Vanity publishing hoax?

A 93-year-old woman is at the centre of a controversy over an internet-based vanity publishing outfit after claims that she collected a #600,000 advance for her first book.

Publicity said that widow Lorna Page planned to spend the proceeds from sales of her novel "A Dangerous Weekness" to buy a large house in Devon.

And a press release issued by members of her family suggested sales of the book - published by the US-based firm AuthorHouse Inc - was going to make her rich.

Lorna was quoted as saying she intended to move her friends out of care homes to live with her at a property she had purchased in Devon.

But after the story made national headlines yesterday (MON) her daughter-in-law Cate Alle claimed Lorna's story had been "exaggerated".

Mrs Myers, who acts as Lorna's publicity representative, confirmed that there had been hardly any sales of the novel in the UK.

And the Society of Authors warned that people should be wary of claims made around novels issued through self-publishing companies that have mushroomed on the internet.

A Society of Authors spokeswoman said: "Authors should be very wary about using self publishing companies like AuthorHouse.

"They use a print on demand service which is very easy to set up and almost anyone can do it.

"We would always tell someone, if a book has to go to a print-on-demand publisher then there is a reason for this. Normally its because the book is rubbish.

"You never see a print-on-demand best seller or hear of anyone getting an advance from one of these companies.

"The only time anyone gets a cash advance of this size is when three or four publishers are fighting for a book.

"We would always give professional advice to anyone thinking of publishing a book and would hope people would speak to us before going to somewhere like AuthorHouse."

Lorna's daughter-in-law Cate Alle agreed that her press release had been "optimistic" but denied that she or Lorna had made claims about a #600,000 advance.

US-born Cate said: "Lorna is 93-years-old and wrote the book but she never received a cash advance and the idea of buying a house is only at the planning stage.

"When the book was getting published Lorna made a passing comment along the lines of 'If this does well I'd love to move my family in with me.' that was all.

"The claims about a six-hundred-thousand-pounds advance have been totally fabricated, but no real harm has been done.

"Things have been blown out of proportion but many people have been in touch with heartfelt messages saying they are now moving their parents in with them instead of a home.

"It has also done the sale of the book no harm either."

British fiction editor and publisher, Neil Marr condemned the phenomenon as "a huge hoax".

Retail giant Borders denied stocking the book but Waterstones later said they were intending to start taking orders for the book.

Mr Marr, who lives in the South of France, said: "It seems this family thought they could turn the old lady's book into a best-seller through some wishful-thinking.

"But let’s get this quite clear: AuthorHouse is a self-publishing vanity press outfit and nothing more.

"No such company ever pays advances. On the contrary, they charge authors for dubious editorial, publishing and marketing services.

"They use print-on-demand technology to produce books, one at a time, after pre-paid orders.

"This talk about buying a home for old folks suggests to me that they are trying to cash in on the charitable feelings of the generous British public.

"Her family hope people will buy the book thinking that Lorna has a successful book phenomenon on her hands and that she will use the proceeds to help others.

"But I have checked and the book is not to be on general sale in the high street or in the big internet stores.

"Talk of riches from this vanity publication is nonsense. At best it's a hoax and a shameful one at that."

The nature of the hoax took on new levels when the BBC broadcast an interview with Lorna.

According to the BBC report Lorna has "bought a five-bedroom house" in Weare Giffard, Devon, where she was filmed.

The BBC report also said she has "one friend staying with her already".

Her daughter-in-law Cate Alle sought to clarify the position saying that Lorna lives in the house with her son Robin, Cate herself and one of Lorna's friends.

Said Cate: "We all bought it... it's our house."

Cate also attempted to suggest that "A Dangerous Weekness" is on general sale at major UK retailers.

She said: "The book has been in stores in the UK a couple of weeks now. You can buy it at Amazon, Waterstones and Borders and even on eBay.

"And it's going surprisingly huge in the States."

Waterstones confrimed that the book would be available from today through its stores on a "print-on-demand" basis at a price of #16,95 with delvy taking 7 to 14 days.

"I have recently paid AuthorHouse to set up a work. They are useless. One month has turned into five and the work has been destroyed by them" A Mountford, Liverpool around 3 years, 8 months ago