Author Scams and Publishing Companies to Avoid

Author Scams and Publishing Companies to Avoid Authors Beware: Scams and Publishing Companies to Avoid Becoming a published author is a fantasy shared by almost all writers. And as with almost any widely-shared ambition, there are also folks out there looking to make a quick buck by exploiting those dreams - whether they involve securing a book deal or going the indie publishing route.The publishing world has its fair share of scammers and disreputable companies. At Reedsy, we regularly hear from authors who, despite being well-informed and educated people, have fallen prey to these scammers. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at common writers scams and show you how to identify the publishing companies to avoid on your journey to publication.If you are wondering about the legitimacy of a certain company, leave us a comment below or drop us a line at service@reedsy.com.  We'll get back to you right away. Authors beware! Do you know the most common publishing scams? Vanity Pressesâ€Å"Oh, my! There’s a publisher who wants to release my book!†Not all publishers are created equal. For every Random House, there is some guy in a random house, convincing authors that they hold the key to publishing success. But before you sign on the dotted line, stop for a second and ask yourself and look at what they’re offering. What is a vanity press and why are they bad? Most reputable publishers share the same business model: the publisher acquires the rights to publish and distribute the book by paying the author an advance. The publisher will then cover the costs of editorial, design, and marketing. Once the book is published, the author will receive a royalty of every copy sold (after the author’s total royalties have covered the advance).