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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Today I'm highlighting a post by author and self-publishing expert David Gaughran . Like Writer Beware, David has been following Author Solutions Inc. closely over the past few years, and has written a number of important, in-depth articles about ASI and its operations. From David's blog : Penguin Random House is speeding up the international expansion of its vanity press operations, while also seeking to integrate them more closely with the traditional side of the business – hoping to counteract flat growth for Author Solutions at a time when self-publishing is booming. The expansion is MeGustaEscribir , which ASI will launch next Tuesday. ASI's press release describes MeGustaEscribir as "the supported self-publishing platform of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial" (Grupo Editorial is PRH's Spanish-language trade subsidiary). ASI has created other pay-to-play imprints for major publishers--WestBow Press for Tho...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Identity Theft This week, freelance writer Heather Boerner (who has published with such well-known venues as The Atlantic and The Washington Post) alerted me to her experience with a scammer. Heather discovered the scam when she was contacted, out of the blue, by an individual who claimed to have hired her through a freelance jobs bidding website called oDesk . From an article about the scam by one of Heather's colleagues, Paul Raeburn: [Heather] quickly realized that she had been the victim of identity theft. Somebody--a fake Heather--had gone to Boerner's website, copied her resume, downloaded her photo, linked to her website, and created an oDesk account offering services as a writer.... "It's an elaborate scheme. It's really bizarre," said Boerner, who has alerted some of her colleagues..."The guy who notified me of this said he had hired Fake Heather to do some writing. Fake Heather then hired ...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Are you thinking of creating your own cookbook--or have you already created one? Good news: an apparently new venture called Cookbook Marketing Agency is here to help . Cookbook Marketing Agency (CMA) is a global book marketing agency, publisher and branding consultancy. Along with our partners, we have helped thousands of authors, as well as other publishers increase their book sales potential. Sounds pretty impressive--if not very specific. That's OK, though, because CMA is ready to offer you a whole menu of assistance , including a promotional plan . Some benefits you will enjoy as a client of Cookbook Marketing Agency: 1. Prominently displayed at national and international book fairs and shows 2. Featured in a proprietary catalog of authors and titles 3. Ability to have E-book distribution 4. A professionally written and distributed press release of your Cookbook 5. Access to a full staff of experts to aid with the design, editi...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware This post has been updated. A few weeks ago, I began hearing from writers who'd been solicited, out of the blue, by a company called LitFire Publishing . In some cases by phone, in others by email, a LitFire "consultant" claimed to have received or seen information about the writers' books ( or even to have read them ), and wanted to offer a wonderful marketing opportunity--for, of course, a four-figure fee. Here's how LitFire describes itself and its services (also see the screenshot at the bottom of this post): Founded in 2008, LitFire allows authors to skip the hassles of traditional publishing. The company started out as a publisher of digital books. With hundreds of published titles and more than 50 publishing partners, we have learned how to succeed and soar in the eBook market. In 2014, LitFire expanded its horizon by offering self-publishing. Today, we offer all the services you would expect from a traditional...