The Scams you need to be aware of as a writer.

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Everyone has a story to tell, or an experience to share. Most people would like to see their name in print as an Author.

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Earlier the process was difficult and you struggled for years to get your manuscript into a readable book.

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Technology changed all that and today almost anyone with an internet connection, some typing skills and a lot of patience can get a book out in the market.

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Earlier your publisher may not pay you your royalties in time or fudge sales figures or if it was a vanity publisher, charge you for all sorts of things and give you an inflated bill.

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Today’s scamsters are tech savvy. Everyday you see ads from people who claim to be the best in the business of publishing and they claim they only want to help you get your book into print and ensure you become a best selling author.

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Google, FB and most sites you go to track you on the internet. They see what interests you and soon you are seeing these ads promising to make you the next J.K Rowling. But beware.

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Many of these people claim to be writers themselves who want to do something for other writers so they have started this publishing firm.

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A common one is the writing challenge. During Covid you had the Covid writing challenge. Now you have the Monsoon challenge or Some other challenge.  You have to write 30 poems or essays or something in 30 days. And don’t worry if you cannot they will extend the time..

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The catch is you have to fill up an application or sign a contract and pay some amount upfront. This amount is normally about Rs.2999.

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If you respond to the ad and give your details they will chase you promising you editing, cover page, interiors and listing in Amazon and other sites. It sounds too good to be true. You make the payment and then you keep chasing them.

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If you are lucky after months or maybe a year  they will send you three cover  designs to choose from. And no you cannot change anything in the cover.

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Once you select the cover, another round of chasing from your side begins till you finally give up. A few lucky ones do get a cheap poorly printed book on a few sites but most have lost their money.

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I don’t know whether it is the same or different people but this scam is still going on under different names.

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And as for those who got their book published, they find it full of errors and the printing and layout is shoddy.

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The anthology scam. The ad says they are planning an anthology of poems or it could be essays or short stories. You send your entry and they will evaluate it and if found good, they will make it part of the book. No entry fee and like all these ads they promise you a certificate which you can display. Now it never made sense to me why a certificate? Honestly does any writer go around displaying certificates? And only one entry permitted per person.

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So then you respond by sending your work and hoping it is accepted. Not to worry, any stuff you send will get accepted immediately. And get printed.

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Where is the catch? It is a poetry anthology having 450 pages. It is poorly printed and very shabby. No one in their right mind would buy it. But if you want to see your name in the contents page and get that certificate you need to buy the book. No free copies for authors. And the cost of the book is high. Now wannabe authors, gullible, innocent, eager first timers buy the books. It has over 400 contributors…now do the maths. They keep making such anthologies and people keep falling prey to it.

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Then there is the award scam. You send in your entry and are eligible for prizes. Each entry also gets a certificate and an feedback on the writing. The catch, there is an entry fee for each entry you send. 

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Then you have vanity publishers who pose as regular publishers. Once you send in your details, they chase and harass you and offer you “packages” to make you a best selling author.

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Book fairs and festivals offer another opportunity for these people. They offer you display and shelf space at a premium price of course. They say the exposure will boost your sales and profile. Honestly? Book fairs are chaotic affairs with a large number of stalls and people rushing from one stall to another, one seminar, to workshop to another. How many will stop and look at the books of an unknown Author tucked away in the shelf display of some stall in some corner. But if you read the “copy” you will be tempted…it seems like such a simple and easy way to market your book. But trust me you will only lose money in this. Other than the charges you may need to pay for the copies that need to be printed and pay to have unsold copies sent to you.

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That brings us to displays at popular book stores, you can get your book displayed through some of these publishers at a store. The price is often high and don’t expect to recover from the sales as the book is dumped with others and no one is there trying to sell your book to readers. The cost you pay is the rent for the space alone. Don’t believe if anyone tells you otherwise.

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Then you have reviews, paid ones. Some publishers offer you reviews which they will post on Amazon or Goodreads. They will charge you for the review and the cost of the book. Now this is legitimate but to me a paid review is a scam on the readers.

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There are scamsters posing as literary agents too. If anyone asks for payment for reading your stuff or for submissions, beware. A good agent makes money when they sell your book to a publisher. If someone is asking you for money in advance, well then it is prima facie a scam.

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The world around is full of many many scams, you find them offering editing, layouts, covers, marketing and so many things. Contracts also need to be vetted to ensure there are no bad surprises later. The world, my friend is an evil place. Lol.

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If anything looks too good to be true to you, then the chances are it is not true, so be wary. Before shelling out your money, check things out properly. Author communities are good places to check. And if you know of a scam or have been the victim of one share it so that others can profit by your experience.

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Check Google reviews or independent reviews of the publishers or the people who are involved. If you find no review anywhere on the net, avoid that firm.

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And finally sometimes it is better to cut your losses and get out. Your time as a writer is valuable and there is no point in wasting energy, effort and time for such people. Most of the stuff is borderline legal or the effort is just not worth the recompense you will get. Prevention is always better than the cure.

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Happy writing. 😀

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