There are opportunities and then there are opportunities. If you are an author or plan to become one and you are seeking ways to promote and sell your book, you must read this revealing post.
There was high drama around the SPAWN booth at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. A short distance from us were a series of five or six Author Solutions booths. Author Solutions encompasses several pay-to-publish companies including AuthorHouse, iUniverse and Trafford. Well, while SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) offered members space in our two booths to sell their books all day for one or both days of the festival at a fee that would cover our cost ($200 per day), Author Solutions had something entirely different in mind for their authors.
Each author could sit in one of their booths for an hour during the festival and sign books to give away for FREE. And do you know what Author Solutions were charging for the privilege? $3,999.00. Yes, you read it right. Each author paid nearly four thousand dollars to give their books away for an hour.
Granted, the author gets 75 of his/her books to give away, promotional material and a few other perks—none of which justify, to me, this outrageous fee.
If this is an example of their offerings and their fees, please, please know that this is beyond ridiculous. I mean, where’s the benefit to the author? I can see the benefit to the company. At the end of the day, they could be raking in something like $100,000. And their authors? Well, some of their books are now in the hands of people who may or may not care enough about them to even read them.
You know that I believe in exposure. There are hundreds of ways to get great exposure for your book without spending your life savings. While I do not recommend that a single author with a single or a few books sign up for a booth at a major book festival such as the LATFB or the Tucson Festival of Books, this is still a better option than the one Author Solutions offers. This will only cost you around $1,000 and you’ll have two full days of exposure and the opportunity to sell your books for 15 hours.
Why do I try to steer authors away from having their own booths at these large events? An unknown author generally cannot sell enough books to break even, let alone make a profit. It can happen, but not typically. Most likely, you won’t even have enough interest to consider the exposure aspect worthwhile.
Instead, partner with other authors or an organization that attracts a lot of people, such as SPAWN, and you will have the opportunity for much greater exposure and sales.
Are you considering publishing with a pay-to-publish (self-publishing) company? Do you know how to do the research necessary to protect yourself from exorbitant fees and ridiculous, worthless programs? Again, here’s the drill:
• Study the publishing industry so you understand what it’s about, what it involves, what your options are and how to make the best choices on your behalf. My book, “Publish Your Book,” is an excellent start. Available at Amazon in print, Kindle and audio as well as most other online and downtown bookstores. Also subscribe to publishing newsletters and magazines and join publishing organizations.
• Do an Internet search to check the reputation, complaints, praise for any company you are considering. Use keyword (company name) and “warning” or “complaint.”
• Read Mark Levine’s book, “The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.” He rates and ranks several of these companies and explains the contracts. You can get the ebook version of this book when you join SPAWN. http://www.spawn.org
• http://www.pred-ed.com/pubwarn.htm This is a warning list for authors who are thinking about “self-publishing.”
Again, here are some additional warning sites:
http://www.todayswriting.com/poetry-scams.html (covers much more than just poetry.
http://www.writersweekly.com/whispers_and_warnings.php
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware
Don’t assume that just because a company is in business and they gush over your book that they are legitimate and really care about you and your book. Be pro-active on behalf of your book. Your success depends on it.
Excellent post, Patricia, and such true advice. There are legitimate options for authors to find varying levels of success and SPAWN offers so many great resources. I will gladly share your post with others and hopefully save many authors from the terrible practice of what I call the “black hole” of self-publishing. I regularly recommend your books and also Mark Levine’s.
Patricia,
Thanky you for posting this–it’s so important for indie authors to take time to do the research and do the math. Author solutions should be ashamed!
Mari