*Writers of Inkitt, Listen Up: This is Important*

[Rebel Dynasty]

So, not too long ago, I came across an article in relation to Inkitt, not unlike the one below (in fact, it's one used in one of the links provided in said article).

Today, I received a message from a former employee of theirs--someone I consider a friend, a fellow author, and thus, someone I can trust--linking me to the blog below:

https://davidgowey.wordpress.com/20...forms-of-nefarious-vanity-press-skullduggery/

Please, I encourage you to read this thoroughly, and to take it to heart. Effective immediately, I will no longer be participating in anything Inkitt related, and for your own sakes, I would ask you don't, either. They are effectively screwing winning authors out of their deserved royalties. Inkitt started out quite well; but what it was and what it now is no longer coincide.

Consider yourselves informed. Thoughts?

 

[Shadow]

Thanks, Rebel. Will be deleting my original content from there. Not sure about fanfics, yet. They can't make any profit off those, but still. I'm guessing this is why they're so anxious for all contest participants to only post original works. And why my statements were ignored for placing with a fanfic.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

No problem. The last thing I want is anyone--especially my friends--to get screwed over. It's really disheartening, because at one point, the site really was a positive, fresh force. But now...I just wish I'd known this sooner. So much is adding up now that I couldn't put my finger on before.

If you know anyone else using the site, feel free to spread the word.

 

[Shadow]

Will do. At the moment, trying to convince myself not to be spiteful and do something I'll regret. Highly tempted to just delete my account, though. Too bad they're one of the few sites with a functioning formatter. T-T

 

[EA9Sol]

>.> That sucks. inkitt was such a nice place and I was thinking of entering one their contest. Oh, well. Just got to look for another writing site to post on. And thank you Rebel for the info. :3

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

@EA9Sol No problem. I'm just sorry to be the bearer of band news. I really liked it there, too.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

That's some sketchy ****, right there.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

That's some sketchy ****, right there.

Agreed. It really ****es me off, knowing it's yet another venue writers can't trust. I feel bad for the winners of their publishing contests; I can just imagine the nasty shock some of them are in for--if they haven't suffered it already--when they don't get their cut from book sales.

 

[Shadow]

I really hope there's some manipulative as f writers out there who are turning the scam on its head. If you know your way around the laws, it shouldn't be hard to change up the contract and the percentages, right? It just takes being sneaky. And clever.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

If they had ever implemented a PM function, I'd be getting in touch with every last member I could; not just with the blog I posted, but with whatever info the ex-employee I talk to could give me. I'd like nothing more than to tear them down brick by virtual brick.

Unfortunately, a lot of the people seeking publication through Inkitt probably aren't so business-savvy. I'm sure as hell not. I guess the next best thing would be to seek out others like the blogger, and maybe get them to band together to inform as many people as possible. At present, it seems the only recourse.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Heeeey, these were the guys who bugged me on twitter. Now I don't feel so bad for getting a bit cheeky about it.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

@TWOxACROSS :laugh:

Come to think of it, I believe I mentioned it to you a time or two as well. Glad you were either too busy or too smart to follow up on it. ^^;

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Little of column a, little of column b, and a smidge of column c which is "lazy."

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

So, to update on the Inkitt situation:

They recently got in touch with me, claiming they intended to feature me (this isn't the first time, but back then, I trusted them).

What follows are screenshots of our correspondence, ending with the reply I gave them today (against my better judgment). In chronological order:

If they put me in touch with the winners, I have full intentions of doing a follow-up with them and their experiences, publishing through Inkitt. If I even so much as suspect their responses to be false--both Inkitt's and the authors'--I'll stand my ground on this matter. If, however, I'm given favourable information...well, we'll see. I'll also provide what info I gather from the authors as well, and allow all of you to be the judge.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

Another Update:

The Inkitt reps got back to me, and have put my in contact with one of the winners. To ensure I actually am in contact with her--not just through them--I've also sought her out via her social media links.

These are the correspondences I've had thus far, starting with the rep:

(I won't bother providing the link she gave me, because of the blogs I've seen that are pro-Inkitt, it really wasn't all that organized or well thought-out. I could probably provide better links on my own. That said, I appreciate the fact that she bothered at all).

My reply to her below:

The correspondence set up between myself and one of the authors, and my first reply to it:

Now, on top of all this, there has been some--talk, over in the Inkitt Support and Features group. I'll post those separately from this post, as it would get incredibly long, otherwise. From there, I'll delve more into my thoughts on the matter (though suffice it to say, my feelings are very conflicting at this time).

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

Edit, since it would just be better to go with the link, rather than a gajillion screen shots:

https://www.inkitt.com/groups/2/show/6116?ref=v_4fcb5851-cbb7-4929-b958-6a37aa2b9365&version=1

Okay, so to conclude: I am no nearer to finding out the truth than I was to start with. This is incredibly disheartening, because like I said: I liked the community, I've come across stories ranging from good to great there, and I've managed to come away with a couple of acquaintances from it. Even if the reps have been entirely honest with me about the royalties and whatnot, it's still concerning that they won't see a dime until the $6000 has been regained in net earnings--despite Inkitt feeling the pinch, too. It could be years for some of those authors, before they come even close to that amount. :/

If anyone's got a better view of this than I do, I encourage you to speak, because honestly? I can't see the forest for the trees. I want so badly to believe them, so badly for their method to be of more help than harm, I don't think I can trust my own opinion right now.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Yeah, that's just a ****ing scam, plain and simple, to be honest. I'm not entirely sure where they got the figure of $6000 from, but it's rather high, considering even the high-end publishing package from Xlibris back in the day was only a couple thousand (if that), and that's guaranteed publication with professional editing and marketing campaigns - and Xlibris is a subsidiary of Random House (which is why I felt comfortable enough to work with them.) Plus, I have full rights to my work.

Maybe it's time to ask the right questions - like where does the $6000 figure come from, what expenses are creating that number, and what legitimate services are gotten out of it, what benefits come with that $6000? For that matter, where the hell do they have $6000 to invest in to begin with? That ties into all the spamming - they want traffic to their site, grabbing eager and desperate writers to funnel into their ad-laden hell hole that puts popularity over quality. They reach out to established writers who can drag large numbers of fans with them. Like that original ex-Inkitt person said, it looks like they might just be getting ready to sell the whole thing off, because that's what people do nowadays, make something with a limited but promising shelf-life, then sell it for a profit and bug out.

As I've grown up, anyone offering to do something for you and then "footing the bill" and eating up the profit until that bill is paid back is just tricky trash. There's a reason trads give a writer a cash advance, so they have the money to subsist while they finish the work the trad is investing in the success of. The "investment" inkitt has, is in finding that next gigantic best-seller (creator's own words, right?) where they will see an enormous return, especially given the highly questionable royalty ratio in the contract the writer has to agree to.

Of course, they'd try to tell you that "of course this doesn't sound like a normal thing, this is our own brand of publishing~" but there's a reason you don't hear about this as a major option along with trad and self-publishing. It doesn't ****ing work. They expect and even prey on a writer's desire to be the next JK Rowling, and if anything, they aren't investing nearly as much in a writer while they sit back and absorb a $6000 kickback until they start handing royalties over to the writer, and even then they're getting far too much.

Nothing adds up to me, because they say it's "for the writers," but every step they take seems to ensure they make out more than the writer does. It'd be easier to learn and do things yourself so you can either self-publish or find a trad, than to give up the rights to your work and half the royalties.

Tl;dr - these are glorified agents preying on unwitting young authors, and no ****ing agent works like this because it's scummy as all get out to do.

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

So the long and the short of it is, they're hiding behind a banner of "INNOVATIVE, NEW AND IMPROVED LITERARY PLATFORM", using that to legitimize their course of action...and the worst part of it? Even their authors believe the bullshit. :frown:

This is what Charlotte had to say (two screen shots, since I couldn't snip the whole email in one) to my questions:

And all I can think is: will she even get the money? And when she does, will it reflect all the B.S. she had to go through to get there? How many books had to be sold? That over 17,000 copies the ex-Inkitt blogger stated? More? And on top of that, how many "limited time only!' free copies went out?

Much as it pains me, I think you're right, @TWOxACROSS--it's not worth the risk. It's not worth the countless hours and years put into a project. Even suspecting that to be the truth all along, it's still a bitter pill to swallow. On the plus side, it's one less thing to fret over.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

The "Best-Seller" badge on Amazon is also not that big of a deal. I can't remember where I saw it, but there was an article talking about how that badge is useless because you can be a best-seller in a very niche genre that might not have much (or any) competition. Like, how many YA LGBT books are there from Amazon?

Plus, didn't the ex-inkitt already talk about how you could publish on Amazon yourself, cutting out inkitt from that process entirely...? Yeah, this?

 

[V]

Just read this thread.

In my years in the creative game I've found that if something sounds too good to be true, it is. And in the creative game if someone wants to offer you "exposure" in exchange for the use of your serious work, don't. Because you'll get nothing but screwed over most likely if money is mentioned. If any company ever claims that they cannot pay you yet because reasons but you will be paid in future, don't bother. Legit companies don't need to do this to balance their books and you're better off with one of those.

It depends on how serious you are about your IP.

I get offers almost daily from people for this and that and I can tell who is an amateur or a scammer by the single sentence that deals with remuneration, how it's worded and how they think they can go about it. Genuine offers know they ought to offer something in exchange for the work, not expect use of it before compensation. This might suit someone who doesn't care how their work is used but I'd advise staying away from offers like this personally. I've been burned before