You're struggling with your writing career. You're not selling books, or you can't get an agent, or you don't know how to market yourself. You're desperate for answers.
Then you find them: the publishing gurus. They have YouTube channels with hundreds of thousands of subscribers. They run six-figure courses teaching you their "proven system" for publishing success. They post screenshots of their earnings and promise you can do the same if you just follow their exact formula.
You buy the course. You follow the steps. And nothing happens.
You wonder what you did wrong. Maybe you didn't follow the system perfectly. Maybe you need the advanced course. Maybe you just don't have what it takes.
Here's what actually happened: you got scammed by someone whose real business is selling hope to desperate writers, not actually publishing successful books.
Let me explain exactly how the publishing guru scam works and how to spot it before you waste your money.
The Publishing Guru Business Model
Publishing gurus don't make money from publishing books. They make money from selling courses to writers who want to publish books.
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Publish a few books. They might sell a little, they might not. Doesn't matter—the books are just credentials, not the actual business.
Step 2: Create a course teaching "how I made $X as a self-published author" (where X is usually inflated or comes mostly from selling courses, not books).
Step 3: Market the course heavily. Spend thousands on Facebook ads, YouTube ads, Instagram. Make bold promises. Show income screenshots.
Step 4: Sell the course for $297-$2,997. Even if only 100 people buy, that's $30,000-$300,000 from one course launch.
Step 5: Upsell students into coaching programs, masterminds, and "done-for-you" services for $5,000-$25,000.
Step 6: Use testimonials from the 2-3% of students who see any success to sell to the next batch of hopeful writers.
Notice what's missing? Actually helping writers publish successful books.
Because that's not the business. The business is selling courses to writers, not publishing books that readers want to buy.
How to Spot a Publishing Guru
Not everyone teaching about publishing is a scammer. But here are the red flags that separate legitimate teachers from gurus selling false hope:
Red Flag #1: They Make More From Courses Than Books
Ask yourself: where does this person's income actually come from?
If their income screenshots show earnings from courses, coaching, affiliate marketing, and YouTube ad revenue—not book royalties—they're not successful publishers. They're successful course sellers.
Legitimate authors who teach make most of their money from books. Teaching is supplemental income, not the primary business.
Red Flag #2: They Promise a System or Formula
"Follow my exact 7-step system and you'll make six figures as an author!"
There is no system. There is no formula. Publishing success depends on writing good books that readers want to read, consistent output, understanding your market, and a whole lot of factors you can't control.
Anyone promising a guaranteed formula is lying. What worked for them (if it even worked) won't necessarily work for you because you're writing different books in different genres at different times with different audiences.
Red Flag #3: They Show Income Screenshots Without Context
"I made $50,000 last month from my books!"
Great. But:
• How much did you spend on advertising to make that $50,000?
• How much came from courses vs. actual book sales?
• Is this a typical month or your best month ever?
• How many books do you have in your catalog?
• How long have you been publishing?
• What's your profit after expenses?
Screenshots without context are meaningless. And gurus never give context because it would reveal the truth: their book income is modest and their real money comes from selling courses.
Red Flag #4: They Can't Point to Successful Students
If their course actually worked, where are all the successful students?
They'll show you testimonials like "This course changed my mindset!" or "I finally feel confident about my publishing journey!" Notice what these don't say? "I made X dollars" or "I sold X copies."
Because most students don't succeed. Not because they didn't try hard enough, but because the course was selling hope instead of substance.
Red Flag #5: The Advice Is Vague and Obvious
You pay $997 for a course that teaches you:
• Write a good book
• Get a professional cover
• Publish on Amazon
• Market your book
• Write more books
That's not a system. That's common sense you could have learned for free in 20 minutes of Googling.
The course looks substantial because it's 40 videos, but the actual information density is near zero. It's all fluff, motivation, and basic information repackaged to seem valuable.
Red Flag #6: They Gatekeep Information Behind Higher Tiers
"The basic course teaches you the fundamentals, but if you want the REAL secrets, you need the Platinum tier for $4,997."
There are no secrets. Publishing information is freely available. What actually works isn't hidden behind expensive masterminds—it's just hard work that most people won't do.
Red Flag #7: They Constantly Launch New Courses
If someone is launching a new course every three months, they're not focused on publishing books. They're focused on creating products to sell to writers.
Real authors are busy writing books, not creating endless courses about writing books.
The Harm Publishing Gurus Cause
This isn't harmless. These gurus actually damage writers and the publishing industry.
They waste your money. $2,000 spent on a useless course is $2,000 you could have spent on professional editing or cover design for your actual book.
They waste your time. Six months following their "system" is six months you could have spent writing your next book.
They give you false hope. You think if you just follow the formula perfectly, you'll succeed. When you don't, you blame yourself instead of the garbage advice.
They flood the market with bad books. Their students churn out books following the "system" without understanding craft or market. The result is thousands of poorly written books that make it harder for good books to get noticed.
They set unrealistic expectations. New writers see the guru's income claims and think that's normal. It's not. Most authors earn under $5,000 per year. Setting expectations of six-figure income leads to massive disappointment.
What Legitimate Teaching Looks Like
Not everyone teaching publishing is a scammer. Here's what legitimate help looks like:
They have a real publishing track record. They've published multiple books that actually sold well. They can point to specific titles and sales figures.
They're transparent about what works and what doesn't. They don't promise guaranteed results. They explain that publishing is hard and success isn't guaranteed.
They teach skills, not systems. Good teachers help you develop craft, understand your market, and make informed decisions. They don't sell cookie-cutter formulas.
They price reasonably. A good course on a specific topic might cost $50-$300. Anything over $500 better include significant hands-on feedback and coaching.
Their advice is specific and actionable. Not vague motivation—actual techniques you can apply to your work.
They succeed as authors first, teachers second. Teaching supplements their author income. It's not their primary business.
Questions to Ask Before Buying Any Course
Before you hand over your credit card, ask:
What's your actual book income vs. course income? If they won't answer or get defensive, walk away.
How many of your students have succeeded? Not "changed their mindset"—actually sold books and made money. If they can't give specific numbers or examples, the course doesn't work.
What makes this worth the price? What information am I getting that isn't freely available? If the answer is "accountability" or "community," you're paying thousands of dollars for things that should cost nothing.
What are your refund policies? Legitimate teachers stand behind their courses. If there's no refund option, they know most students won't get value.
Can I see the full curriculum before buying? If they won't show you exactly what you're getting, they're hiding how little substance there is.
The Survivorship Bias Problem
Publishing gurus love to point to their success as proof their methods work.
But their success often came from:
• Being early to a market before it was saturated
• Getting lucky with the algorithm at the right time
• Writing in a hot subgenre that's since cooled off
• Having advantages they don't mention (existing platform, industry connections, substantial marketing budget)
Just because something worked for one person at one time doesn't mean it's a repeatable system that will work for you.
The thousands of students who followed the same advice and failed? You never hear about them.
What Actually Helps Writers Succeed
Want real help? Here's what actually works:
Learn craft. Read books on writing by actual writers. Study books in your genre. Practice. Get feedback. Improve.
Join a community of working writers. Not a guru's paid mastermind—a genuine community of writers helping each other. These exist for free.
Hire professionals for specific needs. Need editing? Hire an editor. Need cover design? Hire a designer. Don't pay thousands for a course that teaches you what you could hire done for hundreds.
Read widely in your genre. The best education is reading successful books and understanding what makes them work.
Write more books. Every book teaches you more than any course ever could.
Be patient. Building a publishing career takes years. Anyone promising fast results is lying.
The Brutal Truth About Publishing Success
There's no secret. There's no system. There's no formula.
Publishing success requires:
• Writing good books that readers want
• Publishing consistently over years
• Understanding your market
• Professional production quality
• Patience and persistence
• Some luck
That's it. It's not complicated. But it is hard.
Gurus sell you the fantasy that there's a shortcut—a secret system that makes it easy if you just pay them enough money.
There isn't. And they know it. That's why they make money selling courses instead of publishing books.
How to Spend Your Money Wisely
Instead of spending $2,000 on a guru's course, spend it on:
• Professional developmental editing: $2,000
• Or professional copyediting + cover design: $1,000 + $800
• Or 4 different professional covers: $500 each
• Or editing + cover + formatting for one book: $1,800 total
All of these directly improve your actual books and help you compete in the market.
A course teaches you theory. Professional services give you a finished product you can sell.
The Bottom Line
Publishing gurus are selling you hope because hope is profitable.
They're not helping you succeed as an author. They're using your dreams to build their own businesses.
Before you buy any course, ask yourself: does this person make money from books or from selling courses about books?
If the answer is "courses," walk away.
Your money is better spent on professional services that improve your actual books. Your time is better spent writing than watching 40 hours of fluff videos.
The publishing industry is hard enough without gurus taking your money and giving you nothing but false hope in return.
Save your money. Write your books. Hire professionals to make them good. Publish them. Repeat.
That's the only system that actually works.
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