Let the Author Beware: Scammers, Liars, and Cheats

I got conned.

This is something I admit with great reluctance because I like to think of myself as smarter than the average person. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean smarter than the average indie author. In fact, indie authors are some of the smartest people around to create their wonderful worlds but they're also uniquely vulnerable to exploitation. There's no end to the dirty con men of the internet who promise you the world and proceed to take you for every cent you can manage.

Why are indie authors vulnerable to this? Well part of this is due to the age old truism about cons: the victim wants the lie to be true. Every author dreams of being the next King, Rowling, or Tolkien. For that to be the case, though, people have to read your book. That means publication and marketing.

No matter how smart you are, you can still get cheated. J.R.R. Tolkien had his books pirated in America and didn't see a dime (or pence) from the majority of sales in the Sixties. Isaac Asimov had his books published by a couple of publishers but they decided just not to pay him his royalties. If you're self-published, you can avoid some of the issues of trusting your masterpiece with other people. However, that means all of the marketing is on you.

But either way, trusting someone with your book's promotion or trying to do it yourself, almost no author advice ever prepares an individual for the sheer volume of predators out there. Once you manage to establish you are an author on social media (whatever platform you use), expect to be deluged with spam from people who promise they'll give you reviews, sales, and massive success.

They're lying.

Duh.

But maybe for the briefest moment, enough to get your credit card, you might think you have to spend money to make money. Because you do. Sadly, authors who spend money on promotion will probably do better than those who don't. What they don't tell you is whether or not the money you're spending is being wasted or not. So here is some simple advice that I've found when trying to see if you're getting swindled or not.

1: Almost certainly never trust someone who reaches out to you

This isn't 100% accurate but it's true 99% of the time. But if someone sends you an e-mail, contacts you on Instagram, or reaches out via DM then they're probably not actually interested in promoting you but just getting your money. The reputable people in the industry have their own set of clients and get new ones via recommendations or you reaching out to them.

2: Word of Mouth is better than Promises

It should go without saying but if you're going to try to deal with someone, you should probably have a recommendation from one of their other customers. Which is to say don't trust the promises of anyone, no matter how sincere, when they come from someone trying to tell you something. This isnt' foolproof by itself either. Because, unfortunately, there's a lot of fake author accounts there. I was fooled by someone impersonating Brian Staveley (The Emperor's Blades).

3: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

 If a advertising agent gives a lengthy spiel about their thousands of readers on their list, massive social media following, and huge number of reviews then they're probably full of it. Spam reviews are something that does very little to increase your sales, no matter how many you have, and have a noted tendency to backfire when they're found out. Certainly, these services rarely actually read the books. Also, when someone has 600,000 followers, they're probably bots or people who never actually check them out if they're selling slots.

4: Actual Promotion is built on hard work and relationships

An uncomfortable truth about indie authorship is the fact you'll probably be doing most of the promotion yourself even if you do have a reputable press promoting you. This means making websites, doing book sales, book giveaways, maintaining a social media premise without spamming other people, and maintaining a relationship with your fans. Its work that can be rewarding and tedious in equal measures depending on how much time you have to spare. I love my fans but you also need to let them know what you have out. But if you can build a relationship with reviewers, it is worthwhile.

5: You can't buy fame

 I know this one sounds like a lie because media has told us the reverse for God knows how long. However, at the end of the day, there is only so much promotion can achieve. You need people to want to talk about your book and spread the word. For that, you need people to read it. That's nothing money can help with but many authors have wasted all their resources trying to achieve.

Let the author beware.