As a new writer it's human nature to want your book disseminated on as
many platforms and eBook retail sites as possible. After all, if
someone sees your book on one site, then again on another and another,
it gives the impression that it's all over the place and therefore a
good read. But beware! Not all supposed publishers have your best interests in
mind.
Take for example one particular publisher who just
happened to ask to be linked to my LinkedIn account. I read his bio and
it turned out he is "supposedly" a publisher in England, and for no
charge you can upload your manuscript, your articles, your blogs, and he
will convert them into all possible formats, just like Smashwords
does. I repeat, there is no charge. Sounds good so far.
Then
in order to publish your book you have to give him certain information
to register. The usual drivel; user name, password, email . . . . . ah,
yes. The obligatory "Terms and Conditions" check box must be checked
before you can enter the site to continue on. He has also mentioned in
his presentation that they make direct deposits to your bank account.
Well, ladies and gents, don't go there, don't check the "I agree to the
terms and conditions" box without reading the terms and conditions.
There are none. I clicked on the terms and conditions line and
it went nowhere. I looked at the bottom of the page and there was
another link to the Terms and Conditions. But, my learned
flangernoggins, those terms and conditions went to the dreaded 404 page
which stated, "The requested URL /termsAndConditions.php was not found
on this server."
Being the ever so concerned possible
customer of this company I thought I'd let them know the "Terms and Conditions" link was broken so I clicked on the "Contact" button. You
guessed it. The same 404 page appeared. And as a bonus the Help, Site Map,
Testimonials, and FAQ page also have a 404 link.
Looking
at the page showing the books they sell in English pounds, it becomes
apparent that something more is amiss. All the books and magazines
offered have a price of zero. Hmm! So I'm supposed to give this guy my
bank account number so he can directly deposit all proceeds to my
account but . . . there are no proceeds! Even "50 Shades of Gray" is free.
By
now I'm sure red flags are rocketing up all around you and you are
getting the picture here. He is harvesting your bank account information. Do your due diligence before even thinking
about uploading your book to a company you have never heard of. Check
all links to make sure they work. And above all else, read word for
word the terms and conditions before you hit that button.
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