I can't tell you the number of scams involved that prey on a self-published author's dreams of seeing their work on display at the prestigious trade shows. There are too many to count.
And the fact is they have been in operation in plain sight of the publishing industry, for the longest time.
The people running the major book fairs obviously have no problem taking money from companies whose business practice involves deceiving authors with false or overtly grandiose promises that, for just this price tag, their work will be on display for agents, movie producers, etc, in a respected way.
Vanity Publishing, indeed.
David Gaughran, an author and long-time advocate for other authors, and always on the lookout for shading practices, recently shared researched details about these practices and these companies in a post entitled: The Combined Book Exhibit and Author Scams.
Again, I commend David for advocating for authors, and remind those who are considering forking over their hard-earned money to self-publishing services to please do some research, check sites such as Writer Beware®, do some simple Google searches on the company name to see what authors are saying about their experiences being duped, misled, and gouged.
I am posting about this, and re-sharing his detailed blog post, in order to help ensure that writers are made aware.
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| Writer Beware® Logo |
And the fact is they have been in operation in plain sight of the publishing industry, for the longest time.
The people running the major book fairs obviously have no problem taking money from companies whose business practice involves deceiving authors with false or overtly grandiose promises that, for just this price tag, their work will be on display for agents, movie producers, etc, in a respected way.
Vanity Publishing, indeed.
David Gaughran, an author and long-time advocate for other authors, and always on the lookout for shading practices, recently shared researched details about these practices and these companies in a post entitled: The Combined Book Exhibit and Author Scams.
"This is a considerable fee when you consider what the author gets in return, especially if you have seen these tired, unloved bookcases at industry events. The idea that an agent or editor or movie producer would peruse these shelves, let alone actually acquire something from them, is risible......Needless to say, this is quite a lot of money for some rather questionable return"
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| An image from David's original post - read the full post |
"There are all sorts of scammers and weasels in publishing. And partnering with known and trusted entities is how they dupe authors in such huge numbers, particularly inexperienced authors, very young authors, or those of more advanced years – who make up the overwhelming majority of victims."
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| Header image from David's original post - read the full post |
"Keep in mind that the Combined Book Exhibit isn’t an unknown entity operating at the margins of the publishing industry, it is right at the heart of the traditional end of the business, with long-standing partnerships with the most prestigious industry events and deep links with the likes of Publishers Weekly and some writing organizations too (who should know better)"
Again, I commend David for advocating for authors, and remind those who are considering forking over their hard-earned money to self-publishing services to please do some research, check sites such as Writer Beware®, do some simple Google searches on the company name to see what authors are saying about their experiences being duped, misled, and gouged.
I am posting about this, and re-sharing his detailed blog post, in order to help ensure that writers are made aware.
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