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Writer-Beware

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Reading another warning by Writer Beware  regarding certain publishing contracts by deceptive businesses, I was reminded to blog once more about the dangers of “being published”.
These days not only the classic vanity publishing companies are taking advantage of authors who want to have their book in stores, but also (in the past) respected legacy publishing houses try to get on the bandwagon and persuade independent writers to get “published” with them.
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The expression “publisher” should be legally protected and it should be forbidden by law to call themselves publishers if a company is just trying to deceive writers!  Read more about vanity publishers and un-ethical publishing contracts in: Vanity Publishing aka Subsidy Publishers

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Lots of Predators Out There…
Authors are surprised when so-called publishers want money up front. Publishers are supposed to pay authors, aren’t they?  There is nothing wrong in this.  The trouble comes if the author, having signed a hefty check, is led to expect that his book will be treated in the same way as all the other books coming onto the market.  To pay for publication is no guarantee that a single copy will appear on the shelves of even the local bookshop.  Authors feel they have been conned, persuaded to part with money for services not rendered.

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Century-old Scams…
If you think writers and publishers today are dodgy, get a load of the crooks and scoundrels of 18th-century London Publishing scams that seem to be nothing new.  Read this Salon.com article about the worst publisher of all time. 
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Author BEWARE!
Despite the evidence, there are still writers who fall into the trap of vanity publishing – often with open eyes. That is why as soon as one vanity publisher goes out of business, another soon fills the gap. Here are a few tips on what to look out for. Read it in a former blog post – and BEWARE!
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CON is Part of the Word “CONtract”.
Here is an excerpt from a contract where the vanity firm extends the right to the universe – in case people make home on Mars or the moon: “The author hereby grants the publisher, during the full term of copyright, the sole and exclusive right to manufacture, print, publish and sell and to otherwise use, as set out further in this agreement, including, but not limited to, acting as agent and/or exercising any or all subsidiary rights, throughout the universe.” (a company in Renfrew, Ontario, Canada)
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Author and e-Book Builder Deena Rae Wrote in one of her Blogs:
“The world of publishing has always been filled with scammers, and top of the list are vanity publishers. To those who have been in the world of publishing a vanity press used to be a bad thing, but with Penguin, Random House, Simon & Schuster, and even Harlequin are bringing a sheen of “respectability” to vanity publishing…

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More about this topic:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/06/a-contract-from-alibi/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/08/15/easy-to-lose-money-a-lot/
http://emilysuess.wordpress.com/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/author-beware-its-a-long-post/
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/how-to-choose-an-ebook-publisher-or-diy/
http://accrispin.blogspot.ca/2014/02/publishamerica-is-now-america-star-books.html

 

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