Publishing Scams

[Svrtnsse]

Something that comes up now and then are questions about vanity presses or self-publishing companies. These are widely regarded as scams, but they can be easy to fall for if you've got your hopes up and really want to believe it's the real thing.

I haven't seen much about it here on the forums, but it's something that keeps popping up elsewhere with some regularity.

The reason for posting is that I came across this blog post that lists a number of current scams that are going around: 10 New Publishing Scams to Watch Out for in 2020

The list is far from exhaustive, but it looks like a good collection of things to look out for when trying to get your book in front of readers.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Thanks for posting this, Svrt! Just to add a resource, if you are ever approached by anyone asking for money to publish or promote your work, immediately search for them on the Writer Beware blog. Writer Beware®: The Blog It's not exhaustive, but it's close. And always remember, in publishing, unless you're an indie paying for ads money should only flow one way - to you.

 

[Devor]

Yes. And even for things not related to writing, when in doubt, always google “{name} scam?” before committing money or turning over personal info to anything even a little out of the ordinary.