Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.
I was unable to participate last month due to addressing a medical emergency. I am still addressing health issues at this time, but I wanted to post anyway. I have doctor’s appointments today, but I will start visiting people beforehand and see how the day goes. I appreciate everyone who commented on my last post and gave me well wishes. I’ll be sure to visit all of you this month.
Optional Monthly Question: What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?
Right now, I feel very out of touch with the publishing industry. I’m not sure what the current “good” or “bad” practices are, but here are a few I think might be a concern. I guess these may simply be conspiracy theories.
Celebrities using ghost writers and not being transparent about it, or having more established authors put their names as co-authors on books they really had nothing to do with, in order to boost sales. I have no proof of this, but I, personally, doubt that James Patterson has co-written as many books as I’ve seen advertised. Still, the other author and the publishers have to agree to all this, so he’s not totally to blame (if this is even true).
No proof of this as well, but it’s curious to me how an indie title can struggle to reach an audience, break through and create a fandom, only for a very similar story or premise to be released by a more established author or a bigger publisher with an outrageous marketing campaign that buries the original indie book’s sales.
I’m also leery of up-and-coming or newly published authors from large publishers who manage to gain rave reviews from other best-selling authors and highly praised publications. Seems like, sometimes, more money goes towards marketing than editing and writing.
Like it or not, the Zon, is a major player in the publishing industry, and I don’t like that consumers don’t own their eBooks after purchasing through their e-reader services and devices. If I wanted to rent an ebook, I’d use their dedicated subscription service. These were two different things for a reason, at one point, but now, why do they even bother?
I’m eager to see what others have shared. Hopefully, others have something more solid than my theories to offer. I’m not healthy enough to return to YouTube, so no video this month.
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Personal Updates…
Currently addressing health concerns and doing very little writing and other creative pursuits.
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What publishing practices have you had enough of?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Ronel Janse van Vuuren
Natalie Aguirre,
Sarah – The Faux Fountain Pen,
and Olga Godim!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #22).
Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.
17 replies on “#IWSG Aug 2025- Unethical Practices”
I hope you get well soon 🙂
The slapping of a famous name on a book they had nothing to do with writing is apparently something that happens in the 50 books to 20k arena… something about it being credit for using a shared world or something.
It’s scary that people buy books on a platform but don’t own them. Just another reason I’m glad I don’t publish on that platform anymore.
Ronel visiting for IWSG day Unethical Publishing Industry Practices 2025
Things keep changing and not always for the better. I find that I download a lot more free content from the Zon. If I want to continue the series, I purchase it elsewhere. I use it to test out new stuff, but if I choose to support the author, I’d also like to be able to keep the content; plus, I recognize that downloading an author’s book does support them on that platform.
Sorry you are still struggling health-wise. Prayers!
I’ve never purchased an eBook from Amazon. I like that I can get them from iTunes and then back up my iPad on my computer where those books can stay forever.
Thanks for the prayers. I think the main reason the Zon’s stance is so bad is that most people don’t realize that they have other options. They accept that they can’t own digital content anymore.
I hope you get feeling better soon!
The Zon is part of our authorly reality for better or worse. The best thing we can do is not put all our eggs in their basket and market our other book purchasing options the best we can.
Yes, Jean. You are right. Not only can we distribute widely, we can promote that wide distribution, letting readers know that they have options.
I hope you feel better soon. You bring up some good points about questionable practices. It is frustrating how celebrities easily get book deals when those of us doing the hard work of improving our writing skills struggle.
Yes, it can be discouraging. It’s heartbreaking to see someone break through with a creative world and characters, only to be outsold by a celebrity copycat because they have more resources.
Look at H.P. Lovecraft. Most of his works were written by understudies. His name just went on the cover.
Yes, I’ve heard that. I get that it can be nice to be associated with a big name, but unfortunately, it also seems to undermine the other person’s contributions.
I hope your health improves soon, Toi. Nothing’s worse than not feeling well. https://cleemckenziebooks.substack.com/p/caged
Thanks for the well wishes. I have good days and bad days. I hope to have more good days moving forward.
I hope you feel better soon too. There sure are a lot of dubious practices out there.
Thanks for the well wishes.
I of course have to publish with the Big A, but I’ve moved more towards purchasing books through my Kobo. Of course, I think that’s owned by Mal Wart, so not a whole lot better.
Hope your health recovers quickly.
I read something about Patterson a while back. If I’m remembering correctly, he comes up with the plots for all those books, then he turns them over to his co-authors to write the actual text. So he is contributing something meaningful to the process. But I also remember, a few years back, seeing a novel that was co-authored by Bill Clinton. Now I’m not trying to get political here, but… I’m sorry, I don’t believe Bill Clinton did anything to help write that book.
That makes me feel better to know that he’s coming up with the ideas. I do still feel it’s a little misleading for people who think they’re getting a book that he actually wrote, but I guess that’s on consumers to be more aware of what they are consuming.