Victoria Strauss of the Writer Beware blog, has been around for ages informing writers how to not get taken by the less than reputable entities out there in the publishing world. In her latest article written for Writer Unboxed, titled Cheated, Swindled, or Scammed: What’s a Writer to Do?, she gives you options on what to do once you have been bamboozled.

However, the best way NOT to get bamboozled is to:

1) Learn the ins and outs of publishing, from self-published to hybrid to traditional;
2) Research to the nth degree anyone you intend to go into business with;
3) Learn who an entity has done business with/published in the past, and reach out to them for opinion/testimonial/advice.

You would be surprised, however, at how many people do NOT do one, two, or all three of the above, then afterwards get upset at not receiving the services they expected.

A lot of people hang out a shingle as a publisher. Any kind of publisher. They can call themselves any of the three types and still scam you. Being called indie, hybrid, or traditional does not mean they are not scammers. I had a lady recently tell me at an event that she was NOT self-publishing. She was going with a hybrid, which was a higher quality level of publishing. Um, it isn’t about the level . . . it’s about the credibility, history, reputation, and validity of the publisher, regardless what kind. Same goes for editors, formatters, and cover designers.

So, your job as a writer is to take off your writer hat and put on your business hat and start doing the hard homework.

1) Ask what you get for your money. How long will it take? What do you get if they fall short? At what point do you get your money/rights back?

2) How long will it take to get the job done (which is defined in great detail so all parties best understand)?

3) How long have they been in business?

4) What are their credentials?

5) Who have they worked with before? (Then you contact them.)

6) What are the titles of previous books?

7) What does Google (or Bing or Edge or whomever) say about them in a search? Include in your search words like “complaint,” “scam,” and “awards.”

8) Where are they physically located? (Scams are easier to pull off if you are dealing with someone outside of your own country.)

9) Ask someone experienced to look at the fine print of the contract.

You do NOT have the liberty of just writing and not worrying about the credibility of the publishing/editing job. If you get scammed, look in the mirror. Did you happen to jump a little too quickly? I hope you never have to take that look, honestly, so if you haven’t been scammed, stop and think before leaping.

Too many get awestruck about the excitement of being published before they realize they can really screw this up. And it’s next to impossible to unpublish after publishing badly.