When choosing a book publisher it is perfectly acceptable to find a publishing company that uses a hybrid financial model to publish your book. So don’t feel pressured to spend years seeking a traditional publishing contract that may never pan out. However, you will need to exercise extreme caution when choosing a publisher. There are more scams or companies with poor service than there are legitimate publishing companies. Here are some common red flags to avoid when looking for a book publisher.
- Check the BBB / Better Business Bureau for complaints about the publisher. Look for common phrases in complaints such as, the company stopped communicating or complaints that the royalties are not transparent. If the company is not accredited, you can still file a complaint. If the reviews are largely negative and seem risky, follow your gut instinct and avoid the company.
2. If you cannot find a place to read reviews about the publisher online, do not publish a book with the company. The company is either too new and has an unknown or troubling record or they’re hiding something. Look for a company that has been in business for five or more years and has proven publishing experience. If a book publisher has been in business for five years and does not have reviews or book titles on its website, avoid the publisher.
3. Avoid publishers with fake glowing reviews. Fake reviews are obvious due to the lack of specifics and the overall generality of the review.
4. Avoid companies that use author kits instead of disclosing their fees and processes publicly. This indicates that they are not transparent about their pricing and that they are interested in making a sales pitch to the author before disclosing information about their practices. This also indicates that their focus is not on publishing books but exploiting the author for money.
5. Avoid companies that require monthly payments to publish a book.
6. Avoid companies that ask you to sign an NDA. This means they don’t want their misdeeds to become public.
7. Avoid publishing companies that use “KDP,” “Kindle,” or “Amazon,” in the company name. This means they are infringing on Amazon’s IP and trademark and cannot be trusted as they already violating the law. Amazon will eventually have the website taken down and may even close their KDP account, so you may lose contact with the publisher.
8. Publishers who publish books under their own “KDP account” are not a real book publishers. Avoid publishing companies that advertise “KDP Amazon.”
9. Avoid ghostwriting websites. Ghostwriting websites are not real publishers. Most ghostwriting publishers are outside of the United States and there is no legal recourse if they take advantage of you. Check the book titles listed on the ghostwriting website. They are usually fake books with fake book titles or the ghostwriting company is advertising a book it did not publish. Beware of ghostwriting publishers.
10. Beware of scammers who claim they can help you become a bestseller or companies that make promises they can’t keep. This includes claims that they can get your book on the NYT Bestsellers List.
If you are uncomfortable with the fees and pricing, just say no.