How can you tell if a publishing company is honest? Is there a black list or something?

Today I received a letter from Strategic Book Publishing
(traditional publishers). They are showing great interest in my book, and without even reading it, seem all excited about it. Huh? This is too good to be true, right? At first I was all yadayada...but then I thought ...I got to check this out.

here is there link:
http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/about.html

And aaaahaaaa I found their name under a list of 'publishers be aware'! Now how do you like that?! But they didn't give any further information. ... So who do I believe?

I would love to hear what you think. Do they appear kosher or what? Help, I don't know what to do.

Hi EW,
If they have never read your book, then YES, BEWARE! After a little research, it seems that the founder of that publishing company also owns Strategic Book Marketing:
http://www.strategicbookmarketing.com/

This markeing company offers many marketing services that I'm sure they will expect you to buy if they publish your book.

While it never hurts to call them and chat, have your guard up and back away if they ask for any money or financial committment.

Here's a link to a discussion about them:
http://www.writers.net/forum/read/6/15536/15536

My 2 cents...

Kathy

Kathy, thank you for answering so fast and for those great links. ((((HUGS))))) I will stay clear of them. I knew it was too good to be true. WAAAIL!


Writer's Net looks like a good site. Are you a member? Got to check it out.

BEWARE! BEWARE! BEWARE!

Since the business began operating in 2001 under the name Sydra-Techniques, Writer Beware has received hundreds of complaints and advisories of fee-charging, editing referrals, and other questionable practices. We're not aware that the company has a significant track record of commercial book or script sales under any of its names.

The office of the Florida Attorney General has opened a public consumer-related investigation into Writers' Literary Agency and its associated businesses.

Here's another link...see what these people have to say:

SCAMMERS

Here's another one at Preditors and Editors, one of your greatest resources for checking people out. Scroll down to the "S" SECTION and you'll see they do NOT recommend this company.

NOT RECOMMENDED

And all of this was just a two-minute "Google" search. If it seems too good to be true. It is.

Hey EW...how are you wanting to publish your book? Self published? Print? Online? With an agent? Something else?

It makes a big difference on what you want to do which venue to go through to get it "out there". I'm not an agent or anything like that AND do have some background in the creation of the book itself. Have a few contacts that might be able to answer questions if I understand more about what you want to do (if it is on another thread, let me know).

JJ, these are excellent links. I googled black lists for publishers and the like,...but didn't come up with anything. I saved all these links for future references.
Gee,...for a minute there I thought my dreams were coming true. ugh...back to reality.
MamaRed..if you can help me, or have any tips,..then you just got yourself a job as my agent! I'm looking for a tradional publisher for a fiction novel...I would self publish, but it's just too hard to market from Germany.

You gals are the best! Better than Google!!!!!

E--if you're book is ready to be published, then you have to ask yourself if you are. Why? Because regardless of whether or not you get an agent, a traditional publisher, or self-pub, you become the marketing manager. YOU will be doing 95% of the marketing for your book. Even traditional publishers will tell you this. They may list it on a Web site, put it on Amazon, or B&N..but it ends there; for the most part.

You have to wear many hats. Marketing will become a full time job until your name is known in some circles. You will need to get interviews, features on blogs and in newsletters, set up book signings (which is another subject entirely by iteself and a nightmare), and so forth and so on.

The work is just beginning. I'm not trying to discourage you. Not at all. I'm just giving you info that I wish someone would have given me in the beginning. I thought the publisher would do all the work; after all, I wrote the book(s). Bwwwwhahahah. What a joke.

I've had a traditional, and I'm have a self-pub. It's the same on both sides of the house. YOU are the marketing agent. PERIOD.

Having said that, an agent CAN get your book into the hands of different book companies. Finding a good agent can also be a full time job but I would suggest talking to people who already have one, get feedback, and get MORE THAN ONE OPINION about ANY agent.

Scams are alive and thriving in the book biz...know your budget for ALL THINGS MARKETING...and be ready to make adjustments.

JJ, I got to admit,,..your post was a rude awakening for me. After reading it, I went down to my Hubby, and said I think I'm going to give up. I don't know how I can market from over here. It's impossible. Hey,…wouldn't that be an interesting job? Marketing for authors in other countries. … I wonder.

Anyway after stuffing myself with food, I feel a little better, although now I can't get my darn jeans button closed.

My next question for you JJ is; - which way was most economical for you; Self publishing or traditional publishing? I mean, if it makes no difference in what you invest, then I would think everyone would just self publish,…and forget the whole run around.

Hi EW

Wish I had the right skills to be an agent...not there at this point (smile).

I attended an Expert's Academy bootcamp (with Brendon Burchard, who wrote "Life's Golden Ticket") and had a chance to hear an agent talk about what it takes to get and work with an agent. I learned a lot about how to partner with an organization to create a top selling book and do some unique things to get your book "out there" and selling well. There are specific agents for specific genres and you would need to do the research to find the right one for your type of book.

There are questions of ownership...for example, the original version of The Passion Test was self published. The authors could give away as many copies as they liked, title the way the wished, etc. The retained complete control and paid someone to print it. The next edition was picked up by a "name" publisher after seeing the success of the self published edition. They don't "allow" free copies to be given away, had control over the final title/subtitle, and various other tidbits.


It is a bit much to type here...being lazy I guess. Smile.

JJ is right on the nose with her comments about YOU being the marketing arm...I published a techie book with a well known tech publisher and got zip, nada, zipola help in the marketing area (was new at the time)...then they dropped the book when it didn't sell. I had tried to suggest a different approach when we started and they didn't listen.

I just talked to a friend of mine about her self-published book. With all costs rolled in (she purchased 300 physical copies as part of her contract), she estimates her investment to be $20-30,000 US. That includes end-to-end costs (including some training on how to partner with companies).

Depending on how you do things, self-publishing *can* be less expensive. And there are lots of questions to ask/answer before making a final decision.

Like JJ, I don't want to be discouraging...far from it and, like JJ again, I've been through at least some of this personally and have been through the situation with others I know who've written materials for publication...fiction and non-fiction.

BTW, when are we going to do that Skype call? Grin.

You say it is a fiction novel and too hard to self-publish from Germany. Could you clarify?

EW...I saw this today and thought you might want to add it to your resource list..or not!

http://onlinepromotionmadeeasy.blogspot.com/