I was watching TV tonight (very rare, and it was in passing), and I happened to see an ad for a 1-800 number get help publishing my next book! (groan)
I didn't know vanity publishers were advertising on television these days. That's a new low. If your writing career starts with calling an 1-800 number, then you're in for something awful. You won't have a career for very long because you'll be 1) tied up in divorce proceedings because you'll spend thousands of dollars, and that kind of thing ruins marriages, 2) tied up in bankruptcy proceedings, 3) dodging phone calls from creditors, 4) in counseling, 5) too ashamed of your decision to continue, so you'll give up on your dream forever, 6) or, all of the above, or worse. You wouldn't BELIEVE the stories I've seen and heard from people who fell for these scams. It's incredibly sad and heartbreaking.
I thought back over the last 5 years in this career about the number of times I've EVER had to pick up the phone to do business as a writer.
Never. Not once.
Yet these “publishing companies” are allowed to prey on the young, the old, and the stupid. It breaks my heart that someone is going to see this ad on television and then recommend this company to their nephew, sister, or relative that has a dream to publish a book. It breaks my heart that this company is likely spending millions of dollars for ad placements on TV, and they're probably making well over their money back. Why does the government let this happen, and more importantly, why do television networks (especially those that claim to have a modicum of moral integrity) allow such dishonest marketing?
This is yet another reason I belong to The Alliance of Independent Authors—their Watchdog Service aims to shine sunlight on these types of bad actors.
When people say my books or my courses are too expensive, I'm going to start replying with, “Well, you can pay $3000 to a vanity publisher to get bullshit advice and lose your copyright forever, or you can pay $27 and actually learn something.” That's not too arm-twisty, is it?? LOL
