You have a really good article here, but I feel you bleed these two kinds of companies together. Sorry to hear that we've got not much to add beyond "avoid at all costs" and see if you can block their number. It is available on line at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Walmart - Hard Cover, soft and all digital formats. March 3, 2023. She has passion for excellence.Dreams big. Writers.work claims that you can sign up and start earning right away. 5k plus for this book..and it only has a nice cover. Also what about Xlibris? Is anyone familiar with Covenant Publishing? Anyone know anything about this company ? Loves solving problems. Unfortunately, like many other big traditional publishing houses, they chose to partner up with Author Solutions, which has been operating that imprint ever since. I just got a solicitation from New Reader Magazine is this a scam company? They had told me that ALL publishing houses require authors to purchase copies of their own books. Scroll through the comments here - their name has popped up more than a few times, I believe. I can't find anything about them either, which is generally a bad sign (a reputable publisher, even small, would have a website). If she claims to be a publisher, but her company doesn't have a website, then that's a huge red flag. - they have a paid "beta reading" service, when beta readers are generally free; I am trying to fully research my options before selecting a route for publishing my children's book. Their company is legit since they were able to publish my book: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Journey-Home-Julie-Chenevert/dp/1733701354/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=goldtouch+press&qid=1557963118&s=books&sr=1-1-fkmrnull. However take notice that they give authors 50% of proceeds, defined as "all revenue received by Uproar Books MINUS production and shipping costs." Does anyone know where I could find a reputable (preferably Christian) publisher that has a lot of experience in comic books/graphic novels? I have already talked to a representative and of course they want $5,000 and I told the man that I don't have that kind of money to spend right now. Becoming a published author is a dream shared by almost every writer. Anyhow she said my submissions will be reviewed and she would get in touch with me in about a week. When I declined their "partnership" services and contract, I was offered a "half now, half later" payment option, all the while facing a time-crunch decision window in order to make their deadline for my book to appear be in their next magazine issue. I was able to find the previous inquiries into this company once you called them to my attention and will find another route. Thanks :-). Also, thanks for saving me from spending more than needed. They said investors are paying for my interview with AL Cole and I have to pay for the air time. Screenplay adaptations/coverage. There are also some competitions in which the prize might be a trophy. Should we contact the person saying he wants to re-publish my father's work? What is your opinion of Boulevard Books ? This is very helpful, though I don't understand all of it. Are they reputable? Before We pay for their services. For one, their website misspells "Hollywood" more than a few times. On the other hand, you'll still have to ensure that your manuscript is properly edited before you send it to the printers. There are countless scams out there offering "book fair display" services. What do you think? Has anybody had dealings with Mulberry publishers? I've had a look at their site, and they look fairly legit as hybrid publishers go. Also, is Submittable reputable? Publishing is a people business. (442) 671 4209 | (442) 229 07 26 contacto@smartphonecenter.com.mx. I just received a solicit from them. Great insight! This doesn't sound like a legitimate operation to me. ALLI does not seem to like them. 2. i have been getting harassing calls from their sales people, and despite me saying they are doing a sales a pitch they continually deny it. Be very careful with them. Writers' Branding | Cookstown NJ writers branding complaints. But the run-ons misspelled wordsit was basically every page. I saw complaints about them and told them to not call me again. Do keep in mind that if you have to pay to receive the award, or enter the final round, or anything like that, your money is probably best invested somewhere else. I have been contacted by many so called promoters but do not follow up with them. We're looking to try out writers on a . I wanted to self-publish a memoir to give to friends and sell in my shop. What about dorrance publishing and page publishing? What is your opinion of Austin Macauley He even tried to give me a good deal by lowering the price to $3,000. I am now trying to get my money back and hopefully not too late. info@writersbranding.com Give us a free call +1 (877) 608-6550 2022 PACIFIC BOOK REVIEW AWARDEES Three of our outstanding Writers' Branding authors get a resounding recognition in the recently concluded Pacific Book Awards 2022. And if you still don't hear back, hire an IP attorney to try to get the rights back. If they ask you to pay for anything/co-finance the book, then you should start looking deeper, but they seem like they could be legit. What is Writer.com? Do you have any info on this company? My book is selfpublished with x-libris but it's not 100% royalty. However, if you dont have your guard up, it is easy to fall for predators who simply want to overcharge for their services many of which are tasks you could accomplish on your own. Know any good inexpensive and real self-publishing websites that also help with marketing for me to republish with? 'Literary agents' promising book deals, 3. They are fraudulent and they revise to even address the fact they were in breech of contract ever though it was pointed out in ever single email I sent to them. Do you pay a little more sometimes for the convenience of your file preparation being consolidated to one place? Have a great day. When I told him that I didn't have that either, he wanted to get off the phone. Also, do I have to worry that they'll steal my manuscript? I'm not a pro when it comes to stuff like this. My dads thinking of publishing with covenant, one more thing! 6-months paid internship program that will take place between 18th April and 18th October 2023; 11 interns will join us and experience the life of an Ingram Micro associate; Flexible schedule allowing you to study and gain practical experience at the same time Unqualified staff. Only in business a year. So, looks to me that they are asking for a WHOLE lot more than even their original ask. I almost signed a contract with one of your WATCHDOG publishers. With vanity presses, the big risk isn't them stealing your manuscript. Their goal is to make money. Find the perfect editor for yournextbook. "Gold Touch Press provides premium publishing services at a good value. You don't know how much their services actually cost. And for distribution, if you want to do it without fuss, you can use a distribution service like Draft2Digital which charges nothing upfront, but will take 10% of retail price. Is it a vanity publisher, or traditional? Now, there are "assisted self-publishing companies" out there very different from vanity publishers who're great: they do take care of everything, but they let *you* self-publish the book. Thank you for shouting at me. From what I gather, Book Baby is pretty good. Watch out for what they define as production costs as that could eat into your proceeds. I'd be very careful before I sign with any organization like this. I am a new author and recently published my first book, The Devil Picked The Girls But They Watched The Angel, published Author House 2017. 25% of employees would recommend working at Writer's Relief to a friend and 16% have a positive outlook for the business. Getting it on the shelves is up to you. By. Says he interviews authors on his radio show. I have Book avenue publishing helping with material for book, do you know of them and Nivra press their mother company. They became very dodgy and manipulative inferring I was ignorant about how independent presses work. Or are they a scam? I have received an offer from Belle Isle publishing, the co-op branch of Brandylane Publishing. We are looking for a content writer who is well-versed in PC hardware (you've built a PC before and keep up with the latest component releases) with excellent writing skills and a solid grasp of on-page SEO. Stay miles away from this company. I'd be wary of any publisher who asks for a fee irrespective of sales. Thank you! My father, David Duncan (not to be confused with Dave Duncan from Canada) wrote 13 novels, mysteries and science fiction books, as well as a couple of science fiction screen plays and lots of screen plays for television. Grossly overpriced self-publishing services, 4. We were never given an advance and were told it may take 2 or 3 years to get a return on our money. Each bag of Brach's Desserts of the World Jelly Beans contains five special flavors: Chocolate Macaron, Strawberry Mochi, Churro, Apple Pie, and Lemon Sorbet. My gut says its not Legit. I'm really worried about my situation with what looks like a vanity press. Thank you. Not really looking to 'sell' books, they just want to see their story and family history in print, good quality, of course. I used Book Baby for my first book. I see Rushmore Press on the "Writers Beware" list -- do you have additional comments about this company? How was this possible? One issue though, they are not into promoting or marketing your book. Scroll down and check it out :). To help you protect your work, your bank account, and your dignity, here are the types of shady companies and book publishers you should avoid: Who wouldnt love it if a publisher offers to reprint one of your self-published titles or publish your next book, right? I know these people working for Folio Avenue. Take this free 10-day course to understand your choices. Hi I am searching for a publisher/illustrator for a children's book. That is my hope but there are so many scammers and by wanting that money up front, well, something about that guy has pretty much ended these hopes. Thank you. what is your view about "Author's Ink" . Do I remove bits I wrote during this process? Firstly, literary agents wont ever contact you directly unless youre already a wildly successful author (and even then, most reputable agents would avoid poaching you from your current representation). Their publishing 'packages' are not as ridiculously expensive as a lot of hybrid or vanity presses. I would like to redo it..change size, do further editing, eliimatnaing a chapter, having a different format so I can have a less expensive selling price. That is NOT a review. That publisher is based in NY. You can read more about why here (the comments are particularly illuminating): http://www.victoriastrauss.com/2013/08/30/more-warnings-spectacular-productions-balboa-pressauthor-solutions/. Writer's Relief has an overall rating of 2.1 out of 5, based on over 23 reviews left anonymously by employees. Someone contacted my sisters and me about his appreciation for 1950s science fiction, and wanted to know if we would let him be the literary agent for my father's novels. Has anyone heard of Renley Rudolf? To put it in mild terms, I would warn any author to stay away from any Author Solutions operated company. A soon add the lawsuit is over I will be creating a page dedicated to warning writers with proud of all of my claims including all of three emails to and from as well as the contract. A year ago I tried extensively to get with a traditional publisher but to no avail, since I was doing my first book. - they offer an advance, Does anyone have any experience with Entrada Publishing. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. What do you know about Global Summit Publishing? I am an author myself and will not help anyone who scams authors. Title, bullets, description, A+ content, photos, Images We will be providing full training & access to our custom software and processes. They say they can send my story on to the Hollywood Data Base to possibly become a screenplay. Has anyone heard of Sydney Dewitt of House of Literary in Palmville, California? But dear God think a little tons of people will pay more for one-stop-shops. My project manager was Eminey. He makes every genre . Good luck to you! It is expensive but promises to give royalty's to the author. After getting scammed out of $4000 by Beth at Author Connections, who just sent me a packet of "how to market myself" rather than do the legwork herself, (which I was led to believe she would do), I am now very leery. Thank you very much for the article. How that remains possible is astounding and frustrating to me! Turn a negative review into a positive experience Request a demo PissedConsumer Review Management Services MONITOR REVIEWS AND MANAGE YOUR ONLINE BRAND REPUTATION Monitor what your customers think about your brand online. I thought I was paying for everything up to publishing stage. I've looked everywhere but can't find one with the proper experience. Sorry to hear that, Leanne :( In cases like this, the best way forward is to issue a rights reversion letter: https://www.authorsalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/20160920-Interactive-RR-Letter-Guide.pdf Do you know anything about this company? I'd advise you to run away. New Wave Security Solutions. Website BoulevardBooks.org Thank you so much for this information, it's so helpful! They have approached me regarding the republishing of my current book. I've tried Writer Beware and Alliance of Independent Authors, but neither had any information on him. He got angry when I told him Im not giving him $3,000 to do anything and sent this email: He is in the midst of going back and forth with them about the money. Well Jacqueline you dont have to shout at me, because your nothing. but cannot find a thing on the internet. the cost is for me working with them and their team that would do the proofing, editing, layout, cover and marketing. They said they will start open readings period in December which means they're selective and it's good, right? Was so disappointed the review was nothing more than "it's been They are not in the United States. Everything you read above about scammers is true with this group. There has to be a catch somewhere, but where? Hello! Classic virtue signaling. However, to suggest that most vanity publishers arent adding value to clients is nonsense. They are located in Richmond, Virginia. To be clear, your book was assigned an ISBN, had a book cover designed, was available for pre-order, social media promotion, and developmental editing (which you didn't like, which caused the problem); hence, it is false to question our ethics, and to claim we did no work. Thats called business. Don't fall for his nonsense. Are they legit? Are you suspicious of a certain company? Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book. I think they are a hybrid, but not sure. Thanks in advance. For one thing, traditional publishers take ALL RIGHTS for the life of your copyright in exchange for whatever they offer the author. It has been the worst experience I've ever had and now I am determined to let every author I ever come in contract with about the business practices of this company. Many of those companies will outsource the work to low-priced freelancers or get their interns to do it. #1 - Passive Author Branding Everybody has a brand Not everybody realizes they have a brand. I think itll mean reverting to my original MS, which is fine, but what if I added something on my own during that process? Use the hashtag #ReadersRevolt to share that you're banishing pop-ups from your sites and encouraging others to do likewise. Scam companies will sell you on the idea that the New York Times, Good Morning America, and Newsweek can pick up on your story but the chances of that actually happening are very slim. I believe that with a bit of research and motivation, you could learn everything he's teaching on your own. Anyone have any information? I did some research & drove a hard bargain. Again, thank you for your attention. Hi Mary, we weren't familiar with them until now. However, the main problem is that they are (or at least used to be) quite aggressive in their marketing to attract authors (direct tweets and emails to random authors), and hyperbolic in their marketing language (as you point out above). I have now told them to back off and I will not go with them. If that's the kind of company you're referring to, then I agree with you, but they're not called "vanity publishers". What is your opinion of inkitt.com as a publishing option? After working through some initial problems, with her assistance they produced a book of high quality. Looks like they are a member of the IPG and partner member of ALLi, which vouches for them. He decided to go the ghostwriter route with an author working with a relatively new and unproven publisher They contracted with him to ghostwrite the book for 10,000.00 up front in full. Is Mulberry Books a reputable company? Now Book Avenue Pub has contacted me, seeming very interested in highlighting my book at upcoming international book fairs in order to "guarantee" an acquisition by a major publishing firm. A sidekick is nothing disrespectful and no one has a problem with me ,here .You had 12 months to decide to publish my work but came at the 11th hour requesting that I rewrite my entire book . How BBB Processes Complaints and Reviews. Editors and designers are essential to a books success and some companies and individuals will exploit this fact to take money out of your pocket. Yes. Please all stay away from this company! Vanity presses pretending to be traditional publishers, 2. I have a self-published book that's been up on Amazon for about 6 months. Building out the listing 1. - they don't solicit you in the first place They did everything they said they would and I did get some sales and ended up with a really well-done site. Has anyone heard of SOOP? After a little over a year, he was told it was ready. Also, it's important to note that we don't know of any company that can provide you with an effective "marketing package". They even claim that you can start earning up to $60 per hour which sounds very unrealistic. Plus, 99% of the time, folks that pioneer their book on amazon or Ingram themselves have a crappy product, front matter that is not industry standard, low res files, weird spacing, and janky metadata. Did you know that if you dont register the copyright of your book, literally anybody could claim it as their work and profit from it? If so, what was your experience? Obnoxious pop-up moved to inoffensive sidebar. So what is the difference with me just using google to research. Thank you in advance for your response. The size of the book was odd and the editing weak. A day or so later a Lady sent me an email. Most important to me was an independent study of the novels of native women in Canada and the United States--more particularly those written by Canadian aboriginal women--such as Beatrice Culleton Mosionier, author of In Search Of April Raintree. It looks like they do some level of editing. I didn't agreed to anything and had several red flags in our phone conversations. I lost a considerable amount of money and prior to severing my association with them realized just under $40.00 in royalties. There is a comment below about Author Academy, which I'd encourage you to read. Need to file a complaint? Whats your opinion of Trilogy Publishing. I suspect you'll find that a lot of them have few-to-no reviews. Learn to set yourself up for success as an indie author. Avoid Prodigy Gold books at any cost. I think this is VERY bad to pay an employer then ask their salary back. I can't see what they're charging, but I suspect they're not cheap. Thanks George. You have to sign a contract with them and you will have to pay whatever the contract ask for if you sign. well now I know why your still nothing. Thanks for weighing in Reedsy. My guess is that their services will involve little more than making you a book trailer, maybe setting up some Facebook ads and perhaps getting you a "guest blog" on some site you've never heard of. It's tough to know which company you're talking about, as there seem to be a lot of publishing companies with "Mulberry" in their name. I've seen a company, 48 hours books? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3545c85ed81996924e0e68383a9d488f86723352d6e727c4166f4174bdbb80b9.jpg. The weird thing is that I have researched Self Publishing School online and I haven't seen any bad reviews. This interest has him fully vested in Designing, Branding and Writing with proven results and a growing customer base. Or should amateur authors hire out sub-optimal designers on fiverr and hope they get something that looks professional? Do you know anything about Covenant Books? Yes, Does anyone have any info on Go To Publish, a marketing company out of London and Atlanta, Georgia, Gotopublish.com I have been approached re: their services for marketing of one of my books. The video and web page will genuinely do very little to sell copies of your book without those other piece in place (and are both something you could probably do in an afternoon, if you apply yourself). I am interested to see what you find out. Their website is well-presented and written, but when one of their 'editors' contacted me to express interest, her English was extremely dodgy. My intention is to have my LLC as the publisher All of ZipJob's resume writers are experienced in resume keyword optimization to ensure that every resume has the best chance of being scanned and accepted by automated screeners. I think I was a victim. Do you have a view on UNITED PC Publishing company, a subsidiary of NOVA? My book has been chosen as a finalist for book of the year. Mulberry Books is offering to lower the price of my book and give me 80% of the royalties. Are they reputable? I was also contacted by the Dream Books Distribution. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating. Are they scammers? it usually is." I am definitely interested in finding out about Mark Dawson. During #pitchmad at Twitter, I was contacted by Uproar Books, which is a fairly new hybrid publisher. I have not received anything and that is unacceptable . Their submission page seems to indicate that authors pay no fees if the book is selected for publication, which is a good sign. If they are a scam, then they aren't a particularly prolific one but I would still suggest you avoid them. They posted a fun-looking writing contest, but I don't know if they are legit. You have been informed by our publisher that you were free to publish your book when we initially decided to rescind our offer. Is Author Academy Elite, with Kary Oberbrunner, reputable? Upfront things when smooth but after publishing just fizzled out with little or no contact or royalties so now I am more careful about signing on with another company. I haven't been able to find anything that would indicate they are a scam. I don't work with anyone who tries to scam me or bash on my publisher in order to get me to work with them. HELP! With a bit of elbow grease and a willingness to learn about self-publishing, you could probably do a better job putting the book out yourself with the help of a few freelance editors and designers. <br>Gains fluency quickly in terms of new things. There are whole books written about it. Shady as hell. Miranda Duncan. I hope you get your money back and they cease preying on writers who are sincere about bringing the plight of mental illness to readers. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent is getting a brand-new Disney solo series courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment.. Dynamite Entertainment announced Disney Villains: Maleficent is launching in May 2023 from writer and artist Soo Lee.The new series is largely set prior to the events of the animated Sleeping Beauty film and depicts the character's ascension to villainy. Do you know who the cheif executive is? Amazon and ************** have made available the following page links for your book.https://www.amazon.com/Visitation-*****************************/dp/1639451366/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1660696073&sr=8-1 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-visitation-*****************************/1117049234 I hope this clarifies and answer your confusion. Also, I'm almost 100% certain that the 5% cut would be on top of anything the retailer takes, so you'd likely get less than if you were to distribute it on Amazon yourself. .. and ever since it hit 30+ reviews on Amazon, my phone has been ringing. with a "let us help you market you book better" sales pitch. Every author or speaker who needs to get their message out should use traditional publishing with random house who takes over your book rights and pays out a meager 8.25% of every sale? Starting an "award" is a common marketing tactic to attract authors. I went to their website and they seem legit. In short, if a publisher makes more money directly from an author than readers, they're definitely a vanity press. Some contests will publish winning entries in a magazine or an anthology which is great. I'm wondering about White Bird Publishing, which I believe is actually a hybrid publisher but claims to be a traditional one.