Tips For Hiring a Cover Designer

Hi all!

This week I'll be talking about cover designers. Whether you are self publishing or traditional publishing, you will work with a cover designer for your book. Although traditional authors won't have as much say in the process like self publishing authors do.

Unless you are a great artist or master of Photoshop, I would highly recommend hiring someone to do your cover instead of doing it yourself. It may be costly, but you've got to remember: your cover is the first thing potential readers see. As much as we like to think people don't judge books on their covers, they do. So you want to make this first impression as a good as possible to convince them to buy.

Research covers in your genre.

Make sure your book cover fits in with your genre. Don't stick a topless man on the cover if you're writing historical fiction, it doesn't really work.

Specify your colour scheme.

If you want specific colours on the cover, tell your designer. If they think the colours won't work or don't fit, they'll suggest others to use.

Don't have your name bigger than the title.

Unless you're an award winning multi-million selling author, don't have your name be the biggest text on the cover. That should be reserved for your title.

Pick a font people can read.

Although fancy swirly fonts look nice, they're a pain to try to decipher. Pick a readable font with a nice flair.

Specify the dimensions of your cover.

If you're having your book available in print this is very important, as there are different sizes depending on book size and length.

If you want an art cover, research carefully.

There are loads of artists out there to hire who can draw specific scenes, landmarks and creatures from your book. Just make sure you look around, look through their previous work and reviews and check their prices.

Specify what you don't like as well as what you do like.

This will help the designer know what to not add to your cover.

Book in advance.

Covers can be a lengthy process, make sure you book one with plenty of time before your launch date. If you have a series of books that need covers, book them all at the same time to be done on different dates.

Don't share any of the designers work before the final cover.

Unless you have their permission, it is for your eyes only. Don't post any sketches or designs before the final design has been sent.

Send them a synopsis.

Let them know what your book is about, the characters and their goals. It will help them understand what needs to go on the cover.

Listen to your designer.

Nine times out of ten they will know what's best for your cover. Don't immediately ignore them if you don't agree with their vision of your cover.

Research carefully.

There are so many cover designers out there. Shop around before picking one or ask published authors for recommendations.

That's it for this post! See you next week!

My Reading Quirks

Hi all!

This week I thought I'd talk about something different: reading.

As writers we all need to make sure we read a lot, especially in the genres we write in. Reading can improve your writing as you read different styles, characters and plots. 

Starting the book:

Most people read from the first to the last chapter.

I always read the last few pages before starting a book.

It's a habit I developed when I was younger and reading the Warriors books by Erin Hunter. I was so excited to read the ending that I would just read it first. I still do it now, I don't mind spoilers at all. Most of the time you don't really understand the ending until you've read the full book anyway, so it doesn't hinder my reading experience at all. It's just a habit to flick straight to the back and then start the book.

Bookmarks:

I also use scrappy bits of paper as bookmarks, such as receipts or random pieces of card. I've had proper bookmarks, but I've just never used them. To me it's easier to find my page with a receipt rather than a thick bookmark.

Book jackets:

I think book jackets are pretty, but I usually remove them when reading as it makes it easier. It also means I don't accidentally damage it.

Book spines:

I know I'm not alone on this one, but I hate bending the spines of books. I like them to remain in pristine condition for as long as possible!

Fussy:

Admittedly, I'm quite fussy with what I read. More often than not I've started a book, put it down halfway through and never picked it up again. I find it hard to find books that I can connect with. Luckily I didn't have any problems connecting with Blood and Water while writing it. I suppose I just need to find the right story.

Warriors was the best book series to me growing up, and I took a lot of inspiration from Erin Hunter. I wanted to create a universe that thousands of people love. It also has my favourite animal as the characters: cats. These books made me want to write for teenagers as they brought so many people together in the Warriors forums. I want people to love and be inspired by my writing like they are with Erin Hunter.

Finally, I'm going to leave some tips for readers:

Don't be ashamed of what you read! 

Always review the books you liked!

Tell the author if you loved their book!

Don't pirate the book, authors need an income to write more books!

That's it for this week, next week I'm going to talk about the importance of cover designers.

See you next week!

Tips for Twitter Pitch Parties

Hi all!

Since a lot of pitch parties are coming up on Twitter, I thought I'd share some tips with you all!

I have participated in a few pitch parties, and they're really fun! Not only can you pitch your book using hashtags that agents and publishers are looking through, but you can see everyone else's pitches too. The big thing to remember is that even if you don't get any interest from agents or publishers, that doesn't mean you can't query them anyway. They may not have seen your pitch, or didn't like the way you pitched your book. Either way, don't let that stop you from querying them if you want to.

Do:

Read the rules.

Make sure your book fits the genre and age group listed if there are any. Don't rule yourself out before you've even started.

Use the correct hashtags.

Make sure your hashtags are correct and fit your genre, other wise the agents you're looking for will struggle to find you.

Have four or five different pitches.

Twitter will delete duplicate tweets, so make sure you switch up the wording and hashtags in each tweet. Also, don't post the same pitch over and over. Mix it up!

Schedule your tweets.

When I participated in the parties I wasn't able to post the pitches all day because I was at work. So I used TweetDeck to write my pitches and choose a time of day for them to come out. Make sure you use a test tweet beforehand!

Retweet others pitches.

If you see a pitch you like, retweet it! That author will be grateful and may even retweet yours. If more people retweet your pitch then you're more likely to get noticed by agents.

Explain the main plot of your book.

I know it's hard to squeeze it into so little characters, but you can do it. Don't pick a subplot or minor character to focus on when your MC is off doing something else.

Research before you query.

Unfortunately, vanity publishers and fake agents love these events. Make sure you research carefully before sending anyone anything. There have been cases of fake accounts being set up to pose as agents and reject every author who queries them. Check their page, is it new? Does it have many followers? How many tweets are there?

Have fun!

Don't get disappointed if you don't get any likes from agents. Out off all the parties I participated in, I only got two likes. One was a vanity publisher and the other was a dodgy agency. Just enjoy yourself.

Don't:

Like others pitches.

It's in the rules, just don't do it.

Get angry if people like your pitch.

Not everyone knows the rules, just ignore it and move on. Don't call them out in a mean way, they just liked your tweet.

Bash anyone else's pitch.

It's rude, and it won't get you noticed.

Post duplicate tweets.

As I said before, Twitter will delete them. Switch up the words and hashtags every so often so your tweets stay up.

Schedule tweets to post exactly on the hour.

That's when most people post, go for a more obscure time like 13:21. It means that your tweet won't get lost immediately in the influx of posts on the hour. The less posts there are at that time, the more likely you are going to get noticed.

Use pictures.

Most pitch parties don't allow them as it's a way to sneak more words in. Check the rules to see if you can post pictures.

Participate in every pitch party.

There are so many, and some will not fit your book. If you're writing erotica, there's no point in doing #SFFpit. If you're writing fantasy, don't participate in #KissPitch. Make sure you participate in the correct ones.

That's it for this week! Hope you found it useful, and good luck to anyone participating in upcoming pitch parties!

See you next week.

Teenage Writers

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about writing as a teenager. I've seen a lot of stuff online that says this is an 'issue' and I want to prove otherwise.

I finished the first draft of Blood and Water when I was seventeen. I was curious how to go about editing and preparing it for querying so I read a lot of blog posts from other authors. These were very helpful to read as they taught me how to self edit effectively. However, some I came across were very much against teenagers publishing, or even writing.

Some argued that they are too immature, that they will wreck their chances in the industry before they have even stepped out the door. I think this is really unfair as I've heard of more older authors who destroy their chances by bad mouthing agents or not following submission guidelines. Teenagers aren't the only ones who do it. A lot are more mature than others give them credit for, they may have been writing since they were young and want to try to write a novel. It's what I did.

I wrote a lot of stories about cats until I was about thirteen, then I started writing Fanfiction. Both of these styles of writing helped me grow my writing abilities, but some authors were saying that teenagers should stick to Fanfiction until they are 'old enough'. I think this is really unfair, there is no age where you can start writing novels. If teenagers want to do it, it doesn't harm anyone. There isn't a minimum age you need to be to get an agent.

I also think it's a bit demeaning towards their younger fans, age is just a number. If they have an idea they want to turn into a novel, encourage them. There's no point in putting people down, it doesn't make you a better writer.

Why do some people think that teenagers writing is a problem?

If they want to write, let them. It doesn't effect your writing at all, so these people should just concentrate on themselves rather than worrying about everyone else.

I loved writing when I was younger, and to see stuff like that really put me down as I thought I wouldn't be taken seriously.
When I was researching agents I came across one who had a sixteen year old as one of her clients, which taught me that agents don't care about your age. They just want a good book.

Although I ended up not querying Blood and Water until January 2018, I don't regret putting it off. It helped my writing to grow and become better.

Now that I'm self publishing, I really want to inspire young people to write, no matter their age. I've tried to search for some of the posts as examples but a lot have been taken down. I'm not sure whether it's because they received backlash or their perspective changed. Either way, I'm happy they're gone. As writers we need to encourage each other, not put other people down.

Young people can write just as well as someone who is older, and as someone who writes for teenagers, I want to encourage them.

Erin Hunter inspired me when I was young, and I want to inspire young adults as she inspired me. I want them to have an escape, an opportunity to forget about everything and get lost in a book. One day I hope that Elemental Dragons or one of my other series will inspire someone to chase their dreams of writing.

That's what I hate it when people bad mouth teenage authors, we're supposed to inspiring and encouraging them. Writing about how 'immature' and 'unprofessional' they are will just put them off.

I would have been heartbroken if my favourite author and mouthed part of their fan base just because of their age. That's why I'll try my hardest to encourage young people through my writing. I want to give them the same opportunity for escape that I had.

That's it for this week! Next week I'm going to write about Twitter Pitch Parties, and how they can help you get an agent.

See you next week!

Why Self Publishers Need a Professional Editor

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about editors for self publishers, and why they are vital to self publish your book. I got Blood and Water edited professionally, and I am so thankful I did. She was wonderful, and she helped me fix things that I didn't even notice when I was editing it myself. I am hoping to go back to her to edit the rest of the Elemental Dragons series.

First off, the big question: if I can edit myself, why do I need an editor?

There are several reasons you need an editor, and if you want your book to be the best it can be, you're going to need at least one person professionally looking over your work.

They will not hold back.

Your book is your baby, of course you're going to be soft on it. I know I was with Blood and Water, I was too nervous to cut things that, in hindsight, I didn't need. Editors will not think about your book in this way, and they will critique it fairly.

They can spot things you've missed.

After reading your book and editing it over and over there are things you will miss, but that's okay. An editor is more likely to pick up spelling and grammar mistakes because they have never read your book before. Their eyes are not used to the words like you are.

It's a fresh pair of eyes.

As above, they can spot mistakes and suggest corrections better than you can. They can look at your manuscript with a clean slate.

Family and friends aren't enough.

Their feedback will be biased, no matter how they try to convince you other wise. You need someone who will give you truly honest feedback.

It will make your book more professional.

When selling a book it needs to be the best it can be, no-one wants to read a book full of spelling and continuity errors when there are thousands out there that have been edited. Don't shoot yourself in the foot before you've even started.

They can sort plot holes.

I didn't realise that Blood and Water had any plot holes left until I got my editor. I had completely forgotten that a dragon was supposed to be patrolling hallways as stated in the first chapter! So I quickly fixed that.

They can make suggestions.

My editor didn't like the ending to Blood and Water, so I revamped it. It was a huge cliffhanger, but she suggested I change it to something a little more subtle, so I did.

They can point out character flaws.

One flaw that I had was the relationship between two siblings, Hazel and Rocky. She thought some parts were a bit out of character and suggested I remove chapters that are in his point of view. I did, and it made the story flow so much better!

They're not all bad, they'll tell you what they love about your work too.

It's not all criticism, they will let you know what parts they liked and how to improve the rest of the story to reflect the good parts.

Of course, editors are expensive. But, they are so worth it. To get feedback on how to improve your work is priceless. You do have to pick the right editor of course. I picked mine because I felt that she corrected my test pages the best and was also in my price range. I looked her up and saw that she had a lot of experience of editing in my genre, which was great. You don't really want a sci-fi editor for your historical mystery, do you?

That's it for this week! Next week I'm going to write about writing as a teenager. See you then!

How to Query Correctly

Hi all!

As promised, this week I will be writing about querying agents/publishers. I hope you enjoy!

Before I decided to self publish I queried both agents and publishers for nine months. It's a gruelling process, as each company has different guidelines and interests. Some will get back to you, and some won't. Some will like your work, some won't. You shouldn't take any of it personally, it's a subjective business. 

As you can guess, I didn't get represented.

But that doesn't mean it was a waste of time for me, querying made me realize that traditional publication wasn't really what I wanted. Although I got loads of rejections, they helped me grow as an author.

Always follow their guidelines.

Don't ignore guidelines, companies use them for a reason. It will not make you stand out if you just do whatever you want, it will make you come across as incompetent. If you don't follow the guidelines, your query will be rejected without a glance. If they want you to use a certain font size, use it. If they want your query double spaced, do it.

For agents, address them by name.

Many agents prefer you to use at least their first name when addressing them in your query. It clearly shows that you want them to read it and possibly represent you. Make sure you spell their name correctly, nothing will turn an agent off in the first sentence if you can't even spell their name right.

Don't spam them with emails.

Once you've sent the initial query, don't nudge them constantly. If on their website they have a time frame they will often state that you can ask them after that date. It's usually eight to twelve weeks. If you constantly spam them a few weeks after, you will be rejected.

Don't submit to multiple agents in the same agency unless specified.

Most agencies in the UK state that a rejection from one agent is a rejection from the whole agency. Don't submit to another agent if they say not to because the agency will find out.

Don't submit to agents who don't represent your genre.

It's simply a waste of their time and yours.

If you get rejected, don't berate them on social media.

This is the fastest way to get you blacklisted from many agencies and publishers.

If you get rejected, don't email them back with nasty comments.

It isn't necessary, just because one doesn't want to represent your work doesn't mean that someone else won't. Don't destroy your chances because you couldn't control your anger.

You will get rejected.

It's natural, but as I've said in my previous post about rejection, don't let it get you down. Keep going.

Research.

Make sure you research who you query. Some companies might look legit but are actually dodgy. At least give them a quick search before sending.

Keep track of who you have queried.

Keep a list of outstanding queries and rejections, this will help you keep track in the long run. I used links for each website and put them in different files based on the query status.

Keep writing!

Don't stop just because you're querying something! Writing something else on the side can keep you distracted while also making sure those creative juices are flowing.

That's it for this week, hope you enjoyed it!

My 2019 Writing Goals

Hi all!

Seeing as it's now a new year, I thought I would tell you all about my writing goals for 2019! 

Publishing Blood and Water.

Yes, I will be self publishing Blood and Water this year. I'm aiming for a Winter release so then I have time to do all the research I can. I don't want to mess this up at all, I want this to be as successful as possible. However, I've done a lot of work already! So far I have:

- Had it edited by a professional editor (who is amazing!).

- Created a website.

- Created a blog.

- Grown my Twitter page.

- Created my Facebook page.

- Created a Goodreads page.

- Started MailChimp (though I'm still struggling with getting a P.O. Box, which is the only thing holding me back from creating my mailing list. I'm hoping to sort that out in the next few weeks).

- Looked up copyright.

- Hired a cover designer (cover reveal in May I hope!).

- Bought loads of books about self publishing.

- Researched thoroughly.

Despite all of that though, I've still got a long way to go. I started 2018 hoping to go down the traditional publishing route, but now I'm doing the opposite. It's terrifying, my anxiety keeps trying to tell me to stop but I'm not going to. Although it's going to be stressful, I hope it will be worth it in the long run. Writing is one of the only things I'm good at and I don't want to fail.

Write two books.

I'm setting a goal this year to write two books. One will be Nirvana, my YA sci-fi about a virus that doesn't kill you, but gives you the opportunity to bite more people to reach the afterlife. The other will be the last installment in the Elemental Dragons series: Cinder and Fire. Although I'm sad to have reached the end of this series, I'm so glad that I wrote it. Who knows, this might not even be the last book set in that universe!

Get Venom and Earth professionally edited.

The second book in my Elemental Dragons series need a to be looked over by an editor, so once I've done a bit more polishing I'll send it off.

Self edit Glass and Ice.

I haven't touched this book since NaNoWriMo, so it really needs some editing. I'm sure it's a terrible first draft but I'm hoping I can turn it into something great.

Decide which WIP to start next.

I have a bunch of ideas, and I'm hoping to decide which one to start once Cinder and Fire is done. Nirvana is the first in a trilogy so I'm going to continue that, but I also want another WIP to write on the side. So far my ideas are:

- YA Historical Fantasy trilogy.

- YA dystopian standalone.

- YA dystopian/sci-fi standalone.

- NA sci-fi standalone.

- NA paranormal mystery standalone.

As you can see I have a lot of ideas so you can expect loads of books from me! I have three series planned: Elemental Dragons (YA fantasy - four books), Damaged Goods (YA Historical Fantasy - three books) and Bitten (YA sci-fi - three books). So I'll be writing a mix of series and standalone, but I just need to decide which one to start next!

Take part in NaNoWriMo again.

I loved doing it last year, and I want to take part again this year! I'll probably be writing Cinder and Fire but it depends on whether I start it earlier in the year or not.

That's it for this week, I hope you all have a successful year with your writing! Stick around next week for when I talk about how not to query an agent/publisher. Just because I'm going down the self publishing route doesn't mean that I won't help those that want to be traditionally published as well.

Twitter for Writers

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about Twitter. It's a popular social media platform which makes it easy to interact with your fans and follow other authors. It's also great for marketing your book or author platform. However, the way you act can either make you or break you on Twitter.

Don't spam.

This is true for any social media. No one wants their feed filled with the same post by the same person over and over. Not only is it boring, but it will make followers more likely to unfollow you to clear their feed.

Don't ignore your followers.

Interact! Like, retweet and comment on posts. Not only will you make some friends, but your followers will be happy to talk to you.

Don't constantly post about your books.

Mix it up. Pin your latest book at the top of your profile so it's the first tweet people see when they click on your name. Only post about your book for announcements, promotions and launch dates. There's no need to post about your book several times a day, the thousandth tweet won't make people more likely to buy your book.

Be courteous.

The writing community is amazing on Twitter, I've met so many lovely people on there. Don't be horrible, it will get you blocked and turn people away from your books.

Don't pretend to be better than everyone else.

We're all in the same boat as writers, you don't need to put people down in order to elevate yourself. You'll lose followers.

Don't blast people on Twitter.

Get rejected by an agent? That's a shame, but you don't need to expose them on social media. Agents talk, they will not want to take on someone like that. Someone left you a negative review? Again, take it as a learning curve. Don't moan about them for everyone to see.

Don't follow people, wait for them to follow back, then unfollow.

It's rude, some will remember you if you follow them again. If you don't want to interact with them, don't follow.

Don't brag.

Please don't brag about how well your book is doing constantly and how much money you're raking in. It's not attractive. Writers who struggle don't want that thrust in their face every time they go on your profile. To be proud of your achievement is fine, but if every tweet is you talking about how great your book is people will unfollow.

Don't use it as a platform to hate others.

Once a tweet is out there, you can't take it back. Be careful what you post. 

Don't blindly follow everyone who follows you back.

I know it can be hard to check everyone when several people follow you at one time but it is worth it. If you follow blindly you don't know who you're following and what they promote. Always check to make sure you're comfortable following them.

Don't ignore people because they write in a different genre.

No genre is better than the other. I've seen a lot of romance and erotica authors feel down because some people don't interact with them for writing in those genres. We're all writers, we shouldn't exclude anyone.

Don't bash publication routes.

Traditional Publishing? Great! Just don't bash indie authors for their choice or claiming that your book is better. This is the same for indie authors, don't bash the traditional ones. Just because they got a contract doesn't mean that you are superior to them. Whatever route you go down is your choice so you shouldn't harass others for theirs.

Don't compare yourself to others.

People will have more followers than you. They will have more book sales, better reviews. Don't put yourself down because of it. If people like your work, they will follow you.

Don't instantly message people book links as soon as they follow you.

More likely than not, this will result in an unfollow. It's annoying and it doesn't work. You need to build up a fan base, not thrust your book into everyone's face.

Be kind.

There are so many people on Twitter and you don't know all their struggles. Be kind, always. You never know what friends you will make.

That's it for this week! The next post will be my goals for 2019, which includes news about the Elemental Dragons series. See you next week!

Don't be Ashamed to Write Fanfiction

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about Fanfiction, and why you shouldn't be ashamed to write it.

Firstly, Fanfiction is when someone writes a story using a book's setting, plot or characters. Most people write about their own original characters, or 'OCs' and how they would fit into this world.

I've seen a lot of authors being shamed online for writing Fanfiction, as they are using someone else's ideas and changing the plot.

There's nothing wrong with that.

As long as they source the original work and express that it is fan made, there is no harm done. They also don't try to sell these works because that would breach copyright. 

Fanfiction is a fun way to write without having to worry about doing all the world building yourself, it's already been done for you. It's a great way to improve your writing skills and also inspire you to come up with your own original work. I started off writing Fanfiction for my favourite book series, Warriors by Erin Hunter. I still love those books to this day (though I really need to catch up with some of the newer books).

Were they badly written?

Yes, but seeing as I wrote Fanfiction from thirteen to eighteen I could see the improvement.

Were there spelling errors?

You bet.

Did you use OCs?

Yep, creating OCs in the Warriors universe helped me greatly with personality and character flaws.

Did readers like the characters?

Yes, people loved my characters. When I left the site because of my schoolwork I passed one of my characters, Bouncepelt, to one of my most loyal readers.

Was the story good?

Kinda.

Do you regret writing it?

Not at all.

I wrote four Fanfiction novellas because of those books, I think I only managed to finish three before I had to stop to concentrate on my studies. It was a great creative outlet and I met so many lovely people from writing Fanfiction. It really improved my writing, as I just had to focus on nailing my characters because the background and rules had already been written. Although I look back on it now and cringe at how bad it is, I'm still glad that I loved a book series so much that I wanted to write about it and share it with the world.

Do not be ashamed to write Fanfiction.

It's not a bad thing at all, it's lovely to see authors expanding on someone else's work. I love reading Fanfiction, I think I've read more Fanfiction this month than books!

Of course, not all Fanfiction is good.

But, I'm the other hand you can go into any book store and pick up an awful traditionally published book or scroll through Amazon and find an unedited mess of an ebook. Shaming someone for reading Fanfiction does not make you look good. Plus, coming up with original ideas all the time can be exhausting. Why not take a break but also fulfill your writing needs at the same time?

I've also seen some of the following as to why people don't regard Fanfiction as 'proper' writing:

- It's copyright.

- Authors don't like it.

- You're stealing someone's work.

- You're not coming up with any ideas yourself.

- It's lazy.

- All Fanfiction is poorly written.

None of the above are true. Fanfiction is an important creative outlet, and I'd encourage people to write Fanfiction about my work if they were that inspired by it. Most authors are flattered that people love their work so much, so don't be afraid of backlash.

In conclusion, if you want to write Fanfiction, do it. If you don't want to, don't. But neither side should be shaming the other for their choice. We need to support each other no matter the writing route we take.

Thank you for reading this week's post! Did you ever write Fanfiction? Share in the comments!

Ways to Spot a Vanity Publisher

Hi all!

As promised, this week's blog post is about vanity publishers.

First off, what is a vanity publisher?

A vanity publisher is a publishing house where authors pay a high fee to get their book published. Unlike hybrid publishers, they do not give you a high quality product in return or help with marketing. Many vanity publishers attempt to disguise themselves as hybrid publishers, but don't do a good job of doing so.

Here are a few ways you can spot a vanity publisher:

They charge extremely high fees.

Most will charge in the thousands to produce your book. This is supposed to cover the costs of editing, marketing, printing and distribution. However, most of the books come out as low quality and difficult to read.

When you Google their names, hundreds of bad reviews come up.

Look at what other authors have to say. Have they received a horrible book in return for a £4000 fee? Run. These people are not trying to destroy a legitimate business, they are warning others against making the same mistakes.

You pay thousands for their logo to be slapped on your book.

That's it. They don't pay for anything. You simply give them money to have their logo on your book for 'exposure' to their fan base. This is a scam, you will pay for everything else as well. You're basically a self publisher who sunk thousands into a company who let you slap their image on your cover. Not worth it.

Their other books are poor quality.

If other authors are left with a shoddy book, so will you. They will pay as little as possible to editors and cover designers, so don't expect your book to look professional.

They follow a lot of people on social media but very few follow back.

You can tell when a vanity publisher is looking for new authors as they might go on a following spree to make more people notice their business.

They approach you directly to submit.

You might get a message from them telling you that they're interested in your project and would like you to submit. But how do they know your project is right for them? They don't! They're just preying on authors who want to achieve their dream of publishing.

There's little, or no, criteria for submitting.

Anything goes, from picture books to erotica. Many publishing houses focus on a few genres and try not to mix the age ranges inappropriately. If they accept anything and everything in one department, there's a high chance they'll take anything they can get for money.

No one seems to get rejected by them.

Everyone who submits gets accepted. Strange, huh? The more clients they accept, the more money they make. They're highly unlikely to turn potential clients away.

They accept you, then send a contract asking for money.

Publishers do not accept money from authors to publish books. The author only pays for their own marketing, unless they're going down the hybrid route.

They publish a lot of books, but don't sell many.

Why would they need to? They've taken your money, they don't need to actually well books to make a profit, they just charge their clients.

Their books aren't in book shops.

If you can't find any of their titles in book shops despite the claims that they distribute to them, they don't distribute. Ask the shop owner. Have they heard of the publishing house? Have they ever stocked any of their books?

When pressed for more information, they get defensive.

If you ask a few questions about any queries you have that might shine them in a bad light, they'll get defensive or stop talking to you completely.

Their website is under another business name.

This means that they have changed the name of their business. It's usually a way of them hiding the fact that their previous name was a vanity, so they think that a change of them might trick new clients. Make sure to check online if they've changed their name for a legitimate reason.

That's it for this week! Feel free to share any stories you have about vanity publishers in the comments!