Update (March 20, 2026): Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware continues to update her original 2021 post on Diversion Books and still collects reports from writers about royalty payments and other anomalies. If you have questions or concerns regarding Diversion, it’s worth inquiring with her. I would also search message boards where writers congregate, such as Reddit /PubTips.
Founded by agent Scott Waxman about a decade ago, Diversion Books started as a digital publisher and has expanded over the years into traditional publishing operations. It now issues 40 new titles a year in hardcover, paperback, digital, and audio and is distributed by Ingram’s Two Rivers. Unfortunately, being run by a literary agent doesn’t seem to guarantee timely payments or attention to contractual obligations. Victoria Strauss at Writer Beware says she’s received complaints about late and missing royalty statements, reporting errors, and other contractual problems since 2018.
Earlier this month, a group of Diversion authors began publicizing their long-standing issues and filed cases with major writing organizations, such as the Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, and the American Association of Literary Agents, among others. The International Thriller Writers organization took the step of suspending Diversion as a recognized publisher for six months, pending resolution of author complaints. Learn more at Writer Beware.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
