My friend was beside herself with excitement. A publisher told her he wanted to publish her book—a book she hadn’t even started writing yet.
Knowing that I’m the author or ghostwriter of more than 45 books, she called me for advice.
My first question was: “How much is he going to charge you?”
She was shocked. He hadn’t said anything about charging her.
It turned out that was the deal. The authors he publishes pay his company to produce their books.
Today’s publishing world is dominated by three primary business models:
- Traditional publishing, where publishers contract with authors and pay royalties on book sales.
- Self-publishing, where authors do all the publishing work themselves.
- Hybrid or pay-to-publish, where a company does the work traditional publishers do but authors pay the costs.
Some well-known authors have opted to go with hybrid publishers for a variety of reasons. They knew what they were doing and made a business decision based on what would best suit their strategy for their book.
But a lot more first-time and not-so-well-known authors have gone the pay-to-publish route and ended up spending thousands of dollars to publish books that sell less than 100 copies.
I’m not opposed to the pay-to-publish model. As a self-publishing consultant, I encourage my clients to become their own publishers (and guide them through the process), but when that’s not a fit, I’ve recommended some hybrid publishers.
Sadly, I’ve seen too many pay-to-publish companies take advantage of inexperienced authors by promising fame and book sales that will likely never happen, producing poor quality books, and making it impossible for the authors to earn any money on their books.
So how do you know if you’re dealing with a reputable hybrid publisher?
I’ve put together a list of more than 40 questions to ask before you make a commitment. How to Avoid Being Ripped Off by a Publisher tells you what to ask, why it’s important, and how to evaluate the answers.
Ebook available now from your favorite online bookseller for only $2.99.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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