Archive Spam? - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

I usually don't open unsolicited e-mail (who does?

), but this one seemed on-topic enough -- "A Note on Publishing Your Writing" -- to make me curious. I'm interested to know if anyone else has gotten such an e-mail. Is this spam or not? I have certainly not replied -- I am very suspicious of anything that asks me to click to reject, as it seems to me the spammer just wants to verify that my addy is legit.

Quote

Dear Author,

My name is Mercedes and I work for Xlibris, a technology-based publishing company. I noticed your name on the The Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive website, and if you don’t mind, I wanted to reach out to you to let you know about a great opportunity for publishing your work. You might find it intriguing. But if you are not interested, let me know by replying to this e-mail or clicking on the link at the bottom of this message.

As a writer, publishing your work is important to your career. You probably also know how difficult the process can be. The company I work for is trying to change all that by offering affordable self-publishing services to writers of all genres. We don’t take rights and we make the publication process fast and simple so that you can get your work into the hands of your readers when you want to.

Xlibris has published over 9,000 titles since 1997 and is partially owned by Random House Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Random House, the world's largest trade book publisher. While self-publishing isn’t for everyone, the number of titles we’ve published doesn’t lie: lots of writers are self-publishing their work. Xlibris helps with editorial, design, printing, distribution, fulfillment, and marketing services. We think our services are so great that we back them up with a money-back guarantee.

We’d love to talk with you about any of your publishing projects and how Xlibris might be able to help you. Please click here to register for more information. If you’d prefer, you can call us toll free at 888.795.4274 to speak with a publishing consultant.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Mercedes Bournias
Publishing Consultant

PS - I'm sorry if I've disturbed you. If you don't want to receive any more messages from Xlibris, let me know by clicking here or by replying to this message.

If this, as I suspect, a form of spam, is there anything we can do to protect the archive from this kind of abuse? I mean, I can click "delete" as easily as the next person

but I'd hate to see our wonderful archive being culled and our marvelous authors disturbed when they should be spending their emotions on something more valuable, like writing more fic.

Yes, I had one of those too. Just out of curiosity, I did click on the link, and it does take you to a 'vanity publisher' website. I didn't do any kind of search on the 'publisher', since X Libris is actually a UK imprint anyway and I figured that was the publisher which would come up via Google.

This could well be a legitimate business, albeit one which stoops to spam to attract clients; but then, we could argue that looking on a fanfic archive is a pretty good way of attracting people who might be interested in getting their fiction published. The main issue of concern, apart from stopping spam, is of course that this kind of publisher makes the author bear all the costs...

And no, Hazel, I doubt there's any way to stop anyone harvesting addresses from the Archive - but maybe, if lots of authors have been getting this email, LabRat might consider putting an announcement on the front page warning people to treat it with caution?

Wendy

I got one of those, too. I didn't recognize the sender, so I just deleted it.

- Laura

I got one of those, too. If you'll read it carefully, it's offering an opportunity to pay *them* to publish your stuff. The first thing they tell you about publishing is to never, ever, *ever* pay a company to publish or self publish.

Laura

I got this, too. I assumed that they sent one out to anyone who has anything on the archive. When ML told me she also got one, I assumed that my assumption was correct. (And it isn't a bad thing to be lumped into the same category as ML

)

I ignored it, as did the rest of you.

My concern is that this company has put together a list of our e-addies and I wonder if they would sell it to other companies. If that is the case, we could be inundated with spam.
Just a thought.

gerry

I seem to vaguely recall receiving something like this. Deleted it immediately. I'm waiting in hope that the spamming bill passed by Congress doesn't get shot down, and that the no-spam list will work.

Jude

I got one too, a week or two back. And considering that I only have ONE story on the archive (which is co-authored and I'm the second listed author), I think it's safe to assume they've already mined the Archive pretty thoroughly.

As Hazel said, DON'T click to reject!

Xlibris is indeed a 'legit' vanity press. (Of course, they claim not to BE a vanity press . . . :rolleyes: ) This is not the first time I have heard of slightly shady (but legal) advertising on their part.

Well, the title of this thread was a tad concerning at first...until I read it and realised the Archive wasn't bombarding everyone with spam!

Couple of points here. First of all, it's a pretty sneaky way to get customers in my book.

Secondly, as LauraBF points out, never get involved with a 'publishing' company which charges you for publishing your work.

Thirdly, I'll email Lauren about putting a general warning on the Archive front page about being wary of any spam which cites the Archive in this way and which harvests eddresses from it.

Other than that, I'm afraid it's just a sign of the times.

LabRat (who used to get zero spam until she became EIC...

)

So, should I be relieved or insulted that it took her so long to get to me?

Sorry I alarmed you, Rat.

It does, indeed, look like someone went methodically through the archive, spamming every e-mail in sight. Perhaps it's done by date, which might explain why I'm so far down on the list. :rolleyes: Let's hope that Gerry's alarming idea of selling our addys doesn't occur.

I would just like to address a comment made by LauraBF and Labrat, though: while it's certainly true that no one in their right mind should take up an offer made by a vanity publisher, that does not mean that it's not the right path under certain circumstances. I've been published by three different publishers now, but I know of two separate people who had a story to tell and had trouble getting a publisher to do it for them. Both chose the vanity publishing method for getting their book into print. While it does mean that they are responsible for distribution and advertising, it also means that the book at least exists. One of those authors -- the one whom I've dealt with personally, and who I strongly advised against taking the vanity publishing route -- has more than earned enough in sales to cover her costs, and is just happy that her personal Holocaust account has seen print.

So, while I am hardly advocating that anyone click on that spam letter link, I think it's fair to say that vanity publishing does, indeed, have its uses -- as long as its the author who initiates the contact.

Hazel

I also got this one. Makes me extremely annoyed, particularly since it is an obvious scam. I've already had poetry and a short story published. Believe me, publishers are not going to come to you. You have to do the research and submit your stories.

I also just got this email today, but I immediately deleted it which is what I do with any header or address that I don't recognize.

If a person is interested in any sort of self-publishing a simple google search will bring forth a multitude of companys which offer such services. No need to be answering any blind emails.

Tank (who thinks his luck at staying away from a lot of these viruses that go around comes from two things... one, he doesn't open any email he doesn't recognize, and two, he doesn't keep any personal address books on his computer)

I also got this one.

I got it. Woohoo, I'm in the club.

Lynn

Dang it! Where's mine?

I got mine! CC, I'll share with you!

Missy

If I did get one, I don't remember. I usually delete huge chunks of spam at a time without bothering to look at it.

James

I was about to start wondering why I hadn't got one... and then it arrived! I'm just happy not to be excluded.

Saskia

phew!

I was starting to wonder if it was some marketing promotionnal thingy...glad I'm not the only one who got it!

Carole

(who deleted it after reading, 01/13/04).

I haven't gotten one. 'Course that could be because of Yahoo's wonderful spam blocker. I guess you can't have everything...

I was amused to come across this so soon after the discussion re vanity publishing! Of course, this fellow wasn't spammed, but solicited help himself. Still, if anyone's interested...

Self Publishing

One point with this email.

They asked you to click or reply if you were NOT interested. (Like deleting and never responding wouldn't give them the hint :rolleyes: )

By replying or clicking, you are verifying that they have reached a valid email address and there is a big business in valid email addresses for marketing.

The best answer is to just ignore and delete.

Just got mine. I decided to save it for posterity.

James

I got one of those, too. Reading through the posts, however, I did want to chime in on this from Hazel:

Quote

I would just like to address a comment made by LauraBF and Labrat, though: while it's certainly true that no one in their right mind should take up an offer made by a vanity publisher, that does not mean that it's not the right path under certain circumstances. I've been published by three different publishers now, but I know of two separate people who had a story to tell and had trouble getting a publisher to do it for them. Both chose the vanity publishing method for getting their book into print. While it does mean that they are responsible for distribution and advertising, it also means that the book at least exists. One of those authors -- the one whom I've dealt with personally, and who I strongly advised against taking the vanity publishing route -- has more than earned enough in sales to cover her costs, and is just happy that her personal Holocaust account has seen print.

This is a topic very close to my heart, so I wanted to chime in here and agree. While it's definitely *wonderful* to come across a publisher who wants to publish your work--and better yet, with no cost to the writer!

--sometimes that just doesn't happen. If a writer wants it badly enough, sometimes they'll do whatever it takes to GET his/her work published. I was *very* lucky to not have to front any money, but not everyone is.

For example, I have several writer friends who have paid somewhere between $1,000-$2,000 up front to have their book published by a smaller publisher who accepted their manuscript. After countless rejections, they were HAPPY to pay the money to get that first book published. Each of those authors have now hit bestsellers lists over the past few years and are making a decent living writing. Sometimes it's worth it to pay for getting that first work published, but I agree--NEVER publish with someone who approaches YOU. Yikes. That reeks of scam.

Anyway, sorry for the ramble. Like I said, this was a topic close to my heart.

I was beginning to feel left out, but I got it today (or yesterday, I only checked my email today).

When I decide to publish anything, anyway, I'll see what to do. In the meantime, it's not "important to my career" (considering I'm only fifteen years old and don't have one yet).

Julie

Okay, who do I complain to? I'm not happy! I still haven't received this. It's not on, you know! I'm EIC of the darn Archive and I don't get one? It's a poor show.

Re Hazel and Erin - yes, I think there's a vast difference between an author seeking out a vanity publisher and being approached by one.

LabRat

(feeling left out now and grumpy... )

Labby, perhaps your spam blocker is too efficient? Or you actually did get one weeks ago, but the experience was so traumatic that you're suppressing the memory?

Um, if you're really feeling left out, I suppose I could send you some of my spam. Did you want stuff on home businesses, stuff on cheap prescription drugs, dating stuff? All of the above?

Just let me know.

Are you sure you didn't get one, Rat? You might be in my situation: like you, I was feeling a little miffed that I hadn't been approached... :rolleyes: until I saw the name of the sender.

Then I realised that I had had a message from "her", and it had even got through UWE's spam filter, but that I had dumped it wthout opening it because a) I didn't recognise the sender's name and b) the Subject line had been corrupted into a mess of alpha-numeric soup!

So much for that mailshot...

Phil

Well, as far as I know / can recall, I haven't had one, and I know that my mail blocker is not efficient.

I might have deleted it, I suppose, but I don't think so. I think any message that wasn't trying to persuade me to buy medication, 'enhance' my body or sell me printer cartridges would have been sufficiently memorable to have stuck in my mind!

Chris (pretending to be deeply hurt that her work clearly isn't even up to snuff enough to attract the vanity publisher!

)

Well, you got me wondering if I was doing poor Mercedes a grave injustice there, Phil, so went and double checked in my deleted items folder.

Nope. Closest I apparently got was an email from Mercedes Smith offering me free pay-per-view.

And, Chris - thanks. Hadn't thought of that one. Now I have double reason to be left out and grumpy.

) so I think I'll pass on that one for now. Maybe later. But, you know, if I ever find myself in danger of running out you'll be the first I'll call.

LabRat

Quote

Originally posted by rivka:
Did you want stuff on home businesses, stuff on cheap prescription drugs, dating stuff?

And don't forget the Paris Hilton video ads!!!

Quote

(...) the Paris Hilton video ads!!

Really? Wow! The rue de Courcelles one's absolutely gorgeous!
Carole

Carole,

In case you are confused like I was until someone explained it to me...

The Paris Hilton Video refers to Ms. Paris Hilton, daughter of Mr and Mrs Hilton, not the hotel in Paris of the same name

Helga
(You've got to wonder about parents who name their daughter after a building they own...)