The Issue

Expose and Stop Exploitation of Authors based in the Middle East by unethical UK book publishers

Investigate reports of misconduct against publisher Max Scott of “Nomad Publishing”  

We, the undersigned, call on UK publishing institutions and regulatory bodies—including the Publishers’ Association, the Independent Publishers’ Guild, and the Society of Authors - to take urgent action against exploitative book publishers operating in the UK. Specifically, we demand:

1. An investigation into Max Scott, owner of Nomad Publishing (formerly Gilgamesh Publishing), as several authors and photographers—particularly those based in the Middle East, have reported feeling exploited and defrauded by him. See petition updates below for some cases. Please see links further below for individual testomonies from the authors themsleves on their experiences with Max Scott.
   
   
2. Stronger legal protections for overseas authors, who currently face immense financial and legal barriers when seeking justice against UK-based unethical publishers.
   
   
3. Stricter industry regulations to prevent unethical publishers from shutting down insolvent companies only to reopen under a new name.

An Unfair System That Enables Exploitation:

Non-UK authors have virtually no access to affordable legal recourse in the UK. They must pay thousands of pounds just to send legal demand letters, while small claims courts are off-limits to them, if their claim is for more than £10,000. Full lawsuits in the UK are prohibitively expensive. Exploitative publishers know this and take full advantage, trapping authors in a cycle of manipulation, delays, and financial loss.

Max Scott: Multiple Reports of Unethical Conduct

Accounts by a number of authors who published with Max Scott, suggest that for over a decade, Max Scott, also known as John Saladin Scott, had convinced several authors and photographers, based in the Middle East, to enter into, what the authors see as, exploitative publishing deals promising international distribution. Yet, after collecting money from them as upfront contributions towards printing costs, several authors report that he failed to print the agreed number of books and in some cases none at all. 

Some authors have found their books listed for sale on his website, only to realize that he sometimes doesn’t deliver copies to buyers. Editors and proof readers have also reported being contracted by Scott, only to be left unpaid after completing their work.

Authors have reported that when confronted, Max Scott engages in prolonged, manipulative back-and-forth exchanges, delaying resolution and leaving authors with no viable legal recourse. They feel that he operates from a position of entitlement that presumes that the intellectual work of authors from the Middle East is of secondary importance to his own interests.

Meanwhile, authors reported their concern that he seems to evades accountability by declaring one publishing company insolvent after amassing large debts, only to continue operations through another publishing company – often under a similar name. 

Authors' testimonies of misconduct by Max Scott: 

Below are the accounts of people who have reported being exploited or defrauded by Max Scott. The testomonies were delivered by the authors themeslves or their familes in the case of deceased authors: 

1- Bashar Tabbah
2- Margaret Shurdom 
3- Clive Gracey
4- Karen Al-Ghabban
5- Khalil Shokeh & Maxim Sansour
6- Yasmine Zahran 
7- Mohammed Al Kindi & Simon Cahil 
8- Dr. Hishan Khatib
9- Hafida Latta
10- Julian Lee 

What Needs to Happen:

We urge UK institutions to:

• Investigate and bar Max Scott from publishing
• Create mechanisms to provide overseas authors with affordable legal protection in the UK. 
• Close loopholes that allow unethical publishers from declaring companies insolvent and then restarting the same operations through new companies. 

Join Us:

Authors, photographers, editors, and industry professionals—if you’ve been affected by UK publishers like Max Scott, we invite you to share your experiences. You can contact us on email below.By standing together, we can expose these practices and push for real industry reform.

Sign and share this petition. It’s time to put an end to exploitation in UK publishing.

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For media enquiries or to report cases of exploitation by publishers please email ‘Defend Middle East Authors’ on: defendmeauthors@gmail.com

For a resource on previously exposed cases regarding Max Scott, please refer to: 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569955141326

‘Defend Middle East Authors’ is an international collective of volunteers determined to expose cases of abuse and unethical practices towards authors from the Middle East and to advocate for legal reforms that provide authors with genuine legal protection.