Authors Beware of Faulty Promises of Success
By Jerry D. Simmons | January 27th, 2010 | 2 Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I dislike the need to write these warning blogs but the Independent publishing market demands it. It is my intent to inform everyone about new products or services aimed at the Independent writer or author that just don’t work. I’ve recently discovered three such services.
The first has to do with international distribution. One of the so-called “experts” wants you to believe that you can sell thousands of books by using their distributors who just happen to be overseas. Don’t fall for it! The international market for books is very small, compared to the US market. Plus you have multiple issues to deal with one of the most important being copyright. Never, ever send your manuscript or book to an overseas distributor and never agree to anything via email solicitation!
The second deals with specialty sales, often described as non-bookstore sales. You should never pay an upfront fee for this kind of service. Instead you demand to pay only on success. If the so-called sales force is successful and your book is actually ordered in quantities of tens of thousands, then I’m sure you would be willing to pay a reasonable fee. This entire premise is a way to generate revenue up front with no promise or guarantee. In fact, the author may never know who was actually contacted and presented their book. This is a bad deal for the Independent author and you should avoid at all costs.
The third deals with the growth of the eBook and how to profit. Suddenly there are seminars, webinars and a variety of secret formulas for success. Most claim to have sold thousands of eBooks within a 24-hour period and will share their proven secret with everyone for only a few hundred dollars. PLEASE do not fall for this or any of these scams designed to separate you from your money. There is no secret, no special formula, it’s a marketing ploy. If there was such a thing as a secret to book publishing success don’t you think someone would have come up with it by now?
Tags: Book Distribution, Book Marketing, Book Sales, Booksellers
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