Would You Really Want to Do Business With This Outfit?

What I'm talking about is Kevin Trudeau's "publishing company," Alliance Publishing Group Inc. (not to be confused with Alliance Publishing Group of Birmingham, AL, a legitimate publisher).

I read this post over at the Absolute Write Water Cooler, not believing that someone would be interested in this, um, endeavor (or whatever you want to call it).

Folks, Kevin Trudeau is out to get your money, nothing else. The info he has in his books could be had anywhere on the Internet. But, you say, it's nice that he's put it into one package. That would be true if he didn't keep charging you and charging you and charging you...

I'm sure you get the picture.

In case you don't, paste your eyeballs on this.

And this same guy wants to publish your book? HAH! What kind of money are we talking about here? Because you know for damn sure you'd have to cough up plenty'o'dough for good ol' Kev to print your book.

RESPECT YOURSELF, PEOPLE! From my perspective, I took a year or so to write my WIP; it then collected dust for at least another two years. It's on the backburner again, but do you think I'm going to go this route?

Hell, no.

If, at some point, I've exhausted all the avenues, I might consider self publishing. Then again, I just might put that particular book away again and write something else.

But by all means, RESEARCH your options. Don't just sign with the first thing you see - because the first thing you see might be some scumbag vanity press (or a place, a la Publish America, that insists it's a "traditional publisher" when it's nothing of the sort).

If it takes a week or a month or two months to do your research - so what? You spent a lot of time and energy on your story, so why should you skimp on the research? You shouldn't, especially as the publishing world isn't exactly like Corporate America. (Check out the threads on the Water Cooler on how publishing really works; if that doesn't make your head hurt, I don't know what would.)

Write and finish your story. Revise it. Then do like I did and research your options - agents and publishers. Only when you're well armed should you then proceed into the wacky, weird world of commercial publishing.

~Nancy Beck