5 Self-Publishing Scams to Avoid

3. Ineffective marketing

Most author services companies (which print your book on demand when one is ordered) and self-publishers offer all-inclusive packages that bundle printing and binding with editing, proofreading, sales, distribution, publicity and shipping. It’s easy to assume that the more services you buy, the more success you’ll have. Unfortunately, the “professional marketing materials” you receive may just be boilerplate press releases that journalists will ignore or a brief listing in a catalog that book buyers trash. In fact, marketing and publicity charges are one of the main ways these businesses make money. Odds are you can market the book yourself just as well — or even better. Contact local media outlets (such as community newspapers) along with libraries, book clubs and local bookstores. Or hire a willing college student majoring in public relations to knock out a few press releases for you.

4. Convoluted contracts

Self-publishing contracts are filled with enough gobbledygook to make your head spin. Terms like “author profit,” “royalty” and “net payment” can be interpreted in many ways. Before you sign anything, ask questions and have an attorney take a look. How will you get paid? How often? How much? And when? Will you be paid based on the book’s cover price? Are returns (unsold books) taken into account? Get answers in writing and added to your contract to avoid disputes later on.

5. Copyright tricks

Here’s another game some publishers like to play: They tell you how difficult and expensive it is to obtain an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and/or a copyright, then offer to “help you” with those piddly details. But an ISBN, which identifies a title for tracking and sales, actually is easy to obtain. You can purchase your own for $125 from the U.S. ISBN Agency at Bowker. And in the United States, an author automatically owns the copyright to his or her work. Never sign yours away. Protect your copyright by registering your work online with the Library of Congress for $35.