Tag: predatory publishers

Publishing Scammer: Having A Heart in Your Name Doesn’t Mean You Have A Heart

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedGuest Post
by S.R. Claridge

There are scammers in all industries, but none so much as those in entertainment. The reason is because it is easy to prey upon people with dreams. Whether a musician, an actor, a songwriter, a singer, an artist or a writer, creative people are easy targets for the unethical of the world. They know that there is no financial or emotional limit to the investment we are willing to make in our dreams. They know that we seek acknowledgment for our work. They know that we need recognition. They know how to make us feel as if they believe in our talent and are good at manipulating the innocence of our hopes for success. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing and the damage they do is far more than just financial. Continue reading “Publishing Scammer: Having A Heart in Your Name Doesn’t Mean You Have A Heart”

FOULED! Part 2: Getting Your Editor to Edit

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedAuthors who have gotten sucked into a vanity press contract often get their first inkling of problems when they review their “edited” manuscript. It’s often riddled with errors – many of which have been introduced during the “editing” process. And if they complain, they’re pointed to a provision in their contract that states they need to pay extra for extra rounds of editing.

We talk a lot about Author Solutions because they’re a big outfit. But there is a whole host of other vanity publishers out there. I ran across this page of complaints about Tate Publishing while researching this post. And of course, there’s America Star Books, which used to be called PublishAmerica until criticism of their business practices got to be too loud. Continue reading “FOULED! Part 2: Getting Your Editor to Edit”

My Bad Experience with PublishAmerica/America Star Books

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedSome of you may be familiar with PublishAmerica, who some time ago changed their name to America Star Books. I did a post on the change last year and touched on my own story then, but I want to go into a bit more detail about their racket and how I extricated myself.

My run-in with them started in the 90s. I had had five books published already, two by a New York house and three by small presses, when I stumbled across their site. Their mantra at the time was, “We don’t want your money — we want your book!” Continue reading “My Bad Experience with PublishAmerica/America Star Books”

Bad Publishers: How Can I Protect Myself?

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedI’ve known for a while now that Indies Unlimited planned a month of posts regarding bad publishers. Some know my story, but not most. I’m under a “gag” order, you see. The specific words of my termination contract were:  “In addition, the author agrees not to discuss the Author’s Group or any information from that group, or discuss [redacted], nor speak as an agent or former agent of the publisher, either by verbal, written, or electronic communication with any persons, groups, or agents, either publicly or unsolicited, and [redacted] will adhere to the same standard. [Bolding mine.]

And I haven’t, not in nearly two years. Continue reading “Bad Publishers: How Can I Protect Myself?”