Publishing Scams to Look Out For

The world of publishing, for all its literary glory, is not free from fraudsters and scammers. There are various scams associated with small time publishers as well as literary agents.

Before authors or anybody seeking a publishing arrangement signs an agreement it is important to do a little background research.

Small publishers often disguise themselves under various names in an attempt to protect their scamming intentions. Since vanity presses are sometimes referred to as scammers, the terms co-publisher and subsidy publishing have come into common usage.

Unethical vanity publishers or subsidy presses will burden all production costs on the author with promises of handling marketing and sales, as well as obtaining copyrights and an ISBN. The overall impression that the vanity press intends is that they would put in substantial efforts in an attempt to market the book. In reality however, little or no effort goes into selling the titles, leaving the authors high and dry, or forcing them to buy back rights once the contract period expires.

It is therefore highly recommended that when looking for publishers, authors seek legal assistance, and review contracts and paperwork with a competent lawyer well versed in intellectual properties. A review by attorneys familiar with the world of publishing will not only bring out any possible loopholes in the deal but also help understand if the arrangement has the indications of a scam.

As is true with most frauds, promises of fantastic returns and tall claims are best viewed with suspicion. As they say – ‘if it is too good to be true, it probably is’.