Is Page Publishing A Scam? Is The $3.2k Investment Worth It?

Ever considered being a writer? Some were able to hit the digital shelves of Amazon, while commercial publishers accepted others. 

And perhaps this is why you are doing your due diligence regarding your options, which lead you to wonder, and me to answer the question: 

 

Is Page Publishing a scam, or is it worth it at $3.2K? 🤔

 

Regardless of where you are in the world, books are consistently consumed and are part of our daily lives.

I, for one, have recently started reading the notorious “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” book, and it has immensely changed my views about money, life, and education.

How about you? When was the last time you hopped into bed, curled up in a ball, and read something new?

My passion for books has always been fueled by the notion that there are lots of stories waiting to be heard. Every page is a mystery bearing new information for those who are willing and eager to consume it.

You see, the number of titles in every genre just kept on growing all these years. In fact, even the genres are evolving as a response to the changing tastes of readers. 

 

For instance, have you ever heard of cli-fi? How about mythopoeia or bizarro? 🤨

 

And speaking of change, gone are the days where the titles you’ll encounter are from established authors with established audiences. 

Fortunately, budding authors (young or old) are given the same chances and spotlight due to the concept of self-publishing.

The publishing industry is loosely divided into different categories, but allow me to share with you the five most common publishers that you should consider depending on your target.

1. Trade book publishers – they publish the books that you often see in your regular bookstore. Some examples are Simon and Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin Random House.
   

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2. Academic/Professional publishers – if you are looking to create books that aim to target specific learning competencies, then textbook and academic publishers should be your go-to. Some examples are Routledge, Springer, and John Wiley & Sons.
   

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3. Self-publishing – these are the books and e-books that you usually have to order from the author themselves. You should consider this if you are working on a niche piece that is not as popular as those you can see flying off the shelves. My best example here is Amazon KDP.
   

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4. Speciality book publishers – these print-on-demand publishers usually publish low-cost books and materials like activity books, colouring pages, and craft books.
   

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5. Hybrid publishers – this is what bridges the gap between self-publishing and traditional publishing since it extends help to the author by giving expert advice on distribution, marketing, and editing of the book.

 

While technology has significantly affected the publishing industry, books remain to fly off the shelves (and digital shelves too) within hours.

A lot of people from all walks of life are considering making money out of publishing their own content. After all, we all have distinct stories to tell, and some of these stories may just win the lottery. 🎰

For aspiring authors, I understand how hard it is to deal with big publishers, which is why most are looking into self-publishing these days.

In line with this, we are seeing a lot of scams promising different services such as free write-up appraisals, free editing, and free book promotions as long as you pay them to publish.

 

However…

There is a hefty price to pay, but could Page Publishing be any different? 🧐

 

In this article, we will review one of the top full-service publishing houses that has over nine years of experience in providing authorship services to writers who want to get their books out into the open.

In the spirit of full transparency, know that this post will contain only my honest opinion and recommendations about the service and nothing more. No upsells, no empty promises, or things of that sort.

If you are up for that, then take out your notepad for the latest deets. 🖋️ 🗒️

 

What is Page Publishing about?

I have always considered making a career out of writing. 🙂 

Often I even question myself whether I should fire up my laptop and start writing the next best-selling dystopian novel that could rival The Hunger Games, Matched, or even The Maze Runner. 

But what scares me the most is the fact that established publishers may reject it due to the following reasons:

1. Genre issues
2. A limited number of possible readership
3. Technical flaws – lapses on storylines – tone and language
4. The manuscript is too short or too long

 

Which is why self-publishing is on the rise today. 📈

You see, in this form of publishing, you get to have total control of your publication from scratch to the shelves. Not only will this save you much money, but you also get to keep all the profits to yourself.

If you want to go down this route, this means that you only have to hire people for some of the most technical aspects that you cannot do on your own. 

Some of them may include stuff like designing a book cover, hiring a copy editor for basic proofreading and checking of the flow of ideas, or a marketing side-kick for book distribution and launching plans.

If that hits the spot, then perhaps this is why you are doing your watchfulness regarding the Page Publishing platform. 

 

Whether you are working on self-help, biographical, or even a historical book, Page Publishing can help by transforming your write-ups into a book (hardcopy or e-book) that can be sold in retail book outlets. 

It is a hybrid publisher which offers services that are on the technical aspects while the author will still get to enjoy some of the privileges of self-publishing.

As seen on their homepage welcoming video, Page Publishing aspires to be your all-in-one publishing house where authors are just involved in the development of the content. 

If you look into its BBB rating, you may find comfort in knowing that it actually has an A+ rating with not much number of complaints – the service and billing complaints are all “resolved” as of writing.

On social media, it has around 8k followers on Facebook, 153 on Instagram, 842 on Twitter, and around 661 subscribers on YouTube. 

Honestly, for a publishing brand, those numbers are definitely on the low. Can this be the reflection of their marketing presence?

The thing about this type of publishers is that their customer is not your reader, but you. 

So here, they put a premium on selling you their services than selling you books which is why they do not provide an outstanding marketing service. 

Take note of Amazon KDP for example. You can start selling your books for FREE without any questions. If you publish under them, you will also get to have a free landing page for you and all of your books.

But for the case of Page Publishing, you will have to pay to get your own landing page. And of course, you also have to pay them to design that page for you. 

While the services may sound like a good deal, there are much cheaper options than Page Publishing. 

You see, if you just hire a freelancer from Upwork, Freelancer, or Fiverr, you may get to work with people who actually have experiences working on your specific genre. 

For instance, take a look at the book cover designs of their latest books, and try to compare it with the $5 ones that you can find on Fiverr. 

The difference is obvious. You get to have professional looking covers at the best prices!

Also, if you are worried about grammatical or syntax errors and plot holes, why not just work with top-rated copy editors from Upwork who actually provide you with samples and you get to see unfiltered client comments.

I am not saying that Page Publishing is not a good, reliable company. It’s just that their services are a little bit expensive! 😕

Some of their clients are saying that the company will require at least $3,500 ($300 upfront), which is different from what they will earn from their “20-cents” profit from each book. 

Depending on the type of book, the required amount may change, but for me, that is just WAY too much. 😵

 

How does Page Publishing work?

Once you are accepted to publish under Page Publishing, you will be granted access to the author login page. Upon registration, you will see the timeline and status of your manuscript. Basically, the process follows a four-step procedure such as:

 

Step 1: Copy editing and Proofreading ✔

In this stage, the publication coordinator will delegate a copy editor who will check for grammatical errors, plot holes, and consistency of ideas. Note that they will follow the standards of the Chicago Manual of Style throughout your work.

 

Step 2: Typesetting and E-Book Conversion ✔

Once plot holes are resolved, and the tone and language are tailored to fit your target readers, the company will now format your manuscript depending on what you want as an author: hardcopy or ebook.

They will also provide the ISBN and Barcode which will be added into the cover design element of the book.

 

Step 3: Marketing and Publicity ✔

Once everything is set, you will now be ready for printing and launching. During this time, the company promises to promote your book through press releases, radio interviews (on their site), craft book trailers (on YouTube) and general online promotion techniques on social media.

 

Step 4: Distribution and Royalty Management ✔

In this phase, the authors will not need to worry since the company themselves will handle the logistics and printing of copies. Additionally, they will give the authors a full report on the updated status and sales description for your titles under them.

 

But let me bring you back to reality. 😬

Given that it has been around for almost a decade, you might be surprised to know that they have published more than 500 books (that is like 5 major books per month!!!) which is quite a lot for a publishing house that has a minimal following.

What scares me here is the fact that even the biggest publishers do not focus on that much number of titles per month to ensure the quality of each and review the marketing plan for a specific book.

 

Can I make money from Page Publishing?

Allow me to be frank on answering this one – you will not gain a lot from publishing your book under Page Publishing.

I can firmly say this because if you look into their marketing style (as seen on their social media pages), they do not pack the same caliber as other publishing houses.

Additionally, the main deal-breaker for me is that their books’ designs are not part of the professional ones you can see on the shelves.

As a bibliophile myself, it would be untrue for me to say that I am not drawn to buy books with quirky and fresh designs. 

I mean, come on! Why pay for those when you can design yourself a brand new, better-looking cover using a simple tool like Canva or Snappa? 

And at the end of the day, Page Publishing’s target is to profit from the author and not on the book’s sales, which leads us to the question…

 

Is Page Publishing a scam?

Let me start by saying that Page Publishing is not a scam. It has been in the industry for quite a long time now and has established itself as one of the publishers who can get the nitty-gritty job done. 

 

But whether it’s the best bang for your buck service, I do not think so.

If you are determined on the idea of publishing your manuscript without thinking much about the cost of the service, then YES, Page Publishing may be for you. 🙂

But for someone who actually wants to earn from their brainchild, I truly suggest that you hire professionals for each technical work you have. 

Additionally, I highly recommend that you try out the free self-publishing companies that are more reputable than they, like:

1. Amazon KDP ✓
2. Apple Books ✓
3. Barnes and Noble ✓

I do not want to be a herald of bad news, but that is the reality of self-publishing. If you want to spare yourself from all the drama yet pursue a career in writing, I suggest you try out my number one reccomendation instead. 👈 🤩

 

How I Make a Living Writing Online… (And How You Too Can) 

As I have said in the first few parts of this article, I have always been fond of the idea of writing. It is one of the best ways by which I can reach a lot of people and express my thoughts and opinions about something. 

At first, I also wanted to write my own book, but I realized that if my only motivation is to earn from writing, I will have to write on niches that I may not really be fond of.

 

Can you even imagine me writing about love stories or action write-ups? 😅

Just the thought of that is too much for me, so I decided to leverage my skills in writing truths and revelations. 

And now, here you are on my site, meaning that I was able to fulfill my dream of reaching out to people across nations.

If you are someone who:

•  Has the basic skills in writing ✓

•  Has a niche in mind that you are passionate about ✓

•  Can write your own truth and opinion about something ✓

•  Can make engaging articles ✓

•  Can mention and include products naturally (without sounding too pushy) ✓

 

Then affiliate marketing is for you! 💯

This type of online business hugely depends on your writing power and the ability to promote products you honestly believe in. 

Yep, you get to choose the types of product you wish to promote, which means that you don’t have to push yourself to work with specific brands that you won’t avail of. 

What’s best about this opportunity is that you can even write yourself up to four or five figures of passive income within just a few months. 

 

Sound too good to be true? This might change your mind. 😏

 

Trust me when I say that the possibilities are endless. You see, as an affiliate, you are the boss of you, and that means that all the profits you make are yours and yours only! 

 

No royalties or anything of that sort. 🤢

 

Over %75 of the earners online are affiliate marketers, and there’s a good reason behind that. The business model works like clockwork, and it will only get better in the upcoming years. 

The number of internet users is increasing by the minute, which is a clear sign that the market is expanding. 

This means that some of your future customers just started browsing the web and are waiting on you to reach out to them and showcase a certain product they need. 

Your recommended product can one day earn you a commission and kickstart your affiliate marketing business. 

However, don’t get things confused. 🙃

Just because it works like clockwork doesn’t mean it’s easy. 

 

The concept of affiliate marketing may be straightforward, but the business model itself requires serious input from your end.  

You will need to immerse yourself in learning, and if you are going to ask me for my most recommended way on how you can start, then without a doubt, check out Wealthy Affiliate. 

It’s the same affiliate marketing platform that gave me all the training, tools, and support to innovate and thrive in this crazy online world, and it can unquestionably do the same for you. 

The blog you’re on now maybe my own doing, but I wouldn’t have been able to get it to where it is today without the community’s help that stands behind Wealthy Affiliate. 

It is an online platform that aims to educate aspiring affiliate marketers about the industry and allows them to dive deep into their lessons free of cost. 

I’d be delighted to welcome you personally and share some of my best tips, tricks, and pointers that I’ve learned throughout the years. 

Replacing your current job with a full-time income writing from home is indeed a real possibility, and it starts with you joining this awesome community of like-minded individuals. 

As I end this article, I hope that I was able to shed light and give you a fresh answer to the question – “Is Page Publishing a scam?”  

If you enjoyed this article, it would make me the happiest man in the world if you can share it on some of the social media platforms you are using. 😊

Also, feel free to comment down below your realizations and your decisions on whether you will push through with publishing your pieces with Page Publishing, and if yes, why so. 👋 ⭐