A recent episode on my favorite book marketing podcast was about scams. The scammers are getting more creative, with the latest trick being bookstores pretending to host signings that don’t exist. Though I have not seen this scam firsthand, I have seen a few. Fortunately, so far I’ve managed to dodge them. That said, I know a few very savvy writers who have fallen prey to those that take advantage of an author’s hard work and big dreams. Here are a selection of the big scams to watch for. Proceed with the rule of thumb that if something sounds to good to be true, it usually is.

WRITING CONTESTS

• There are tons of writing contests out there. Winning can give your book extra validation and recognition. It is not uncommon for these contests to charge a fee for entry, which covers some of the costs of their prizes and the other expenses of running the contest, including publicity of their winners (which is the whole reason you’d want to enter!).
• The Alliance of Independent Authors has a database of contests and their pros and cons. They flag the ones that are predatory. This is a fabulous resource. Contest List: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/author-awards-contests-rated-reviewed/
• Real life example: I’ve recently been contacted, rather aggressively I might add, to enter my book in a contest. I’ve entered contests in the past (and won a few), so I checked it out. The website was very convincing, with author testimonials. I clicked through to the winning authors’ books, and it started to look a little fishy. They hardly had any reviews on Amazon. Then I saw the pricing of the contest: $250! But I could enter with an exclusive discount code for a whopping 20% off. The website did not make it clear what the publicity benefits or prizes would be if you won. The whole thing screamed scam. I checked the AIA database, and the contest isn’t even listed. Yikes. Dodged that one.
• Takeaway: Normal contest fees range from $70-100. The contest website should be geared towards readers and promoting the winners of their contest. If they are only advertising that they have a contest, they are only promoting to writers. That doesn’t help your book! You should NOT have to give up the rights to your book if you win. Read the fine print.

PUBLISHERS

• A “publisher” wants to read your manuscript. Hooray! What validation! Now you’re gonna get your book published. The only problem is, they do a couple of things.
  • They buy the rights to your book and then do a half-hearted job of producing the book (i.e. ugly covers and bad editing), then leave you to do all the marketing out of pocket. Your book ends up dead before anyone can even read it.
  • They buy the rights to your book and then drop off the face of the planet with no contact.
  • They don’t buy the rights to your book and instead charge YOU to get the book printed for X number of dollars. This kind of publisher is often referred to as a vanity publisher. If you’re desperate to see your book in print, don’t care about making money, and don’t want to self-publish, this could be for you.
• The Alliance of Independent Authors also has a list of publisher ratings: https://selfpublishingadvice.org/best-self-publishing-services/ They flag the ones that use these tricks.
• Real life example: When I was first looking into how to get Knightess out to the world, I searched high and low for a publisher first. I didn’t know enough about self-publishing. I sent out a couple queries to publishers that accept unagented work, and the day I heard back from one requesting my manuscript I jumped for joy. Then on a whim I did some research into them via reviews from their authors. The authors had horrible things to say across the board. There were tales of bad communication and losing the rights to their work without making sales. Needless to say, I declined submitting my manuscript there and focused harder on learning self-publishing.
• Takeaway: If you want a traditional publisher, you likely will need an agent to get through their door. There are very few legitimate publishers that will accept unsolicited manuscripts. The “big 5” publishers (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan) definitely require agents.

PRINTING YOUR BOOKS

• This is when a service charges you X number of dollars to format and print your books. For some authors, this can be a lifesaver, particularly if you aren’t particularly tech savvy. The thing to watch for is how many are they wanting you to order at a time and at what cost. A fee to format is standard. Requiring that you MUST order 1000 copies of your book is not.
• Real life example: I met a writer at a signing who had paid to have his book printed and shipped FROM ENGLAND. He had hundreds of copies of this book sitting at home and was having trouble selling them. He’d been led to believe that by ordering this book in bulk and having it shipped, he’d be kickstarting his new authorial career. I can’t imagine what he paid in shipping, but there are places nearby where you can go pick up your books in person and not have to store hundreds of copies at home. I hope for his sake that he’s managed to sell some, but considering he skipped hiring an editor, I’m not very optimistic. Don’t let this be you.
• Takeaway: Research your printing options. Amazon and IngramSpark allow you to order Print on Demand copies. There might be local printers near you as well, like here in Pennsylvania we have Maple Press.

THE CREATIVE ONES

• $20,000 Book Trailers. I made mine via a stock video website for a $100 subscription fee. Here is the one for Lady of the Tournament if you haven’t seen it yet: https://youtu.be/iTyYT8RBP9M?feature=shared
• Guarantees to get your book made into a movie script for $X
• Guarantees to get your book in front of national media for $X
• Fake bookstores contacting you offering to host you for a signing if you provide 1000 copies of your book and buy their $2500 media package. This is complements of the Book Marketing Tips and Author Success podcast that inspired this whole post. Here’s the link:

Be careful out there! Be smart and do your research, just like you did to write the book itself. Legitimate opportunities abound, and when you find them treat them like gold.