10 New Publishing Scams to Watch Out for in 2020

I read a quote recently from an indie author who said he felt sorry for new writers who fall for scammy vanity publishers — because they obviously have no writer friends to clue them in. It is true that networking … See more

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Publishing Scammers Are Proliferating Like Tribbles: How To Stay Safe

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Sep 5, 2021 · ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) are good to have, especially if you want to sell outside the US. But they’re not essential. You can buy a US ISBN for $125 ($295 …

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FAQs about 10 New Publishing Scams to Watch Out for in 2020 Coupon?

Are writing scams just for newbies?

August 20, 2023 By Anne R. Allen 44 Comments Writing scams aren’t just for newbies anymore. A few weeks ago, publishing guru Jane Friedman discovered unfamiliar books on her Goodreads author page. She also found them on Amazon — published in her name. She realized they were probably AI written and very low quality. ...

Are authors being scammed more than once?

They are everywhere now, and their scams seem to have spread like the COVID virus in the last year. The sad thing is many targeted authors have been scammed more than once, because once publishing scammers have learned to manipulate you, they keep attacking with relentless malevolence. ...

Are publishing scammers proliferating like Tribbles?

Publishing scammers are proliferating like Tribbles. How to stay safe September 5, 2021 By Anne R. Allen 66 Comments On Friday morning at 7 AM a couple of weeks ago, the landline phone woke me with a call from a woman who wanted to know if I was the author of Food of Love. I said yes, it’s one of my titles, along with 14 other books. ...

Where can I find information about author scams?

Check out their page Author Scams and Companies to Avoid David Gaughran, whose book Let’s Get Digital, I recommended earlier, has blogged extensively about publishing scammers, especially the notorious Author Solutions and all its spawn. The venerable forums at Absolute Write have useful information from other writers. ...

How do I know if a publisher is a scam?

Do Your Research. Writer Beware offers the gold standard for anti-scam info. Google the name of the company with “Writer Beware” and see if anything comes up. If it does, run. Alli, the Alliance of Independent Authors, offers lots of info on good, bad, and iffy publishing services Reedsy has some helpful infographics and other info on scammers. ...

Are You in publishing scam territory?

You’re probably in publishing scam territory. A legit company will have links from other companies. And there will be links from the blogs, websites and social media of successfully published authors with good sales and reviews. “But they’re a brand new company” your writer friend says. “They just started up two months ago. ...