Is Publishing.com a Scam?

If you’re thinking of using Publishing.com, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Publishing.com a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Publishing.com is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety while using this online education company. 

What Is Publishing.com?

Publishing.com is a self-publishing education business. 

It provides courses, coaching, and AI-powered software for people who want to self-publish books, particularly on platforms like Amazon KDP and Audible. 

The premise of Publishing.com is that you don’t need to be a writer to self-publish – you can outsource every part of the book and simply collect the royalties. 

Publishing.com was founded in 2019 by Christian and Rasmus Mikkelsen.

It was named an Inc. 5000 honoree in 2025 (based on revenue growth).

The company and its products also go by the names Publishing.ai, AI Publishing Academy, Publishing Accelerator, and the Mikkelsen Twins. 

Is Publishing.com a Scam?

Publishing.com is a legitimate business in the sense that it provides actual software and educational materials for individuals interested in self-publishing.

However, the company has been the subject of significant federal scrutiny and consumer complaints regarding its sales tactics and high costs.

In a Vox article about Publishing.com (and the larger self-publishing ecosystem), two former Publishing.com users were interviewed. They said the course content was shallow and mostly focused on upselling, many required tools cost extra beyond the course fee, and coaching calls focused on selling higher-tier programs. 

One user called the training “a jet stream of bullshit.”

User reviews of Publishing.com are mixed as of this writing: 

• 4.4 out of 5.0 stars (from over 2,000 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 1.07 out of 5.0 stars (from over 10 reviews) on Better Business Bureau.  

Positive reviews praise the step-by-step training, whereas negative reviews report aggressive upselling, hidden costs, and refund issues. 

On online forums like Reddit, people report mainly negative experiences with Publishing.com. 

At the time of writing, Publishing.com is not Better Business Bureau accredited and holds an “F” rating. BBB ratings reflect how the BBB thinks a company interacts with its customers. 

The BBB’s reasoning for its low rating is that Publishing.com had 70 complaints filed against it in the last three years and failed to respond to 7 of them. 

That said, the company has responded to 47 complaints in the past 12 months. 

People complain about allegedly deceptive sales practices, hidden costs, “risk-free” and refund promises that are not honored, misrepresentation of income potential, high-pressure sales tactics, and poor customer support.

AI disclosure 

Something to note is that though Publishing.com states you can use its platform to outsource every part of your book (“from AI-powered topic generation to outlines, manuscripts & so much more”), Amazon’s policy states that even if you apply “substantial edits,” AI content is still considered AI-generated and must be disclosed. 

Federal Trade Commission Investigation into Publishing.com 

In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) opened an investigation into Publishing.com.

The complaint centers on deceptive marketing (the company allegedly overstated potential earnings and the ease of the “side hustle”), aggressive sales tactics (one complaint reportedly read, “They constantly say to use credit cards, borrow money, put yourself in debt in order to afford this program),  and hidden costs (being pressured into “upsells” and confronting undisclosed costs for software and marketing).

Publishing.com security 

As of this writing, Publishing.com does not provide detailed information about its security measures on its website. 

However, its privacy policy states that it uses information “to comply with the law and to maintain the security of our Sites” and processes data for “safety and security purposes.” 

Publishing.com privacy  

Publishing.com describes in its privacy policy the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it.

It states it may collect the following personal information directly from you:

• Name.
• Email.
• Contact details.
• Login information.
• Content you upload or consume (eBooks, audiobooks, PDFs, etc.).
• Professional/employment information. 
• Financial and tax data, such as your bank account information, tax ID, citizenship, and country of residence. 
• Sales data (Amazon-related), including marketplace, ASIN, author, units sold/free, order details, and Amazon KDP email and dashboard cookies

The company may also collect certain information automatically. For example, your IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, videos watched, date and time of visits, cookies, tracking data, session replay, and data from business partners. 

Publishing.com may use your data to provide services, fulfill orders, manage your account and subscriptions, handle billing and collections, respond to support questions, improve its products and website, train its AI models, run analytics, market and advertise its services, comply with the law, and maintain security. 

Plus, it can use anonymized or aggregated data without restriction.

The company may share your data with its subsidiaries, affiliates, contractors, service providers, business partners, joint ventures, and buyers in a merger, sale, or acquisition. Additionally, it may share your personal information with law enforcement or government (if legally required) and with anyone you explicitly consent to. It may also share anonymized data freely.

It states that it uses interest-based advertising, ad networks, Google Analytics, cookies, and tracking tools. 

Depending on where you reside, you may have certain privacy rights, such as the right to know what data the company collects and shares, get a copy of your data, correct or delete your data, and opt out of targeted advertising and data sales (though it says it doesn’t sell data). You also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. 

Regardless of where you live, you can opt out of marketing emails and some third-party services and control cookies through your browser.

The company states that it shares data for targeted advertising but does not sell it.

Publishing.com keeps your data only as long as needed for business purposes, legal compliance, disputes, and enforcement. After that, it deletes or anonymizes it.

So, Should You Use Publishing.com?

If you’re interested in self-publishing, consider free or low-cost resources first before committing to a program with this track record.

How to Use Publishing.com Safely and Privately 

• Treat it as a high-risk purchase. Publishing.com is a real business, but it operates in a high-pressure, high-upsell model with documented complaints and an FTC investigation.
• Don’t rely on Publishing.com income claims. The FTC investigation reportedly focuses on overstated earnings, misrepresented ease, and deceptive marketing, so assume that the results shown on the Publishing.com website are rare and that testimonials are cherry-picked. 
• Use a masked or separate email address just for Publishing.com. Doing so protects your main inbox, your professional identity, and your privacy if data is shared with partners.
• Don’t connect your real Amazon account. Never use your primary Amazon shopping account to set up KDP for this program. If the KDP account gets banned for AI violations, you could potentially lose access to your personal Amazon purchases, Kindle library, and Prime benefits.
• Use virtual or masked payment details. Doing so allows you to block charges instantly, prevent surprise subscriptions, and stop upsell billing. 
• Read the refund terms carefully. Many complaints mention “risk-free” claims and refund promises not honored. Read the refund terms and look for time limits, completion requirements, etc. 
• Share as little personal information as possible. Publishing.com can collect a lot of data. To reduce how much they collect, only fill in the required fields and avoid sharing personal details, documents, and files. If something isn’t required to use a feature, don’t provide it.
• Reduce tracking and session recording. The company uses cookies, session replay, analytics, advertising trackers, and cross-device tracking. To reduce tracking, use a privacy-focused browser, block third-party cookies, and turn on “Do Not Track”. 
• Opt out of marketing immediately. Once signed up to Publishing.com, unsubscribe from their marketing, emails, opt out of targeted ads, and turn off third-party integrations. 
• Limit targeted advertising. Publishing.com shares data for targeted advertising, but its privacy policy mentions opt-out tools (www.aboutads.info and https://youradchoices.com/appchoices). You can take additional steps, such as turning off ad personalization in your Google account and limiting ad tracking on your phone. This won’t stop ads, but it reduces profiling.
• Be careful with uploaded content. In its privacy policy, Publishing.com states that it collects any content you upload, including eBooks and PDFs. Don’t upload unpublished manuscripts unless you’re comfortable with them being stored and potentially used for AI training.
• Protect your Publishing.com account. Use a strong, unique password (don’t reuse it anywhere else) and a password manager.
• Exercise your privacy rights. Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access your data, delete your data, correct your data, and opt out of targeted advertising.