You’ve written your manuscript, and now you’re ready for the next step. If you don’t have the time or desire to query literary agents and traditional publishers, your best bet is to explore hybrid or self-publishing—but be careful. You don’t want someone to take advantage of you. Luckily, we’re here to wave the red flag so you don’t move in a direction you’ll regret.
If you’re searching for an independent publisher to help you bring your book to life professionally and on your terms, one thing you may want to be on the lookout for is vanity presses. These publish books at the author’s expense, but they don’t care about how successful it turns out to be.
So how do you recognize a vanity press that’s masquerading as a legitimate hybrid publisher? There are a few factors that should cause you to pause and practice healthy skepticism.
A legitimate hybrid publisher has standards and won’t just publish anything. If there’s no vetting process—if they don’t ask you targeted questions about your project, your vision, and your goals—then there’s a good chance you’re talking to a vanity press.
It’s the classic sales tactic. “You have to commit now if you want to take advantage of this great deal! Just share your payment information, and I’ll make your publishing dreams come true.” Hybrid publishing is meant to be relational, not transactional. If it seems like it’s just a money grab . . . it probably is. (And another thing—you should invest the necessary time and effort into finding the right publishing home for you, so don’t let anyone rush you!)
If there’s no continuity, that’s definitely a red flag. When a true hybrid publisher is genuinely interested in your project and evaluating its merit, you should have a main point of contact who is communicative, knowledgeable, and attentive to your unique needs and goals as an author.
One of the basic requirements for a book to be successful is quality. If you have a sloppy manuscript, an unprofessional cover, and/or an incorrectly laid-out interior, no one’s going to want to read it, even if it’s the best story in the world. So it’s crucial that you can rely on your publisher to ensure quality, especially since you’re investing in the project and presumably want to make a return on your investment. That being said, if a publisher takes on your project and doesn’t insist on some level of editing or quality checks, that’s a cause for alarm.
Enough of the downside. Let’s talk about what you should look for when evaluating publishing partners!
Now what if you’re interested in self-publishing? Chances are you’re not an expert writer AND editor AND designer AND marketer. So you’ll have to hire a few freelancers to help you bring all the pieces of your book together. You can find excellent options on sites like Fiverr, Reedsy, and Upwork, but you definitely want to exercise caution. One of the trickiest aspects of hiring freelancers is that you can never quite be sure that you’ll get what you’re paying for at the level of quality you’d like. To avoid dodgy freelancers (or downright scammers), keep an eye out for these red flags:
Maybe they’re professional but only just started their account on Fiverr. Or maybe they’re going to take your money and run. It’s always best to lean on the professionals who have a lot of positive reviews that can give you peace of mind.
Do they expect you to pay the entire cost of the project upfront? Well, what’s their incentive to finish the project and deliver the polished manuscript, complete cover file, or fully laid-out interior? Or do they refuse to accept normal payment options and insist on wire transfers outside of the platform? Sounds awfully sketchy . . .
In this day and age, you unfortunately need to be wary of AI without human input and even stolen art for visual elements like the cover design. If an editor returns a file unreasonably quickly, doesn’t track their changes line by line, or shares confusing, vague, or downright bizarre feedback, they may have just run it through ChatGPT. And if a cover design has strange anomalies, warped backgrounds, or mismatched lighting and shadows, the designer may have ineffectively used AI.
Tip: Inconsistency isn’t always a bad thing. Did you know the margins on odd-numbered pages are always different from the margins on even-numbered pages because of the crease? So if you receive an interior file that has all the margins the exact same on each page, that’s actually an indicator that this isn’t a professional book designer.
Most people have regular schedules and routines. If you can never pin a freelancer down because they seem to be all over the place and they’re always unavailable, that’s definitely fishy. And it’s a major red flag if they refuse to talk to you on a phone call or video call.
If you’re looking for a professional to complete a developmental edit on your 140,000-word manuscript, you can expect to spend at least a few thousand dollars in total. If someone on Upwork is claiming they can do it for $500, that’s probably too good to be true. Don’t let an apparently good deal lure you in and leave you high and dry in the end.
So how can you avoid these freelancer pitfalls? Here are a few best practices to keep in mind.
Tip: If you’ve already hired a freelancer and suspect they used AI, run it through an AI detector, such as Originality.ai, Copyleaks, or ZeroGPT.
One of the benefits of working with a legitimate hybrid publisher is that you can trust the professionals to manage all of this in-house with quality top of mind every step of the way. If you want to start your journey toward becoming a published author and bypass the red flags described above, submit your book idea to Ballast Books and begin the evaluation process!