[Link] Red Flags for Indie Authors

by Raven Belasco

Many of us authors set out into the world of independent publishing full of frustration with traditional publishing’s very real limitations. We also have a belief in ourselves as artists, a desire to oversee our own fates, and a willingness to roll up our sleeves and do what it takes to “make it.”

At some point, many indie authors hit a period of panic. After pouring sweat, blood, and tears into our passion career, we see disastrously low sales numbers. This is the moment when indie authors learn that it’s not just about hard work: it’s also about luck and having deep pockets. There are indeed ways to boost yourself—but they are going to cost you.

That’s what unscrupulous companies are waiting for. These companies have one vital thing in common: they are trying to make money off your desperation. Authors who are panicking about keeping their businesses from failing are authors who will forget that “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” For authors who are having trouble spotting the red flags, here are scams to watch out for.

The first you probably already know, but this article would be remiss without mentioning it: the vanity press (also termed a subsidy press) offers publishing services for a fee—which can grow to thousands of dollars as services are tacked on.

For an author concerned about how much work independent publishing is, vanity presses seem like a possible solution: they do the work you don’t know how to do yet, and you just pay them for doing that work, right?

Not right at all. You’d be paying an outrageous fee for minimal (and often low-quality) effort on their part. For this dubious privilege, you assume all the risk while giving up the rights to your work. Their first communication may promise you literary glory and a deal for a Netflix series, but, after they have hooked you, the costs will just keep mounting and the results will not.

Read the full article: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/97625-red-flags-for-indie-authors.html