Author Warns Self-Publishing Costs After $40K Investment Yields Little Return

An 88-year-old Alberta author is urging aspiring writers to exercise caution with self-publishing services after spending over $40,000 on a deal that left him disappointed.

Charles Schroder, whose gardening column appears regularly in the St. Albert Gazette, contracted with Florida-based Writers Clique to publish Urban Gardening: Planning to Preserving in April 2024. The company's initial pitch was appealing: a glowing professional review of his manuscript made him believe the book would be a bestseller. His first invoice was about $8,000, which he agreed to verbally and by email. Additional invoices followed, and the book eventually released to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

But two years later, Schroder says the book is apparently discontinued. "As far as I know, Amazon has discontinued it," he said. "I'm not sure about Barnes and Noble, and I have received no inquiries from any other booksellers." Many promises made by Writers Clique went unfulfilled — including a functioning book index and an audiobook narrated by the promised person. To date, Schroder estimates he spent about $42,000 Canadian and has received only $550 in royalties.

A Writers Clique spokesperson said that the company delivered on its promises and is aware of Schroder's concerns. Experts say authors should scrutinize any publishing contract carefully. "Check out the company's back catalogue, look at the books they have published. If you're able to contact some authors who have been published through them, ask what their experience was like," said Giorgia Severini, executive director of the Writers' Guild of Alberta. She flagged as a red flag when companies give an initial quote and then add additional charges not in the original estimate. Traditional publishers generally require no fees from selected authors, who instead receive royalties based on sales. Self-publishing puts all production costs on the author but allows them to keep all proceeds.