Self-Publishing Resources

Posted By Sue Collier on January 18, 2012

I’m pleased to welcome author and blogger Ted Lacksonen with a very timely post today. He’s written for us before; don’t miss his previous post on publishing your ebook.

The blackouts today at websites like Wikipedia in protest of proposed anti-piracy legislation reminded me to do something simple that every author/copyright holder should do—search the internet for vendors who are selling pirated versions of your book.

I did a search for my novel The Eagle Has Crashed, and found several suspicious sites. One named Chegg is an internet textbook rental company, with, as I found out through further research, is a legitimate business with a checkered reputation. Strangely, they have Sue Collier listed as the author. She was the editor. Indeed, if you click on her name, she is listed as the author of many books she has edited—but not written! This isn’t evidence of piracy, but it is suspicious.
But my listing at Chegg begs the question: Why is a company specializing in textbooks listing a novel that could not possibly be required reading at any college? (It was released in September.)

So I have sent them an email asking them that question, as well as through what distribution chain they are getting copies of the book. That’s the key—where are they getting the books? If it’s through a legitimate distribution chain, there’s no problem.
But, if I don’t get a response to my email I will try calling, even though they have a reputation for putting people on hold ad infinitum. If that doesn’t work, I’ll see what other legal channels I have to find out if my book is being pirated.

An even more suspicious site where I found my novel was Betweenreads.com.au. I had no idea The Eagle Has Crashed was being distributed internationally! This begged even more questions than the Chegg listing. Is it legal for my book to be distributed in Australia? Am I protected by Australian copyright law, or is there a formal process I need to go through? And since they are selling paperback copies, where are they being printed? I find it difficult to believe that they are originating in Tennessee at Lightning Source; the shipping fees would be astronomical.

So, although I am a newly published author, I still think these basic steps would be wise for any author (assuming you aren’t doing it already).
1) Do an internet search for your title. Go deep into the search, not just three or four pages. Remember that the search engines give customized results, so an overseas pirate may show up higher in the rankings than your search. Bookmark every suspicious site.
2) Do a general search for the company and see what’s out there. Then, search the name with terms like “fraud,” “scam,” “pirating,” and any other term you can think of.
3) If your search of the company didn’t ease your concerns, go back to your bookmarks and contact the company.
4) If they don’t get back to you, follow up.

And if that doesn’t work, what else can you do to ensure the company isn’t selling pirated copies of your book? I’m not sure yet, but if I have any experiences to share I’ll fill everyone in on the details.

Ted Lacksonen is the author of the novel The Eagle Has Crashed. He also maintains The Country Thinker, a blog about the interrelated areas of Politics, Law, and Economics.

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