How to use this Page

It's important to check out prospective agents before submitting to them.

http://thewritelife.com/before-you-pitch-literary-agents/

Don't get taken in by a bogus literary agency. 

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2011/02/do-you-know-how-to-spot-bogus-literary.html

Beware of scams perpetrated by authors and/or malicious others.

http://annerallen.blogspot.com/2012/10/beware-seven-deadly-writing-scams.html 

Don't be scammed in your eagerness to find an agent.

http://www.victoriastrauss.com/advice/safest/

Once or twice a month I receive a letter or an email from a songwriter informing me that they have become the victim of a scam, and more often than not the stories are exactly the same: “I signed a contract too quickly, I paid a lot of money, the quality was awful, I can’t get in touch with them, etc.” It’s always awful to hear, and while I handle Songwriter’s Market and thus usually hear about the incidents involving songwriters, this same type of unfortunate story happens across all publishing mediums. Scam artists and shady companies are out there in droves and it’s important to see the telltale signs of a scam before you sign your name along the dotted line. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Paying Money Up-Front

This is the biggest tip-off in any market, medium, or genre of publishing. Anyone who requests large sums of money up-front in order to review or accept your work—be it a song, a short story, an album—is likely a scam artist.

A legitimate publisher will pay you for your songs or stories and will offer you money up-front and/or royalties. They will not request you pay them any sum of money in order to be included in an anthology or on a compilation CD. Remember, money should come IN, not go OUT.

Yes, there are a few literary magazines that request reading fees (I personally avoid them when possible) and there are legit contests that have fees in order to enter, often hovering around the $10 or $15 mark. Even then, you should be wary and conduct research to verify this is money well spent. You can find a lot about a legitimate magazine or publisher through a simple Google search. If you do find reliable information and you feel comfortable with paying a small fee for a clearly reputable contest, then you might be all right as long as the fee isn’t going to be a financial burden (and yes, I too have been in the situation where losing $15 is a financial burden). But if you can’t find much quality info about a publisher beyond their own website, then AVOID them!

Side Note: Self-publishing is a slightly different animal since that always requires some sort of financial investment on your part, but again, please make sure you are dealing with legitimate people who have a track record of quality products. The same tips provided here can apply to your dealings with self-publishing firms.

2. Contracts Can Sound Too Good to Be True

That’s because they are. Understand that once you sign a contract stating you will pay someone $100 for ten demo CDs or for the promise that they will send your demo to “major” record producers and radio stations, they could very well just produce those CDs as cheaply as possible and mail them off to whoever they wish, likely to people who will never even see the envelope much less listen to the CD. While there are reputable demo creation companies out there who can help novice songwriters, you need to take the process very slowly, no matter how much they might rush you or how much they promise, and discuss any contract with a lawyer and other experienced industry professionals. The same goes for writers, novelists, poets, screenwriters, etc. Before you sign ANY contract, have a legal representative review it with you.

If you don’t have a clue about how to find help with this, check in with the folks over at Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (www.vlany.org

3. Are Samples Available?  

Again, avoiding fees is rule number one, but if a publisher is asking for a few bucks to enter a contest, or a demo company is willing to record your song for a nominal fee, you may think, “Okay, that’s not a lot of money.” It still goes against the “Money in, not out” maxim, but they seem well regarded and you don’t find anything alarming in a Google search. Fine, but you MUST ask for a copy of a previous CD, a copy of a previous anthology, or a book from a previous winner before you agree to anything. This will likely end up being a digital copy, which is fine since they can’t mail out free print copies to just anyone who asks. A legit operation will have digital samples you can either preview online or download. If they won’t even offer you that much, move along. It’s not worth it.

Legitimate companies are proud of their work and always have samples ready for those interested. The companies who are trying to prey upon the uninformed will be dodgy about displaying past work to the general public. Be careful when you find these companies. And even if you get a sample, make sure you research the other artists who signed with the company or publisher. Be 100% sure you’re getting into something well respected and worthwhile.

4. Research, Research, Research

I’ve brought it up again and again because research is your most valuable weapon against scam artists. If you don’t properly research a publisher or record company and sign a bad contract and send in your money, there is very little that even the savviest of lawyers can do for you without you having to incur legal fees. Make sure you verify all companies before you sign anything! For songwriters, check with the ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, or SOCAN. For writers researching agents, check with the Association of Author Representatives. There are also numerous scam reporting websites online, such as www.pred-ed.com

If you do find a scam artist or have fallen victim to one, let us know via snail mail so we can update our listings accordingly.

For Songwriters: Songwriter’s Market, F+W Media, 4^th Floor, 38 E 29^th Street, New York, NY 10016

For Writers: Writer’s Market, F+W Media, 10151 Carver Road, Ste. 200, Cincinnati, OH, 45242

Be sure to include a complete description of the situation and samples of the publication or CD/demo provided by the publisher, but please know we cannot “investigate” claims, confront publishers on your behalf, or help in the way a lawyer might be able to, but we can adjust our own listings to keep scammers from reaching as many people as they might otherwise. Every little bit helps. Good luck out there!

There are many excellent small presses out there, but be sure to do your homework. 

http://www.reddit.com/r/YAwriters/comments/1khwvy/rant_its_not_a_scambut_its_not_good_either_some/

Watch out for these red flags when you're choosing an agent. 

http://dailydahlia.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/when-agents-wave-the-red-flag/

Remember, money flows to the author, not from the author. 

http://myplace.frontier.com/~mfinke/Beware.htm#beware

Today’s offerings are an eclectic assortment of articles: posts on time management, being more creative, avoiding scams and scare tactics, and how to hang onto your writing dreams.

Grab your cup of coffee or Diet Coke and read on!

“Get Creative on Demand” says “you have to be able to turn on your creativity like it’s a faucet. Why? Because most of us have other responsibilities in our lives that often interfere with our writing time. This means we must make the most of every minute we can steal away to do our writing.”

“How to Effectively Create More Time to Write” is something most of us need training in. “With an already packed schedule of work, family/social obligations, and that pesky to-do list that never seems to get any shorter, making time to write is not only difficult, but sometimes feels like an impossibility.” Where does your time go? You may be surprised.

“LendInk, Author Activism, and the Need for Critical Thinking” from Writer Beware highlights a recent Internet mess that we need to be aware of. “Ignorance and lack of investigation are also what lead writers into the arms of scammers.” ALSO read the whole post. The last half deals with another related subject that you need to take to heart. Her final paragraph says: “We live in highly polarized times. That’s as true in publishing as it is in politics–and, I think, as reflective of the fear of a future that, as much as we would like it to be clear and certain, offers no assurances but the certainty of upheaval. In such a situation, it’s more essential than ever to think critically, investigate carefully, and act deliberately. And to be wary of received wisdom, or anything masquerading as such.” [And that includes anything I say!]

“Are You Really Meant to Be a Writer?” gives some very practical ideas on how to hang onto your dreams during the wannabe-published years.

“Mette Ivie Harrison on How to Find Time to Write” will blow you away, so I saved this one till last. Read it and be inspired!

I scan the headlines of quite a few newspapers online and often I’m struck by how unbelievable many of these stories are. They’re true - just unbelievable.

No - I’m not talking about Charlie Sheen! There’s quite enough of that.

A recent story in my own town concerned a 48-year-old man who for the past two and a half years has been in an online relationship with a woman who didn’t exist. How was this revealed? Well, the alleged woman claimed to have been kidnapped and asked for more money. The man went to the police who after a fairly easy internet search found that the picture of the alleged woman was from a sample driver’s license for the state of Florida. The man was devastated to find out that she didn’t really exist but I suspect that the more than $200,000.00 he sent whomever it was at least added fuel to the fire of his anguish.

Then there’s the woman who in her early fifties has cashed in her life savings, her retirement accounts, sold her house and moved to a different state following a guy she just met who has promised her the world as long as she cashed everything in so they could start a new life together. She resists all attempts from her children and her siblings to make sure she’s okay- in fact she’s down right hostile when they ask how she’s doing now that she’s followed this guy to another state.

As writers we try to create believable characters that the reader can relate to but in real life, the people - or the characters - described above make you want to shake them until they come to their senses.

I mean, really, who does this stuff? Well, more people than you can possibly imagine.

One common element, despite gender or race, or even socioeconomic status seems to be age. Most of these bizarre and unbelievable behaviors tend to happen when someone is in their late forties into the mid-fifties. We often dismiss this as a mid-life crisis but a psychological perspective indicates that it may be in response to childhood trauma of some sort.

Whatever the reason is, writers often have to create characters more believable than real people. Truth really is stranger than fiction.

A question from a blog reader asked, “Would you consider using a newly formed publishing company? What questions should a writer ask a new publisher to ensure they are getting appropriate care for their book?”

I’ve had one experience with a newly formed publisher–which I’ll write about below–but first let me mention a blog post on this subject on Writer Beware! The post is two years old, and due to the economy, it is even MORE true today than it was when posted. I hope you’ll read the entire post, but this is the bottom line summary:

“So unless you are absolutely, 100% positive that the publisher is staffed by people with substantial publishing experience–and maybe even then–it’s a good idea to wait until a new publisher has been in business for at least a year, and has published a number of books, before submitting. Not only does this assure you that the publisher can take books all the way through the production process, it lets you evaluate important things like physical and editorial quality, how the books are distributed, and how they are marketed. It also allows time for complaints, if there are any, to accumulate.

Tempting as it may be to join the rush to get in on the ground floor when a new publisher opens its doors, watching and waiting is a much better strategy.”

My Own Experience

My first mystery series fifteen years ago was my only experience with a brand new publisher. The man who started it had great credentials, and we met when speaking on a panel at a writer’s conference. It was professional from beginning to end, although his advance was a lot smaller than I was used to.

The first two books came out on time, but the sales were pretty low. (Thankfully I had had several mysteries published by that time because the “editor” I got knew nothing about mysteries and was an unpublished aspiring writer.) The third mystery ran into one snag after another, but since that happens sometimes, I wasn’t worried. I knew he was working on other books too and accepted the explanations for delays.

One Eye-Opening Day

I had several school visits approaching and needed copies of the third book, so when I had to be in his city for something else, I decided to just stop by the publishing house and pick up the books, as he’d said they were finished and boxed up.

When I finally located the address, I felt surely it must be wrong. It wasn’t in the business area of town–it was a residence. His home. No one answered the door, so I walked around the back and peeked in the window of the basement.

There were stacks of books and piles of papers everywhere. Evidently this was the publishing “house.” Literally! And it turned out that this man was the entire “staff” and he was out of money. Any books sold would be up to me. (This was prior Internet marketing, so I was stuck with the books and no way other than school visits to sell them.)

Needless to say, I wished I had asked a lot more questions early in the process. The books weren’t reviewed and fell through the cracks.

(Reminder:

Last week I received this question in my email from a blog reader: “I wonder with the proliferation of print on demand companies reducing the need for inventory, providing on-line marketing capabilities, and the writer keeping a higher percentage of the book profits, what in your opinion, is the best route to go and why?”

 If you read my other comments on self-publishing in “The Four D’s” or “Publishing Confusion,” you probably guessed that I am negative about self-publishing. [Do read those articles-there are links to various websites where you can become more informed-and warned.]

Some of my opinion comes from personal experience: none of my 35 books were self-published. Some of my opinion comes from seeing writing friends and students get burned by false promises. (Yes, the writer gets to keep a higher percentage of book profits, but often those profits are miniscule. Fifty percent of a meager amount is still a pittance.) And some of my opinion comes from what I’ve heard agents and editors say (their negative perceptions of self-published books and authors.) I’m afraid that in at least nine cases out of ten, self-publishing turns out to be a very disappointing (and often expensive) experience.

Good Option for Some

Are there times that self-publishing something makes sense? Definitely so. Perhaps you’re a frequent speaker for a national organization like MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), and you speak to large audiences many times per year. If you have a nonfiction book that this group would love, then a print-on-demand book (POD book) could be a good idea. You have a built-in audience and credibility as an expert through your speaking. (I’ve heard of many professionals-from agents to landscape gardeners-who’ve been able to sell hundreds of books when they speak at conferences.) But they had credibility first-and a built-in large audience for their books. 

My One Experience with Self-Publishing

For the above reasons, I decided to e-publish a couple of $7 e-booklets this month. [See "Don't Re-Invent the Wheel."] I had the credibility first. Most of my published books are novels, so “50 Tension Techniques” was easy to put together from a workshop on that subject that I’ve done at many SCBWI events. And since eleven of my published books are mysteries, I had the credibility for “Writing Mysteries for Young People.”

And my built-in audience? I’ve had a website for many years, a blog for four years, and already had friends on my Facebook and Twitter pages. Everything was already in place for “e-sales.”

And (this is key to me), it was almost free to set up. I just added information pages to my website and blog. (If I had used PayPal instead o