The dreaded ‘S’ word. I’m a member of several writing and publishing-related groups and I see this word thrown around a lot. Subsidy publishers, fee-charging agents, marketing pitches- anything that deviates from time honored publishing industry norms risks having the ‘S’ word used to describe it. Many author posts come right out and use the word. Other sources are only slightly less explicit. For example, one well-known list of industry resources flags “suspect” outfits in red lettering. No, they don’t come out and use the ‘S’ word, but I’m reasonably sure most folks know the significance of red lettering and the words “Not Recommended”. Let’s take a look at this word, its meaning, and how it might or might not apply to some members of the publishing industry. To do this, I once again resort to the dictionary:

SCAM (noun): A fraudulent business activity; a swindle; a business that engages in fraud or deceit.

Before I get too deep into this thing, I must stress that I am in no way defending any specific party nor am I giving any sort of blank endorsement to any particular practice. So what then is my point? Read on…

The publishing industry is shrinking. Year after year, the number of books sold is decreasing as our increasingly sound-bite oriented society flocks to movie theaters, computer screens, game consoles, etc. Meanwhile, the proliferation of computers and the Internet has made writing and shopping books easier than ever before. There are literally millions of aspiring authors shopping millions of manuscripts, of which less than 200,000 will be published. In short, there is a huge supply of authors fighting for a small and shrinking demand (readers). Anyone remotely connected with publishing (agents, publishers, etc.) is constantly swamped under authors seeking goods and services.

Worse, 60-95% of published titles fail to return their investments, meaning that they result in a net loss for all concerned. The responsibility for this situation rests squarely on authors’ shoulders. Let me be perfectly blunt: When you query an agent or publisher, you are literally asking them to invest resources in your book. You are, in essence, asking them to be your venture capitalists. Let’s pretend you want to open a company and need capital. The first thing any investor will request is your business plan, which is a roadmap of where, when, and how your business will reach certain milestones and the criteria you used to make those assumptions. If the investors like your business plan, you get the money. The investors will not run your day-to-day operations, nor will they promote it.

As part owners, they will oversee your actions and may pull the plug on your whole operation if reality does not match the plans. Who does that sound like? If you said “most publishers”, you’re spot-on.

Let’s summarize: You are a supplier of products (books) in an industry that is chasing after ever-dwindling demand (readers). In the midst of this situation, you are asking others to invest capital (time and money) in your product above all of the other possible choices. Despite this grim reality, the myths persist that publication is the path to fame and riches and that publishers will do all the work. As proof, look no further than the legions of disgruntled authors who blame anyone and anything for their woes but the one place where the responsibility truly belongs: on their own shoulders.

What does this have to do with scams? Everything. Like any industry, the publishing world has evolved a set of traditions and norms that constitute acceptable practices. Anything falling outside those norms is viewed with suspicion. Let’s look at a few examples:

1. Fee-charging agents. The Association of Author Representatives allows member agents to bill authors for the costs of copies, phone calls, etc. incurred as a result of representing that author- but God forbid one of them should charge any sort of upfront fee. My first agent charged me $75 and contacted several major publishers on my behalf. I ran the numbers on the copies he made and figured I’d gotten a pretty good deal, comparable to my local copy shop and I was spared the hassle of making and mailing copies. My second agent never charged me a cent but concocted fictitious “reviews” from places like the New York Times, Boston Globe, etc. I then worked for my third agent as her Submissions Editor. This tiny company didn’t advertise or promote itself, yet we received a steady and growing stream of queries. I can only imagine the snowstorm had we marketed the agency. In response, I, like most editors, quickly learned to search for reasons to reject manuscripts. Most were dismissed at the query level. Of the manuscripts I requested, most never made it past the first paragraph. This may seem heartless, but a company whose livelihood depends on professional gambling cannot waste a second on any doubtful investments. In light of this, is an agent who charges a fee to give each submission a thorough read scamming authors or merely trying to offer a potentially valuable service and be compensated for it?
2. Subsidy publishers. “Why the hell should I pay to have my book published?” is a common refrain from authors. Well, I went the “free” route and put my money and time into promoting my books. That publisher almost folded because most of its authors were not promoting their books. As a result, my book series was delayed and print availability thrown into doubt. I lost a lot of time and money on that one. Is a publisher who charges money to ensure their own viability in an environment where most authors cling to long-dead myths a scam?
3. Pitching services to authors. How dare someone make a living from authors? And yet publishers and agents do exactly that. You have no qualms about paying money for food, cable TV, Internet, or any of the other goods and services you consume, so why apply that label to a service designed for authors?
4. Excessive marketing. Recently, there was a thread on one of the forums I haunt complaining about a company that is adept at making its presence known to authors. The complaints were twofold: frequency of promotions and overpricing. Is this a scam? Well, let’s see. If you know the company I’m talking about, then their marketing has been a success. Of all the companies out there doing various things for (and to) authors, you know their name. Why? Because their promotional emails arrive at your email box regular as clockwork. My guess is you would kill for that kind of name recognition! As for price, yes, hundreds of dollars to send out a few thousand emails might seem exorbitant. Consider, however, the effort and cost that went into creating the lists and the ongoing cost of maintenance. Consider also your time and effort to go out and build the same list yourself. Doesn’t seem so bad, does it?
5. Owning related services or referring authors to other services is another huge no-no. Referrals are the general economy’s lifeblood. Affiliations are the wave of the future. If you hire a gardener, you can bet s/he has a relationship with at least one local nursery where s/he gets discounts on plants, a de facto referral fee. In the “real” world, it is safe to assume that Business A is getting some compensation for referring you to Business B. And why not? If Business B complements A’s offerings, then B gets a steady stream of ready-to-buy customers without the hassle of mounting a traditional marketing campaign. Network marketing is another prime example. Why do these arrangements exist? The economy is decentralizing at breakneck speed and society is awash in advertisements. In this environment, partnering for mutual success is cost-effective to the point that doing anything else means almost certain doom. But heaven forbid that a publisher refers you to an editor- or, worse, has one on staff (for a fee, of course).

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. To say that a practice is bad is a bit like saying that hammers are bad. The same hammer that builds houses that give people shelter and comfort can just as easily kill people. When the latter happens, no one presumes to blame the hammer; after all, it is only the tool. Besides, no tool exists without a demonstrated need. One simply does not design a tool for a non-existent need, real or perceived.

In the publishing industry, the need for agents to give serious attention to authors without going broke in the process gave rise to fee-charging. The instability of small presses and authors’ fervent need to see their books in print (good or not) gave rise to subsidy presses. If you examine every “bad” practice out there, you can trace its roots directly back to some unfilled need. Thus, in my opinion, there are no “bad practices”, at least not at face value.

Oh there are scams. Find a vulnerability and it will be exploited. It’s a sad fact of life. Yes, there are bad fee-charging agents. Yes, there are subsidy presses that will publish any tripe that arrives with a check enclosed. Yes, there are presses that have in-house editors. Yes, there are several marketing and other companies who make their presence overly well known (is that so wrong?). Yes, there are services that seem grossly overpriced. And there are outright criminals. The publishing industry holds no monopoly on scams.

A long time ago, I discovered what I call the One Bastard Rule, where one schmuck ruins it for everyone. That law making it illegal to tie an elephant to a fire hydrant? It may sound stupid, but it’s a sucker bet that someone once tied an elephant to a fire hydrant with calamitous results. In publishing, the actions of a few lead to sweeping “norms” that define “acceptable” versus “unacceptable” behavior.

So what’s my point? I have two. First, don’t be in such a rush to apply the “S” word. If someone promises a certain result and willfully does not deliver, that is indeed a scam. But if they do what they promise, then the worst one can say is that they delivered the agreed service at the agreed price- hardly dishonest. Second, invest the time and effort to learn about this industry you belong to. Take charge of your career. Learn all there is to know about companies, readers, fellow authors, etc. Define goals and how you plan to achieve them. In short, treat your finished book and your writing with the same level of care and diligence with which you treated your manuscript. Make decisions that will further your interests and accord others the same professional respect. If you are defrauded (meaning that you do not receive a promised good or service), then by all means report it. Otherwise, dear reader, in the end, you only have yourself to thank- or blame. The fact that you made a bad choice does not make that choice bad for everyone.

Caveat emptor.

Expect success. Plan for it. Then go make it happen. You deserve it!

Just my 2 cents' worth!