Prisimpad: A Guide to Wattpad, Writing, and Whatever

ON WHATEVER: Publishing Scams and Vanity Presses

I briefly mentioned this chapter in some respects during the Traditional Vs Self publishing chapter, but I don't think it hurts to go into it further or again even if it means repeating myself.

If you have decided to go the traditional route or have been contacted by someone wanting to publish your book, please please please please do your homework before signing ANYTHING. Yes, that one is so important I bolded, italicized, and underlined.

Yes, it's exciting to get a message saying someone wants to publish you, but do yourself a huge favor and look into who is contacting you. There are multiple scams out there and publishers known as vanity presses. I cannot stress enough to do your homework on anyone contacting you to publish or you contacting them.

Money flows to the author. Not from the author.

If you have to pay a single cent to have someone else publish your book, that is called a Vanity Press and should be avoided at all costs. One of the biggest vanity presses is Publish America, now called America Star Books. They have been sued many many many many many...ah hell there aren't enough many's in the world to cover the amount of times authors have sued them. So many newbie authors are duped by them daily simply because they don't take their time to think through their publishing options.

Do not pay anyone to publish your book! Don't do it.

"But Prisim.."

NO! DON'T DO IT!

"But what if..."

*slaps you* I said NO!

You do not pay the publisher. The publisher pays you.

If they ask you to pay for editing, don't. If they ask you to pay for covers, don't. If you're going to pay for that kind of stuff then just freaking self publish and save your rights. Hell don't even let them ask you to pay them for marketing. You can go and pay to do some marketing yourself, but don't pay the publisher to market for you. The point of having a publisher is they're the ones on the hook financially, not you.

If they say they'll "self-publish" you for a percent of your royalties on top of what they'll charge you for the editing/cover/etc, don't do it. Unless they have their own printing press where they'll print the book rather than going through Amazon/Createspace/lulu/Smashwords/etc, why are you going to give up double the percent? You'll lose the percent to the "self publisher" on top of what goes to Amazon for publishing through them. So Amazon will retain their percent, then what's left will be split between you and this "self" publisher? No. Just no. Hire freelancers and retain your full profits after Amazon takes their cut.

Money flows to the author. Not from it.

There is also several companies lurking on Wattpad that are snatching up unsuspecting users and ripping them off. That's not to say every publisher or agent lurking on Wattpad is a scam, that's why it is important to research them if/when you've been contacted. Google it, contact other authors, use the industry insider forum here on wattpad, find books they've published and take a look at them. That last one is probably just as important as asking around. If you see samples of their books with multiple errors, chances are it's a good sign this isn't legit and you should stay away.

Money flows to the author. Not from it.

A few years ago I was contacted by someone claiming they had a "friend" who owned a publishing company and that I should publish Guardian of Calandria with them. Now I knew GoC at the time wasn't ready for publishing, I hadn't done anything but run it through spell check. So I politely said thanks but no thanks. At the time I didn't look into them at all, why should I when I knew GoC wasn't ready to be published?

Then one day I was bored and wandering the forums and I saw a pinned thread on the industry insider forum. It had been up for a while but for whatever reason I only noticed it that day. The company in the thread title looked familiar so I clicked on it. Sure enough, it was the same company that I had been contacted to publish through. Many people had the same message I did about the person having a "friend" who owns a publishing company contacting them. Reading through that thread got me to want to look at some of their books they published.

I'm sorry to say, but the editing on every single one of them was atrocious. Many didn't even have dialogue tags properly tagged with the comma instead of a full stop. This is something that any entry level editor should've caught. It is one thing for us amateurs to make that mistake, lord knows I did, but it's another for a company that is supposed to be professional to make that mistake.

My rule of thumb is if the publisher can't do a better job then I can do for myself, why would I sign with that publisher?

It's also my understanding this company that they ask you for the lifetime rights of the book, or at least they did at the time of my originally writing this post. That is a no. A big big big no. Never give away the lifetime rights. A couple of years is typical, but never the lifetime. That means if you're unhappy with how they handle your book, there isn't a damn thing you can do about it. That book is theirs forever.

Because they don't ask you to give them money, I'm not going to put them in the same level as Publish America. But they're proof that you need to read the fine print before signing and ask people who may know more than you. Every company is going to have their pitfalls, even the legit ones. So it's absolutely imperative that you stop for a second and breathe. Don't let the excitement of the moment get to you.

Stop.

Breathe.

Research.

You'll find companies like Inkitt and Swoon Reads who will offer publishing if your book gets enough popularity to be noticed on their sites. Personally I hate Inkitt's spamming tactics so they were an instant no for me, but I did try Swoon Reads. But even with those sites you need to look at their fine print carefully. Make sure you're getting the deal that will actually benefit you. I haven't looked at Inkitt closely because, again, their spamming tactics turned me off. Swoon Reads I wasn't blown away by their terms, but I was at the point where I was willing to try it because they're at least backed by a Big 5.

The beauty of being an author in today's society is that you have so many options for publishing your book. It's not just get an agent, get a publisher. But you still have to be careful not to get scammed. Your book is your baby. You wouldn't just hand your baby to any random person on the street simply because they said they would take good care of it, would you? No. You wouldn't.

I'll say it again:

Money flows to the author. Not from it.

So take the time, however much time is needed, to check who your signing with before you sign. Don't get screwed because you get starry eyed. When you do get that contract, hire a lawyer to look it over. It might seem like a ridiculous expense but unless you know how to read a contract and understand it, get someone who can (this is again why agents are good because they can do that for you, read the contract)

Someone wanting to publish you is a great feeling, truly it is, but make sure it's the right someone.