Scam publishing may devastate fledling novelists

Knoxville writers in search of their big publication break may find themselves dealing with less-than-reputable publishers, which have earned the notorious moniker of “author mills.”

The so-called “mills” crank out works by hundreds of authors each year, but their business methods may prove more troublesome than helpful.

As detailed by WriterBeware.com, author mills publish “a very large number of authors in the expectation of selling a hundred books or so from each (as opposed to publishing a limited number of authors in hopes of selling thousands of books from each, as commercial publishers do).”

The heavier significance of author mills is represented by the writers, to whom the mills eventually deliver a crushing blow to once-lofty literary dreams. Instead of bestsellers and book tours, the writers find their efforts shunted to online retailers, or wind up purchasing their own books and reselling them independently.

That approach counters sharply to traditional commercial presses, which depend on their editors’ discernment to ensure bookstore sales. Mainstream publishing houses can be tougher for a novice writer to break into, but a contract with one of them represents the publisher’s promise to promote the book to the best of their ability, and for the writer to reap monetary benefits.

Author mills can be confused with vanity presses, which require writers to pay fees in exchange for publication. One of the most common charges is an “evaluation fee,” which used to compensate for an agent’s time screening the manuscript. However, rampant abuse stemming from those fees has since led to their disuse among reputable publishing houses, and the charge usually signifies a disreputable press.

Vanity presses also frequently employ flat rates to retain representation. The fee can vary from monthly to yearly, and range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Its sheer existence, however, symbolizes the discrepancy between vanity and commercial presses, as commercial agents do not charge for their services.

While author mills don’t usually require payment, they also fail to provide any editorial feedback or distribution support. As a result, most of their authors’ works are only available online, usually through Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, and usually fail to sell more than a few hundred copies.

Recent publishing attempts by area writers often involve such presses, most notoriously, PublishAmerica, which earned its own subheading on WriterBeware.com: The Great PublishAmerica Hoax. The Web entry details how that press, along with several others, accepts any and all manuscripts, no matter the quality.

The mills, however, can find a useful market. For writers of specific niches or limited audiences, as with memoirs or genealogical studies, the extremely limited release serves a purpose. However, for writers aiming to bestsellers or Pulitzer winners, the author mill is a false promise of glory.

Local writers are at special risk for these mills, as after years of struggling through the logistical difficulties presented by working with major publishing houses, often located in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, the ease of mill publishing can seem like a quasi-godsend.

Gauging a press’ quality can be a difficult task, but several Web sites exist to aid novice writers. WriterBeware.com covers many of the most notorious publishing scams, and the added scrutiny has led to a spin-off blog, http://accrispin.blogspot.com/. The sites maintain up-to-date agent and publisher alerts, as well as warning signs for scam deals.

Publishing travails can be disheartening for writers, but they should remember that the old adage of “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” holds true, as dozens of never-ordered books stand as testaments to numerous disillusioned writers.