still in print or selling.

The book publisher doesn't disclose they are a Publish on Demand (POD), or vanity/subsidy publisher, or actually denies they are a POD book publisher. There is nothing wrong with an author using a subsidy/vanity book publishing company as long as the author is well aware of the disadvantages.

Publish on Demand books are not, as a rule, stocked by bookstores. Some POD book publishers will insist that their books are available in book stores, as a way to get around this issue. Available is not the same thing as stocked. Available only means the book can be ordered through the bookstore. Since the majority of books sold, are stocked and sold by bookstores, this situation puts a damper on sales.

What else can a writer do to check if a book publisher is legitimate?

Go to the local bookstore and see if any of the book publisher's titles are stocked. Ask the manager if necessary.

Search the Internet using the book publisher's name plus the word 'scam' or 'complaint.'

A book publisher's website is targeted to its customers. If the website promotes the books they've published that's a good sign. If the website is focused on recruiting writers, that's a bad sign.

Go to forums or bulletin boards that are for writers and see what the authors who have published with the book publisher you're considering have to say about their experience.

Want to find out how you can avoid scams and still get your book published? You can receive a free report Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing for Writers just visit Free Report

About The Authors Brian Hill and Dee Power have written several nonfiction books including The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success and The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them.

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How to Self-Publish Easier, Faster Than Ever Before

Compare PODs Then Choose Wisely!

Technology has advanced in the publishing world. I love it! I have been greatly helped to realize my publishing dreams. I think it's wonderful that aspiring authors have a greater range of choice. Now you may choose to pursue traditional publishing or quantum leap into self-publishing. Perhaps some would never have the opportunity to see their work in professional print without the arrival of publish on demand or POD Publishing. Print-on-demand means exactly what it implies: the company print books as they are ordered. They use modern technology to store and print your book in electronic form, removing the need for a warehouse and large print runs.

In my opinion, POD publishing does not take the place of its proud elder brother "Traditional Publishing." As with anything, there are pros and cons of each method. With that said, I won't attempt to convince you whether POD publishing is a good choice for you. There are lots of good reports out there on that subject.

Back in 2002 when I chose to self-publish my first book, I compiled a report comparing the top 3 companies. It helped me make my decision. I have revised that report for you and offer it fr~ee at the end of this article. If you have decided to publish POD, here are five of those ten top things to consider and compare.

1. Cover? Covers sell books! Of course it's not the only selling aspect of your book but it is one of the most important. One shot at a good first impression to capture the interest of your potential reader is all you get.

Author's Note: Look at their covers in on-line bookstores - back in 2002 I liked what several companies offered but their existing author book covers looked like crayon drawings. Most companies have since improved but I still think it's one of the main points to consider. You are looking for bookstore quality or trade quality.

2. Contract? - Most Publish-On-Demand or print when ordered companies are not considered publishing houses but publishing service companies. Therefore, you should expect a non-exclusive contract period.

3. Setup Fee? If you are like most self-publishers you are budget conscious of the initial setup fee of your book. The basic package of the 4 leading companies I researched average about $500. For my first self-published project, I let the other options determine my decision more since my 3 contenders' basic package was about the same.

4. Distribution? - Make sure they list their books in the leading wholesaler database as a part of the package or at least have an add-on option to list in & distribute through the two leading book wholesalers in the United States: Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

5. Royalty payments? - You may be wondering like an author friend of mine asked, "Shouldn't royalty be the first thing I should ask about?" Not necessarily, the traditional publishing company industry standard is 5-8% quarterly or bi-annually. The industry average for POD companies is about 15-20% at the time of this writing. Even so, tt's good to know when to expect your royalty and how much. Most pay quarterly or monthly.

6. Book Price? Find out if they are pricing their books at a competitive market price. It will probably hurt your sales if your book is priced too high above its competitors.

7. Author Support? Know what kind of support the company you contract with will provide. One on One support, representative assigned, phone support, email support are among the options. Find out so you can know what to expect. Make sure you are comfortable with what they propose to provide if you have any problems in the publishing process.

8. Proof Ready? Although most POD companies provide proof way ahead of traditional publishing standard of 1-2 years, its still good to know.

9. Books Returnable & Discounted to Bookstores? Do you plan to sell many books in the bookstore? Books aren't automatically stocked on the precious shelves of bookstores, you know. You should know upfront, if you publish POD publishing more than likely your books are unreturnable.

Author's Note: Though that is rapidly changing - there are still lots of companies that still go by this policy in their contract.

Why is this important? Bookstores expect full trade discount and anticipate buying books on a returnable basis. This includes museums, gift shops, libraries, schools, etc.

10. Author Purchase Discount? This is important for your marketing campaign. Yes, you do have to market your book. With any self-publishing project, all marketing is considered your responsibility. Even with the econimies of traditional publishers you only get a portion of your publiscist attention (may be assigned to 10-100 authors) for about 30-90 days.

Author's Note: Let's assume you are an excited author that just finished your book-your labor of love, decided to self-publish, saved $2500 but feel daunted about all the things you have to learn about to self-publish. Things you must do like hire a cover designer, book editor, someone to professionally layout your book, hire printer, purchse barcodes & isbn number, etc. We haven't even gotten to the work of marketing. Why not consider a POD publisher who handles all of those stages and steps for you? You are only left with investing in your book at the lowest price possible to re-sell to your readers at whatever price the market will bear.

I hope these thoughts are helpful to you. It helped me make an informed choice when I knew nothing about the industry of publishing. Here's to the success of your book publishing dreams!

c Earma Brown, 11 year author, business owner, web developer ebk: Self Publish Your Book Now helps service business owners, professionals and writers who want to write and publish their best book now! Visit her at Self Publishing Help for more book writing and publishing tips.

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