Regardless of whether or not you publish your book with us, you need to read this email because it could save you THOUSANDS of dollars, hours of time, and countless sleepless nights.

 

My heart was pounding and my body was shaking because I was so angry from a phone call earlier that morning.

 

This was less than a week ago.

 

“Mike, I think I’ve been scammed,” the SINGLE MOTHER confessed to me. “If I had the money, I would have published my book with you, but I chose a cheaper company.”

 

I knew exactly where this conversation was going to go.

 

“I signed a contract with Elm Hill Press” – yes, that’s their name – “they’re a division of HarperCollins. But after I sent them my manuscript, they started demanding change after change. Then they stopped responding to my emails. Finally, I decided to cancel my contract. There’s a provision in my agreement that allows me to do that.

 

“Now they won’t answer my emails and their phone number is disconnected.”

 

“How much did you give them?” I asked.

 

“Sixteen hundred dollars.”

 

“Was that the entire amount of the contract?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I’m not sure what this author is going to do. But I WILL say this: Shame on HarperCollins for scamming authors out of millions of dollars. Elm Hill Press isn’t the only publishing company fronted by the publishing monolith. I’ll name names in a moment.

 

Here's The Dirty Little Secret

There’s a dirty little secret in the publishing world that I hate to admit: the self-publishing industry is plagued with scams. (Note: we’re a hybrid publishing company which, in some ways, lands under the self-publishing umbrella)

 

The publishing industry isn’t—and shouldn’t be—regulated, which means anyone can hang up a shingle and claim they’re a publishing company.

 

Even if they have no experience.

 

Behind many of these self-publishing scams lies an operation called Author Solutions (if you click on this link, don't be tricked by their slick messaging). Traditional and self-publishing companies create a storefront and then farm out all the work to them.

 

Author Solutions typically outsources most of their publishing services overseas so they can publish your book on the cheap. Then, to close the sale, they offer lower prices that their competitors can’t touch. Like Illumify.

 

A few years ago, I looked at a manuscript that was copyedited through an Author Solutions-related publisher. I could tell by the review markings that the manuscript was copyedited in the Philippines by a person who obviously barely spoke English.

 

Now, I’m not against outsourcing certain services overseas. One of our typesetters lives in India, but her English is impeccable, her work is superb, and she aligns with Illumify’s values.

 

What bothers me is that Author Solutions' product is very low quality, and then they top it off by being dishonest. That’s a double whammy!

 

If and when you start shopping for a publishing company, know that you’re going to get what you pay for. If you’re looking for the best deal, you can find a steal. Literally!

 

But why would you put all that work into a manuscript and then opt for a cheap release that doesn’t reflect your blood, sweat, and tears?

 

Stranger Danger

Here are some warning signs as you begin shopping around for a publisher:

• Really, really cheap pricing
• High pressure sales tactics
• “Special” ever-changing offers with urgent deadlines
• Knocking ridiculous amounts of money off the sale price in order to get you to sign
• Insistence on having the full payment upfront
• Talking to a different person every time you call

When you’re ready to pull the trigger on a publisher, here are some important questions to ask:

 

Do you have any kind of relationship with Author Solutions? If so, hang up the phone immediately.

 

Who will be printing my book? If they’re printing it overseas, the chances are very high that the quality will be very low. You can feel it in your hands. The book is flimsy and the book cover curls up. They’re just embarrassing.

 

How do I purchase copies of my book? Some outfits charge low up-front costs and then make you pay almost retail price for every copy. Our authors pay the cost of printing.

 

What is the average royalty of your authors’ books? Traditional publishers like Penguin or Thomas Nelson pay $1 to $1.50 per book. Our authors typically get about $3.50 per book for online and bookstore sales.

 

How are royalties paid? Our authors receive 100% of their royalties paid directly into their bank account

 

Is anyone going to look at my manuscript or back cover copy before you publish it? Without a professional helping you, it’s just not going to look good. EVERYONE, including bestselling authors, need a team of pros to release a high-quality book.

 

You need a professional copyeditor to fix the grammar mistakes, flag problem areas, and conform it to the Chicago Manual of Style (the style manual used for your favorite books). Make sure English is the person's first language.

 

You need a typesetter who will design the interior files.

 

And, you need a professional book cover designer--not a friend who was an art major in college.

 

Who will be shepherding my book through the process and what is their experience in publishing? You DON’T want a different person guiding you through the process every time you call or email. Why would you entrust your manuscript to a person who doesn’t know you, doesn’t know much about publishing, and just wants to move you down the production line?

 

Karen Bouchard has compiled an excellent list of questions which you can download by clicking here.

 

Plenty of good publishing companies exist out there, so I’m not saying we’re the only one. And I don’t normally trash any competitors, but I’m so fed up with the crooks in our industry that I’m going to name a few of the offenders.

 

Beware of These Publishers!

Here are some of the “publishing companies” that are fronts for AuthorSolutions:

Elm Hill Press (a division of HarperCollins)

Westbow (you read that right--Westbow is the “Christian” self-publishing imprint of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan)

AuthorHouse

iUniverse

Xlbris (please, please stay away from them!)

Get Published!

LitFire (click here to read a report on their deceptive practices)

 

One of our authors was promised an ad for his book in Reader’s Digest by his former publisher, Xlibris. A retired newspaper reporter, he decided to call the magazine. They said they had no relationship with Xlibris. The author then called Xlibris for a refund and then signed with us. Incidentally, in this case, they charged $4,000 more for the same services we offered.

 

Just so you know, Author Solutions isn't the only publishing scam out there.

 

A few years ago, I spoke with an elderly woman on a fixed income who went into bankruptcy because the scam publishing company charged $25,000 on her credit card for a publishing package and then went bankrupt.

 

“Ma’am,” I told her, “I don’t even want to talk about publishing your book right now. Let’s wait until you get out of bankruptcy before we even consider any publishing options. It’s probably best, moving forward, IF you publish anything through us, that you pay cash. But in no way would I want to make this a stress on your finances.”

 

If the scam publisher takes your money and then “decides” to close their doors and move on, you’ll likely lose your files forever and be forced to start all over again to publish your book with a respectable outfit.

 

Please understand—I’m not trying to be negative nor am I trying to trash our competitors.

 

I’m just trying to prevent you from suffering the same experience of too many people I know.

 

As they say, "To be forewarned is to be forearmed."

 

Be careful out there.

 

Mike Klassen

President

Illumify Media

To schedule time with me click here.

 

Also:

Larry Yoder, Acquisitions Editor

Karen Bouchard, Acquisitions Editor