Warning Folks About My "Neighbors"
Mar. 12th, 2013 10:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blairmacgI've a friend who has been working on a project for church education programs, and we've discussed the generalities of self-publishing his work. Yesterday he mentioned he'd met someone at a party who worked for a publisher and he--
I stopped him right there. "He said he works for AuthorHouse or Author Solutions, right?" Right.
Needless to say, we had an extensive discussion followed by an email filled with links.
Y'see, Author Solutions and all its offspring are headquartered about an hour or so from my home. I've lost count of how many times the locals have referred me that "real" publisher down in Bloomington, and how many people know someone who knows someone who has given Author Solutions money. I'm currently trying to talk two people out of continuing with them a moment longer. One has the potential to make a living at this self-publishing thing.
I used to attempt subtle and polite lead-ins to conversations about their poor practices. I don't have the patience for it anymore. Now I simply tell folks it's a scam intended to take a writer's money under the assumption that writers are both stupid and desperate. It's a rip-off-the-band aid approach. It's better to get a sharp hurt for a moment than a slow burn for years and years.
I know that, sooner or later, I'll run into Author Solutions employees as well. Sigh.
I stopped him right there. "He said he works for AuthorHouse or Author Solutions, right?" Right.
Needless to say, we had an extensive discussion followed by an email filled with links.
Y'see, Author Solutions and all its offspring are headquartered about an hour or so from my home. I've lost count of how many times the locals have referred me that "real" publisher down in Bloomington, and how many people know someone who knows someone who has given Author Solutions money. I'm currently trying to talk two people out of continuing with them a moment longer. One has the potential to make a living at this self-publishing thing.
I used to attempt subtle and polite lead-ins to conversations about their poor practices. I don't have the patience for it anymore. Now I simply tell folks it's a scam intended to take a writer's money under the assumption that writers are both stupid and desperate. It's a rip-off-the-band aid approach. It's better to get a sharp hurt for a moment than a slow burn for years and years.
I know that, sooner or later, I'll run into Author Solutions employees as well. Sigh.
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no subject
Date: 2013-03-12 03:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-12 04:15 pm (UTC)Author Solutions
Date: 2013-03-12 04:17 pm (UTC)Re: Author Solutions
Date: 2013-03-12 04:24 pm (UTC)http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2013/03/law-firm-investigates-author-solutions.html