How to Avoid Vanity Presses and Publishing Scams
Writers should exercise caution and do their research when considering signing a contract.
There are publishing scams that target emerging writers, including pay-for-publication organisations, organisations that purport to advertise books for writers, and assisted self-publishing schemes. While some of these organisations do legitimate business, we suggest exercising caution and making sure you understand who is providing the service, what your rights are and what you are getting for your money. In a traditional publishing relationship, money should always flow to the author. If you pay someone to publish your book, they have no incentive to sell it.
If you’re self-publishing a book, or knowingly entering a partner-publishing arrangement, you may pay for some publishing services.
What are you paying for?
The first step is to understand exactly what you are paying for. Do you know enough about each aspect of the service to assess whether you are getting value for money? What does the service provide? How does it compare to traditional publishing services?
Next, make sure you know who will be performing the service and what their experience is. Are they generally respected and is their work of a good quality? Can you verify this from another source? If the organisation does not want to assist you to do this, this is a red flag.
Can you talk directly to several previous customers, or someone in the industry? Can you independently find their work? Have their projects been successful? What profile does the organisation have? Finally, seek other quotes to make sure the rates are competitive—and follow the above steps for those organisations too.
What is your budget? Is the price fair?
It’s usually good to have an idea of your budget before hiring anyone to perform a service for you. The costs of services can vary greatly, depending on the time required, and the experience of the person performing the service.
Here are some good questions to ask when considering a quote:
How have they calculated their quote?
Is this quote typical for work like this? Why/why not?
What will happen if the project is going over budget? Will you be asked if you’d like to continue, or will fees accrue until payment time?
Are you being asked to pay money upfront? We’d usually suggest keeping some money on hand to pay once the services have been delivered.
Will you be involved in the process? Can you meet the service-provider for coffee or a chat on the phone before moving forward?
Are you on the same page about the work required? If it is for an edit, have they seen your manuscript? If it is for cover design, do they know what you want?
The Contract
Make sure that you have in writing exactly what money is being given to the organisation, and exactly what services you will receive in return.
Some important things to check for with all services:
Once you sign with one publisher or self-publish, it is very unlikely that you will receive an offer from a traditional publisher. It is usually one pathway or the other. Consider seeking traditional publication first.
The copyright of the text should always remain with you.
There should be a timeline detailing when you can expect services to be completed.
Some important things to check for with publishers and publishing services:
Royalty clauses: How much will you be paid, and when? Are there different rates for different forms of the book (e.g. ebook vs print book)? If the book is remaindered (i.e. printed copies of the book which are not selling), will the rates go down again?
Advance: Will you be paid an advance? How much will you be paid? Note that smaller publishers may not offer an advance, and if you do receive one, it is the norm that you won’t receive royalties until you have ‘earned it back’.
Reversion: Will the rights to the book revert to you if it is not selling? Note that some publishing contracts may say the rights revert if the book is no longer available, but with digital publishing, it is easy to ensure a book is always available.
Indemnity: Many publishers (including reputable ones) state if the book breaks any laws (e.g. copyright, defamation, etc.), that the liability stays with the author.
Multimedia and Language Rights: Who retains the rights to adaptations and translations? Who is in a better position to use or sell these? If you have a well-connected literary agent, they may prefer to hold on to these rights.
It’s always a good idea to get a contract assessment before signing with any service, especially if it is a self-publishing or partner publishing service, or if they purport to be a traditional publisher. The Australian Society of Authors, Authors Legal, Arts Law and Alex Adsett Publishing Services all offer contract assessments, in which they will go over the contract and advise whether it is fair and if there are any warning signs.
If you feel pressured to sign a contract quickly without the time to independently review it, this is a red flag. A good publisher will make sure you are comfortable with the process.
Pre-Publication Checklist
Before signing any publishing deal, check the following:
Are you paying the publisher money? If yes, do you have written terms on exactly what you receive for that money? Have you obtained quotes from other publishers, or opinions from industry professionals on whether it’s a reasonable rate?
Have you found any other works the publisher has produced in bookstores (if they are promising this)? Are they well-marketed online (and if so, by the author or the publisher), and does the publisher have much of an online following?
Get your hands on another book the publisher has produced. If you want illustrations or pictures in your work, try to select a book with similar content. Is it well designed? Are there typos? Is the work well edited? Is the paper good quality?
Contact another author who has been published through them. Google the publisher’s name alongside words such as ‘experience’, ‘warning’ and ‘review’. Search social media for their authors and reach out to people for honest feedback. Contact your state writers centre or the Australian Society of Authors if you’re unsure.
Do you understand each element of the contract? Consider getting a contract assessment from the sources listed earlier.