A Cautionary Tale for Authors: Don't Get Scammed!

Did you know that many authors are being scammed by companies that often target new authors of lesser-known works or those with low sales? They employ tactics such as early morning phone calls, feigning interest in a specific title to establish a connection with the author. Once they have gained the writer's attention, they unleash a barrage of flattery and grandiose promises, painting a picture of possible imminent fame and fortune.

However, beneath the glittering facade lies a web of deceit and manipulation. Re-Publishing scammers are driven by greed, seeking to extract substantial sums of money from their victims. They may offer services such as:

• book promotion
• marketing
• movie script writing
• becoming your literary agent

and may point to your current publisher as the reason for all your problems. They usually try to fuel your disapointment in current sales to get you to change publishers at additional cost or for exorbitant fees.

ARE YOU AT THIS POINT NOW?

The impact of these scams extends far beyond financial loss. Authors who fall victim to these schemes often find themselves emotionally drained, their confidence shattered, and their dreams of literary success crushed. The psychological toll can be immense, leaving writers feeling violated and uncertain about their future in the publishing world.

It is crucial for you to remain vigilant and educate yourself about the red flags associated with re-publishing scams. If an offer seems too good to be true, it likely is. Legitimate publishers and industry professionals rarely engage in unsolicited phone calls or make grandiose promises of overnight success.

To protect themselves, authors should conduct thorough research on any individual or company approaching them with re-publishing related offers. Alway search for information on these offers to see what others are saying about them. The Better Business Bureau and internet reviews are some of the best to start with.

Trust your instincts. If something feels off or too good to be true, it is essential to step back and reassess the situation. Scammers thrive on the vulnerability and eagerness of aspiring authors, exploiting their dreams for personal gain.

Remember, as an author, your talent and creativity are your greatest assets. Do not allow the allure of false promises to lead you astray. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and most importantly, believe in yourself and the integrity of your work.

Talk with your Author Advisor
to see what they know
about any company or types
of offers you might be receiving

TEACH Services, as your publisher, can handle creating an Audiobook for you from your finished book. We will contract with a reputable narrator and will work with them to create your audiobook using the required sound levels, intro requirements, and other specifications (see below). 

The charge for this service is a $75 set-up fee plus $85 Per Finished Hour (PFH) listening time (this runs about $10/1,000 words). This is a one-time charge, and you will receive a 50% royalty on all rental or sales income from your audiobook(s).

We will handle all aspects of this job, which includes all Audiobook Specifications (found HERE) and Cover Art Specifications (found HERE).

Select all options you require from the categories below.

To cancel a publishing job that is in process, but not yet fully completed, please remember that the following will apply:

• Any advertising purchased may have cancellation charges from the advertising company, and those changes will be deducted from your refund. 
• Return shipping for materials returned will be deducted from your refund.
• Royalty Advances applied to your work will be canceled, or if completed, all advance royalties will need to be repaid to the publisher.
• The author must purchase all copies of the remaining inventory.
• As all sections begin simultaneously but finish at different times, your refund will be reduced for all work already completed for each selection below with the minimum hours listed below:

EDITING (45% of total time–minimum 7 hours) includes pre-processing and scheduling all work steps, team selections, advance review and reading, and independent work contracted. Back cover write-ups (full, medium, and short) and biographical write-ups. Marketing scheduling, copywriting, and implication (banner ads, bookmark copyediting, and advertising/promotional reservations). Artwork, charts, stock and custom photography, graphs, and team meeting time.

TEXT DESIGN (25% of total time–minimum 1 hour) includes layout and design of interior pages, scheduling all work steps, team selections, production review, and oversite.

COVER DESIGN (15% of total time–minimum 1 hour) includes “pick-one” cover design direction and creating 3-D samples. The finished cover has barcodes and links with proper spine widths that reflect the final page count of the title.

MARKETING IMPLEMENTATION (15% of total time–minimum 1 hour) includes:

• Church poster design and creation.
• Bulletin insert design and innovation.
• Church announcement copywriting.
• Scheduling and pre-placement of ads.
• Copywriting and final adjustments per author requests.
• Links and reviews.

We want to thank you for understanding that TEACH Services chose to accept your book for publication because we felt it was a good “fit” and was worthy of inclusion in our offering of quality Christian books. Like you, TEACH Services has invested time and money in producing and marketing this book, and we still feel the same about this important literary work. As all sections begin simultaneously but finish at different times, a minimum of 10 hours of work will be deducted from all refunds.

• Did you know that should an older title go out of print, you can ask to have it relisted through our new system (since 2010), making your title available again through any of our twenty locations around the world, including six domestic locations (CA, GA, NJ, OH, PA, and TN) and fifteen international areas (Australia, Brazil, China, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, and United Arabic Emirates)?
• Will most retailers (Amazon, Target, Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and many more) begin offering your title within three days of release?
• The cost of bringing it back into print since 2010 is relatively small and would make your title available to over 40,000 bookstores and libraries in 220 countries. We would ship from the best location based on speed or shipping costs.
• In addition, if you qualify, we can promote your book(s) to hundreds of thousands of Adventists through our mixed media approach using RMM (Resource Ministry Magazine, Christian Radio, Convention exposure, Social Media outreach).
• Book a time with an Author Advisor to get the details. Just click HERE

TEACH Services Imprint Requirements

As Christian publishers, we constantly endeavor to glorify God in our publications. This includes following the Chicago Manual of Style* guidelines. In addition, we seek to provide quality reading materials that will enhance the spiritual lives of Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) and other Christians.

If a book is accepted, and during editing, it becomes evident that the manuscript is incompatible with these goals, we reserve the right to change the manuscript by removing questionable material and rewriting it as necessary.

TEACH Services avoids publishing books that:

• Emphasize controversy, showing a critical spirit toward persons or leaders,
• Highlight adamant opinions, politics, and sensationalism,
• Promote moral or ethical compromise or wrongdoing,
• Are spiritually misleading or out of harmony with biblical truth (e.g., communications or messages from heaven/God/angels or ideas that are only vaguely supported in the Bible or writings of Ellen White but promoted as fact),
• Use names, descriptions, or photos of people without their consent or permission of the rights holder,
• That is discriminatory, possibly illegal, or could lead to libel charges (please visit HERE for information) and
• Contain quotes from obscure sources that need proper referencing or for which the author needs reliable proof sources.

For a manuscript to proceed with the above, TEACH Services and the author must reach a consensus. Titles originally intended for TEACH Services imprint and promotion and later determined to require a change to Aspect Books imprint will have all costs for marketing promotions revert to the author and advances to the publisher.

Aspect Book Imprints

Authors who need their books printed can apply to Aspect Books for their printing needs. TEACH Services does not promote Aspect Books. They are expected to be supplied as final “camera ready” print-ready files** with error-free files with final layout and editing, already completed and ready to print. Additional services are available for editing, layout, and design work (see Publishing Options for details). Our “Publisher Level 1—Basic” is a low-cost way to do this. You need to know a few items to make this experience smooth. Major guidelines are listed below:

Page Size—TEACH Services offers many different page sizes and papers. The chart below shows the most common sizes. We can recommend the right size depending on the number of words in your manuscript.

          5.00 x 8.00           5.06 x 7.81           5.25 x 8.00           5.50 x 8.50
          5.83 x 8.27           6.00 x 9.00           6.14 x 9.21           6.69 x 9.61
          7.50 x 9.25           7.44 x 9.69           7.00 x 10.00         8.00 x 10.00
          8.25 x 11.00         8.268 x 11.693      8.50 x 11.00         8.50 x 8.50
Margins--We recommend two different margins, again depending on the number of words in your manuscript and how big or small you wish your book to be. Each one has various pros and cons. The recommended margins are: 

                        3/8" top, bottom, thumb, and 1/2" spine (Tight)
                        1/2" top, bottom, thumb, and 3/4" spine (Normal)
                        
                               NOTE: Add a 1/8" to the spine margin for every 64 pages or portion thereof over 128 pages.

Papers--In select page sizes, we offer paper stock options in 55# Crème, 50# white, and 70# white (full color only).
Inks--Black is available in most sizes except 8.5 x 8.5; full-color pages are underlined above.
Fonts--Each font has different shapes that affect the final size of your book. Some, like Bookman, are larger and take up more room (great for books that need more pages, but not so good for those that need to be smaller). Some fonts are difficult to read and print. It is best to check with us before you begin so that we can advise you on the best font to use for the size of the book you want to publish. Mixing too many fonts detracts from a book, just like using script fonts that are too small or in all caps and are challenging to read.
Headers/Footers--Most books have the title of the book listed on the left (even) pages and the chapter heading listed on the right (odd) pages. Page numbers (even on the left, odd on the right) can be listed at the bottom center or outside edge of the page or with the header at the top if you need to save room. Remember to turn off headers on chapter title pages or pages with full-bleed photos.
Pictures/Drawings--If you include pictures or drawings, ensure you have releases (permission) to use (unless you took or drew them yourself). Furthermore, if they include people in them, you must have written permission from the individuals in the photo to publish the image. The pictures must be at least 300 dpi for photographs and at least 1200 dpi for drawings.
Editing/Proofreading--We highly recommend these options. We provide these services at an additional cost if you desire to have your book professionally edited or proofread.
Cover--You must create a copy for the back cover, usually including your bio. Please also provide any reviewer comments (with releases) and a picture of yourself to be included on the back cover. We will supply an ISBN barcode for you to have for free.
eBooks--We do not include eBooks for Aspect Book titles.

We will place your title(s) in the catalogs of all major distributors who service 40,000+ bookstores worldwide. You will be responsible for all retail advertising. You may also purchase copies at a 50% discount (discounts include author royalties).

The Publishing Agreement, with all costs, needs to be approved and signed before we begin. Usually, no Royalty Advances are available for Aspect Book titles.

*Please note: The Chicago Manual of Style does not capitalize pronouns such as He, Him, and His when referring to God, but TEACH Services does. Also, Chicago capitalizes on major religious events such as the crucifixion, the ascension, and the incarnation, but TEACH Services lowercase these events. See our Style Guidelines (PDF) for details.

**The “Publishing Level 1—Basic” requires you to provide a PDF X1-A 2001 compliant PDF text file at 300dpi. Please consult with your text editing program for details on creating this file for us. It must be error-free and have all fonts embedded for us to begin publishing your title. The title page, copyright page, and last page of your book, which will contain a production barcode, will be designed by us. At the same time, any indexing, footnotes, charts, photos, table of contents, etc., are your layout designer’s responsibility. See HERE for additional details.

As the author or author’s heirs, you receive special pricing on purchases of your book. According to your Publishing Agreement, you will normally receive a 50% discount off the SRP (Suggested Retail Price) and normally a royalty payment. These discounts are ONLY offered on print books and do not apply to eBooks or Audiobook purchases.

If you wish to share either one or both of these discounts with others, we need to know what your wishes are.

• We can offer your discount to anyone you wish
• We can also offer your royalty (if any) as a discount on any purchase of your book

This sharing can be with a maximum of FIVE people or organizations per title. They must request these discounts each time they order.

You are responsible for notifying us if you should want to terminate or change these agreements.

NOTE: To do this, there is a $45 charge each time you set up shared discount pricing with others. Canceling this request in the future will not incur any additional charges.

Please answer the following questions
so we have your full instructions.

Who will be receiving these benefits? 

Your Printer’s

Contact Information

We need to obtain specific information from the printer. This includes their agreement to complete and return a one-time printing permission form, their understanding of the publishing rights being granted, and their acknowledgment of the approval process required before printing begins. With this information, we can provide the printer with a detailed agreement that outlines the permission terms, rights granted, and approval requirements.