This is a quick warning to those of you looking for a publisher. There are A LOT of scam operators out there. You’ll find many of them listed on the top of Google’s Sponsored listings. You’ll also find them advertising heavily on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Just remember, NO PUBLISHER HAS TO ADVERTISE, EVER. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Do a Google search for ‘publisher for my book‘ (see graphic) and you’ll find a list of scam artists at the top of the list. Essentially, you should ignore anything with ‘Sponsored’ beside it. Google is not fussy what goes in there as long as they’ve got money and they’re willing to feed the beast. The fact that they can afford to advertise there tells you all you need to know. Facilitating desperate authors is a lucrative business.
Avoid the likes of Austin Macauley, Olympia Publishers and Book Publishing Pros like the plague. These are all are what are referred to as ‘vanity publishers’ who prey on authors’ collective desperation to be published, somewhere. Anywhere. They will haunt you if you contact them.
Vanity publishers will publish your book, no matter how good, bad or indifferent it may be. They will also charge you (quite a lot) for the privilege. There’s a very good article here on Writers & Artists on the difference between vanity publishing, direct publishing (which is fine and not at all related to vanity publishing) and standard, traditional publishing.
One of the largest of large red flags is a company looking for a ‘contribution towards the cost of publishing the book’. This IS NOT how traditional publishers work. They do not look for money from you. Traditional publishers will assess your book on its merit and only take it on if they deem there’s a fair chance they’ll be able to make a profit from it, having paid you an advance.
You can argue that this advance is paltry and that the traditional publishing industry doesn’t know the best way to access a specific audience from a hole in the ground (and I have). That said, they will still not look for money from you up front. None of them will.
Also, if a publisher raves about your book and can’t seem to find any fault with it, be very wary. They are setting you up for a fall. Nobody writes a perfect novel. Every publisher and publisher’s editor worth their salt will spot the places where your work needs improvement. This happens to everyone. If your publisher is not finding room for improvement, there is a big issue.
Vanity publishers will break your heart and cost you a fortune. Your book may get published – eventually, but you’ll probably wish it never was by the time it gets there.
Also be aware that scam operators are constantly mimicking legitimate companies, contacting authors claiming to be from reputable companies, when they are not. Safe to say, if a reputable agent or publisher contacts you about a book you didn’t present to them for consideration – you are probably being scammed.
If you are desperate to have your book published, you can now do so cheaply and efficiently using services like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and Kobo’s Writing Life (KWL) service. Neither charges for uploading your completed manuscript (not at time of publishing this article, in any case.)
You can use Scrivener, from Literature and Latte, to organise your manuscript (it will create your book in a publishable format such as .mobi and .epub, ready for uploading). This wonderful organisational software is available for less than €50 for a lifetime licence. It is highly recommended and will cost you much less than a tryst with a vanity publisher.
Reputable services like Book Vault also allow you to publish a physical copy or copies of your book if that’s your aim.