Publisher Scams

As an author looking to work with a publisher, you know that you need to submit your book to a lot of people to statistically raise your chances of getting picked up.

Authors submit to people at writing conventions, directly to publishers, to agents, to editors and to everything in between, either in person, online or by mail.

The inherent desperation felt by a lot of authors opens a market for taking advantage of you.  Your manuscript can fall into the hands of someone looking to make some fast money with no intention of helping you.

Anyone working under a publisher, like editors, agents, owners etc, will never ask you for a fee.  The most common scam request to an author goes a little something like this:

“We received your manuscript but are unable to read through it due to the amount of manuscripts we get spammed with everyday.  We now require a $50 fee to get your book read and considered.  We only offer this to the manuscripts we feel are good enough to take a look at.”

Or some variation of that same message.  It sounds understandable.  It’s not a lot and it will finally get your book read by a company!

An editor is usually the first person to read a manuscript and 9 times out of 10 they only read the first page.  They can tell your level of writing skill and the way you handle your language structure right from the start.  If they like what they see they will pass it on to the next stage of approval.  Reading the first page takes seconds to a few minutes.  The filtering process to the next stage of approval doesn't involve reading the entire book nor does it require a fee.

Any request for money is a big red flag.  Be careful.  It’s hard work getting noticed and published.  Consider doing self-publishing under a pen name for books that you can’t get picked up by a publisher.  That way they can provide some income while you work on your next book and aren't sitting dormant waiting for someone to notice.

Protect yourself and research companies that reach out to you about your book.