This quick post warns potential writers/authors about publishing scams and obstacles. Not all publishing services are created equal, and not all “big names” act with integrity. Self-publishing doesn’t mean it won’t cost you any money, and it doesn’t mean you have to do it all yourself.

NOTE: Self-publishing does not mean you will not have to pay for services. If you need a professional edit, you will be paying for it. If you need a cover, you will hire someone to assist. If you need a professional interior design, the service provider will not work for free. So, if you have to pay for some services to see your HIGH-QUALITY book print, it doesn’t mean you have been scammed. But please, proceed with caution. Know what you are getting and not getting with your service provider and why it matters that you purchase what they are selling.

I have had several people reach out to me to help “fix” what other companies have done with their work, to attempt to retrieve their files, and sadly, to tell them that the thousands of dollars they sent the company will not likely be returned.

Here are some tips!

1. Talk to people YOU KNOW who have successfully written and published books. Ask them what their experience was like working with specific providers. Reviews are not always legitimate. Word of mouth from a friend or someone you trust is likely more solid. Also, if you have been watching others write and launch books, you have seen them go through the process. A client recently shared that she is $ 3,000 in the red and has nothing to show for it. “But they have lots of great reviews!” “They are a big name” It’s heartbreaking. And, it is a crime!
   
2. “They are a big name.” Watch yourself there. Penguin Publishers is NOT THE SAME as Penquin-Publishers. STOKE Publishing is not the same as STOKES Publishing. KDP Book Services is NOT associated with Amazon. Scammers often take a legit name and steal it, slightly modify it, misspell it, and create a convincing sales page and a BUY NOW button. You BUY thinking you have made a solid purchase; they ride off into the night with your money and pop up again under a new name. Your money is gonezo! Your heart is broken. They are GOOD at it. Watch your step!! NO IMPULSE BUYING!
   
3. Ask your fellow writer friends if their service provider/publisher asked them what the goal of their book was so that they could position it correctly in the marketplace. I can tell you without hesitation that a book designed to help someone uplevel their speaking game or build their business will be different than a book of poems written by someone who uses a pen name and never wants anyone to know who they are. Every book project is different! What you want your book to do for you WILL INFORM what company can meet your needs, how your book will be set up and who has access to your dashboards. Also, is your money going THROUGH a company before it hits your bank account, or is it going directly into your bank account? Is the company taking a cut of your royalties?
   
4. Maintain control over your publishing dashboard. IT MATTERS! If you can’t get into your dashboard to update your files, change your pricing, or cater to your book’s selling objectives, your hands may be tied when it comes to marketing your book in creative, profitable, and magical ways. When you realize this, and the company wants $99 per file to release the documents to you so you can get on with marketing your book, you may have just entered the final “money grab” phase. Further, the ISBN likely doesn’t belong to you, so you may have restrictions on where the book can be printed or hosted. (You may be starting over. You may not even OWN your work anymore.) When I work with clients likely to publish more than one book, I help them position themselves as “author in the business.” This is your intellectual property, PROTECT IT.
   
5. Are you buying a “Done For You” book package, and is the money due upfront in full? See the hills over there? RUN … and hang on to your money. Also, you likely do not need everything in the package, and you can get some of the things they list as perks for free. So investigate what is in the Done For You Package and determine what is fluff that you can get for free but is being used to push thepricetag up. (For example, if someone is trying to SELL you Worldwide Distribution – RUN! It’s free! If you live in Canada and someone is selling you an ISBN, RUN! That’s free too! (Sorry, my USA Friends, yours are not free, but you should buy your own from the safest place to buy them so you own them!)
   
   In closing, ask hard questions. You can save yourself time, energy and money! But also, remember that you cannot publish a PROFESSIONAL QUALITY book without some investment unless you possess all the skills you need to do so. And, you likely don’t. The first time through the process a book coach can save you heaps of time, frustration and money! My book coach saved my sanity! Expect to pay for services like editing, interior design, book cover design, consulting/book coaching (to learn what to do and why without banging your head against the wall) and marketing assistance. Expect to pay for services that take other people’s time and know-how to do it for you; no one wants to work for free. That’s not a scam, it’s their career!
   
   Just be wary, my friends, and I can’t wait to see your book in print!