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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I never thought I'd be re-visiting the issue of literary agents charging reading fees. After all, the problems inherent in the charging of reading fees are recognized by all four literary agents' professional trade groups (the USA's AAR ,  Australia's ALAA , and New Zealand's NZALA prohibit them outright to members; the UK's AAA allows them only if the client or prospective client is first informed in writing). And "never pay a reading fee to a literary agent" is one of the few pieces of anti-scam wisdom that has passed into the collective consciousness. Even if they aren't aware of other scams and schemes, most new writers know that reading fees aren't kosher. But one of the most surprising things--to me, anyway--to come out of last week's vigorous twiscussion of how agents should be paid (see the #agentpay hashtag) is the proposal that agents should once again charge reading fees. See, for i...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A fascinating discussion began today on Twitter (as of this writing, it's still going on--check it out under the #agentpay hashtag), kicked off by agent Colleen Lindsay , who asked , " How would publishing change if agenting moved from commission-based payment to billable hours?"  Those in favor pointed out that agents' job descriptions have expanded over the past couple of decades, and that they must now do much more for the same 15% they earned twenty years ago. They also get no payment at all for a good portion of what they do on a regular basis--reading queries and manuscripts, editing, submitting books that never sell. In a highly competitive environment, with shrinking advances (at the midlist level, anyway) and cautious publishers, it's getting harder and harder to make a living. Those against raised the specter of abuse (there are several questionable agents in Writer Beware's files who soak their clients f...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Part of Writer Beware's mission is to accept complaints from writers who've had bad experiences with questionable agents and publishers (first-hand complaints only--we have to hear from the writer directly--and always documented, if possible). But questions, not complaints, make up the biggest portion of our email. How do I start my publication search? How should I format my manuscript? Is self-publishing a good way to kick off a writing career? Is Agent A reputable? Is Publisher B's contract language standard? Is Editor C experienced? Often, when I let someone know that the agent who just requested their manuscript has no sales, or the publisher that just promised a contract charges fees, they will sadly say something like, "My manuscript is a magnet for the bad guys," or "My writing must suck, since the only interest I ever get is from people who want me to give them money." Of course, it's always possib...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Whether or not you're interested in literary scams, former FBI agent Jim Fisher's Ten Percent of Nothing makes for fascinating reading. It's a true-crime account of the Deering Literary Agency/Sovereign Publications scam, which flourished during the 1990s and cheated hundreds of writers out of thousands of dollars. To date, the Deering scam is one of the very few that has attracted the attention of law enforcement, and has resulted in jail time for the perpetrators. (There's more info on the Deering scam on the Case Studies page of Writer Beware.) In the years since the Deerings plied their deceptive trade, technology has changed, but the methods--and the psychology of the victims--hasn't. Below, author Marian Perera provides a review of a book that should be required reading not just for authors, but for anyone in the publishing industry. (Check out Jim Fisher's website as well--there's an interesting segment...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Craigslist is a fantastic resource if you want to buy bikes, furniture, kitchen equipment, etc. There's some research involved, and the listings don't always work out, but if you're diligent, you can find some amazing deals. For writing jobs, though...not so much. It's pretty much a given that any agencies and publishers advertising for clients on Craigslist should be avoided. Let's just say that Craigslist is not a top literary venue; the best that can be said for these operations is that they're clueless (the worst, of course, is that they're scams). You need to be careful about freelance writing opportunities, too (here's just one example of why )--though this is true of just about any jobs listing site. And contests are another potential problem . I've heard from a fair number of writers who've had the experience of entering a Craigslist-advertised writing contest and having their entry fees vanish...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Per a press release issued yesterday, POD publishing service juggernaut Author Solutions, Inc. continues to expand--this time, into the Spanish-language market. Its new brand, Palibrio , is targeted to Spanish-speaking authors. "Palibrio authors will work closely with a team of Spanish-speaking designers, consultants, marketing professionals, and customer service experts to transform their manuscripts to finished books efficiently, affordably, and professionally." The Palibrio website has the same cheery, upbeat look as the websites ASI has set up for the commercial publishers for which it runs pay-to-publish services ( Cross Books for LifeWay, West Bow Press for Thomas Nelson, DellArte Press for Harlequin, and Balboa Press for Hay House), with vibrant colors and photos of happy authors. Prices for publication packages range from $599 to $6,499, and there's the usual a la carte menu of add-ons , from editing to marketin...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Ah, the Internet. An endlessly expanding universe of opportunities...and opportunism. Whatever the latest hot-button issue is, there's a schemer or a spammer waiting to cash in. In the world of authors, the rush to digital is the hottest of hot-button issues right now--and with it (at least for some authors), comes the fear of piracy. Accordingly, if you've published a book, you may have received the following solicitation from an outfit called Copyright Protection Service : RE: Copyright Violations Dear [name redacted], As of today, [date redacted], copies of your books are being sold on UN-Authorized internet sites in pdf and ebook format. This is NOT an advertisement. Like you, I truly hate receiving email advertisements. There are currently pirated copies of your books being sold on unauthorized sites that I have personally located and have proof of, or you would NOT be receiving this message. Words calculated to plunge a cold s...