Chooseyourpublisher.com - Not Really!
Nan Barnes
People often ask us about the best publishers for their memoirs and family histories. We try to stay current on what’s going on in the industry. I recently ran across a site called chooseyourpublisher.com.
Chooseyourpublisher.com’s home page copy tells visitors: "For writers and authors the world over, the question of "how to publish my book" elicits a daunting and overwhelming answer… Finding the right publishing company & publisher is an important step to publishing your book...Choose Your Publisher provides you with an "extensive directory" of top-quality & experienced publishing companies."
To select a publisher the site asks a five questions to be answered with pull down choices:
The fact that the site asks you what you expect to pay rather than finding out what services you will need then giving you a quote on what it will cost is a warning of what is to come.
The site then asks for your complete contact information. When you enter it, you get a recommendation from the site’s “extensive directory.”
The only problem is that the extensive directory consists of only four possible recommendations: iUniverse, Xlibris, Author House and Tafford. All are owned by Bertram Capital Management of San Mateo, California.
Chooseyourpublisher.com is nothing more than an advertising ploy. It allows authors to choose from an extensive directory of a single corporate home.
Two days after receiving our recommendations online a telemarketer for Xlibris contacted us by phone to sell us a publishing package.
This cautionary tale is like a lot of those to be found on the web. When researching publishing choices make sure your are getting real information not disguised marketing copy masquerading as facts.
Chooseyourpublisher.com’s home page copy tells visitors: "For writers and authors the world over, the question of "how to publish my book" elicits a daunting and overwhelming answer… Finding the right publishing company & publisher is an important step to publishing your book...Choose Your Publisher provides you with an "extensive directory" of top-quality & experienced publishing companies."
To select a publisher the site asks a five questions to be answered with pull down choices:
- What type of book do you want to publish?
- When are you ready to publish?
- Which is the most important reason you want to publish your book?
- What amount do you want to invest to get published?
- What support do you need to help you get published?
The fact that the site asks you what you expect to pay rather than finding out what services you will need then giving you a quote on what it will cost is a warning of what is to come.
The site then asks for your complete contact information. When you enter it, you get a recommendation from the site’s “extensive directory.”
The only problem is that the extensive directory consists of only four possible recommendations: iUniverse, Xlibris, Author House and Tafford. All are owned by Bertram Capital Management of San Mateo, California.
Chooseyourpublisher.com is nothing more than an advertising ploy. It allows authors to choose from an extensive directory of a single corporate home.
Two days after receiving our recommendations online a telemarketer for Xlibris contacted us by phone to sell us a publishing package.
This cautionary tale is like a lot of those to be found on the web. When researching publishing choices make sure your are getting real information not disguised marketing copy masquerading as facts.