Getting book reviews is one of the most difficult things for an Indie author. You can give books away, but even giving them away to friends who have promised an honest review in exchange for said free book does not get you that review.
So, what are you to do? You can pay plenty of people to give you a stellar (although not always coherent) review, but anyone who agrees to review your book on Amazon for money is breaking Amazon's terms of service unless they disclose in the review that they were paid to give it. If you are paying someone to review your books, make sure they include this disclaimer. If you give people free books in exchange for a review, make sure you have them note that in their review. Amazon has sued thousands of businesses for posting paid reviews without disclaimers.
For those of us who don't want to get into the messiness of paying people for reviews, we often turn to websites like Goodreads to find people willing to review the books we write. I wanted to share some of my experiences with this.
One easy way to get reviews on Goodreads without forcing the reviewer to include a disclaimer on the review is using the Goodreads' Giveaways. At one time, these were only open to people willing to give out paperbacks, but digital content is now accepted. Since the people who enter and win these books do not have to leave a review (it is asked but not forced), they do not have to write any disclaimers about them. In some cases, they may leave a disclaimer, which is also perfectly okay. After all, they simply won the book in a contest that was impartially judged.
When I did this, I got an average return of 1 review for every 10 books I gave away. Not all of these reviews were positive--but the negative ones came from people who didn't seem to understand what they were getting. So, if you do this method make sure to spell things out. List a couple other traditionally published (and well-known) books that are similar to your book in the description. And, be prepared to give away a lot of books in order to get substantial reviews.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Monday, August 19, 2019
Avoiding scams - the Fake Literary Agent
You believe in your book, but man is it hard to find someone else who will even consider it. You have tried blind mailing hundreds of publishing companies, a vanity press or two, and self-publishing, but you are becoming tired. Maybe if you just find a literary agent to represent the book for you, then you could sit back in your easy chair and just wait for the checks to come sailing in.
If you are like most aspiring writers, you begin to do research in order to find a good agent to represent your book. You know all about avoiding fake publishing houses and vanity presses because you know that a traditional publisher will not charge you anything to publish your book. However, even a legitimate "no-fee" literary agent may charge you "fees." How can that be? Well, the "fees" a legitimate agent might charge are actually reimbursements for making copies of your 200 page novel and then sending it to publishers. So how do you know?
Well, first you have to look at how you found the agent. Did you check in a reliable resource such as the most recent Writers Market and then visit the agent's website directly? Or, did you type "literary agent" into Google search and click on the highest ranked sponsored one? If you did the latter, you are in trouble, since real literary agents do not advertise and would not be a sponsored link.
When you get to the website, does the agent list the books it has recently sold? If yes, are these books truly sold to traditional publishers and are they truly recent? You will have to do some research to find this information out, but legitimate agents will list recent books sold to legitimate, traditional publishers.
Does the agent have a street address or is the address online only? Real agents have real places of business.
Once you have queried the agent, and they contact you, do you have to pay money upfront in order to sign the contract? This money could be for any reason: publicity photos, editing, critiques, a website that is designed for you to promote your book--anything. Real agents don't have add-ons that cost money.
So, what kind of fees do real agents charge? Once you have signed the contract, the agent will go to work for you and start sending out queries and copies of manuscripts. At this point, they may ask to be reimbursed for the cost of making these copies and sending them. If your manuscript sells to the publisher, the agent take up to 25% of the money made from sales. If your literary agent is constantly asking you to pay for new add-on services that are more than standard copying/postage reimbursements, then you need to find a new agent.
If you are like most aspiring writers, you begin to do research in order to find a good agent to represent your book. You know all about avoiding fake publishing houses and vanity presses because you know that a traditional publisher will not charge you anything to publish your book. However, even a legitimate "no-fee" literary agent may charge you "fees." How can that be? Well, the "fees" a legitimate agent might charge are actually reimbursements for making copies of your 200 page novel and then sending it to publishers. So how do you know?
Well, first you have to look at how you found the agent. Did you check in a reliable resource such as the most recent Writers Market and then visit the agent's website directly? Or, did you type "literary agent" into Google search and click on the highest ranked sponsored one? If you did the latter, you are in trouble, since real literary agents do not advertise and would not be a sponsored link.
When you get to the website, does the agent list the books it has recently sold? If yes, are these books truly sold to traditional publishers and are they truly recent? You will have to do some research to find this information out, but legitimate agents will list recent books sold to legitimate, traditional publishers.
Does the agent have a street address or is the address online only? Real agents have real places of business.
Once you have queried the agent, and they contact you, do you have to pay money upfront in order to sign the contract? This money could be for any reason: publicity photos, editing, critiques, a website that is designed for you to promote your book--anything. Real agents don't have add-ons that cost money.
So, what kind of fees do real agents charge? Once you have signed the contract, the agent will go to work for you and start sending out queries and copies of manuscripts. At this point, they may ask to be reimbursed for the cost of making these copies and sending them. If your manuscript sells to the publisher, the agent take up to 25% of the money made from sales. If your literary agent is constantly asking you to pay for new add-on services that are more than standard copying/postage reimbursements, then you need to find a new agent.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Avoiding scams - the Work From Home or Freelance Job Scam
Everybody knows that there are good paying, work-from-home jobs out there that will train you.
The problem is that this thing everyone "knows' is actually a false rumor. The letter above is not a legitimate job offer but another scam. I have a resume posted on LinkedIn (with personal information redacted), but never have I gotten a legitimate job offer from LinkedIn. I usually get "business deals" that would require a time or monetary investment from me. In other cases, I get people wanting to be a part of my "network" so they can further promote their own businesses. Most of these things are harmless, but the danger of posting your resume or building a profile on any job search website is that you are jumping up and down, waving your hands, and screaming "SCAM ME! PLEASE!"
In many cases, when you get that call about reducing your student loans (for example), the scammers have no idea whether or not you have student loans. They are simply cold calling you and hoping that you have one. Generic scammers usually don't even ask to talk to a specific person. But when you put up a resume or fill out a profile on a job website, you have already let them know that you need a job. In many cases, you may be desperate for a job since you resorted to an online marketplace to find one.
I am not talking about going to Walmart.com and applying for a job there that you saw advertised in your local store. I am talking about job posting websites such as Indeed and Ziprecruiter and places like that where "applying" is "easy."
I have never heard of anyone getting a legitimate job from any of these places. Why? Because applying is easy. That means, you can apply to hundreds of jobs that you are not qualified to do, and so can millions of other users. No company has the resources to personally sort through all those applications, so they develop computerized filters that kick any application that doesn't meet the specific (narrow) requirements. This means that even if you are qualified for the job, you are more likely to be kicked for something not recognized by the filter (with the millions of unqualified applicants) than you are to be hired.
But these websites are great resources for scammers. The same is true for trusted freelancing websites like Upworks and Guru. The main difference is that if you let the job sit a few days on the freelancing websites, it will probably get flagged as a scam. In addition, freelancing websites allow you to verify payment before working.
But what if it really is the good deal it promises to be? It isn't. So how do I know? Let's look at the "job offer" I received:
Our Recruiting Team viewed your resume and we are pleased with your qualifications, we believe you have the required qualifications to undergo an online interview.Your resume was shortlisted for an online interview with the Hiring manager Mrs Smith via Google Hanqout with the following email address (------------@gmailcom) Add her to your buddy list and send her an IM, she will be online waiting for you ASAP to conduct the interview for you. The pay rate is $50 per hour and you get paid $20 for training, Also leave your digits and email behind. Your verification code is XXX9999 this would serve as your identification number .flexible....
Interview Scheduled : Online.
Time: ASAP
Venue: On line Google Hanqouts
Training is Available
Your swift and timely response matters a lot in this beneficial position.
We look forward to having you on the team.
Hr Department
Empire Ozark Food Brokers
The problem is that this thing everyone "knows' is actually a false rumor. The letter above is not a legitimate job offer but another scam. I have a resume posted on LinkedIn (with personal information redacted), but never have I gotten a legitimate job offer from LinkedIn. I usually get "business deals" that would require a time or monetary investment from me. In other cases, I get people wanting to be a part of my "network" so they can further promote their own businesses. Most of these things are harmless, but the danger of posting your resume or building a profile on any job search website is that you are jumping up and down, waving your hands, and screaming "SCAM ME! PLEASE!"
In many cases, when you get that call about reducing your student loans (for example), the scammers have no idea whether or not you have student loans. They are simply cold calling you and hoping that you have one. Generic scammers usually don't even ask to talk to a specific person. But when you put up a resume or fill out a profile on a job website, you have already let them know that you need a job. In many cases, you may be desperate for a job since you resorted to an online marketplace to find one.
I am not talking about going to Walmart.com and applying for a job there that you saw advertised in your local store. I am talking about job posting websites such as Indeed and Ziprecruiter and places like that where "applying" is "easy."
I have never heard of anyone getting a legitimate job from any of these places. Why? Because applying is easy. That means, you can apply to hundreds of jobs that you are not qualified to do, and so can millions of other users. No company has the resources to personally sort through all those applications, so they develop computerized filters that kick any application that doesn't meet the specific (narrow) requirements. This means that even if you are qualified for the job, you are more likely to be kicked for something not recognized by the filter (with the millions of unqualified applicants) than you are to be hired.
But these websites are great resources for scammers. The same is true for trusted freelancing websites like Upworks and Guru. The main difference is that if you let the job sit a few days on the freelancing websites, it will probably get flagged as a scam. In addition, freelancing websites allow you to verify payment before working.
But what if it really is the good deal it promises to be? It isn't. So how do I know? Let's look at the "job offer" I received:
- The business is the name of a legitimate company in the United States. The English is not legitimate, native born United States English.
- This job was supposedly a translating job--translators (and most professional writers) prefer per word rates instead of per hour rates.
- I am a translator, but my profiles only state that I translate INTO English. This project wanted me to translate FROM English. They clearly did not pay attention to my resume.
- You cannot train someone to be a translator. The person must already have the language skills. Some people will never be able to understand foreign languages. Translating requires more than typing something into Google Translate and cutting and pasting the gibberish you get.
- In addition to the above, the job post said they needed the translator for international safety and accreditation purposes listing official agencies that were requiring these translations, but neither of the agencies do that and no one needs a translator to help "accredit" a food broker.
- In fact, food brokers usually need people familiar with food service who are salesmen and bookkeepers. This food broker is a very small company making the need for a translator even more unlikely.
- The number one thing that should always send every warning bell in your mind off is "ASAP" and "she will be waiting online for you." No American company has someone waiting online 24/7 for you to respond to a job offer. I highly doubt anyone anywhere in the world except a scammer would have someone waiting for you to call them back 24/7. Some translation jobs are urgent, but a food broker looking for accreditation is not one of them. Again, even an urgent job would not have someone waiting for you to call 24/7.
Usually these scam jobs hurt you in two ways: (1) You are required to do immediate work with no chance to set up something like Guru's SafePay. Even when I am taking an urgent job on Guru, I require funds deposited (and cleared) before I begin work. However, part of this scam is getting you to do work before you are paid. (2) After you have done the work, you are sent a check and the typical fake-check-deposited-in-your-bank scam is then done.
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