I was able to find the previous inquiries into this company once you called them to my attention and will find another route. The Filipinos I dealt with are based in Florida and I also was told this from day one. Do I remove bits I wrote during this process? They also made predatory rights grabssometimes tying up an author's copyright for a nearly a decade. 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. do you have any information about Author University LLC? Hi, do you have any experience with Advantage Books? I am not enough published with them. Based on my experience, the money, if any, is in the screen play. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate experience. Patrick McDonald Arts Editor 3 min read February 21, 2023 - 5:26PM just out of curiosity . Stay miles away from this company. . I'm in a vicious battle with them myself right now. Ive been notified by Pubkits.com. The truth is that you, the author, will always need to take an active role in marketing your own book. Leanne, it's unfortunate that you had a bad experience with our company. There is an "authorhouse" which is totally dif. They do a trailer and press release & radio interview the effectiveness of which I am yet to experience. They said they pay her to place the books plus she gets part of the royalties. Responsible for building, developing and coaching marketing team across India and USA. The Chat GPT (ChatGPT, GPT3, GPT4) AI tool is a cutting-edge natural language processing tool that allows users to generate human-like text in real-time. AuthorHouse is extremely unethicalstay far far away. Be very careful with them. If you require any further information, feel free to contact us at ***************. They seem to meet most of the IBPA's criteria for hybrid publishers: https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/hybridpublisher Thanks for this additional info. I was lulled in by AuthorHouse and fell victim to their scams. They don't need my permission to do that. HELP! I DID go with Balboa and it was a horrific mistake. I just got an offer to publish my book from Black Rose Writing. 1. Just got an email from them. writers branding complaints. I'd advise you to run away. I wonder if this is a traditional publisher. Are you suspicious of a certain company? Approach with caution! Getting it on the shelves is up to you. They had told me that ALL publishing houses require authors to purchase copies of their own books. A look at their 'recent books' section will pretty much tell you what you need to know. They promote to the mentally ill, I'm sure as easy prey. Excellent information. Plus from my understanding of the entertainment business, producers aren't commonly trawling a database looking for spec scripts. Apparently, he asked if he could break it into two equal payments, but they told him his manuscript would not be worked on until all the money was received. I can't find anything about them either, which is generally a bad sign (a reputable publisher, even small, would have a website). But I still find the blur very annoying. What do you know about Pearson Media Group? Over 3,000 vetted editors, designers, and marketers are available for hire. Simply by virtue of them owning that IP. Build a communication bridge between your brand and your customers to achieve a successful outcome. - they offer an advance, Does anyone have any experience with Entrada Publishing. Marketing strategy, budget design and execution backed by research and data led insights. See if there are any reviews and check out the quality of the covers they design that tends to be a dead giveaway. Is Go To Publish.com reputable? In fact, when acquiring your book, they will pay you an advance. I finally settled on Writers Clique. They said investors are paying for my interview with AL Cole and I have to pay for the air time. I wouldn't be able to recommend similar publishers to you as we don't keep a list on Reedsy, however I'd suggest you take a look at Poets & Writers and Authors Publish as resources. If it is truly legit. It was expensive and a huge mistake. Some massively prolific vanity presses you may wish to avoid include: Some scammers even masquerade under the name of Big Five imprints. Have you heard anything positive or negative about Westwood Book Publishers in LA? They also direct you to participate in book shows for a fee. Are the books priced competitively Here's what Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware has to say about them: "it is ridiculously overpriced ($5,500 for an array of junk marketing services, such as an email marketing campaign), and provides none of the information you'd expect from a reputable PR service--such as staff biographies or examples of successful promotional campaigns--to enable you to judge its competence and success. They have approached me regarding the republishing of my current book. And they don't need money from me to do that. Thank you so much for this information, it's so helpful! New Reader Media (owner of New Reader Magazine) contacted me today wanting to place books in my moms bookstore. Ah, I might have been mistaken there. You can even get it in England and Australia, but when you walk into a brick and mortar bookstore, you have to ask them to order it for you. Thank you! Since September 21st, The Visitation has been released under Writers' Branding. After a little over a year, he was told it was ready. I was searching on a list of publishers accepting submissions, and found The New Press. Yes, they have done everything they said they would do, except put my book in bookstores. There is Self Publishing companies that are Author Funded and then there is "vanity presses" those two things are entirely different. Thank you! . I think I got duped by a vanity press. Below, in alphabetical order, is a list of the literary agencies (not all of them currently active*) about which Writer Beware has received the largest number of complaints over the years, or which, based on documentation we've collected, we consider to pose the most significant hazard for writers. approved for publishing." I was called today by Amanda Gray of Gold Touch Press. If it is a reputable company, no problem. Well I spent 6 months learning everything from scratch. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles. My dads thinking of publishing with covenant, one more thing! The author has talked up a book he wrote on his site. Hay House seems to offer some writers resources, but they include some online courses that are seriously overpriced. Writer's Relief has an overall rating of 2.1 out of 5, based on over 23 reviews left anonymously by employees. Different people react to pop-ups and jiggling in different ways. I'm taking the case to the attorney general. Authors own the copyright to their works before and after they publish them. Thank you for that. They sent me a contract to review, marketing promises etc., but to be honest the royalty structure seems absolutely predatory, 10%, and agreements to buy 100 copies, etc, upfront costs. Thank you for the warnings re: NRM! To find out more about how Reedsy chooses its professionals, read more about our selection criteria here. Noah Rue 223 Followers More from Medium Eve Arnold in The Startup 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. What about halo publishing International? During #pitchmad at Twitter, I was contacted by Uproar Books, which is a fairly new hybrid publisher. I would be very cautious of any company that contacts you unsolicited there are plenty of bad-faith presses out there who are looking to snatch up author's old books and hold on to them. Curious to hear any feedback- thanks much. The result was a beautifully printed and formatted book, complete with illustrations and innovative layouts. High-profile authors like Margaret Atwood and Ian McEwan have been targeted, along with Their staff is quite knowledgable, and I do so appreciate the updates. Theres never been any evidence of successful pitches, but these services will surely cost you a pretty penny. I got a call from Authors Press last night. I have not signed with them yet because I found some clauses with their contract which require changes. Shady publishing companies that offer to sell you ISBNs above the market price (and other types of publishing scammers). The thing is, book fairs are not for authors. He is in the midst of going back and forth with them about the money. I do not know where to go with this since it seems there are so many scams. Very interested in working with Author Academy Elite and would appreciate insights/opinions/comments. eliezer tristan publishing is a scam. My first effort was with Westbow Press. Lets dig into some of the miraculous marketing solutions that authors are often sold: Press Releases. They are located in Richmond, Virginia. 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. Screenplay adaptations/coverage. Writers Branding LLC New Books The Little Bear and The Peach (0 reviews) 1st July 2022 The Carrotastic Ninja Bunnies (0 reviews) 13th June 2022 The Zookeeper (0 reviews) 9th December 2021 The Zookeeper (0 reviews) 9th December 2021 The Carrotastic Ninja Bunnies (0 reviews) 16th November 2021 The Runaway Avocado and Waterm. Thank you for any advice! What is your opinion of Book Baby's services? sandiw947@gmail.com. You're right to be skeptical. In short, if a publisher makes more money directly from an author than readers, they're definitely a vanity press. I am sceptical because I've received so many of these calls. I enjoyed all the info. This is my first time working towards publishing a children's book. I appreciate your time and help. Many of those companies will outsource the work to low-priced freelancers or get their interns to do it. I personally tend to think that they can be a really good option for authors and the digital marketing they do on behalf of their authors is pretty on point. Also what about Xlibris? Check out the section in this post about hybrids for some tips on what to look out for. My book has been chosen as a finalist for book of the year. I haven't found them on one of the links you provided, but will keep digging for more info. I was also co reacted by EC Publishing, LLC I. Reading all of these comments and responses has been informative -- very helpful! - they don't solicit you in the first place I am wondering about White Bird Publishing--it seems to be a hybrid publisher but not claiming to be. That said, it all depends what their publishing process is like (do they involve professional editors to review your book, pay a cover designer, etc. All this for a charge of $800 plus my travel expenses. Did they offer 10% of the sale price or profits? Author House is a renowned scam, yes, but Johnny above was referencing a different company, Author's House, which both chose its name pretty poorly and also seems like another scam (focused on reviews). Also, thanks for saving me from spending more than needed. Do NOT have any dealings with Capstone media Services. I have Book avenue publishing helping with material for book, do you know of them and Nivra press their mother company. From that I'd say they're definitely legit, but as always make sure that you reach contracts very carefully (if you get to that stage) and consult with an experienced IP lawyer. You should have rejected if straight away . Is this a real site or exactly what? Not only do I not appreciate his attitude or his blatant disrespect for anyones time, but I will be certain to report this to the better business bureau and the national do not call list with the government. Stay away from them. Of course! Others will even get an anonymous screenwriter to adapt it into a Netflix pilot. Anyone know anything about this company ? I have two manuscripts that I want to get published. That said, I'd be grateful if you could forward that email to us: service[at]reedsy[dot]com so we can take a look. Why? We since pulled the book because our single contact (who seems to be the only person there) was starting to comb my voice out and replace it with hers. Classic virtue signaling. So nine out of ten times, if a publisher asks you to pay to be published, it is a vanity press. What is your opinion on Trilogy/TBN. thanks, Hi. Do you pay a little more sometimes for the convenience of your file preparation being consolidated to one place? 25% of employees would recommend working at Writer's Relief to a friend and 16% have a positive outlook for the business. I would use them again. Have you received anymore info from dreambooks distributing? Thank you, The small presses listed on Poets & Writers should generally be legit though I always recommend doing a double check by googling them and making sure they don't appear on Writer Beware's "Thumbs Down Publishers List" or on David Gaughran's blog. We are a full-service self-publishing company that provides aspiring authors exclusive access to publicity and a pool of book evaluators and. Has anyone heard of Parchment Global Publishing-they want me to pay to have a radio interview with Al Cole of CBS Radio? 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. It may sound great that they'll do "everything for you", but in reality what that means is that you lose editorial control over your book: they decide who'll do the editing, they'll do the cover, and they decide all the metadata when distributing the book. Was so disappointed the review was nothing more than "it's been Minnie Elkins. Just had a quick look at their site, and it doesn't look great. I thought they were reputable but now I'm not very sure:(. dreambooks distributing contacted me directly , they want $3000.00 to promote my book which was published by archway, do you know this company, are they legit? Debalina is a quick, continuous & lifelong learner. Launch your book successfully with our tried-and-true strategies. If anyone has had experience using this publisher, Hello! Thanks. Then they ask the receiver to click on a link that supposedly will "provide us PayPal information to receive royalty payments." With only a quick look, they seem like a company that's to be avoided. This is the site that offers the Writer web app, an app designed to help writers find the best words, stick to a specific message, and correct any grammatical errors - or make grammatical choices that are the best options for their brand and tone. Good luck to you! Dear *****************,Unfortunately, you did not notify us, which would have rectified this issue quickly. I looked them up BBB and google complaints and havent seen anything negative and a a little positive. I pulled out of my contract with them as they werent transparent about incurring costs. I am responsible for paying the air time It seems fishy to me. As I tried to trace her down, the websites and youtube sites for bookthoughtspublishing were abandoned and then taken down. My thanks for any direction you may offer. Thank you. Another kind of scam you might be dealing with is an agent scam. What they're doing here is getting you to pay them $5,000 in cash, plus purchase 2,500 copies at "cost" which will likely be marked up, regardless of what they're saying. They look like they submit short films to festivals. Great insight! [ Fade Resistant & Reliable ] The thermal labels are made of upgrade material that prints crystal clear images and easy-to-read barcodes. Does anyone have any experience with Covenant Books? The Apricot Outlook of Katherine Koon Hung Wong. It LOOKS good, but how am I to know? I've checked their website and it seems to pass the initial smell test. Scams in Action. I have reviewed their website and looks good. They're a very well known vanity press and not one we'd suggest you pursue. Have you heard anything about Aelurus Publishing? They are industry events where booksellers, publishers, agents and libraries negotiate on rights and distribution. See if they have reviews and whether they seem legit as well. Capcom has announced a brand new showcase event where it will share updates on new games. She promised to keep me apprised of the markeing status and provide proof of my book listing in these events, but then she never followed up. So, I am asking for your help. Capcom is one of the biggest gaming publishers, not just on the Japanese side, but in all of gaming. In general, they break a few of our golden rules: 1) they contacted YOU, which is never a good sign; 2) they have no testimonials from other authors of proof of their track record; 3) their prestigious address in Midtown Manhattan is a virtual office. So annoying. They mention on their website (which looks pretty poor) that their co-operative publishing deal involves them covering 75% of the cost, while the author pays for the remainder. I am trying to research them and cannot find any reviews. If you do it yourself, it might cost the same or a little more but you'll know who's working on the book. We've heard a lot of very bad things about Capstone Media Services. I'm a new author and so far have attempted to have my books published via the traditional route, submitting my work to various agents, only to receive one form letter rejection after another. 1. What do you know about Rushmore Press? Can you tell me anything about Adelaide Books? I would personally avoid them. I believe that with a bit of research and motivation, you could learn everything he's teaching on your own. I didn't agreed to anything and had several red flags in our phone conversations. Would only print 100-150 books (hard cover), with the option of ordering more, if needed. Do the right thing . ALLI does not seem to like them. If they want me to send them a case, I will want money up frontso thanks for sharing this. My advice is to steer clear.". And "The Author agrees to place a non-refundable deposit, which represents the "plus $2.00 per unit" equal to $5,000 upon the execution of this agreement". Just curious as to what their standing is, in the self-publishing community. novels/screenplays/TV series/marketing. approved for publishing." They created it in partnership with Author Solutions, who are some of the most egregious players in vanity publishing. How do I know if theyre legit? Obnoxious pop-up moved to inoffensive sidebar. Do you know anything about Aladdin publishing? Drives change & transformation. 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. They also charged him $15 to put it on Amazon. When he complained, they didn't want to give him his money back. What about dorrance publishing and page publishing? I know someone who just recently had a book published in with them. But the run-ons misspelled wordsit was basically every page. 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. Do you know anything about Covenant Books? Thank you for shouting at me. what is your view about "Author's Ink" . To find contests that have been vetted, you can look through this directory of the best writing competitions. By the looks of it, they would seem to be a vanity press. Am I being scammed? I stated that he had several ways to verify me. Writers.work claims that you can sign up and start earning right away. Everything you read above about scammers is true with this group. What are your thoughts on Mill City Press? I am trying to find out if Self Publishing School would be a good fit for me? Hi. Avoid Prodigy Gold books at any cost. Not a scam. Thanks in advance. Is it a vanity publisher, or traditional? Does anyone have any insight on 13th and Joan? Wallen's third album, "One Thing At A Time," is being released Friday. Your Representative, ****** ******, called me to prospect business. 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). There, I started my LLC, Windy Peach Comedy, teaching humor writing, producing live comedy shows, and supporting other creatives with my production and project management skills. "If it sounds too good to be true . In the next post, well take a deeper dive into vanity presses, since they can be quite tricky to spot. What can you tell me about Outskirts Press. Price at time of publish: $65 for vegan leather. To be fair, they pulled one on my agent too. They replied within a week and were interested, so I'm immediately skeptical. We made every attempt to make it accessible to over ****** online book retailers worldwide. I think this is VERY bad to pay an employer then ask their salary back. Whenever a company has a big new story to push, they will put out a press release and publish it on sites on which the media can pick it up. They do do good job for their authors, and if you know nothing about book marketing they could be the right option for you. Hi wanted to know what you think of new book authors. Here's a good litmus test look up the books they've published on Amazon. It's designed to unify, save time, and make certain content tasks much easier. Thank you. When you look inside the books, does it looks well-formatted? One was Gold Touch press and recently Lettra press. Thanks. Head of HR, oversee 4 leaders and up to 50 teammates across 20 locations. The catch here is that the author will be expected to pay for the cost of the physical prize. 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. I believe this may be a scam artist. Please let me know if you've heard of these type of interviews and their formalities. New vanity presses seem to set up shop each month and with no bad press associated with their names, theyre able to convince many authors to pay for their services. If they could also consider working with the ready InDesign file, that would be a plus. Cons Rude staff Makes promsies to customers writers can't keep. How's Covenant Books That's actually why they're called "vanity publishers" in the first place :) He has not, so far. Put in the time and run a bunch of their books through Amazon. I am now trying to get my money back and hopefully not too late. Do their cover designs look like they were made by professionals? Your information has been helpful in me moving forward. Smoke was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by Amazon. Encourage others to kill their pop-ups too. I'm glad I investigated first. Her five published novels, Spin, Arranged, Forgotten, Hidden, and Smoke are all international bestsellers and have been translated into numerous languages. They're located in Brooklyn and they distribute books in different countries. I should have said, though I was disappointed in the infographic (you failed to list indie publishing in the comparison and omitted some valuable information re tradpubs), overall I found the article useful enough to reference on my own blog. I read somewhere it is valued at $5,000, which seems totally excessive. You can read more about the cons of Inkitt's marketing here: https://accrispin.blogspot.com/2016/04/spam-spam-spam-spam-inkitt-and-grand.html Samantha, I sent my resume to only two potential employers. Any info on them would be helpful as well. Actually you dont have any goal for your book. Hi there and thankyou for the advice. Taking too long? Writer Beware is a registered service mark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Join a community of over 1 millionauthors. I also check their LLC with the state of New York & found out such entity does not exist. Any place that asks you for $5,000 to publish your book is going to be a scam. They're a "boutique" house (everything outside the Big Five is, really) and I enjoyed a lot of support and personal attention from the EIC and the Publisher. 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. I was called by July Summers at Author's Press who want to market my self published book & send me to 2 book fairs where my book will be displayed , & I will have author interviews etc. can be in the millions of dollars, enhancing the value of the tradpub company by that much. well now I know why your still nothing. You have a really good article here, but I feel you bleed these two kinds of companies together. To put it in mild terms, I would warn any author to stay away from any Author Solutions operated company. You have been informed by our publisher that you were free to publish your book when we initially decided to rescind our offer. Shady as hell. I was contacted by a Renley Rudolph with Parchment Global. .. 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. Any advice? Writers branding as a company have a great team of experts who have been helpful in creating a new and improved version of my book to catch the attention of the buyers and also making the book . One can purchase as many or fewer services as needed. Launch your book successfully with our tried-and-true strategies. They tend to cater to 'hands-off' self-publishing authors, so you may find that there are more affordable options you can find with a quick Google search (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Reedsy). I kept reiterating it wasnt about there necessarily being shared costs, but rather that they were never upfront with me about sharing costs and none of that was delineated in the contract. If you're in college maybe your brand is sweatpants and too much coffee, late-night Instagram stories, and weekend adventures. What is one to do? This is something every writer needs. Does anyone have any informations before I move forward. Reviews research 2. Secondly, your agent should never ask you to pay for anything. Try to get editing done before submission. Whats your opinion of Trilogy Publishing. They say they can send my story on to the Hollywood Data Base to possibly become a screenplay. On the other hand, you'll still have to ensure that your manuscript is properly edited before you send it to the printers. One last thing: when a company like that says they'll do your marketing, it tends to mean very little. Just got accepted to Page Publishing? Has anyone heard of SOOP? I sent my information for them to send information on finding publishers. He signed an Author Ownership release to get the manuscript. Sincerely, I'm lucky, I guessI have astigmatism, so when something on a site jiggles I just see a blur, like the blur of a computer or TV screen shown live on another computer or TV screen. So what am I to receive for my 800USD. Not sure of it is legit. They seek out the mentally ill/unstable on social medias with false promises of helping people get their stories out there and published for the world to see. I was also contacted by the Dream Books Distribution. Have you heard anything about FriesenPress, Trilogy Publishing or Authorhouse? Company Contacts LYN GOOT Agent 451 Cornell Ave Pemberton, NJ 08068 ADDITIONAL LINKS Post Question For This Company Contact Us Regarding Your Company Profile Law firm MinterEllison pulls branding from Writers' Week over anti-Jewish authors Top national law firm MinterEllison has removed the firm's branding from the Adelaide Festival Writers' Week despite being a major sponsor. No editing was done..at all. As always, approach with caution. but cannot find a thing on the internet. They have the whiff of a lot of Author Solutions clones that have recently started to pop up. So YOP was totally upfront and no one there promised to make me rich or hard sold me anything. 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. 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?