Publishing Scams: Six Red Flags That Scream "Rip Off"
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It's heartbreaking. You go to a local fair and there at the author's table is a row of smiling hopefuls, eager to sell their books. A few are beautiful books, either self-published or produced by traditional publishers. But so many are poorly written, poorly produced, with amateurish covers and cheap bindings. The author's smiles are wearing thin as they realize that the world isn't flocking to buy their books, and they're just beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with this picture.
Score another for the vanity presses. The poor authors, with no knowledge of the business end of publishing, have been snookered out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars and now have cases of unmarketable books serving as very expensive doorstops. In these days of POD (publish-on-demand) technology, the vanity presses may promise to ship the books when they are ordered, which at least relieves the author of having to warehouse the books. But the vanities still charge large amounts of money and the author is still left with an empty bank account and shattered dreams. Or worse. Some scammers take money from hopeful authors and deliver nothing at all. The good news is that with a little knowledge, it isn't too hard to spot a scam. Here are some obvious red flags to look for:
Phony awards banquets. Ten years ago, no joke, I received a mailing from Famous Poets Society that lured me to fork over the cash to attend an awards banquet and convention. If I paid my money, I could join the elite company of poets such as...Ted Lange of "Love Boat" fame. Who knew Isaac the bartender was a closet Langston Hughes? Plus, I could win $6,000 in door prizes. Now, if you've ever attended a poetry reading, especially in coffeehouses, you know that poets wear their vow of poverty as proudly as a Che Guevara T-shirt. Just the thought of winning $25 in a poetry slam made my fellow poets and me weep more cathartically than the contestants on "Deal or No Deal." And Ted Lange usually doesn't attend.
"Authors wanted by major publisher!" No legitimate publisher ever has to advertise for authors. All major publishers have gigantic slush piles stacked high with far more manuscripts than they will ever be able to use, most of which are of poor quality. If you see an ad in the back of a magazine that offers to "publish" your book, or suggests that they "need" authors, chances are high that it is a vanity press.
Advertising in newspapers and glossy magazines. Real poetry contests don't advertise in USA Weekend--sure, USA Weekend may sponsor a teen essay contest, but poetry advertisers? Forget it. People don't pick up USA Weekend as a literary publication, even though USA Weekend features books and authors. If you see a mass call for poets in a mass market magazine, give it a miss. Real poetry contests get deluged with submissions as it is. They don't need to fish for more.
Sending you a letter of acceptance for a contest you can't remember entering or a publisher you can't remember submitting to. I admit, as a writer I have difficulty keeping track of what I sent to whom and when--we go into writing to avoid paperwork, not do it, although when we're not in the mood, reorganizing files suddenly becomes as tempting as a day in Cancun. Fortunately, Writer's Market features a Submission Tracker, and some enterprising bloggers actually post their submission schedule to make the rest of us sigh in unorganized envy. If you can't find the cover letter/e-query in your file cabinet, on your computer, on your Zip drive (you do back up, right?), or in your Sent folder, chances are you never submitted to National Library of Poetry or Wordscum.com (apologies if there actually is a Web site out there called Wordscum.com). Yes, after 300 rejections, getting an acceptance letter may be a boost, but to misquote Groucho Marx, think twice before you accept just any club that will have you as a member. Aim higher. Imagine if JK Rowling had just said, "All right, I'll pay a million pounds to have a few hundred copies of Harry Potter for my friends and relatives to buy."
In most cases people do continue to be a part of the Acai supplement program because they experience the benefits of what the Acai has to offer. You just need to watch out for misleading websites or really small print before signing up for anything. Most importantly, if you do not want to be billed, remember to cancel your membership.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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