Publish It ... Author Beware

As authors we get excited when someone tells us they like our work, more so if they say they're a publisher. But you should always take these kinds of contacts with a grain of salt. If it sounds to good to be true then it likely is.

Most publishing houses receive scores of manuscripts a day. So many so that they often don't have the time to read more than the first page or two of each one. If it doesn't grab them, they move on. The point is, they don't cold contact authors. They don't need to.

Many 'publishers' that cold contact authors are from less than reputable companies located in countries where contract law is sketchy at best. They don't spell out how authors are paid and won't directly answer when asked about it. The biggest offenders are the slew of serialized story reading apps that have popped up over the last few years. These types of 'publishers' (I use the term publishers very lightly) are nothing more than story mills. They don't care one bit about how well written your work is or even if it makes sense. Editing means zero to them, they will publish anything and everything. They deal in volume and nothing more. They often require authors to pump out a ridiculous amount of words a month (or a week) and your book often has to be an exorbitated amount of chapters (think a five hundred, a thousand or more). Most are located in places like Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. These sites take advantage of new authors and younger authors. They will often solicit authors on sites like Wattpad, targeting underaged authors who don't know any better and will jump at the chance to be published.

They're looking for those who don't understand the publishing world and they will take advantage of their ignorance.

When they contact authors the big draw is their promise that you'll make lots of money, but when asked exactly how they pay authors they dance nimbly around the question.

Often their contracts will grant them power of attorney over your work, and all of the rights to the work, including all future books in the series or spin-offs that include those characters. Some will also have you sign over your moral rights (the right to have your work published under your name and exactly as you've written it), and they will include huge penalties for breach of contract. These contracts are often written in dense legalese that's difficult to understand.

Whenever you're offered a contract, whether through one of these serialized apps, a vanity press publisher, or even one of the more well known publishing houses, always read the contract thoroughly and if you're able to then have a lawyer look it over. If you don't understand anything in the contract, ask questions! If they won't give you a clear answer, then it's likely they're up to some shady business.

It may be very tempting to publish through one of these places but you don't want to lose your rights to something you've put so much work into.

If you're leery about an offer then it's probably worth it to obey that feeling. Look into the company, do internet searches, speak to other authors and see if they have heard of the place. Your biggest defense is to ask questions. If they won't give you a clear answer then walk away.

A good resource for authors is the Writer Beware Blog Check them out, you can find a lot of good information there.