A Tale of Six Publishers – Part 3 finale

Part 1 of this series shared three critical issues to ask any publisher before signing with them:

1. Marketing – how would the publisher get word of my book out to potential readers?
2. Distribution – how would the publisher get my book into potential readers’ hands?
3. Career Development – what would the publisher do to help me become a better author?

This post deals with publisher #3 (whom you met in

• Copyrights – How I got screwed out of $30k because my publisher didn’t fulfill their contract obligations
• “I have an incredible opportunity to share”
• Caveat Emptor – Have I Got a Deal for You!
• And most recently in part 1 of publisher #3’s chicanery, in which I added
  

  Make sure the publisher doesn’t bullshit you. If they lie, exaggerate, or obfuscate, get out! You and your book deserve better!

  to the list. Part 3.1 covered:

  1. It started with one of their authors not quite stating all the facts.
  2. I was told they use human editors and found out they use machine editing.
  3. They called the cover I developed with an award winning graphic artist was “weak and cheezy” and then used it.

  and A Tale of Six Publishers – Part 3.2 which covered:

  4. They repeatedly refused to back up their claims with hard numbers (ie, proof of their claims)
  5. They lied about knowing if a marketing site was worth it (and their lie cost me money. never do that)
  6. They lied about other authors wanting me to stop sending them emails re cooperative marketing (because my co-operative efforts meant authors were spending their marketing dollars on my suggestions rather than the publisher’s schemes)

Here’s the finale of publisher #3’s bad practices.

7. Turned out several authors had issues with Publisher #3.
Remember the cooperative marketing effort I mentioned in Part 3.2? Turned out several authors desperately wanted alternative marketing methods to the the publisher’s offers because the latter universally sucked and, as one fed-up author wrote me, “You can’t do any worse than the ‘Rose.”

I asked various authors about their experiences. Caveat here: Some were thrilled, others were happy, and a few satisfied. I followed up with the Caveaters to learn if they were making money.

Few responses.

But one author got contacts, shaved, and had his hair styled.

Back to the unhappy throngs. These unhappy folks were neither few nor a little unhappy. There were lots and they were riotously unhappy. Most had plans to leave the publisher and many were in the process of buying the rights back to their books.

Not a good advertisement for the publisher, me thinks.

8. Would you like to buy our share of an awards company?
This one, I admit, put me through the roof.

The publisher sent me an email asking if I’d be interested in buying their share of an awards company…

…which they heavily promoted to their authors…

…which they claimed they had no interest in.

SAY WHAT???

The publisher regularly told his authors to go after an award which had 75$US application fee.

Curious, I investigated. Lots of the publisher’s authors applied, not lots got awards at any level. But keep at it, suggested the publisher, and you’re bound to hit.

Strangely, I couldn’t find many of the books which were winning awards. Where were they being sold?

At one point I asked the publisher if they thought my book had a good chance.

“Yes, definitely.”

Excellent, then you apply for the award on my behalf and you can keep the winnings when they come in.

No response.

Surprise!

The kicker was asking if the publisher had any financial interest in the awards company.

Nope, they were completely independent.

Then how come you’re offering me your share in it?

Oops! and (surprise!) no response.

9. The publisher dropped my book without any warning at the beginning of the holiday buying season.
I don’t mind being dropped. I mind being dropped without warning. I mind being dropped because I ask questions. I minded being dropped for speaking truth to power.

But what I really minded in this case was having a massive in-person push planned and arranged. Now I had no books to offer.

I received the email after the deed was done.

Talk about burning your bridges before they hatch!

10. And if #9 above weren’t enough, the publisher then encouraged me to purchase more and more greatly discounted copies of my books (they were returns!) to use in my book-signing events.
You really have to be impressed by the stones some people have.

Or how stupid they believe their authors are.

I accepted their offer twice. Each time the publisher offered me discounted copies of my own books I received bookstore returns and rarely in good enough condition to sell at any event.

When I refused their offers (especially the last after they dropped my book) they wrote how disappointed they were that I didn’t take them up on the amazing deal they were offering me.

Oh, the shame! Oh, the guilt! If only I was a child to be chastened by a loving but disappointed parent…

And have I mentioned the incredible opportunity they had to share or the great deal they routinely offered?

In the end, I realized publisher #3 was a marketing company disguised as a publishing company. Their real goal is to sell their authors advertising and marketing making claims they can’t back up. Keep buying their marketing, they’ll keep your book in their inventory.

Next week, Publisher #4 being decidedly unHeroic.

Previous Entries in this Series