How to spot a publishing scam (with real examples)
The warning signs of a predatory publisher — cold calls, rights grabs, fake Amazon affiliations, endless upsells — illustrated with documented cases, including a publisher whose owners pleaded to felony charges.
Most predatory publishers aren’t cartoonish — they have polished websites, friendly “publishing consultants,” and testimonials. The damage shows up later: a book that never reaches stores, royalties that never arrive, rights you can’t get back, and a credit-card statement full of upsells. Here are the warning signs, each with a documented example.
The red flags
- They charge you to publish — and that’s the business. Traditional publishers pay authors. If the company’s revenue comes from authors rather than readers, its incentives point away from selling books.
- Cold outreach. Unsolicited calls, emails, or DMs offering to publish you — especially “we saw your manuscript and loved it” from a company you never contacted.
- Aggressive, recurring upsells. A modest entry price, then constant pressure to buy “marketing packages,” Hollywood pitches, or book-fair displays that rarely sell a single copy.
- False or implied affiliations. Claims of special relationships with Amazon, the Big Five, or “a major studio.” Overseas boiler-room operations often impersonate well-known brands.
- Rights grabs. Contracts that take your rights, or make them hard and expensive to get back.
- Vague pricing. No clear, itemized price until you’re on a sales call.
- Rotating names. The same operation reappearing under new brand names after complaints pile up.
Documented case — Tate Publishing. This Oklahoma vanity press generated 718 complaints to the Oklahoma Attorney General — undelivered products, unpaid royalties, and a notorious $50 fee charged to authors just to get their own manuscript files back. Investigators found money from authors’ sales moved into the owners’ personal accounts. Founder Richard Tate and CEO Ryan Tate entered no-contest pleas to dozens of felony counts, including embezzlement, extortion, and racketeering.
Documented case — Author Solutions. The operator behind AuthorHouse, iUniverse, and Xlibris was the subject of a 2013 class-action lawsuit (later joined by a second) that allegedthe company lured authors with promises of competing with traditional publishers, then profited by “delaying publication, publishing manuscripts with errors to generate fees, and selling worthless services.” The courts declined to certify the class and the case was settled, so these remain allegations — but watchdogs including Writer Beware and David Gaughran have documented the high-pressure upsell model for over a decade. See our Author Solutions network guide.
How to check — in five minutes
- Search the company on the ALLi Watchdog and Writer Beware.
- Look it up in our directory for a sourced verdict and the IBPA checklist.
- Ask for an itemized price and the full contract in writing.
- Ask to speak with three recent authors — and actually call them.
- Run the offer through our 11 questions before you pay.
Reputable trade and hybrid publishers don’t cold-call, don’t hide pricing, and don’t pressure you to decide today. If you feel rushed, that’s the signal to slow down.