:Heavy Sigh:

I was contacted yesterday by someone who is related to someone who knows someone I am related to asking for assistance with a publishing situation.  I don't want to shame the poor guy.  Lord knows, he's gone through enough, but it makes me want to shout from the rooftops yet again...

MONEY FLOWS TO THE AUTHOR NOT AWAY FROM THE AUTHOR

If you have several books published by several different publishing companies, and you have never seen any royalties, you may have been scammed.  I suggested that this author contact a publishing attorney because from what I understand, he's being contacted again to ask for more money.  

Poor dude.  Like I told him, real publishers never ask for money. Never.  EVER.  If they're asking for money, they might not be a scam.  They could be vanity.  But from what I understand, authentic vanity publishers are upfront about who they are and what they do and the costs involved.  Anything else is shady.  

Especially if they initiate contact.  If someone emails you out of the blue, wanting to publish your work, RUN.  Mark them as spam.  Block their email accounts.  Whatever you have to do to make sure they never contact you again... mainly because it's annoying.  But do not... I repeat, do NOT ever give them money.  

Shit, I've been in this game for over 20 years.  I started out doing every bit of research I could to make sure I was as informed as I could be.  And then I started sending queries out to reputable agents.  And to a few reputable small publishers.  None of them wanted me, so after 11 years of beating my head against those walls, I did it my own damn self.  And by the way, I'm still getting scammy emails from time to time.  The last one wanted me to contact him because he wanted to make one of my books into a movie.  Feh.  Yah, right.  (And by the way, even if were a real offer, I'm totally not interested in any of my books being subjected to the tender mercies of Hollyweird - no matter how much money it might bring me.  My soul is priced higher than they can afford to pay.)

A former friend of mine, knowing I was writing and trying to publish sent me a link to this great place that would publish my books for only a penny - or some such shit.  I'd already heard about this place from authors I developed an acquaintance with and I told him he'd sent me a link to a scam.  He was disgusted... with me for even suggesting that this place wasn't on the up-and-up.  :shrug:  (Not the only reason he's a former friend, but it didn't help.)  

The point is, there are a SHITLOAD of people anxious to separate you from your money.  They will promise you the moon and the stars and whole galaxies of awesome, but their promises are nothing but smoke and mirrors.  Oh, you send them a bunch of money and you might see your book on Amazon, but you won't see any sales unless you are out there stumping and pumping to make sales for yourself.  And you will probably never recoup the money you gave them.  Lord knows, this poor dude likely hasn't.  (We didn't discuss what he might've paid, and I don't want to know.)

Anyway, if you find yourself in the same position, talk to an attorney.  I could be wrong and they've done for you exactly what they promised they would - which is to 'publish' your book and the rest is up to you.  But I could be right.  Either way, only an attorney can help you now.