Tag: #PublishingFoul

How To Avoid Publishing Predators

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedGuest Post
by David Gaughran

I have been campaigning against exploitative services like Author Solutions for a few years now, and it’s clear that the business model of such predators is to target the inexperienced and uninformed.

Some blame the victims, suggesting they didn’t do enough research, but this is more than a little unfair. These companies are extremely skilled at targeting writers before they discover the self-publishing community, and use a variety of deceptive means both to ensnare writers and to ensure that they don’t discover genuine reviews.

Also, the lines between traditional publishing, self-publishing, and vanity publishing are more difficult to define every year. Part of the reason is that vanity presses have now rebranded themselves as “self-publishing service providers” and they are often owned by traditional publishers.

Confusing already, isn’t it? Here are five ways you can cut through the crap and avoid predators: Continue reading “How To Avoid Publishing Predators”

FOULED! Part 1: Taking on Scammy Publishers

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedAs Kat announced Monday, IU is devoting the month of March to authors who have been scammed by scummy publishers, and what to do if you’ve been caught by one.

This whole thing started with an email to the IU admins from an author who was just beginning to realize that she’d been had. While the minions sat around the gruel cauldron and kicked around her options, we realized that we had a hole in our coverage. So many of us had horror stories of our own – and we were sure that we were only the tip of the iceberg. Continue reading “FOULED! Part 1: Taking on Scammy Publishers”

March Madness: What To Do When Your Publisher Scams You

Predatory Publisher Month at Indies UnlimitedWelcome to March. This month we’re doing something a little bit different – we’re having a theme month. Spearheaded by the lovely Lynne Cantwell, we’re going to feature articles from minions and guests alike about being scammed by publishers. We want those who have fallen victim to these publishing predators to know they’re not alone.

Since March is a huge sports month, we’ve tied that into the theme, with our great referee-type dude throwing the penalty flag at those bad eggs, and we’ve registered the hashtag #PublishingFoul.

Lynne will be kicking off the month (get it – another sports pun!) on Thursday and will give you all an idea of the great features she has in store for you. Meanwhile, if you have a story you’d like to share, please drop us a line through the contact form. We want to spread the word so that these types of things won’t happen to anyone else.