For some reason, publishing attracts a plethora of scammers, ranging from reasonable quality books produced at ridiculously high prices, to no books at all produced, funds and scammer vanishing into the ether. This Guardian article details AI-generated staff members, deliberate misrepresentation, services that never eventuated, zombie office spaces, the same business popping up under multiple names and much more. If you have suspicions about a publisher, do some research before committing any funds. And report any shady businesses to the National Anti-Scam Centre— you might be helping someone else fall victim to these unscrupulous charlatans.
Author Solutions Scams
Author Solutions is a vanity press publisher with a very bad reputation. David Gaughran recently detailed the way their scam works. Author Solutions is behind imprints such iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Trafford, Partridge, Balboa, Westbow and Xlibris. All make unfulfillable promises and charge unconscionable amounts for dubious / pointless services. Self Publishing dot com also goes into even more detail. Author Solutions even games search results so authors who search for “author solutions scams” are directed to more Author Solutions scam pages! Dudley Court Press details some recent lawsuits against Author Solutions.
Independent Publishing Tips and Very Useful Resources
An interesting view from 30,000 feet of the challlenges confronting and opportunities available to independent authors, as posted at The Verge. They have spoken to a few successful authors and author advocates and provide several useful links. One of the best is here with a real trove of resources and advice, especially regarding predatory vanity publisher outfits.
“You are accountable for the success of the publishing process. By taking on the kind of freedom and flexibility of self-publishing, you’re also taking on the accountability.”