For Entertainment Purposes Only
Posted by: WordVixen in funny, promotion, Publishing, RantI was on a friend’s site today, and searching for ads to click (she needs cash, and I can’t afford to buy actual products through her links), and saw an ad that I’ve seen a lot lately.
A website called AuthorTree which promises free websites and blogs for authors and is sponsored by… ta-dah! 4 pod self-pub/vanity presses (AuthorHouse, AuthorHouse UK, WordClay [formerly Vesta], and iUniverse). I’d suspected as much, but since some of these click ads check to see how long you’re on their site, and where you go on it, I sniffed around a bit more. Hopefully they have a good click pay rate.
So, anyway. I’m exploring the site, alternating between laughing at them, and feeling terror at the prospect of innocent authors being sucked in by their blatant promotion of the POD people, and I click on their “services” button. In fact, I’m going to link to it as SCAM since I don’t know how to no-follow it.
The first few items they offer seemed rather over priced to me, but since I didn’t have the numbers on hand to compare, I just kind of rolled my eyes and thought “whatever”. But then I saw their “Domain Name” offer. Only $99! Wow! Um… At first I thought it was just an over priced service like “We’ll register the domain name for you, and set up your hosting account and free template”. But no. It’s just for the domain name. (Anyone who doesn’t understand why this is not a bargain, please go to GoDaddy.com where you can register a domain name for under $10. And that’s not the best deal that you can find online.)
All of them are quite nearly hilarious to anyone with a sprinkling of ‘net or promotional knowlege, but I think Kathy would like this one.
The Personal Media Valet- $4000. No, I didn’t type too many zeros. Here’s what they do:
How do Personal Media Valet services help promote my
book?
A copywriter will produce a press kit for your book, including a press
release and a full color Fact Sheet and Author Biography Sheet
Your
publicity coordinator will distribute press releases and personally follow-up
with media outlets within your selected target markets
A custom Marketing
Kit will provide business cards, bookmarks and postcards designed to promote
your book.How Does the Process Work?
Review and approve a
professionally written press release for distribution to targeted media outlets
An publicity coordinator will follow-up with media outlets, and send review
copies of your book upon request
Utilize word-of-mouth marketing by
distributing business cards, bookmarks and postcards to potential readers
Um. Yeah. Yanno. If I were going to pay $4000 for a press release and someone to distribute it? I think I’d be calling up Kathy because at least I’ve seen her work and know it would be good. And does anyone else suspect that they’re one of the clients who keep trying to hire freelancers at $20 a pop? And then mass mailing these press releases to every address they can find? And then dumping the business cards, bookmarks and post cards at their local book store? Because, yanno, that’s where potential readers are at.
Hopefully that charge includes the cost of the business cards, bookmarks, and postcards because they’re charging $250 per 1000 business cards.
Seriously- if you’re willing to shell out this kind of money to promote your book, you’d better A) have gotten a good advance, and B) hire a PROFESSIONAL PUBLICIST. Good Lord, these people want you to toss away half a year’s pay on promotional services without even showing you what you get! And, they’re pumping it to the self-published crowd who aren’t getting advances at all.
Ye gods. It’s times like this that I wish I didn’t have ethics.
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Good post Wordvixen, I come from Author Solutions (AuthorHouse, iUniverse, etc…) and I agree with your comments. Buyer beware, you may be a just a “one-call-close” away (that’s a sales term) from buying some really overpriced self-publishing services.
I’m smiling because I have extensive experience in that industry and there is a real problem of lack of ethics in the self-publishing services industry. Naive, easily impressed authors desperate for ego-satisfaction are are falling over themselves to get on board with these services companies. Sadly, Author Solutions is probably among the MORE ethical outfits that are out there!
They all fail to mentor and advise authors in the most fundamental issues. Quality of work, target audience, motivation to publish the work , and what AUTHORS plan to do to market the work.
We could discuss much on these topics. I’ll bookmark your blog and come back when I my new blog up.
The whole thing makes me sick. Great post, and good for you on the SCAM label. Because that’s exactly what it is.
Thanks Anonymous. I have indeed noticed a difference between various self-publishing and vanity publishing companies in how they discuss what the author would need to do to promote their book.
My biggest issue is how many of these companies claim to be equal to or better than traditional publishing companies. SPs and VPs do provide a valuable service to those who make the informed choice to go that route- I can’t imagine how many family histories, recipes, and local history books would be lost without it. True, you could still use a print shop, but many people don’t even know that they exist, let alone how to deal with them.
But I take issue with the way SPs and VPs market to new authors who don’t know any better. Remember authors- you don’t pay to be published, you can, however, pay to be printed. Big difference.
Britta- Phew, you’re not kidding! The SP/VP part is bad enough, but those “service packs”? *shudder*
Holy moly….the $99 for the domain name made my jaw drop and then I just kept reading!
Tee-Hee. I’m glad someone else enjoyed that page as much as I did! I may have to go look at it again, I could always use a good laugh.
Ah… but every time I laugh at it, I nearly cry when I realize that there are people who actually fall for it.