- Story time, kids.
(applause and cheering)
A couple years ago, I decided to give
outsourcing the writing process
of Kindle publishing books a shot.
After all, I was doing good with my writing on my own,
so how difficult could it be to hire a freelance writer?
However, hiring a freelancer is harder than you think,
and if you aren't careful,
it could be a danger to your self-publishing business.
Today I'm going to share how outsourcing the writing
of Kindle publishing books became near fatal
to my self-publishing business,
and what you need to do first and foremost
to cover your tail.
Gather around and listen up,
because ya don't wanna miss this.
Welcome to Self Publishing with Dale,
and if you're new to this channel
and ya wanna learn how to publish and profit the right way,
then subscribe and hit the bell icon next to it
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Before I share my story, I'd love to hear yours first.
Have you outsourced writing for your books?
If so, how was the experience?
Hit me up in the comments below,
and leave any questions you might have.
Couple years ago, I decided to try to outsource some
of my Kindle publishing business through Upwork.
If you'd like an irreverent look at the process,
then make sure you check out my short tutorial
on the process here.
After vetting out numerous applicants,
I found one person who fit my needs.
This freelance writer had experience publishing books
and had a great portfolio.
Within a span of three months,
we'd worked together to produce a full series of books
that I saw an instant return on investment.
Heck, that series still makes me money,
so I have no complaints about that.
It was part of the process that I became
far too comfortable in and made an egregious error.
About three steps deep into the five-part project,
I became lazy and started skipping one vital step.
Now I know what you may be thinking.
Did I stop editing the work?
Did I allow my outsource writer access to my account?
Or did I allow my hired freelancer free reign
on the entire project?
It was one simple step that requires very little work:
check for plagiarism.
As you may know, plagiarism is essentially passing off
someone else's writing as your own,
meaning stealing someone's creative content
that can often have a copyright.
Plagiarism has dire consequences
if detected by Amazon or other online book retailers,
and even worse repercussions
if the original content creator discovers it.
Back to the story.
I completed the five-part project
and started another five-part series
with the freelance writer.
Without a second look, I approved the first book,
released the funds for my freelance writer to be paid,
and gave the green light for part two.
Part of my pre-editor process includes a round
of simple corrections through Grammarly.
I make small adjustments in grammar,
sentence structure, and word choice.
Then I thought about how it would be a good idea
to check plagiarism on Grammarly.
It was nothing more than a passing thought.
Now it should be noted that the plagiarism checker
on Grammarly is super sensitive
and will detect commonly used phrases
and sometimes sheer coincidental phrases.
This time though, Grammarly detected
an entire sentence and a half of word-for-word plagiarism.
The nice part is, Grammarly provided the exact source
and a hyperlink to the original text.
Thinking nothing of it, I clicked the link
and was horrified to discover Grammarly was dead-on correct.
In a panic, I went back and checked
the first five-part project to discover no issues.
Immediately I contacted my freelance writer
to discover that she was guilty of the infraction.
She never confirmed nor denied the accusations,
but was kind enough to refund my money.
I severed the business relationship
and left a 100% honest review of my experience
with the freelance writer.
To say I was disappointed was an understatement,
and the experience swayed me away from working
with outsourcing the writing process
of Kindle publishing books.
This story is a cautionary tale
that I hope you use to grow and protect your business.
Never take any part of the publishing process for granted,
and always double check your outsourced writer's work
for plagiarism.
If you wanna learn more about how to check plagiarism
with Grammarly, then check out my full Grammarly review
in this video link.
That's all the time we have for today,
and remember, if you liked this video,
then click the thumbs up.
Now get out there and use a plagiarism checker
you savvy self publisher, you.
'Til later, this has been Self Publishing with Dale,
and I'll see you guys soon.
(fun music)