Publishing News Roundup Series: Scamming in the Publishing Industry
by Maureen Crisp • July 25, 2017 • Follow
Published in News • 2 comments
With anything Internet related there is always risk for scams. Even with publishing.
This particularly skyrockets with self-publishing. There isn’t much protection when publishing online. Between plagiarism, fake agents, and farm scanners, there’s a lot of scamming that can go on most of the time without even the authors notice. What can we do to prevent this and protect ourselves?
Heroes and Villains
David Gaughran deserves a medal- or at least a big payday. David has been pointing out scammers and highlighting the rip off artists that prey on writers for years along with Writer Beware. Lately he has been trying to make Amazon aware of the click farm scammers on their websites. This is becoming a real problem. The click farm scammers take away money from the legit writers in page reads. They also skew your research. (I have been watching the children’s bestsellers… and shaking my head over number 1 and now I know why!)
Anne R Allen has an interesting post on the rise of publishing cults and cyber bullying among authors. I hear you all muttering, how could they, but when you read Anne’s article you realise how small actions turn into large hate fests targeting hapless authors. This is a must read and share.
Bad Reviews- Do you take them to heart? Tamar Sloan recently shared her psychologist knowledge on Writer Unboxed about why readers leave a bad review. It’s not about your book.
China has a new craze… reading. But not print books. Their online serial story platform numbers are heading into the stratosphere. This is a market to watch and if you can… get involved!
Jane Friedman recently interviewed two creators who have their stories on Tapas. This is a new kid on the block online reading experience that pays the creators. If you are a web comic creator or a writer check out the interview and have a poke around the website. It’s fascinating.
Jane also has an interesting article on whether authors should be using social media. Many authors struggle with the extroverted nature of social media. Jane offers some sound advice and lots of links for further learning.
Porter Anderson takes a look at the new white paper, The Business Of Books 2017, for Frankfurt Book Fair business members. Porter looks at three important points in the paper, competition, blockbusters and digital pricing. This is an interesting look at the global impact on publishing from a few brands and a heads up on what publishers will have to come to grips with going forward.
Bookbub recently polled 14 authors on how they use preorders and whether establishing a preorder was effective. Rachel Thompson has also been looking at preorder marketing and how you can create buzz around your book before it is even out.
Written Word Media has an interesting post on pricing. What is the optimum price for your book in a promotion? It depends on what you want to acheive….
Agent Jennifer Laughran has started a podcast. This will be of interest to children’s writers as she is a top agent in the field of children’s publishing. She talks to Laurel Snyder about imposter syndrome in her first episode.
In The Craft Section,
Seven ways to bring characters together– Mythcreants- Bookmark!
Myths on Villains and Mental Health– Sacha Black- Bookmark
Adding suspense – Roz Morris- Bookmark
Develop Character Voices– Don Fox- Bookmark
Three reasons you don’t need a character arc– Janice Hardy
5 things I learned from Story Expert John Yorke– Bang2write
In The Marketing Section,
How to price match free on Amazon– Molly Greene – Bookmark
Bookfunnel bundles- Katherine Hayton– Bookmark
When reader targeting goes wrong – David Gaughran
10 things I did right in my debut– Litreactor
Tips for finding your audience on Goodreads- Carman Amato- Bookmark
Creating a Book Sell Sheet– K S Brooks- Bookmark
The marketing rule you can’t forget– Ryan Holiday – Bookmark
9 ways to get the best out of your cover designer– Damonza and Joanna Penn- Bookmark
To Finish,
Do you remember Choose Your Own Adventure books? Every time you got to an exciting crossroads you had to make a choice. Now think about writing one. Got a headache yet? Have a look at this hand drawn map from a CYOA book author. This is a fascinating insight into intricate plotting.
Maureen
@craicer
About Maureen Crisp
Maureen Crisp has been writing her weekly publishing roundups for over seven years. She is a traditionally published children's author as well as indie-published. She lives in New Zealand and is heading the team organising the 4th National Conference of Children's Writers and Illustrators. She is currently trying her hand at writing a children’s book series if she can drag herself away from forever tweaking her Mars novel or obsessing over space.