As I shared last month, I, along with James M. Walsh, Esq., and some independent researchers are compiling a list of companies that ALL AUTHORS should avoid. If I waited until the project was complete, it might be a year or more before it gets posted. We have almost 400 of these firms on our spreadsheet now.
The companies will be listed alphabetically and we’ll tell you why each company is either a scam, or just a really bad deal for authors. We will be adding to this list weekly. WritersWeekly has very good standing with Google. So, when people search for any of the companies on this list, WritersWeekly will pop up near the top.
Weigh in on the comments box below if you’ve had experiences with any of these companies, or if you see the patterns that we do!
Needless to say, we strongly recommend not doing ANY business with ANY company that:
- Uses the name Amazon, KDP, or derivatives thereof (trademark infringement).
- Has a website that is less than 10 years old. Notice most of the sites below were just created this year! And, some of these firms just keep creating new websites (that look similar to each other). Only work with an established publisher that is REALLY located IN the United States! We are finding multiple so-called publishers that are using virtual addresses. They are actually located overseas. Your chances of recovering anything if things go wrong are nil if they aren’t in the U.S.
- Has multiple websites under different names.
Publishers That ALL Authors Should AVOID AT ALL COSTS!
Alpha Book Writers / alphabookwriters.com (created 2022)
Allegedly threatened to call the cops on James M. Walsh, Esq. Address is a “mail center.” Some book covers on their website are from books that were published two years before the Alpha Book Writers website was created. Same address as KDP Publishing Officials, Exclusive Book Writers, and Amazon Publishing Prime (all are also on this list.)
Amazon Expert Publishing / amazonexpertpublishing.com (created July, 2024)
Book covers are on the website that were published before their website was created.
Amazon Publishing Prime / amazonpublishingprime.com (created October, 2024)
Address looks to be a pizza place on Google. Same address as Alpha Book Writers, KDP Publishing Officials, and Exclusive Book Writers. Some covers on their website are for books published before the Amazon Publishing Prime website was created.
AMZ Publishing Firm / AmzPublishingFirm.com (created in April, 2024)
Same phone number as Kindle Publishing Agency and Ecom Solution Hub (and the website is identical to Ecom Solution Hub’s).
AMZ Publishing Profs / amzpublishingprofs.com (Website not in whois.)
Scathing reviews on TrustPilot.com! In Google, same phone number as National Book Writers (also on this list).
Amazon Publishing Pros / amzpublishingpros.com (created in January, 2023)
F rating on bbb.org and scathing complaints on other websites. Same phone number as Amazon Publishing Source (also on this list).
Amazon Publishing Source / amazonpublishingsource.com (created November, 2024)
Covers are on the website for books published years before their website was created. Same phone number as Amazon Publishing Pros, which has an F rating on BBB.org.
Author Book Creators / AuthorBookCreators.com (created July, 2024)
They have the same phone number on google as Book Publishing HQ / BookPublishingHQ.com, which we have already profiled in WritersWeekly.
Author Books Publisher / authorbookspublisher.com (created May, 2024)
Same address as McMillan Book Publishers, US Book Professionals, Venture Book Publishers, and Twayne Publishers (all also on this list).
Ecom Solution Hub / ecomsolutionhub.com (created 11/27/24)
Offers marketing services to Amazon sellers. Refers authors to AMZ Publishing Firm (also on this list). Their websites are basically identical and they have the same phone number.
Exclusive Book Writers / about.me/exclusivebookwriters
Same “U.S. address” as Alpha Book Writers, KDP Publishing Officials, and Amazon Prime Publishing (all also on this list) but Facebook says Exclusive Book Writers is in Canada.
KDP Publishing Officials / kdppublishingofficials.com (created September, 2024)
Same address as Alpha Book Writers, Exclusive Book Writers, and Amazon Publishing Prime (also on this list).
Kindle Book Publisher Inc (a.k.a. Kindle Publishing) / facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557127226795
Same address as Kindle Publishing Agency (also on this list).
Kindle Publishing Agency / Kindlepub.co (Not listed on WhoIs)
Same phone number as AMZ Publishing Firm (also on this list).
McMillan Book Publishers / mcmillanbookpublishers.com (created 11/2023)
They company is infringing on the trademark of the real Macmillan Publishers. Read this:
EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART IV
National Book Writers / nationalbookwriters.com (website is not working)
On Google, same phone number as AMZ Publishing Profs Reviews. Address is a mailbox service.
Pantheon Book Publishers (Website is now dead.)
Trademark infringement and they have the same phone number as McMillan Book Publishers (more trademark infringement!), which is further up on this list.
Twayne Publishers / twaynepublishers.com (created 9/2024)
On Google, they have the same address as Venture Book Publishers, which is also on this list.
US Book Professionals / usbookprofessionals.com (created 5/2024)
They have the same phone number as McMillan Publishers (also on this list).
Venture Book Publishers / venturebookpublishers.com (created 7/2024)
Same address as Twayne Publishers and the same phone number as McMillan Book Publishers.
Your Books Publisher / yourbookspublisher.com (created 7/2024)
Same phone number as McMillan Book Publishers, which is also on this list.
DON’T FORGET TO WEIGHT IN USING THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW! And, keep checking back! We’ll be adding more every week!
RELATED
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART I: This International Scam is Fooling THOUSANDS of Authors Across the Globe!
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART II: 19 Signs You’re About to Get Scammed By a Foreign “Book Publisher”
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART III: How WritersWeekly Communicates Directly with Deceitful “Publishers” to Expose Their Appalling Practices
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART IV: WARNINGS about TheGhostWriting.org, Book Publishing HQ, Author Book Creators, Author Books Publisher, AMZ Publishing Firm, and McMillan Book Publishers (the fake one), AND MORE!
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT – PART V: Do NOT Hire ANY Publisher That is Running Paid Ads on Facebook Right Now!
- How to Tell if That So-Called “Publisher” is REALLY Located in the U.S.! By James M. Walsh, Esq.
- COMPLAINTS about Publishing Mojo / PublishingMojo.com – by James M. Walsh, Esq.
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
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