When you step into professional publishing for the first time, it can feel like waking up inside an Escher painting: a twisted and confusing, but equally wondrous, world of creative verve.
But in a sea of hopefuls looking to get a book published—especially first-time authors—you’ll always find sharks.
That’s what we’re here to talk about today: how to get a book published while avoiding the traps set by predatory practices.
Before we dive into the belly of the beast, though, everything begins with understanding the step-by-step process of getting your book traditionally published. This includes everything from polishing your manuscript to choosing the right literary agents or publishers who will respect your work and help bring it to the masses.
So, let’s start there…
Publishing Industry Procedure in a Nutshell
Whether your passion lies in crafting elaborate science fiction universes, unraveling mysteries in quaint, cozy towns, exploring humanity in literary fiction, or inspiring others through personal development guides, the path to publication is rarely an easy one. The journey of getting print books onto shelves in stores like Barnes & Noble, or a digital book onto online platforms, begins long before the book’s title is even decided.
The first thing you need is, naturally, a polished manuscript. That’s your golden ticket to grabbing an agent or publisher’s attention. Before you send out query letters, ensure your manuscript has been critiqued by beta readers, been thoroughly self-edited (hey, why not use AutoCrit!), and possibly even had a professional human editor help make it shine.
Traditional publishing often (but not always) requires first securing a literary agent—a gatekeeper to the “big five” publishers like Penguin Random House. A compelling query letter or proposal is your space to pitch not only your book, but yourself as an author.
Remember, agents and publishers aren’t just investing in your book; they’re investing in you.
Once the manuscript is deemed ready by both the author and their agent, it’s time to confront the infamous slush pile—a term used to describe the mountain of manuscripts that litter publishers’ offices. Standing out in this pile requires more than just a compelling story; it requires an understanding of what publishers are currently looking for, especially in popular genres like young adult or science fiction.
Once a manuscript catches the eye of an agent or publisher, the real work begins. Contracts are negotiated and signed, and the author is often involved in decisions about the book’s title and marketing angles. This phase is critical, as it sets the stage for how the book will be presented to the world.
First-time authors, in particular, should be prepared to work closely with their publishing team on rounds of revisions, cover design choices, and marketing strategies. A professional cover and a knockout marketing campaign can make a huge difference in how well your book sells.
Ultimately, this partnership between you and your publisher is all about bringing a fantastic product to market—something readers will be happy to pay for, and recommend to others.
It often involves several rounds of revisions to ensure the manuscript is as strong as it can be, covering the ins and outs of current market trends, reader demands, and genre conventions. This process can be rigorous, but with a professional editor at your side, it’s all intended to ensure the manuscript is polished to perfection.
Designing the perfect book cover follows… which is as much about attracting readers as it is about conveying the book’s tone and essence. A professional book cover designer is usually enlisted to create a cover that competes with the glossy magazines and other book covers vying for attention in bookstores.
Cast your eyes across the shelves the next time you’re in an airport for example, and you might just marvel at how similar the covers are in the thriller section, as they all cry out with the promise of that thrilling airplane read…
The final stages before a book hits the shelves involve planning for its launch. This includes setting up interviews, book signings, and crafting an effective marketing strategy and publicity to promote the book.
It’s this part of the process that many authors find to be the most valuable element of the traditional process: the expertise in marketing and publicity offered by long-standing agents and publishers can significantly boost your book’s reach, ensuring it finds its way into the hands of eager readers.
So, as far as getting traditionally published goes, that’s it in a nutshell:
- Write & polish your book…
- Use a query or pitch letter to get the attention of literary agents…
- Your agent opens the door to help convince a publisher your book is marketable…
- Contracts are signed, work begins, and soon enough, you’re published!
All of this is easier said than done, however. Competition is fierce in this industry, and even a truly great story has no guarantee of ever making it to the right desk, at the right time. Some smaller publishers won’t require agented submissions, either, so you’re free to submit when they have openings.
For authors who choose to go the self-publishing route, the process includes additional steps such as securing a printer, determining the book’s price, and taking charge of the marketing campaign. This path offers more control over the final product, but also requires a deeper understanding of the publishing business.
Hybrid publishers offer a middle ground, blending elements of traditional publishing with the independence of self-publishing. This option can be beneficial for authors looking for professional guidance without relinquishing full control over their book’s journey.
Regardless of the chosen path, knowledge is power.
And that takes us back to the sharks that circle within the ocean of the book publishing industry…
When Is A Publisher Predatory? A Real-World Example
Today, we’re going to talk about a real-world example our team recently came across.
In fact, we have direct insight into the contract of what you might call a “Vanity Press” – with a member of our team having recently rescued a family member who was on the verge of signing.
We’ll keep individuals’ names and the book title aside, in the interest of privacy, but let’s set the scene.
Here are a few facts about the book in question:
🤔 “Written” with ChatGPT—a fact immediately obvious upon seeing the manuscript.
🤔 Steeped in editorial problems, such as tense shifts, random changes in character POV, and repetitive language.
🤔 All of the book’s 67,000-word length is heavily summarized. Inside what is supposed to be a narrative-driven thriller novel, we find entire sections presented as a list of character profiles and events, each with their own headings within the chapter. There’s very little scene-setting, zero character development, and next to no actual storytelling.
Despite its length, the manuscript reads like an author’s reference document. Like a story bible for a novel that has yet to be written.
It is, by any objective measure, 100% not ready for publication.
But that didn’t stop multiple so-called “publishers” from enthusiastically accepting it…
At a price, of course.
The Price of Predation
The dream of seeing your work published can sometimes lead authors into the clutches of predatory practices within the publishing world. These predators prey on the hopes and aspirations of prospective authors, often promising fame and success in exchange for hefty fees.
There’s a fundamental truth to keep in mind when you come across one of these traps:
In traditional publishing, money flows to the author, not away from them.
As mentioned earlier, a publisher taking on your manuscript is a business agreement under which they will accept the majority of the risk. They’re investing in your work.
And that means they have to be very selective about the manuscripts they choose.
Once that contract is signed, they front the costs. The cost of editing. The cost of preparing for print. The cost of a professional cover. The cost to publish the book. The cost of marketing. You might even get a nice advance to fill your pockets for a while.
To make that money back, they take a cut of the sales via royalties.
What they won’t do, is ask you to foot the bill up front. (Hybrid agreements notwithstanding.)
In the case of “vanity” publishing, things are different. Here’s what was offered by one publisher:
CORE PUBLISHING PACKAGE (PER WORK)
Royalties Retained by Author: 100%
Cover Images (from 123RF): 3 included
Cover Design: Included
Paperback Formatting: Included
ISBN Number: Included
Electronic (PDF) Proofs: Included
Marketing Services (first year): Included
Publication fee (excluding VAT): £599
Total Publication fee (including VAT): £736.77 (GBP)
(OPTIONAL) ADDITIONAL SERVICES:
Text or Formatting Changes: from £49+VAT
Cover Design Changes: from £149+VAT
Hardback Publication: £99+VAT
Each Additional Image (from 123RF): £15+VAT
Publication for Distribution to Bookstores: £199+VAT
The author here is a UK resident, hence the prices are in British Pounds… but that also raises a red flag. Notice the amount of VAT applied: it’s 23%.
British VAT is 20%.
That’s because while this particular publisher purports to be based in the UK, they actually appear to operate out of Poland, where the VAT rate is indeed 23%.
This also isn’t the worst we’ve seen. Some quotes have exceeded $2,000—and bear in mind that this manuscript is barely even a manuscript at this point. It’s a hodge-podge collection of notes and ideas strung together in a loose narrative.
That is, of course, the first major red flag—but let’s dig into more of them.
Publishing Houses: Red Flags to Watch For
If you’re wondering how to get a book published without falling into the grasp of a predatory press, here’s a list of things to watch out for:
❌ Vague promises of success while asking for payment upfront.
This is not common among reputable agents and publishers. Predatory publishers may claim to have inside connections or special marketing strategies that guarantee your book will sell, but often these claims are unsubstantiated and lead to disappointment.
❌ Lack of selectivity in accepting manuscripts.
Legitimate agents and publishers are selective because their profit comes from selling books, not from author fees. If an agent or publisher seems too eager to publish your book without a thorough review, it may be a red flag. Likewise, if conversations with a publisher show they’re more interested in your money than your manuscript, think twice.
When you’re new to the process of getting traditionally published, it can be hard—if not impossible—to gauge the selectivity of a publisher. So, how about we put it this way instead…
❌ The publisher takes “submissions” yet responds with a bill.
This is a cynical trick used by predatory publishers to make themselves seem legitimate. You get the emotional high of your book having been “accepted” by a publisher, only to find yourself being asked for masses of money. Blinders on, you rush right in.
In reality, they barely care about the quality (or lack thereof) of the product. To them, you are the real product.
The fact you get to keep 100% of royalties earned? That’s because the publisher has already made more from you than you will likely ever see in sales.
❌ Exorbitant fees for services like editing, book design, or marketing.
While self-publishing does involve costs, they should be reasonable and clearly explained. Predatory practices often involve inflated costs with little to no return on investment for the author.
❌ The publisher doesn’t request book proposals or sample chapters.
These documents are crucial as they showcase your book’s market potential and your writing style. A legitimate publisher will always want to review your manuscript before submitting it to the next stage—in fact, they’ll usually only want to look at a small sample from the beginning of the book, before requesting the full manuscript if they’re interested in seeing more. Skipping this step is a sign that they may not be invested in the quality or success of your book.
❌ The publisher approaches you out of the blue.
Unless you’re a recognized name with a hot property, this will almost never happen—especially via random social media comments or messages. If someone you don’t know “slides into your DMs” after reading your post about finishing your book, make sure your guard is up.
❌ The publisher includes “marketing” fees but has no presence.
So-called “marketing packages” from predatory publishers usually include a couple of social media posts, and that’s it. The publisher we’re talking about today has only 1,000 followers on Twitter, with extremely low views and no engagement. That, and fewer than 1,000 followers on Facebook with, again, no engagement by way of comments or audience excitement. It’s unlikely they even have anything that could seriously be referred to as a marketing department.
Simply put: they have no market presence, so how can they be selling their books? Make sure to look at the Amazon listing for other books a publisher has brought to market. Do you see any activity? Any reviews? If you search social media for the book, can you find any nice marketing assets that aren’t cookie-cutter replicas from a company template? With a predatory publisher, the answer is, “probably not.” An established publisher should have a history of successful book deals and happy authors.
❌ Extremely fast publishing promises.
Prepping a book for publication takes a long time. Not just to get everything right in terms of editorial and formatting, but to find the right time in the market. Publishing professionals know this.
This particular publisher offered a publication date within 3 weeks of signing the contract. At such a timeframe, you can guarantee there will be next to no editing (if any) performed—even if they say they include that service in your fees.
A rushed product is, more often than not, a bad product.
❌ Poor cover design and blurbs.
Be sure to check any prospective publisher’s site for quality of cover design. Your book’s visual presentation is its first impression, and first impressions matter.
Today’s publisher includes (at cost to you, of course) a selection of stock images to be used in your cover. Unless they’re performing professional-grade photomanipulation, it’s very likely your cover would end up being a single stock image with some text slapped on top of it. Not very appealing.
The same applies to blurbs, which we found here to be over-long and packed with repetitive information—often the exact same line said over and over again.
❌ A lack of clear submission guidelines.
Reputable publishers have detailed guidelines for aspiring authors to follow. These ensure that your book fits their catalog and has the best chance of being accepted. If a publisher’s website lacks these or they seem willing to accept anything, question their credibility.
❌ They offer little to no constructive feedback on your work.
Acquiring editors at publishing houses are known for working closely with authors to polish their manuscripts. If your publisher shows no interest in improving your book, your red flag detector should be ringing.
❌ Their contracts offer you no control over the publishing process.
A fair book contract should respect your rights as an author while outlining the responsibilities of both parties. If a contract seems one-sided, it’s important to ask questions or seek legal advice.
❌ Excessive flattery.
The ol’ classic. While it’s natural to feel excited when someone shows interest in your work, remember that the book world is competitive. Publishers looking for quality manuscripts will be honest about the strengths and weaknesses of your work. Over-the-top praise without constructive critique should raise suspicions. It’s a one-in-a-million chance the book is just that good.
❌ Lack of communication about publication date or marketing plans.
A reputable publisher should have a clear timeline for your book’s release and a strategy to promote it. If these details are vague or non-existent, consider it a warning sign—but don’t forget what we said earlier about things moving too fast.
❌ They discourage you from seeking advice or representation from agents.
Agents and authors often work together to ensure fair book contracts and to navigate the complexities of the publishing industry. A publisher that wants to keep you away from knowledgeable or legal support is a red flag.
When Paying Isn’t Predatory
Let’s finish up with a bit of nuance, because this is hardly a black & white world…
If you fully intend to publish your book independently, and need help with making that happen, there’s nothing wrong with getting that help.
It’s important to recognize that not all costs or investments are signs of predatory behavior.
Self-published authors often pay out of pocket for professional editing, beta readers, a freelance designer for the book’s cover, or printing physical copies of your book. These are standard expenses in the self-publishing route, where authors have full control over the publishing process.
Engagements with freelance professionals, like editors, designers, and beta readers, should not (generally) be viewed with suspicion. Vet the work of these people first, and you can be sure their expertise will enhance the quality of your book. Their services are part of a typical publishing process for both traditional and self-published books—in fact, you can even hire editors and designers who’ve worked on “big five” publications all by yourself.
Participation in writing conferences and writing groups can also involve costs, but these are investments in your writing journey. Networking with other aspiring authors, agents, and acquiring editors at publishing houses can offer valuable insights and opportunities. These are not predatory practices, but steps toward professional growth and book publication—though the introverts among us can certainly be forgiven for giving them a miss!
Self-publishing platforms that charge a fee for publishing your book are also not inherently predatory. These platforms offer a range of services and control over the publishing process that traditional publishing does not. It’s vital to do your research so you understand what you’re paying for and the potential return on your investment.
Finally, publishers who encourage you to promote your book through book clubs or social media are not being predatory; they’re being practical.
Authors can play a significant role in the marketing and publicity of their books, building a relationship with their audience. Such initiatives are crucial for the success of your book in a crowded market.
Stay Safe Out There
In short: if you decide traditional publishing isn’t for you, you’re likely to need some help.
That’s okay.
But when you look for help to publish your book, look for a company that happily presents itself as an “author services” or similar outfit. One that has a track record that you can verify, and feel confident in putting your money towards—for every service they offer…
Not a company that pretends to be a publishing house—complete with swanky, old-school literary logo—and makes you jump through hoops just to mimic the traditional route and prey on your desires.
Those sharks will scoop up your cash like so much chum, then swim off to the next victim while your book drowns on Amazon.
The allure of seeing your book in print can sometimes cloud judgment, but it’s important to research and seek advice from trusted sources within the publishing community. Joining writers’ groups, attending seminars, and chatting with established authors can provide valuable insights into avoiding predatory practices.
As an AutoCrit member, you can take part in all of these things every week. You don’t even need to turn your camera on.
Your book deserves love and respect, and your name deserves to be attached to a good product that helps you connect with readers, build a fanbase, and enjoy a rewarding publishing journey.
Just be careful out there while you seek that goal.
If you ever find anything in question, don’t be afraid to get in touch with a member of the AutoCrit team, or drop in for support from our wonderful Member Community. We’re all here to help.
