If you don’t work with an agent and you receive unexpected interest in your books, here are guidelines that may keep you from signing a contract that doesn’t further your career:
- Make no hurried promises over the phone or email. Take the time you need to assess the offer and interest. Legitimate book publishing normally moves slowly, so anyone demanding immediate decisions should be regarded with suspicion. Books take time to write, so an author must not feel compelled to make a career decision during a quick conversation.
- Search the Internet to see if this person is who they say they are. Look everywhere. If you are only able to find people with that name or a close match working in a different field but not publishing, run away.
- Search the Internet to find the publisher. Again, look everywhere. No website or any way to find them? Run away.
- If you find a publisher’s website, read every word. An expensive website doesn’t mean the publisher is right for you. Don’t let emotions about being connected to a glitzy business carry you into a poor decision.
- Who is the publisher? Most publishers who offer edits and guidance for a fee are legitimate businesses. Numerous authors who work with these publishers buy many books they sell directly to their readers. While this model is perfect for some authors, it is not a traditional deal where the publisher incurs the bulk of the production expense and takes most of the marketing load.
- Still unsure? Ask around. Ask your author friends if they know this person and business. No one knows everyone but your author friends do, or they can find someone who does.
- Check your emotions. Scammers trade in emotion. They want authors to feel wanted and loved enough to part with their money. One method is to promise authors much more money than they dreamed they could earn through writing. The more money you’re being offered, the more you need to seek professional publishing advice. Everyone wants to think they’ve just been discovered and are finally being paid what they’re worth. While this could be true, a professional will ensure an impartial assessment and evaluation of your offer.
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.
Take it with a grain of salt,
that unexpected invitation.
Pull emotion to a halt,
peruse the situation.
Do I know just whence it cane,
and though it seems it’s just for me,
is it likely that my name
was plucked from some digital tree
as a likely point of focus
for a clever scam?
Is this all some hocus-pocus,
not based on who I am,
or ways in which by God I’m gifted,
but rather on cash to be lifted?
Great checklist to identify scammers. Thank you.
Next information for writers with no book contract experience…What are the options when a legitimate contract is offered, but the author has no agent representation?
When you have a contract in hand, that is a great time to approach an agent.
Is the website editors and predators still a good resource to find out if a publisher, editor, or anything else writer related is legitimate?
Their website is currently down because they are moving online and have taken on new staff. I don’t visit them often since I’m well-versed in the industry. However, they have always had a great reputation and I have no reason to think that has changed.
I was going to suggest them, too, Nora!
Thank you Tamela. Good information to have.
Great post, Tamela. You didn’t miss anything, but I thought of something just because I’ve been doing it this week: if you have thoroughly and tough-mindedly done the comparative analysis, market study, and “who is my target reader” portions of your book proposal, and researched the publishers of your comps, a scammer’s appeal may ring false at first blush. You know better! You’ve already done an evaluation. If you have honestly decided and understood where your book is aimed, where it ought to be positioned, and what the competition is, a scammer’s emotional appeals will roll off your back like water off a duck. Well, MAY roll off your back.
What your post has done for me today is give me an unexpected early reward for the hard work. Thanks!
Thanks for the advice, Tamela.
I receive many emails from agents saying they want to submit my book, yet I’m always required to pay a small fee. These can’t be genuine. What do you think?
Blessings.
Thanks for asking, since no doubt others have the same question. Please never pay any agent in exchange for them submitting your work. If an agent approaches you, research them and their company before responding to their email. If they seem to be running a scam, don’t reply. Just block them.
To vet agents, you can use the same checklist above for publishers and apply it to agents.
Stay safe out there!