very impt..i’m an aspiring writer, i gotta a letter of intent from leadstart publishers plz help?

Yes, you have to pay. It’s a shared cost publisher, aka co-op publisher. They put some money and you put up some money. You get royalty on the sales. This is the same with vanity publishing where you’re footing 100% of the bill; they usually pay you a royalty on the sales. The higher the royalty the better. If you’re doing true self-publishing then you keep 100% of the profits. Most people self-publishing aren’t doing true self-publishing these days.

Now, if you’re not looking to pay then go to your nearest bookstore, pick up some books similar to what you write, see who the publisher is and go to that publishers website and see how to submit your work to it. If you’re just searching the Internet for publishers then you’re more likely to run into publishers similar to Leadstart. Or, look up some of your favorite, successful, high-profile Indian authors and see who their publisher is and take a look at that publisher’s website.

Technically, not all vanity/self-publishing/co-op publishers are scams. Many people pay to publish for various reasons and it’s their choice and there’s nothing wrong with it. Now, if a publisher tries to hide the fact that it’s a co-op or vanity press then you might consider them a scam. But, if they’re upfront about it and it’s on their website then there’s nothing wrong with it. I took a look at this publisher’s website and I dont’ see anywhere on it where they state it’s a co-op publisher, so I’d steer clear from it. Companies that are deceptive like that are red flags. They try to make you believe their a legitimate publisher and then at the last minute, after you’ve shown interest, will tell you you have to pay. Stay away from companies that don’t tell you upfront that you have to pay.

A lot of authors pay to be published… but you don’t find their books in bookshops. If you don’t believe me, go to your nearest large bookshop and see if you can find anything published by this company. Ask the staff if they’ve even heard of the publisher. I’ll bet they haven’t.

If a publisher says they will share the cost of publication with you, they’re almost certainly lying. You’ll pay all of it.

Maybe things are different in India, but where I live, if you pay to have your book published, you’ll have to do all the marketing yourself. Bookshops won’t stock your book, because they know that companies like Leadstart will print anything, so almost all the books they print are bad. (Leadstart make their profit when you pay them to print your book, so they’re not going to do anything for you after that, because that would just reduce their profit.)

The way it’s supposed to work is that the publisher selects only the best books to print, and pays for everything – editing, cover design, marketing, distribution. They usually pay you some money upfront (this is known as an advance) and then some money for each copy that they sell.

The way that Leadstart and companies like them work is that they print every book they receive, and the author pays for everything. Because they’re guaranteed a profit on everything they print, it’s not in their interest to reject any book.

If you haven’t signed a contract yet, don’t. If you have signed a contract, get out of it as soon as you can. Don’t give them any money if you can possibly avoid it, and spend some time learning how the process is supposed to work.

Questions like this: I need a story line plzzz helppp (10 pts) need ideas 4 my story? I’m 12 and writing a book, how to be published? I don’t know what to name my main (charectar) Holly or Sarah? What’s an evil name for a character? How do you write a novel? IDK what 2 write abot? and the list goes… Truly, I am an aspiring writer, but I guess I am trying to improve, although, English is not my first language..

I had a bad experience with Leadstart. they made me pay around Rs.1.5 lacs as my share . The editing was lousy, more of a grammar and punctuation correction, the manuscript finally ready after very regular follow up from me. they reportedly published my book ” Terror Spa” in December 2013,saying it can be bought through Crossword.

I checked at a number of Crossword and other bookstores.No one had heard ofthe book, let alone, have a copy. They were not even sure they could book an order.

In May 2014, I wrote to them asking for some info related to sales if any. No response, even from Swarup Nanda, their MD who was all courtesy when I had to pay them.

A real bad experience. I realised later that I , being a new author, was taken for a ride. Leadstart is nothing but a vanity publisher.

Job Xavier

They have done the same to me. I think they got an easy option of making money by cheating new writers. Take my suggestion. Don’t fall for this company. Improve your writing and look for better publishers. That’s what I’m doing…:)

No. You don’t have to pay a penny. This sounds like a scam if they are asking for money.

The way it works is that you send your story to a publisher (Or an agent) and once your book starts selling, they take a small percentage of the royalties you earn, then pass the rest of the money onto you. Anyone who asks for money upfront is trying to scam you, so if I were you I’d walk away now.

Leadstartcorp.com is a bad option if you want your writing published! I got my book, When Monday Was Over, published by Leadstartcorp in December 2011! Their feedback (even annual) is abysmally poor and non-existent. Just kiss your money goodbye! But I have better options, including Createspace.com!