“All the people in the room agree to set the price of their book at 99 cents. Everyone then buys the other people’s books. You go into it knowing you’ll spend roughly $100 buying books, but in return your book will become a bestseller in it’s category.”
My friend was explaining how this one company guarantees their authors will become Amazon Bestsellers.
I said, “So, essentially you’re selling your book to 100 people who will never read your book so you can post on Facebook that your book was a Bestseller?”
She laughed … and nodded.
“What good does that do?”
I already knew authors were gaming Amazon to say they were an Amazon Bestseller. I didn’t realize what a big business it had become. That got me thinking about other things self-publishing authors should watch out for.
Self-publishing a book is daunting! We’ve talked about hiring an editor, deciding between print and digital, designing a great book cover and some of the important things you need to do once your book is on Amazon. There are so many things to consider. The research can be never ending.
Smart authors realize that they are experts in their niche, not publishing pros.
The problem is that there are a lot of practices in the publishing industry that are questionable. I’m stretching to call them self-publishing scams, but they are things you should be aware of. There are some contracts that limit your rights. Some offers look like good ones on the surface but really limit your choices in the future.
Today, I’ve got five things to watch out for as a self-publishing author.
Key things to ask to avoid the self-publishing scams covered in the video include:
- Who owns the rights to the book materials?
- How are any promises or guarantees of best seller or award winning actually fulfilled?
- Who gets the royalties from the sale of the books?
- Do you need your own ISBN?
- How can you purchase copies of your book?
There are some great options in the market to help you write, publish and even sell your book (hint … Book Launchers does this!). And, it’s smart to get help so your book can be something you’re proud to hand to anyone. It’s just important to make sure you work with the right company.
Now … what can you do to prevent the most common self-publishing scams?
Watch this second part to the video to uncover how you can prevent and protect yourself from the most common scams in the publishing industry:
And, of course, if you want support to write, publish and sell a book that you completely control and own, we’d love to help you. Visit our membership options, or fill out this form to set up a time to chat with me about your book idea.