Hey Folks,
I can’t stand publishing scams, and it hurts me to see so many writers falling for them. Hence this post.
Yesterday I did nothing at all except finish judging the contest. We got the results out in the mail. Today I will work on the copyedit for awhile, then take the rest of the day off.
But this morning, I saw that one of my writer friends in Oklahoma posted a newsletter from Booklocker.com to a Facebook group we both belong to.
That posting caused me to write a response and then the following.
Topic: The Scams, They Are A’waitin’…
In their Author Newsletter (posted 9/30/2018), Booklocker.com announced they’ll file your copyright registration form for you for only $99.
That’s compared with LegalZoom ($169), AuthorHouse and iUniverse ($170), Xulon Press and Mill City Press ($199), Balboa Press ($204), Xlibris ($249) and a host of others charging even more exorbitant prices.
The others they listed include InfinityPublishing/FastPencil, Trafford.com, Westbow Press, and Lulu. The one outfit to avoid that they did not mention is Wheatmark.
ALL OF THE ABOVE are subsidy publishers, meaning they will publish your work if you pay them an exorbitant up-front fee. Many, if not all, also require a royalty split. Not one of them tells you that you can do for yourself, at NO COST, everything they offer.
For just one example, according to a document I found on Scribd published by a Wheatmark author, Wheatmark offers “An arrangement with Amazon that allows Amazon to offer steep discounts.”
I’m sure they do. It’s called KDP Select. What they don’t tell you is that ANY author who wants to go exclusive with Amazon (thereby forgoing sales through any other venues, including your own website) can take advantage of KDP Select. Free.
But back to the Booklocker.com Author Newsletter.
The problem is, registering your copyright through the copyright office yourself costs only “$35 if you register one work, not made for hire, and you are the only author and claimant. To access electronic registration, go to the Copyright Office’s website at www.copyright.gov.”
To see this for yourself, download Circular 4 Copyright Office Fees (PDF) by clicking https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ04.pdf.
Booklocker.com asks, “Why is copyright registration so important?” Then they answer that with four points, the first of which is misleading at best:
1. If someone steals your work, or portions thereof, you can’t file a lawsuit unless your book was copyrighted before the infringement occurred.
That’s true enough. BUT YOUR WORK IS COPYRIGHTED the moment it’s set in fixed form (the moment you finish your manuscript) whether or not you choose to register that work with the US Copyright Office.
In other words, owning your copyright and registering your copyright are two different things.
Booklocker.com adds that if you use their service, “For two or more titles, multiply your number of titles x the $99 fee, and enter it in the order form at the link above. Paperbacks and hardcovers are considered different titles.” (Emphasis added.)
Folks, paperbacks and hardcovers (and ebooks and audio books) are considered different titles for ISBN assignment, but NOT for copyright registration.
When you file a copyright registration, you’re registering the work itself, not any particular form of the work.
Please, please, please don’t be taken in by this scam.
In fact, I strongly recommend you stay away from ANY so-called publishing company that charges you an up-front fee to publish your work, whether or not they also require a royalty split. (The last time I checked, Booklocker.com does both.)
Note: This warning is only against working with subsidy publishing companies. Many independent authors hire out copyediting, formatting, book cover design, etc. to legitimate service providers. But those service providers are not publishers. They require a one-time fee for services rendered, and they don’t take a royalty split or otherwise own any part of your copyright.
Be careful out there.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Writing Habits” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/writing-habits/.
Then see “Creating a Habit of Writing” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/creating-a-habit-of-writing/.
See “First-Page Critique: The Key to Writing Science Fiction” at https://killzoneblog.com/2018/09/first-page-critique-the-key-to-writing-science-fiction.html.
See (shock! gasp!) James Scott Bell’s “How to Make Good Dough Self Publishing” at https://killzoneblog.com/2018/09/how-to-make-good-dough-self-publishing.html. Note that I do not agree with the first paragraph in the post under “2. Think like a publisher.” I never share my unfinished work with anyone.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 730 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 730
Writing of Nick 3 (novel, tentative title)
Day 1…… 3422 words. Total words to date…… 3422
Day 2…… 2664 words. Total words to date…… 6086
Day 3…… 3190 words. Total words to date…… 9276
Day 4…… 1090 words. Total words to date…… 10366
Day 5…… 1466 words. Total words to date…… 11832
Day 6…… 2859 words. Total words to date…… 14691
Day 7…… 3362 words. Total words to date…… 18053
Day 8…… 2465 words. Total words to date…… 20518
Day 9…… 1177 words. Total words to date…… 21695
Day 10… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… 21995
Total fiction words for the year………… 336726
Total nonfiction words for the month… 15280
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 133096
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 469572
Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 7
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 2
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 33
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 6
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………………… 193
Days of writing fiction every day………………………… 0
Amen. Although your work’s covered as soon as you write it, you might have to prove that it was ripped off by people who can outspend you in a court fight. But copyrighting your work is as easy as signing up for social media. Fill out a simple form and email the gov a copy of your work with a few bucks and you’re documented with a date and time. A copyright on file is as strong as a mare’s breath. (I’ve often wondered where that expression came from myself.)
Thanks, Gary. That’s true, but just to clarify, what you’re talking about is registering your copyright, not copyrighting itself. What I used to do was combine all my works for a year into one document, title it “The Works of Harvey Stanbrough, 19XX,” and send it with one fee. (grin)