Beware citizen book publishers!

THE BLOGGING boom and publish-on-demand has produced a new trap for journalists who also write books. I was one such victim.

Guidebook writing is underpaid. Writers are getting a flat fee for work sold over several continents and reused without further remuneration. But the “always go for royalties” maxim is to be viewed with suspicion when it comes to small publishers without a well-known brand name, and those who are effectively self-publishers.

I was approached to write a guidebook to be called France Instructions for Use, inspired by a previous guidebook to Italy. The publisher told me the Italian version had sold around 6000 copies in six months, and the formula seemed a good one. I agreed to a very small advance of €280 and 10 per cent of sales, which included a commitment to contribute to a web forum which linked to the publisher's website.

When I started editing I realized I had not sufficiently quizzed the publisher on her credentials. There were French words used out of context in a way that changed the sense, making proof-reading ridiculously slow.

After the first royalty statement fell overdue, I eventually received an email saying that sales had not even covered the advance payment, followed by accusations that the low sales were my fault on account of not having a sufficient “web presence“. My web presence amounted on that day to some 25 pages of Google, each with about 10 references, mostly links to my other books on Amazon. The three or four hours a week I had contractually put into the web forum had not been rewarded by sales.

It seems the publisher was looking for a blogger, who would sell the book off their blog and via the blogger's network and forums.

To do this would have entailed almost a full-time researching and writing job on a blog which would not be useable to promote my other work. The Italy book - which had supposedly sold like hot cakes - and its web forum called for a “down-home American style” that targeted a middle-American readership that was alienated by the British English style of my other works.

Steer clear of such people, or if you do get involved insist on a flat fee, professional editors and proofreaders, and do not undertake web promotion unless you already have a suitable blog to which you simply need to add a link to the book. I worked for five months for €280 and ended up stitched up by my contract.

© Alison Culliford
Secretary, NUJ Paris Branch