It’s a Trap! #OpenBook Blog Hop

July 1, 2019

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

At some point in the distant past, storytellers discovered they could be paid for their writing and became writers. Not long after that, other people figured out how to take advantage of them. And so it goes today. With the advent of the digital revolution for books and other forms of the written word, scams have adapted and changed to the new market.

It doesn’t matter if a writer is going indie or the traditional publisher route, there are traps in both methods. I’ll concentrate on traps for those of us who write indie.

The biggest one I know of (And I haven’t ever been caught in!) is vanity publishing. That’s where a company charges a hopeful writer to publish their book. They may hide the price behind editing fees or setup fees or cover design, but the end is the same. The writer ends up with overpriced physical books to sell and not much else. As tempting as it may seem, my advice to an aspiring writer? Don’t do it. There are ways to get your book published without signing a long-term contract with a fly-by-night company. I could write a whole post about it!

Contests are another area that often catch as aspiring writer. Sure, some  have been around forever and actually can assist an author in getting noticed. But others charge large fees and then give out minimal prizes. Then there are the contests that charge no fees but put all the “winners” (Everyone!) in a book and charge an outrageous amount of money to purchase copies. Or invite the winners (Everyone!) to an awards ceremony at their own expense.

There are other scams that could catch both the experienced as well as the inexperienced writer. I’ve read the stories about editors and cover designers taking an author’s money and disappearing. Then there’s the small press publishers who were legitimate in the beginning and after a number of years fail, leaving authors with no way to get their money or their rights back. It’s hard to avoid those.

But there’s a website out there that’s on the side of writers. It’s a good place to start if there’s a question about a company’s services. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have run it for years. I strongly suggest that all writers check it out HERE.

When you’re done, come back here and head on down to the links below to see what the other authors are sharing. That’s where I’m headed! 

July 1, 2019

What are common traps for aspiring writers?