{"product_id":"9780981661728","title":"Stupid, Sloppy, Sleazy","description":"Outskirts Press calls itself \"the fastest-growing full-service publishing provider.\" It published seven books in 2002, its first year, and over 5,000 books in 2009. Some of those books, and the press releases that promote them, are filled with silly errors that should have been avoided.\u003cp\u003eWhen authors are disappointed and enraged., service reps hide behind the fine print of a contract that does not warrant that books will be error-free.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutskirts is also inept (and dishonest) when it promotes itself. Its website, emails, press releases, blogs and promotional literature have factual errors, mistakes in grammar, spelling and arithmetic- and deliberate distortion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutskirts uses such grandiose phrases as \"a veritable army of publishing professionals\" to attract customers - but those professionals tell lies to make independent self-publishing seem much harder than it really is.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough Outskirts uses such buzzwords as \"self-publishing\" and \"print-on-demand,\" it's really a vanity publisher. Vanity publishers make most of their money by selling services and overpriced trinkets to naïve authors - not by selling books to readers. The books are often ugly, unedited and overpriced. They sell poorly, and are seldom reviewed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book was written to make potential customers of Outskirts Press and other vanity publishers aware of the trouble that likely awaits them, and to let vanity publishers know that their lies and failures will be noticed and publicized.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's also a very funny book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Silver Sands Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47034554941680,"sku":"9780981661728","price":10.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780981661728_p0.jpg?v=1763883772","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780981661728","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}