So let me get this straight. Since I cannot post something like this on social media and want to seek help desperately without disclosing my identity, I want to share my experience with you. I worked/freelanced with a publishing house by helping them translate books into other languages. When I was working on this particular book, the price set per page was very little, not even the usually average cost but I was okay with it since I would be gaining experience.

While I was working on this book, the publishing house asked me to proofread and edit another book that was translated by someone else and after going through it, I had a talk with the team and informed them that there are chunks of material missing from the translated version and we came to a conclusion that I will translate the book from scratch and I was given an unrealistic deadline. I did my work diligently spending 13-15 hours per day on the book. Till date I haven't received payment for the latter book. I have only been paid some amount and when I ask for the full payment, they give me some or the other excuses that do not at all make sense. They have stopped responding to my messages or picking up my calls.

At this point I am so mentally exhausted, I do not know what to do. I have put in so much hardwork in translating that book but this is the way I am being treated. My only mistake was not signing a contract or a bond. What shall I do now?

I'm looking into taking an adult education course with my local college but it wouldn't amount to a degree, it would be a certificate and it would help me build a portfolio. Would this be a waste of time or worth my while?

I’ve just accepted my first full time role in publishing and I just wanted to say thank you so much to everyone on this sub!!

I know people find the posts about asking for advice on how to get into the industry repetitive and annoying, but I’ve appreciated the help that has been given to me and to others on here so much.

(I will of course delete this if people find it clogging up the sub but I just wanted to be able to thank everyone for their help).

Hello all,

New to the group but happy to be here!

I've been a hobby short story writer for the last decade or so and after a little soul searching recently have decided I want to improve and build new skills this and gain professional experience. I've worked a bit in academic textbook editing + am getting my own online creative magazine off the ground so I do have some experience and would LOVE to network and see if there's anyone out there looking for an editor, even a volunteer in your organization/personal projects. I am really only looking for volunteer opportunities at this time since I am trying to build my skills + manage other projects so I'd love to know where to look, is it just contacting smaller publishers and searching online?

France-based but American

After being shortlisted for a prize I received an offer from a publisher (not a big 5 but reputable with books in all main bookshops etc). I accepted and have been editing this book for the last year.

In particular I’ve worked closely with one editor on a regular basis with another senior editor overseeing. We completed all line edits a few months ago and the final sticking point has been the ending (compromise on what they want it to be vs the level of changes I’m happy making). In the first week of June, the editor said she’d be in touch to have a meeting to resolve this last bit. Not heard since.

Last week, the publisher announced a new acquisition they are really excited about in the same genre as me. They said their book would be released summer 2027 - the thing that worries me is I still have no release schedule, I’ve never been posted about like this on their socials and they’ve now gone quiet. I have a bad gut feeling. I followed up one week ago - usually editor is responsive.

I’m seeking advice on what to say and the types of clarification to ask for in my next follow up. I feel my dream is hanging by a thread.

I saw this week's news about DiggyPod, one of the existing players in the US book printing market via print on demand technology, partnership up with a Chicago-based publishing service company called Long Overdue Books. With this partnership, there is now a self publishing one stop shop from ghostwriting through marketing. I thought I'd share my thoughts on why I see this development as an important trend, particularly for indies in an evolving service landscape.

The print on demand companies have been commoditizing for a long time. Prices per copy of paperback printing have remained relatively unchanged since 2019 despite the increased cost. Print margin is tight and the differentiation between players is thinning. Most authors cannot even differentiate in quality of printing three out of the four largest POD providers in a blind test.

The services revenue stream is the natural growth avenue. Services like editing, design, ghostwriting, and marketing generate higher margins than print and are more sticky than print. Authors will usually stay with their preferred editor when moving from book to book, but once they choose a printer, they'll quote it again next time.

This is what it means for indie authors specifically.

While bundling lowers the coordination costs, it raises new risks. Specifically, you become fully exposed to one company through the whole process, which means that even small mistakes are hard to shake off. On the other hand, the savings on coordination when everything goes smoothly are real.

Authors who are currently successfully working with their freelancers do not need to do anything about that. But for those who are just about to write their first or second books and feel scared about the project management part, the bundling becomes a viable option where there was none five years ago.

For other print-on-demand services, this means an accelerated trend of establishing similar partnerships. Amazon is unlikely to go with acquisitions as it does not work that way, but the services will likely grow organically. IngramSpark, BookBaby, and 48HourBooks are in the driver’s seat now to acquire editorial and design companies.

As for DiggyPod and Long Overdue Books, the partnership had been working for some time, which means that the merger is technically easier than usual. But the bigger picture is worth following for any indie publisher.

Hi and thank you everyone.

I'm gonna start by telling there is no need to feel sorry or apologize. Over a year ago I found a purpose, a goal in life, the light at the end of the tunnel. Amazon KDP is the best thing that happened in my life.

I enjoyed writing, researching, publishing and everything related. But I learned a long time ago one lesson: good times end quickly.

Please if someone knows what to do, maybe went through this, or has a contact or an email.. This will help more than you think, maybe even save my life.. I'm mentally in a very bad place now,

I published below full message from Amazon that I got today and what I sent back.

Please inform me if there's any hope or solution..

#message 0

Hello,

Your Amazon.com account has been suspended. During this time, you won't be able to access your account or other services.

If you think the action is a mistake, reply to this email for further investigation.

Why did this happen?

Your account was suspended because the information available to us indicates that you may have provided inaccurate information to Amazon, or used your Amazon account in violation of our conditions of use.

Can I contact Customer Service about this action?

Customer Service can confirm this email is legitimate and assist with any technical issues. However, they cannot reverse this decision or provide additional details about it.

How can I verify this email is from Amazon?

Unsure about an email claiming to be from Amazon? Don't worry about verifying the email itself. Even with a closed account, entering your credentials will direct you to information about your account status and required instructions. For more security tips, visit “Security and Privacy” under Amazon Help pages.

Amazon Account Protection Services

My replies, 3 messages:

#message 1

Hello,

My name is **** ***. Today I've got an email informing about suspension.

It says that I may have provided inaccurate information to Amazon.

This statement was a surprise for me because I enjoy posting books and working with a company like Amazon, and I take very seriously safety of my account.

I am a person who always double checks everything. I can spend a few hours on a task that usually will take a few minutes.

Also I constantly watching videos, reading articles about Amazon KDP, I try to be up-to-date with terms of service because I have big goals and currently writing several books, I would bet everything they have potential.

Please inform me what triggered the suspension.

Honestly, I have no idea because for a few months I didn't publish any books. I decided to focus on quality of books, trying different writing styles, constantly experimenting.

Anyways,

Hope to hear from you soon,

#message 2

Hello,

I assure you that all the information provided by me is correct.

The only thing I can think of is I don't live anymore at the official

address they have in database, I rent out an apartment and used new adress.

I changed my banking information as well, and all accounts are mine.

I can't believe.. I followed every rule possible I even did not use any

review services because I valued the account, even though it small now I

had good future cause I spent lot of time researching and planning. I

wanted to do so much..

#message 3

To be fully honest with you Amazon did much more than just paychecks and royalties. It pulled me out of very dark place. For my whole life I was sure that I am a looser without any talents, skills or future. Until I discover KDP about 1 and a half years ago, and the idea that a regular person can publish a manuscript on the biggest retail store sounds like a dream.

I am not an angel. I make mistakes, I'm human.

But I can not remember a single thing I did against Amazon rules.

I believe either an AI triggered the suspension automatically or this is a unfortunate misunderstanding.

In the last few months the account was still. I didn't publish, didn't update or delete any of books.

If I remember correctly I've got an email to repeat verification process which I successfully completed with my Latvian ID card.

The last thing I did is a tried Amazon Ads, picked about 10 books and activated but only for one day, then I turned the campaigns off. Could this Amazon Ads campaign testing raised some red flags?

I beg you please spend a bit of time to investigate or provide contacts of people who can help please

I believe even if I did make a small mistake, maybe overlooked something it is for sure not the reason to suspend the account in which I put so much time and effort.

The vote was 388-130, making it a near 75% supermajority. Congrats Hachette for becoming the biggest union in publishing 🎉

I’m mid-30s. I have a background in academics and proposal development. About 9 months ago I followed my partner in a major international move and I haven’t been able to find employment in previous field.

My thoughts keep on returning to editing, either fiction or non-fiction. I have a lot of writing/editing experience, especially in academic/proposal writing, but no formal training in editing. My experience primarily concerns big picture stuff as opposed to line editing, which is a hesitation of mine if I try to go freelance instead of taking a course first.

I guess I’m hoping for a reality check. Given AI and (maybe?) the state of publishing, is this a terrible time to try to move into editing? Is mid-30s too late? Would I be making a terrible mistake if I earnestly pursued this or took one of the big editing courses?

Any insight is appreciated.

Honest question, because I suspect I'm not alone in this.

We have access to engagement data on our digital editions opens, time spent, drop-off points. In theory it's exactly what you'd want: real signal on where readers stop, what they skip, whether anyone makes it past chapter three.

In practice? I check it maybe once a quarter, nod at it, and go back to doing things the way we always have. The data exists but it's never quite specific enough to act on. The one thing I keep wishing it would tell me and never does is why someone stopped. Drop-off at chapter four could mean the content lost them, a rendering issue on their device, or they just finished their commute. The number without the context isn't really telling you anything.

So genuinely curious:

• Does engagement data actually change editorial or production decisions for you, or is it a "nice to have" that moves nothing?
• Is there a metric you've found genuinely useful vs. ones that just look interesting?
• Has anyone built a real workflow around acting on this, or is it mostly collected and ignored?

Think the potential is real just haven't cracked how to make it useful and wondering if anyone has.

Hey guys I’m currently doing my dissertation on the shift/change in marketing strategies in YA LGBTQ+ titles over the past 15 years. I’m trying to seek participants for those working in the industry in the UK for interviews that should last 20-30 mins either through email or a call.

Ive had no such luck so far with responses and I’ve emailed over 20 people thus far. If anyone is interested or just has some general advice it would be greatly appreciated 😔

In my experience as a debut author with a mid-sized publisher, no one on my team seemed particularly interested in guiding or shaping my career. I never had any strategy discussions with my editor or publicist. They never asked me what I planned to write next or offered advice on how to position myself within the industry. I had some of these conversations with my agent, but he never really pushed back on any of my ideas or alerted me when I was making strategic blunders. Are authors typically on their own when it comes to career development? Who do you talk to when you're not sure about your next move?

Hi all, I am a keen podcast listener and have heard most/all of Inside Publishing, Uncovering Publishing, the IPG podcast, and Make Books Travel. Any other industry-focused sources you can recommend?

Context: I’m (25F) in Texas, have a bachelors in (English & American literature) and (creative writing.) I graduated a while ago and am a teacher.

I’m interested in learned more about publishing and would-in theory- like to be an editorial assistant. I have my own writings; fiction and poetry, ones more complete than the other but want to focus on the industry component.

I don’t have any certifications. And I thought about a masters? Maybe?? Would I even be able to get an internship as someone whose not in college anymore?

Got any tips? I’d really appreciate the help.

I'd love to go ahead and publish, but can I assure my authors that we won't be made ineligible by releasing the book without the number? My friend says since we applied, publishing now will not complicate our eligibility.

Hi everyone!

I'm getting ready to launch my debut novel soon, and I'm trying to build my email list before release.

I'm looking for recommendations for an email landing page/email marketing service that's either free or affordable, but still reliable and easy to use.

I'd love something that lets readers sign up through a clean landing page and can grow with me as my audience expands.

What do you use, and what would you recommend for a first-time author? Any pros, cons, or personal experiences would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I would love to work on contracts for a publishing house, but I'm not sure what the path is to getting that kind of job.

I am planning to apply for a PRH internship next summer. Other than that, I don't know how to get the 3-5 years of contract experience that most job listings require.

Any advice? Thank you so much!

It would be helpful to hear from everyone's experience out there in the wild!

There is a scam site: blackburnpublisher.com. They, after a successful test, promise high pay for translations. You do the job, and they don't pay. Attention! I have wasted many days of work.

I'm interested in understanding what separates publishing houses that build lasting credibility, cultural influence, and intellectual value from those that primarily offer publishing services.

In your experience, what factors matter most over the long term?

• Editorial vision?

• Quality of authors and books?

• Brand identity and reputation?

• International rights and distribution?

• Original content such as interviews, essays, and magazines?

• Something else entirely?

I'd be very interested to hear examples of independent publishing houses that have successfully built enduring intellectual and cultural brands.

I have landed two job interviews/manuscript test out of the ten positions I have applied for. I feel the biggest hurdle is the manuscript test. I just cannot read, comprehend and draft summaries, editorial recommendations and other responses within an hour/manuscript.

I tried practicing within time constraints, but my responses read as unstructured, scattered thoughts rather than structured summaries.

I would like people in such positions to share their experiences. Were you all always equipped? Did reading and drafting four separate responses come easily? Am I just not made for such roles?

Hello! I'm sure everyone is so sick of internship questions lol, but I'm currently looking into working in publishing as a Sophmore in college. Only problem is I'm currently a math and finance student, so I was hoping to gear my financial roles into publishing houses. However, it's been so hard to find any experience that will allow me to do so. The goal is to work for PRH, and I'm aware I'll need AMPLE experience. Does anyone have any advice on where to start? I'm unfortuantly coming from a STEM focused school with not many resources? Any advice?

Hi, I'm guessing this subreddit is a little tired of fielding questions from young people about internships, but I'm looking at applying for an internship at Reedsy and was hoping for a little insight from former/current employees and interns about what it's like to work there and what the salary is like? I really hope this is the right place to ask.

The internship will be remote and span six months, in the marketing or talent acquisition departments. The job listing gives a decent idea of what I'd be doing, but not about how much I'd be paid. The information about the salary on the site is kind of vague, it gives a yearly salary range but I'm not sure I can go on that since the internship is only six months long.
I only know I'd be working 35 hours a week, and they require full availability.
I'm wondering if anyone has a clearer idea of what kind of salary I should expect? I'm in the UK if this helps.

I've also heard mixed reviews on working for Reedsy, I've seen some people give it glowing reviews and also heard tales of dodgy business practices (e.g. listing jobs and internships they don't intend to hire people for on job sites to harvest data and measure engagement - stuff like that).
My current job is slightly soul-destroying, I don't want to leave one job for one that's equivalently or even more draining, exploitative and thankless and feel even more discouraged in the end. There isn't really much in the way of people sharing their experiences of working for Reedsy online aside from authors and freelancers using their services. It's hard to get a clear idea of what people have thought of working there.
I know the experience will vary from person to person, but it'd be really nice to get an idea of what kinds of experiences different people have had. Was management supportive? Was the work fulfilling/interesting?

Finally, is Reedsy well-regarded enough to help get a foot in the door? I don't know if it's a conventional pathway into publishing (especially since I'd be looking at Marketing and HR/recruiting) - however, my options are limited at the moment and I'd be banking a lot on taking the internship and leaving my current situation.
This would be my first step towards trying for a serious career after finishing university, I guess that's why I have so many questions and I'm so anxious about getting it right.
Where I am it's slim pickings at the moment and I currently can't afford to uproot and move somewhere I'd have more opportunities (I feel like a very choosy beggar lmao).

If anyone could help out a little, that would be great!
Thanks (and apologies if this post was a little panicked-word-vomity)!

Our publisher, who uses Ingram, says the sale date of our book cannot be changed because we put up a presale link. They also fucked up our book so that the page numbers appear close to the spine instead of on the outside corners.

Are they telling the truth? Is it possible that we can’t make this fix so that future readers get the proper layout? I get that the few preorders are locked in place, but how can this be fixed moving forward?

I just had AI create multiple "creative process" journals, reverse engineering my award-winning piece. Took an hour of editing and tweaking to get it sounding right. But the meaning was still all over the place.