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We've created this Forum Thread with some workarounds and advice to assist you in publishing you ebook.
Writer Central
Lori
Writer
Hi. I recently received an E-mail from The Writer Central with an offer to repackage my book. Does anyone have any information about these people? Are they legit? I am not finding a lot about them in a google search. Their website is very minimalistic. Thanks in advance for any information 
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Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
I would not say the site is minimalistic, except that you have to ring them to get any prices.
I am also not sure it can be called a scam.
Why the email said they will "repackage my book" I have no idea, because they seem to be a marketing company, not a publisher of any type.
Possibly not a scam, but a waste of money.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
They seem to make all sorts of promises...or at least imply promises. Even what little descriptions they do provide for their different services end with an ellipsis so you have to call them to get more information:
Whether you are neophyte or a well-established author, you can get a professional and unbiased reviews [sic] from a well-known critiques [sic] of books. These organizations have made...
Have you ever think [sic] that your book could be adapted into a movie? If yes, let TWC turn that into reality by presenting it to different traditional publishers, movie produ...
Conquer the airwaves and let your voice be heard! Some traditional publishers would love to hear author's voice on how they speak and talk. With the radio interview, we c...
"hear author's voice on how they speak and talk."? What?
For an outfit that supposed to be a professional writers' service, they certainly seem to play fast and loose with the English language. See "[sic]" above...
In need of an agency to endorse your book to traditional publishers?
"Endorse" your book?
Let's Get You a Contract!
This is the very core of the services. Getting you a contract from a traditional publisher is the main goal of the company.
I am pretty sure what their main goal is!
There is not one single word on the entire site that sounds remotely professional.
I am tempted to call their number to see what happens...
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
Often when something is a scam and you 'google' the name, it comes up with 1000s of hits about how people have been scammed. None came up when I searched for that site. If they are not telling porkies about trading for 10 years, then it's hard to be a scam for 10 years. What they are is a puzzle then. It is easy to take money for such services, but I bet their small print says they do not promise results ( using 1000s of legalise words.) I also bet that if you ring them they have incredibly persuasive salespeople on the line.
As to the address, it could be a POB. There's a large HK manufacturer of car audio. They have a 'direct' site as well as being on ebay for years as a business, ('Click to see shop') but displaying their HK address. They have a UK warehouse in Leeds for EU deliveries. Oddly, the .uk address is registered to someone's name in a posh new private townhouse in London. Nowadays it's hard to know who is who and where.
Anyway, I would not touch The Writer Central with a barge pole. This is interesting >> https://www.whois.com/whois/thewritercentral.com
New site, new name?
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
http://sgglit.com/
http://www.spectrumliteraryagency.com/
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
If an author is pursuing traditional publishing, which Writer Central seems to be focused on (getting a book presented to traditional publishers is what they claim is the "core" of their business), the author does not need a paid service like this. Agents and publishers will do everything that WC claims to do and do it at no cost to the author.
A self-published author does need to pay out of pocket for many of these things...but nowhere does Writer Central suggest that they are interested in the self-published author. They repeat over and over again that they are interested in traditional publishing. In fact, the opening page of their website says (in the usual broken English):
no further! With over 10 years of experience in the literary industry, TWC provides home for authors and aspiring writers who want to be discovered. It takes a certain kind of relentlessness coupled with a rifle approach to get the attention of major publishers.
Let us help you create a book proposal!
I cannot find Christoff Wayne's Light of the Horizon on Amazon or anywhere else. (I do love when he says of Writer Central that "Their graphic artists are artistically inclined." Well, gosh!)
Jasmine Aziz' Beauty in Life cannot be found either.
The third book, Murder, by Michael Bowlder, is still looking for a publisher. But they have apparently charged him for a cover design...
And these three are the best references they can provide after ten years in the business? For comparisons' sake, take a look at the list of books and authors handled by the two agencies I mentioned.
(The Facebook page is linked to this site http://writercentral.co.uk/ which appears to have, as you suggested, no connection with the outfit we are talking about.)
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
1. The two agencies Ron listed both give names of writers and books that they have helped to publish. Some are familiar, even legendary.
2. Their websites are professional, using correctly phrased and correctly spelled English. Note the times that "(sic)" occurs in Ron's citations from WriterCentral. Those indicate errors in the text he is citing.
3. Note that the agencies Ron listed have their histories on the front page. Neither was founded yesterday.
Not that there is anything wrong with new agents, non-native speakers of English, or anything along those lines -- new agents have to start somewhere, after all -- but those factors should be red flags that cause you to further investigate. No book titles -- would I be the first book published? Not English for Speaking is correct? Perhaps this agency would do better publishing my book in a different language. No history? Have they ever sold a story on behalf of a client?
4. The final red flag, as Ron will be quick to point out, is that they will eventually ask for money. Agents get their money when they sell your book. You agree to a percentage of royalties when you sign with the agent; the agent then has an incentive to sell your book and to get a good price for it. TheWriterCentral, sooner or later, would be asking for up-front money.
And that's the big red STOP sign.
My Books:
https://voidwheretaxed.wixsite.com/rockandfirepress/about
My Books:
https://voidwheretaxed.wixsite.com/rockandfirepress/about
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
True...but most of the services they offer are also available through a legitimate agent or, once your book is published, by the publisher themselves.
Indeed, and for no fee. Although an agent will eventually of course take a commission, and a publisher will extract a profit. But never up front. Usually a publisher may offer an up-front advance.
For instance, an agent will try to find you a publisher and will try to raise interest (if appropriate) in Hollywood (something a publisher may also try to do, in conjunction with the agent). The publisher will undertake the task of getting your book in front of reviewers, arrange for radio/TV interviews, a presence at book fairs and get your book into book stores.
Aye, and at their expense, hence why they are so fussy about what they will take on.
If an author is pursuing traditional publishing, which Writer Central seems to be focused on (getting a book presented to traditional publishers is what they claim is the "core" of their business), the author does not need a paid service like this. Agents and publishers will do everything that WC claims to do and do it at no cost to the author.
Yup.
A self-published author does need to pay out of pocket for many of these things...but nowhere does Writer Central suggest that they are interested in the self-published author.
Let's hope that's because they don't differentiate, which of course they will not if one has the dosh to give them.
They repeat over and over again that they are interested in traditional publishing. In fact, the opening page of their website says (in the usual broken English):
Rather a peculiar claim then, really, because if they can find a trad publisher to take a book on, then what further use would any one have for the rest of TWC's services?
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
I checked out the three customer endorsements they provided...
I cannot find Christoff Wayne's Light of the Horizon on Amazon or anywhere else.
I have also just looked, and it does not come up in any search, anywhere.
(I do love when he says of Writer Central that "Their graphic artists are artistically inclined." Well, gosh!)
That's almost funny.
Jasmine Aziz' Beauty in Life cannot be found either.
Ermm, same person do you think?! https://jasmineaziz.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/crotchless-panties-the-hole-story/ no mention od any book though.
The third book, Murder, by Michael Bowlder, is still looking for a publisher. But they have apparently charged him for a cover design...
And these three are the best references they can provide after ten years in the business? For comparisons' sake, take a look at the list of books and authors handled by the two agencies I mentioned.
It's suspect that they claim to have been in business 10 years, and yet their website is relatively new. It smacks of one of those things that rips people off, then changes names, and websites. It could explain why they are not reported all over the internet as a scam.
(The Facebook page is linked to this site http://writercentral.co.uk/ which appears to have, as you suggested, no connection with the outfit we are talking about.)
No, I don't think it is either, but TWC could be playing on the fact that there are many writers' places with similar names. All such like names will be found via a search.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Not that there is anything wrong with new agents
Quite so, but TWC is claiming to be 10 years old.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
It is unusual they contacted you by any methods. How did they get your phone number though?
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Buying copies of your book
When ordering copies of your book, please note that there may be a marked difference in quality between books supplied by ourselves and print-on-demand copies ordered from internet retailers, as a result of their formula approach to printing, economic factors and fast turnround. To avoid disappointment, we strongly advise our authors either to order a supply of books from Memoirs for resale, or to advise purchasers to order books from this website.
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
When ordering copies of your book, please note that there may be a marked difference in quality between books supplied by ourselves and print-on-demand copies ordered from internet retailers, as a result of their formula approach to printing, economic factors and fast turnround. To avoid disappointment, we strongly advise our authors either to order a supply of books from Memoirs for resale, or to advise purchasers to order books from this website.
Which has the poorer quality I wonder? It's been said that 'Lulu' books ordered off Amazon are not as good as ones ordered direct from Lulu. Both are POD as far as I know. Lulu state books are printed as close as possible to the order address. Are they all of the same print quality? Does that also include 'Lulu' books ordered from Amazon anywhere in the world? We will never really know unless we order one of our own books from every findable retail site.
As to the 'none POD' pricing of my friend's books, I will have to ask him if he orders mass non-POD books to retail, or it's all POD. I don't think or actually buys his own books to retail himself. no matter what method of printing is used. I also doubt that Memoirs own their own presses, it's actually just a small shop.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/
I guess initially it's the way to do business unless you happen to be a billionaire megalomaniac who hates middlemen. Amazon own their own POD machines do they not? by way of CreateSpace. In a way, just as there are few major publishers of books. Merge with or buy up the competition.
Oh well, it's none of our business.
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/kevinlomas
There are more than 6000 incorporated traditional publishers in the US. But you said “major.” In that case there are ten that earn nearly 90% of the market. And they do not own their own presses.
Black Cat Studios http://www.black-cat-studios.com/