Beaware Of E-book Industry Scams

List of Identified Scam Companies

Legal Crackdown Against Fraudulent Publishing Schemes

Companies fraudulently claimed affiliations with well-known names like Amazon, Penguin, McMillan, McGraw-Hill, and Barnes & Noble, offering extensive services for just $299 and $499. These schemes often escalated into blackmail and fraud, demanding more money from authors. In response, the U.S. government, alongside these reputable companies, initiated a rigorous crackdown to pursue these culprits, primarily located in Asian countries, who targeted thousands of authors with deceptively cheap self-publishing offers. Here are snapshots from the latest lawsuit won by the legitimate company against numerous fraudulent website owners and company registrants worldwide.

The case, filed on October 30, 2023, in the Northern District of California (Case No. 3:23-cv-05580), involves plaintiffs Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Technologies, Inc. against numerous defendants including various associated entities. The lawsuit centers around allegations of cybersquatting under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(d), with the defendants accused of exploiting Amazon's trademarks through the registration and use of domain names similar to Amazon's, intending to mislead consumers and profit from Amazon's established reputation.

BEWARE OF VANITY PRESS SCAM

Vanity presses often commit to issuing checks to authors, but the scam typically unfolds when these payments stop after the initial one or two. Authors, anticipating regular income, are left waiting indefinitely. The worst part is that authors may never be able to republish their books independently, as the vanity presses have already published those books under their authorized accounts. This situation leaves authors unable to directly generate revenue and essentially losing their lifelong work to these deceptive companies.

Beware of vanity press scams that may channel millions of dollars in potential revenue away from authors and into their own pockets. These practices can financially harm authors who lose control over their works and earnings.