Sounds like a vanity press to me. Do you know anything about them? They cold-called me numerous times about marketing my book SAVING ME, and want $2500 up front. Developed an HR department from . I was asked to submit 2 chapters of ms to an acquisitions agent. Covenant Books we've mentioned a few times here (be careful) but Shadow Mountain looks pretty legit. writers branding complaints. Hello, If you're going to spend $5k, hire a really good editor, a really good proofreader, a top cover designer, and publish the book yourself. The size of the book was odd and the editing weak. If you want to confirm your suspicions, just look up the books they've published on Amazon or any online retailer. Classic virtue signaling. Looks like a scam to me. Writers' Branding, Cookstown, New Jersey. Responsible for building, developing and coaching marketing team across India and USA. What kind of companies are Author House and Christian Faith Publishing? My radar was on high alert. I have lodged a complaint with the BBB of central Indiana and attempted to dispute some of the charges via VISA. I am glad that you emailed me back. The video and web page will genuinely do very little to sell copies of your book without those other piece in place (and are both something you could probably do in an afternoon, if you apply yourself). Launch your book successfully with our tried-and-true strategies. If they contact you directly, they're almost certainly a vanity press. Aelurus is my publisher. He is in the midst of going back and forth with them about the money. They look like they submit short films to festivals. If it is truly legit. From that I'd say they're definitely legit, but as always make sure that you reach contracts very carefully (if you get to that stage) and consult with an experienced IP lawyer. When I declined their "partnership" services and contract, I was offered a "half now, half later" payment option, all the while facing a time-crunch decision window in order to make their deadline for my book to appear be in their next magazine issue. Secondly, your agent should never ask you to pay for anything. I am definitely interested in finding out about Mark Dawson. They have approached me about marketing my book but I am feeling uneasy. Christian Faith Publishing. I had my book published a year ago by Crossbow. Now get lots of calls to republish, etc. I've tried Writer Beware and Alliance of Independent Authors, but neither had any information on him. - they don't ask you to buy copies of your own manuscript at launch (watch for a clause like that in the contract) I know these people working for Folio Avenue. We remove all the hassles that delay the project and direct your manuscript at the hand of highly experienced team.". That's actually why they're called "vanity publishers" in the first place :) Is Writers Republic reputable/legitimate? She is demanding payment for her time, though she was the one dragging her feet. Unfortunately, there are plenty of unreliable companies out there looking to make a quick buck by exploiting those dreams. They're more of a "self publishing services provider" than a publisher, meaning they help you do everything you need to get your book into the market, but make no guarantees of sales (nor do they keep any of your royalties or claim any rights to your book). sandiw947@gmail.com. Past Client. station Tbn looking for Christian Authors. I'm a new author and so far have attempted to have my books published via the traditional route, submitting my work to various agents, only to receive one form letter rejection after another. "His voice does not limit how far his talent can reach, be that in country, pop, rock, alternative. Mulberry Books is offering to lower the price of my book and give me 80% of the royalties. New vanity presses seem to set up shop each month and with no bad press associated with their names, theyre able to convince many authors to pay for their services. Firstly, literary agents wont ever contact you directly unless youre already a wildly successful author (and even then, most reputable agents would avoid poaching you from your current representation). Plus, 99% of the time, folks that pioneer their book on amazon or Ingram themselves have a crappy product, front matter that is not industry standard, low res files, weird spacing, and janky metadata. No one likes mean, inconsiderate people. That is NOT a review. If you search for any of their books on Amazon, I doubt you'll find many (if any) that have reviews or sales. Hi Mary, we weren't familiar with them until now. Thanks, To find out more about how Reedsy chooses its professionals, read more about our selection criteria here. I can't see what they're charging, but I suspect they're not cheap. What's your opinion on WebNovel? BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes. A curious soul. It is available on line at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Walmart - Hard Cover, soft and all digital formats. Some bigger publishers won't consider any writer who doesn't go through an agent. I have received my book back though thank God but still out the 500 dollars!!! If you do it yourself, it might cost the same or a little more but you'll know who's working on the book. There is ample material everywhere (including on this blog) about every step of the way. I'm not a pro when it comes to stuff like this. Also what about Xlibris? On top of all of this, they asked for unconscionable amount to partner with me. If you're writing fiction, the straightest line is always through an agent: https://blog.reedsy.com/find-literary-agents/ Is this a safe choice to invest my first book in? Do you have any information on AAXEL Author Services or ebookpbook ? However, they don't specify what those costs are which means that it can be any number that they decide. What dangers do authors face from scammers and shady 'publishing companies'? . We offer you the position of Communications & Branding Intern. Some of them don't accept unsolicitied materials, some of them do. Now, thats entirely false, but youd be surprised how many people believe it. *** Johny, I recently was a victim of author house's rip-off. I was contacted by email. This is pure speculation, but it could be that all they do is spend 30 minutes redesigning your cover, another 30 minutes uploading it to Kindle and then collect 50% of your money for the next few years. We've had a few people in the comments here ask about Gold Touch. Are they reputable? It turns out it's all 'coaching' and I do all the work. Is this legit or a scam? Editors and designers are essential to a books success and some companies and individuals will exploit this fact to take money out of your pocket. One was Gold Touch press and recently Lettra press. Vanity presses pretending to be traditional publishers, 2. I have a 2 month old published "young readers" novel. Anyone know these people? Thanks for weighing in Reedsy. - a lot of their "marketing" services, though not crazy expensive, seem quite useless. They seek out the mentally ill/unstable on social medias with false promises of helping people get their stories out there and published for the world to see. Anyone reading this who would like copies of any of this please feel free to contact me. I looked them up BBB and google complaints and havent seen anything negative and a a little positive. Yesterday I got a call from FolioAvenue, a small company offering a literary agent who will work to have my book accepted by a larger more influential publisher than my current Balboa. Has that been rated? Do you have any info on Folio Avenue Publishing Services LLC 2031 Union St. #6 San Fransisco CA 94123 ? For example, if youre planning a wedding, you could do it yourself and buy silverwear from this company, buy plates from that wholesaler, order food from that restaurant, and freelance some waiters to help you out and pull together all the moving parts OR you could hire a wedding planning/catering agency that does it all and alleviates the headache. You assured me of a refund . I just saw a list of scammers and they were on it. I too have been solicited from Dreambooks Distributing. I did a reverse search on the phone number and it's legit as is the website. Has anyone had experience with Author Publishing house or Empire Publishing? I pulled out of my contract with them as they werent transparent about incurring costs. If you're in the world of business, maybe your brand is pristine suits, important meetings, and networking with the right people. And not only do they make you pay for that, but many also then take royalties on the sales afterwards, and rope you into year-long publishing contracts in which some go as far as grabbing your subsidiary rights as well. Excellent information. I also googled her company and I did not find it. Over 3,000 vetted editors, designers, and marketers are available for hire. For your information , I have never seen the partially completed book or received a refund . We are a full-service self-publishing company that provides aspiring authors exclusive access to publicity and a pool of book evaluators and. Thanks Reedy for this information. Well Jacqueline you dont have to shout at me, because your nothing. Writers who ask too many questions, or balk at spending yet more money, may simply be ghosted. Yes. IMO BookBaby is reputable. [ Ultra-Strong Adhesive ] Peel-and-stick extra-large labels with strong self-adhesive backing. it's not a publishing company but they offer marketing for your book.. Is Rushmore legit. To be honest, most online retailers for indie authors will supply their own identification codes these days. Contacted Covenant Books to have my book reviewed free as they claimed. Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent is getting a brand-new Disney solo series courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment.. Dynamite Entertainment announced Disney Villains: Maleficent is launching in May 2023 from writer and artist Soo Lee.The new series is largely set prior to the events of the animated Sleeping Beauty film and depicts the character's ascension to villainy. If you do need someone to help you market your book, make sure they offer services that have a direct impact on your ability to reach your target reader (things like digital advertising and mailing list growth). It's not a scam, but it certainly is an *expensive* course If you want to go the course route, I'd rather recommend Mark Dawson's "Self-Publishing 101" course (it only opens once a year, but you can get on the waitlist). Miranda Duncan. Do their cover designs look like they were made by professionals? Who is Powerhouse Press Book? He said that tomorrow will be late. What is the best way to reach and get accepted by a traditional publisher? After viewing the results, we are happy to announce that the pilot was a resounding success! Anyhow she said my submissions will be reviewed and she would get in touch with me in about a week. Thankfully I bolted before handing over funds. I've been contacted by Pen It! If they are a scam, then they aren't a particularly prolific one but I would still suggest you avoid them. I think itll mean reverting to my original MS, which is fine, but what if I added something on my own during that process? Are you willing to give this guy $5,000? Also, thanks for saving me from spending more than needed. Encourage others to kill their pop-ups too. They're a very well known vanity press and not one we'd suggest you pursue. After the book was published they kept calling me to spend more money on advertising at book fairs which I know is a total scam. Below, in alphabetical order, is a list of the literary agencies (not all of them currently active*) about which Writer Beware has received the largest number of complaints over the years, or which, based on documentation we've collected, we consider to pose the most significant hazard for writers. Corporate Trainer. Thank you for saving me my money & my sanity! I got cold-called/emailed by them offering a hybrid publishing deal. Theres no fee for publishing and they dont require me to buy any books. I got a call from Authors Press last night. I hope you get your money back and they cease preying on writers who are sincere about bringing the plight of mental illness to readers. Or you can search for professionals on Reedsy. I am all over the web. reasonable costs for self-publishing services, read more about our selection criteria here. Their sales ranking, # of reviews, and cover art quality will give you a pretty good idea of their standing. Customer reviews and photos may be available to help you make the right purchase decision! Thanks. However, with editors and book coaches, whose work is invisible to the reader (if theyve done their job right), you have to do some research before signing a contract with them. BBB has no opinion of them yet. Self-Publishing vs. I had an excellent experience with CreateSpace, Amazons publishing service. Whats your opinion of Rushmore Press? Please tell what you know about Covenant Books. A Writer's Badass Guide to Branding, Blogging and Social Media is packed full of practical material for novice bloggers from developing your brand and logo down to the minutia of establishing the site, promoting your content and growing your readership. As I indicated in a prior message here, they tried to gaslight me and implicate me as 'problematic' and uninformed about the world of publishing. The CEO is incompetent, as is the rest of her appointed staff. For more control over what you subscribe to, head on over to our subscription page. I believe this may be a scam artist. Thank you! Hi, do you have any experience with Advantage Books? They took all of my profit from my book and I made next to nothing while they walked away with the lion's share. Customer Reviews | I was seeking a full-service agency to represent me. Is Parchment Global Publishing legit? Someone read Thunder in Her Heart and wanted to display it, blah blah. I too was immediately suspicious of the numerous butcherings of English sentence structure within their email, especially for a company that supposedly has reputable marketing inroads within the publishing industry? The book came out great but it was made only in paperback and I couldn't set my own price and I don't have 100% royalty. Storyline is good..but it's just hard to read and follow. Throughout the course . And then outreached by writers republic shortly after. Am I being scammed? If you're going to spend $800 on anything, invest them in a proper marketing course, or on a reputable freelance marketing professional: https://reedsy.com/marketing/book-marketer. Does anyone have any informations before I move forward. Writing contests and awards no one has heard of. Some of them have open reading period just for a limited period of time when some others are available to read your poetry for all year-round. We know Inkitt pretty well. Anyone ever heard of The Mulberry BooksPublishing House? What you think about Newman Spring Publishingthey do everything $3400 over a 10 month payment planif they choose your book for publishing How would you rate Page Publishing and Novum Publishing ?? Any information on Eliezer Tristan Publishing? I am looking for critical information on Goldtouch Press. Never received a cent in loyalties even though I knew people who bought the book. 1,095 likes. I have been contacted by many so called promoters but do not follow up with them. Their pitch of "we can get you on the NY Times top 100 bestseller list" sounds a bit too good to be true. Do you know anything about this company? She did a fine job following up when needed. Distributed by Ingram, published by Covenant Books. I have received an "invitation" from EC Publishing to represent the book at the Frankfort Book Fair in Oct. Cons Rude staff Makes promsies to customers writers can't keep. Please RUN from this company!! Anyone had experience with this Company? Most important to me was an independent study of the novels of native women in Canada and the United States--more particularly those written by Canadian aboriginal women--such as Beatrice Culleton Mosionier, author of In Search Of April Raintree. Balboa Press is Hay House's vanity imprint. This doesn't sound like a legitimate operation to me. AuthorHouse is extremely unethicalstay far far away. I feel if your book get accepted by a publisher, the company should pay you or get paid by royalties. Does anybody know anything about them? So annoying. I am an author myself and will not help anyone who scams authors. Should I be afraid that they may try to publish, sell, or otherwise abuse my manuscript? The thing is, book fairs are not for authors. Writing contests and awards no one has heard of Writing contests are a great way to reach an audience, solidify your writing credentials, and even make a little money in the form of prizes. As always, approach with caution. Finalist Winner Finalist WELCOME TO WRITERS' BRANDING! 100% free, always. Business Profile Writers Branding LLC Publishers Book Multi Location Business Find locations Contact Information Pemberton, NJ 08068 Visit Website Email this Business (800) 608-6550 Customer. If you decide to go with them, make sure everything including services to be rendered and respective fees are in the contract. I am trying to research them and cannot find any reviews. It will be bookmarked and studied. Writers branding as a company have a great team of experts who have been helpful in creating a new and improved version of my book to catch the attention of the buyers and also making the book . My advice is to steer clear.". Thanks. I'm writing a biography for a local family and community leader. Have a great day. Did they offer 10% of the sale price or profits? Just got an email from them. The books they profile on their site actually have Amazon reviews, which is better than what most vanity/hybrid presses have. However, to suggest that most vanity publishers arent adding value to clients is nonsense. If they claim to be publishers, they may be benefitting from having a similar name to Pearson, which is a major publishing group. Some people have seizures when something on a screen jiggles. New Wave Security Solutions. And what about Shadow Mountain. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating. My first thought was, house of literary what? Jun 2022 - Present10 months. I don't know why but I don't like their sales team. The website is here: Their website is well-presented and written, but when one of their 'editors' contacted me to express interest, her English was extremely dodgy. These days, it isnt enough to simply learn the names of unreliable publishers. Head of HR, oversee 4 leaders and up to 50 teammates across 20 locations. Thanks. Their goal is to make money. approved for publishing." NO one has asked for money or made any kind of sales pitch. Everyone takes pride in their work and always strives to deliver the highest level of excellency. I left them my email. Have you heard anything about Authors4Authors Publishing? Dear *****************,Unfortunately, you did not notify us, which would have rectified this issue quickly. Marketing packages that sound essential, 5. So, I am asking for your help. What is your review of self publishing school? So thank you, YOP, for giving it a good shot! It was really hard to read. New Reader is a scam. He didn't mention any costs that might be involved as well as nothing says about it on their website. My first MG novel just came out on Tuesday through them. Need to find a different location? I enjoyed all the info. After working through some initial problems, with her assistance they produced a book of high quality. I'm entertaining the idea of having my work published through Plowshares Media which operates out of La Jolla, CA., and am interested in any information you might have on their credibility. Take this free 10-day course to understand your choices. However, the main problem is that they are (or at least used to be) quite aggressive in their marketing to attract authors (direct tweets and emails to random authors), and hyperbolic in their marketing language (as you point out above). I signed a contract, still no work has been done and I cannot republish as he owns the rights. 2 reviews. That said, I'd be grateful if you could forward that email to us: service[at]reedsy[dot]com so we can take a look. Thank you. It's that attitude that we decided to part ways with you. Every year, the publishing world flock to a handful of book fairs where the rights to publish new titles are snapped up.