The past decade or so has introduced many changes in the publishing industry, making non-traditional routes highly viable options for bringing books to market. But with these new alternatives like hybrid publishers—such as Greenleaf—digital publishers, and the many options for self-publishing, some dubious actors have learned how to take advantage of writers, preying on those desperate to get their work published. That’s why, as you begin searching for a publisher to help turn your manuscript into a full-fledged book, it’s essential that you know how to spot and avoid publishing scams.

What Are Publishing Scams?

There are many malicious players in the publishing arena seeking to make money off writers’ inexperience, lack of knowledge, and sometimes, desperate need for validation. Many of these scammers usurp the names of traditional publishing houses and respected agents or create fake publishing entities to fool unsuspecting writers into handing over their manuscripts . . . . and cash. These imposters present prospective authors with deceptive offers, going so far as to create elaborate ploys such as phony agents, costly marketing schemes, and editing ruses.

Other significant participants in the realm of publishing scams are vanity presses. A vanity, or subsidy, press is a publishing house to which authors pay to have their work published without receiving much in return. These presses are willing to publish just about anything regardless of quality. As such, they have received the name “vanity” because it is implies that their authors are publishing solely out of vanity and their work would not otherwise be commercially successful. Vanity presses charge an exorbitant upfront fee and sometimes take a 50- to a 75-percent stake in the work. On top of that, most vanity presses rarely invest resources in high-quality production, editorial work, marketing, or distribution because they have no incentive to add value to the author’s work. Oftentimes, these businesses will attempt to conceal that they are vanity publishers, removing the mention of fees from their website and falsely labelling themselves as hybrid or independent.

Who Are Their Targets?

Whereas legitimate publishers will not make grandiose, false, or flattering claims to feed a writer’s self-esteem, publishing scammers excel at buttering up to their victims with exaggerated praise and promises of fame and riches. Therefore, it is often writers with big egos who can easily fall prey to false, excessive flattery from con artists. When an aspiring author assumes the desirability of their work and does not take the time to research and educate themselves about publishing, they’re more likely to be duped by phony offers.

How to Avoid Falling for Scams

The good news is that once you are aware of these con artists, it’s easy to avoid them. But there are some concrete steps you can take to ensure that the next prize in a scammer’s trophy room isn’t your own work.

The most crucial preventative step you can take is thoroughly researching the publisher you’re interested in. Specifically, you will want to do the following:

• Search for author complaints and negative reviews
• Ask for and research their past clients and success stories
• Make sure the company has submission and acceptance criteria—vanity presses will have none
• Check how long the company has been in business
• Look for people involved in the company that have experience in publishing and good professional reputations
• Make sure the company distributes through a wholesaler such as Ingram
• Search Writer Beware’s list of scammers and vanity presses to see if the company has been identified as a dishonest enterprise
• Order a few of the company’s books to assess their quality
• Directly contact authors that have published with them

And beyond performing your due diligence, remember to not let your extreme desire for validation and publication allow you to overlook conspicuous red flags. Be aware, realistic, and suspicious of overly admiring language. If something seems fishy, it is.

If you do end up getting a contract—whether it’s with a traditional publisher, hybrid publisher, self-publisher, or vanity press—get a legal professional to review the contract before you sign it. You don’t want to unknowingly hand over your book rights or eventually find yourself in a situation you can’t get out of.

Publishing Scam Red Flags

Here is a list of signs that that you will want to be on the lookout for that likely indicate a publisher might not be all that they appear:

• Excessive flattery and statements like “You deserve the world” or “You deserve to be published”
• Company representatives you are speaking to can’t clearly explain their business model and payment structure upfront
• Package marketing deals that you can do yourself, like a basic press release
• The publisher charges a “reading fee” to review your manuscript
• No phone number, address—excepting remote, online publishers—names of real people attached to the company, updated website, presence on social media, reviews, or books
• The publisher requires you to buy bulk copies of your own book
• “Bestseller guarantee” offers
• An unresponsive and ambiguous correspondent—you should be speaking to real people you know by name and title, not faceless entities that send emails
• Verbal promises that aren’t reflected in the contract

Protecting yourself and your work is very important as you begin the process of searching for someone to help you publish your book. Although many threatening forces have learned to thrive in the shadows, by following this advice you can move confidently and intelligently ahead in your publishing journey.