5 Worst Publishers – BEWARE!
Author and e-Book Builder Deena Rae wrote in one of her blogs:
“The world of publishing has always been filled with scammers, and top of the list are vanity publishers. To those who have been in the world of publishing a vanity press used to be a bad thing, but with Penguin, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and even Harlequin getting into bed with AuthorHouse / AuthorSolutions to form so-called subsidiary presses. Now there is a sheen of “respectability” to vanity publishing…
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Want to know which vanity publishers I personally find the worst? This is based just on my own research, observations and studying of lots of “publishing contracts”. Top of the list are the ones that are operating under so many names and changing them so often, one can barely keep up with listing them:
AuthorHouse / AuthorSolutions (Penguin)
Alibi, Hydra etc. (Random House)
iUniverrse, XLibris, PublishAmerica, America Star Books
General Store Publishing, Renfrew, ON
Austin & MacAuley UKThese are original comments of authors to articles about the vanity company practices“I am their client too and very much disappointed with the way my book is handled, unless it is the matter of grabbing money, it is difficult to get a response.
“The flag ship of the vanity/POD industry is sinking herself. HMS …. is going down the toilet.”
“I wish I had seen this site (and many others popping up out there) before paying … to destroy my four years of hard work.”
“Stay away from those people, do not invest a penny in …. Save yourself time, money and frustration! Buyer beware! Author beware! Writer beware!
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Authors are surprised when so-called publishers want money up front. Publishers are supposed to pay authors, aren’t they? There is nothing wrong in this. The trouble comes if the author, having signed a hefty check, is led to expect that his book will be treated in the same way as all the other books coming onto the market. To pay for publication is no guarantee that a single copy will appear on the shelves of even the local bookshop. Authors feel they have been conned, persuaded to part with money for services not rendered. If you think writers and publishers today are dodgy, get a load of the crooks and scoundrels of 18th-century London Publishing scams seem to be nothing new. Read this Salon.com article about the worst publisher of all time.
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Despite the evidence, there are still writers who fall into the trap of vanity publishing – often with open eyes. That is why as soon as one vanity publisher goes out of business, another soon fills the gap. Here are a few tips on what to look out for. Read the list in a former blog post – and BEWARE!
The expression “publisher” should be legally protected and it should be forbidden by law to call themselves publishers! Read more about vanity publishers and un-ethical publishing contracts in Stop: Vanity Publishing aka Subsidy Publishers
“The author hereby grants the publisher, during the full term of copyright, the sole and exclusive right to manufacture, print, publish and sell and to otherwise use, as set out further in this agreement, including, but not limited to, acting as agent and/or exercising any or all subsidiary rights, throughout the universe.”
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More about this topic:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/06/a-contract-from-alibi/
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/easy-to-lose-money-a-lot/
http://emilysuess.wordpress.com/
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/author-beware-its-a-long-post/
http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-to-choose-an-ebook-publisher-or-diy/
http://accrispin.blogspot.ca/2014/02/...
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Tagged: author-publishing, Book distribution, never go with a vanity publisher, platform in order to build a brand, Publishing Comparison, vanity publishing
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message 1:
by
Jim
(new)
Sep 29, 2014 07:04AM
Good information, from my recent published book I learned very fast that a publisher will place your book in a stack of books. A stack that is over 3 millions books high. To sell a book it must go from the stack to the shelf, then to a persons hand. The publisher will only place the book on the stack. No one knows or can know about this book while it's in a stack. It is up to the writer to do the rest, if he/her expects success. In other words the publisher will get the book listed everywhere, but this action will not sell books. For a writer to understand this process he/she would have spent a lot of money that could have been used to actually put the book in a persons hand. Go forward wisely.
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I'm an author and journalist who's books are with a respected publisher. I fear a friend has fallen into the Austin McCauley trap. Would welcome all feadback in confidence at kierandevaney6@gmail.com
I am a writer who sent Austin McCauley my full manuscript at their bidding. After waiting a month, I get the letter, saying, they liked my book but I am a high risk for them, being that I am an unknown. They wanted me to contribute to the production of my book. Why would I do that when I am looking for a hefty advance for my book from a traditional publisher? I don't believe they even read my book. Two pieces of correspondence from them had spelling mistakes. I believe they are scammers, and trying to make money off of writers desperate to get their work published. Not me. Beware of this vanity publisher. Sincerely, Brenda Rae Schoolcraft
Hi Brenda, I've just had a so-called contract from Austin McAuley but I did research them only after I sent them the completed manuscript. I laughed when I read in the covering letter 'I can confidently state that your work was found to be a dramatic and evocative read' but not as hard as when I laughed that they wanted £2,300 to do so!
Thing is, they probably didn't even read your manuscript. They are a bunch of crooks. Happy that you were able to see through their scam. Sincerely, Brenda Rae Schoolcraft
Ref: comments/complaints about Austin Macauley, the same thing happened to me, In June this year I emailed them my entire manuscript of my first in a series of children's books, then at the end of the same month they emailed back, saying that I should expect to hear from them in 6 weeks, (mid-August). Of course, AM only took 3 short weeks (19th July) to get back to me with, to be fair a positive response, saying my book needed a little editing, which I did myself, though the reason they replied so quickly was they wanted me to sign the contract, paying them fees, ranging from £1900-£4400. Needless to say, they won't be getting a penny from me. Check out the 'Absolute Writers' forum, where other people have given scathing reviews about AM.
Kieran wrote: "I'm an author and journalist who's books are with a respected publisher. I fear a friend has fallen into the Austin McCauley trap. Would welcome all feadback in confidence at kierandevaney6@gmail.com"I think you mean WHOSE books, not WHO'S books
Sarah wrote: "Ref: comments/complaints about Austin Macauley, the same thing happened to me, In June this year I emailed them my entire manuscript of my first in a series of children's books, then at the end of ..."Thanks SO MUCH. I was just about to send my manuscript to them, but decided to do a bit of research first.
I was just looking at their website and decided to look for reviews on the company...glad I landed here. :)
Brenda wrote: "I am a writer who sent Austin McCauley my full manuscript at their bidding. After waiting a month, I get the letter, saying, they liked my book but I am a high risk for them, being that I am an unk..."Thank you they sent me the same letter...i swear it is so hard to find and honest publishing company these days...Tanya tsbbook@yahoo.com
Laura wrote: "I was just looking at their website and decided to look for reviews on the company...glad I landed here. :)"i just happened to look here and glad i did they had sent me a contract and wante 2700..lol
Hello. I received the same contract on my book and hadvto laugh because i sent them a first time no editing done draft because i was so excited i had wrote the book. Since then i have fixed tbe manuscript multiple times. Ive received a total of 5 vanity offers. Why after people post youre vanity would they stay open. I am serioisly thinking of kindle so people reading this watch for my series The Lost Phoenix Rises by Brittany Smith.
On close reading of their contract and reading reviews...ah, well."Shelby and the Lost Boy of Misbegot Island"
by John Edward Byrd
shelbylostboy.com
I suspect there are so many scam publishers that arriving at a list of the five worst must be difficult. However, I would add Linkville Press in Oregon to your list. They don't send sales reports, and they bait and switch by telling authors they pay royalties based upon 30% of retail, but they really pay based upon net; that is, after after subtracting all their costs. This is a company who breaches their own contract, doesn't supply even a single author's copy or review copy, and does nothing to promote. Stay away!Dr. Alan Balter
I advise authors, old and new, to avoid Austin Macauley who are not even publishers. They are a vanity press who claim to be an Hybrid publishers, whatever that means. Read in Glassdoor what its former employees say about Austin Macauley and the advice they give to authors to avoid this faceless company. One even says it should be shut down.
I have never heard of them..But thanks for the "heads up" :)
A simple strategy to deal with VANITY PRESSESGoogle and read as much as possible about anybody claiming to a publisher. Any negative report should constitute a red flag and a warning not to have business with them.
If you receive a letter from a suspicious source claiming to be a publisher, just erase it don't even deal with it because true publishers don't go looking for authors or don't advertise for manuscripts.
Run away from any one claiming to be a publisher and asking for money.
By following a simple strategy, will we be able to beat such adventurers out for our monies.
Just for info: you'll notice that Austin Macauley has gone out of its way to establish online connections to Goodreads. Please be very careful about this. As far as I can tell, few if any AM books have ever been rated on Goodreads. I'm guessing this is mainly a scam to create the impression that AM books are being widely circulated.
Good advice on both coments... thanks
I have a question. I submitted a book to Austin Macauley. Not seeing good results. I own the copyright. My guru is something authors may reject: LGBTQ+, mainly gay and crime. I am asking for honest help.Can anyone recommend a better publisher that will not take my money.
Free free to use this email. No hassles, no selling anyone out!
snuggie.bobo.tale@gmail.com.
go self-publish, via Lulu, amazon or draft2digital....
Just be aware that, in an attempt to create a sense of legitimacy and credibility, Austin Macauley features on their website the logos of several reputable and well-known booksellers such as Waterstones and Barnes & Noble. There is no guarantee that these companies actually endorse Austin Macauley, and no guarantee that they will stock or sell your book if you publish through Austin Macauley.
Should have read all these comments before I fell in the AM trap! I sent a manuscript for a children's book, got a glowing report back with the offer of a contract (as a contribution towards illustration, production and marketing) and paid up. Stupid me. All very chummy but the pao illustrations were complete crap (and reapeatedly returned for correction), the pagination was a joke with single-word lines and arbitrary spacing and it was evident from the minor errors of punctuation and spelling that no-one had ever bothered to read the manuscript. As for the marketing, if you don't have your own extensive network of contacts on social media (to which I'm allergic), your sales (like mine) will be restricted to family and friends. Austin Macauley is a complete rip-off. If you want to get into print but are unable to find a serious publisher, much better to find an on-line printer where you can edit in small quantities at a fraction of the price. I live in France and use Autres Talents - very reasonable rates, on-line assistance and a professional result. FORGET Austin M!!!
Sorry to hear of your very poor experience with Austin Macauley. I hope that you can recoup your money through future sales. 😔🇦🇺
Thanks for the commiseration but no, I've just been told that my masterpiece (!) is being remaindered and as far as I'm concerned the project is a thing of the past. I'm just finishing off a short collection of short stories in French which I'll produce myself and sell during my concert dates (I'm a singer-guitarist). A much better way of getting your small investment back once you've realised you're not going to be the next Roald Dahl.
Have you ever heard of bookwritinglane?My problem is trying to find someone, and I am not good at doing all the leg work.
Has anyone heard of/used bookwritinglane?
Tim wrote: "Should have read all these comments before I fell in the AM trap! I sent a manuscript for a children's book, got a glowing report back with the offer of a contract (as a contribution towards illust..."Yes, I also fell into the AM trap as a first-time author. I was so excited when a publisher accepted my children's book. I was also (like many above) told that being an 'unknown', I would need to pay for some of the publishing costs and, in return, get higher royalties (25%). The first red flag should have been the lack of edits they sent back to me, but at the time, I was studying editing and figured I had just edited it fantastically before sending it off to them. The second red flag was that it took them longer than their 290-day guarantee in the contract (It took them around 590 days - it was a very simple children's book, and there was 0 reason it needed to take so long). The illustrations, while I do love that they look like how my character was imagined, were repetitive. They used the same image of the character on 5 of the pages and simply changed the background. I was told this was 'normal'. I have yet to receive any royalties as I haven't hit the minimum 50 pounds required to 'cash out'. Responses sometimes take up to 2weeks (or multiple reminder emails) - I get it; they're a big company, but that time frame seems a little ridiculous. The worst part for me is that I have received 0 marketing support from them. I was promised a marketing plan, social media posts on their account, help setting up book signings with bookstores, etc. But haven't gotten anything. I have finally gotten around to emailing them for a fifth time regarding my issues with this, but I am honestly about to just give up on my kid's book. I self-published my epic fantasy novel last year and have had great success so far. I've had more support from the indie author community than I have from a publisher. I've also had multiple bookshops that I reached out to tell me they won't buy from AM publishers.
When you say "50 pounds ..." are you from England? I am a U.S. resident.Your story is about the same as mine. The book is out and nothing after that. You would have laughed at the cover they provided for my book. I got so upset, I painted one and sent it to them!
I am trying to find a publisher. Book Writing Lane has reached out (bookwritinglane.com). They are a vanity publisher. A traditional would be nice to allow them to handle a lot of items after publishing. I have to work full-time since writing does not pay the rent! :0 If you know of any companies that seem fair please let me know.
In honesty, I suck at marketing since I just do not have the time. Plus, I am older and not a tech buff.
I wrote three educational books, but they did not pay anything. So, I jumped off the bridge into the river, deciding fiction would be a good spot. With AM Publishers I went to the bottom fast. Loving to write about crime and romance (simply, gangsters and love!), I decided to write a book series. AM published the first. I have to find some way to get the second book published while also making some money to pay the costs. I think the first book will not go anywhere, but the second might. I need to learn online marketing, etc., to grow but once again - time.
The first material is LGBTQIA2S+, focusing on a gay man. However, it is a "mature audience only" (nice way of saying it contains porn!). Say 85% romance/porn and 15% crime. The second has the same genre (crime and romance) but is 80% crime and 20% soft romance. In simple words, I neutered this story to make it more mainstream, staying out of politics!
Funny, how all the publishers who hear about the second love it, but always want some money!
I am all ears to anyone who has advice.
Brittany wrote: "Hello. I received the same contract on my book and hadvto laugh because i sent them a first time no editing done draft because i was so excited i had wrote the book. Since then i have fixed tbe man..."The problem with Kindle, it is not "an easy learn" for an old guy like me. I am a storyteller, not a publisher. I am just looking for an easy platform to do all this. Got anything to help?
Brenda wrote: "I am a writer who sent Austin McCauley my full manuscript at their bidding. After waiting a month, I get the letter, saying, they liked my book but I am a high risk for them, being that I am an unk..."That is nice, but would you share how you are getting your work out there to readers? No readers, no rent!
Alan wrote: "I suspect there are so many scam publishers that arriving at a list of the five worst must be difficult. However, I would add Linkville Press in Oregon to your list. They don't send sales reports, ..."Thank you. Any suggestion on who to go to?
Hi There, I have written a series of childrens stories within a story. I have never published anything before. I went onto reedsy and made a brief and I received emails back saying they do not work for free and not interested in getting percentages etc. I deleted the project and went to search and 1st one up was Austin McCauley. They must be making some money out of this as they are number 1 ifor publishing on google. Its seems very unfair that Google is allowing companies like that to hit No.1 in search rankings. Most things on the internet these days are just scams. I wish it was 20 years ago was a very different audience. Allowing companies to sell has ruined the internet. So much for information for all.. Very sad.. Ok thats my gripe for this year. No-one has answered anyones question on here about who is a good publisher to approach (sorry if you did and I have just not seen it). Please do share if you know of a company that would like in the old days, read a script/part of a book and tell you yes its good or go get an editor etc.. I would really appreciate any help in this matter. Thank you in advance x
Snuggie here.I am in the same boat, people seem to comment but don't share too well.
