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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you'll know that I'm fascinated by the bizarre things that happen at the outer fringes of the publishing universe. Well, here's one: on eBay, someone is attempting to auction off his or her story idea. Starting bid? $3,000,000. Alternatively, you can buy it outright for $10,000,000. No, I did not accidentally attach any extra zeroes. I am selling my story that I have been creating for 10+ years. (not constantly writing, but of piecing everything together in a cohesive manner) It can be compared to stories like Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Indiana Jones and other titles in those categories... I will share my story with someone in person only and not over the internet. My story is too valuable to be spread publicly and will give a lot of new ideas for movies and book series that should belong to the buyer... This story will bring in endless fame an...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A couple of weeks ago, I reported that the parties involved in the Google Book Settlement had applied for an extension of the deadline for authors to file claims for cash payments for works scanned by Google without permission. On Feb. 18, the Court approved the extension. Claims were due by March 31, 2011; they will now be due one year after the date on which a court order is issued approving the Settlement. In other words, the new deadline doesn't have a fixed date, and you'll need to keep your eye on Settlement developments. (Don't worry; I'll continue to report as necessary.) A couple of other deadlines are unchanged: to remove your works from Google's Participating Libraries and Research Corpus databases, you must make a request on or before April 5, 2011 . To remove your works from Google Books, you must make a request on or before March 9, 2012 . Questions you may have: The Google Book Settlement--what's it ...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware This guest post by author and essayist Kim Brittingham addresses an issue I've been getting an increasing number of questions about lately: pay-to-play TV talk shows. Kim takes an illuminating look at the phenomenon euphemistically dubbed "branded entertainment," and explains why these infomercial-style shows--which charge fees of up to several thousand dollars--aren't a genuine path to media exposure. The same cautions apply to radio, by the way. There are many shows on regular and Internet radio that charge appearance fees, or want you to pay for turning your interview into a podcast, or use some similar ploy to remove money from your pocket. The amounts are usually smaller--a few hundred dollars, rather than a few thousand--but the principle is the same. Whether it's radio or television, you should never have to pay a fee to be a guest on a show. ------------------------- By Kim Brittingham If you're an author -...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware The publishing news of the week--maybe of the year--is the collapse of Borders, the USA's second largest bookstore chain. On Wednesday, Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of New York. (Chapter 11 allows a company to re-structure its business, with the aim of re-launching it.) Word of Borders' financial difficulties has been circulating for months, and there's been widespread speculation that the chain would fail. The end came over the past few weeks, as Borders began delaying payments to creditors (it reportedly owes publishers and vendors more than $260 million , with the Big Five publishers topping the list at $25 to $41 million each), and its attempts to round up new financing crumbled. Borders has established a Case Administration website to follow the proceedings, on which it states that "Borders' business operations continue as normal." Well, not quite. Some publisher...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware This just in from the Authors Guild . My bolding. ---------------------- Authors, publishers and Google have filed a stipulation asking the Court to extend the deadline for filing claims to receive an upfront payment -- a "Cash Payment" -- in the Google Book Search settlement. The current deadline under the settlement, which is being reviewed by the court, is March 31, 2011. If the extension is granted, authors and publishers will have until one year after the Court approves the settlement to make a claim for a Cash Payment. Under the settlement, only those rightsholders whose works were scanned by Google on or before May 5, 2009, are entitled to claim a Cash Payment. Payment for the unauthorized digitization of entire works will be at least $60. (This payment is separate from the settlement's revenue-sharing arrangements.) If you are not claiming a Cash Payment, you may file at any time. Follow the filing instructions her...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Today, author Marian Perera reviews a book I often recommend for writers who are interested in learning the basics of self-protection in the shark-infested waters of writing and publishing: The Street-Smart Writer, by prolific author Jenna Glatzer and publishing attorney Daniel Steven. ---------------------- by Marian Perera When writers are curious or concerned about literary scams, they can check out websites and discussion boards, of which there are several – such as Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors . Or they can pick up one book: The Street-Smart Writer , by Jenna Glatzer and Daniel Steven. Subtitled “Self-Defense Against Sharks and Scams in the Writing World”, this book is both a good introduction to and a comprehensive overview of just how many ways writers can be taken – not only by outright scammers, but by well-intentioned people who nevertheless lack relevant experience or resources. It was released in 2005 but is just ...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware One of the important negotiation points for life-of-copyright publishing contracts is including provisions in the termination clause that oblige the publisher to take the work out of print when sales or royalties drop below a minimum level. Why is that important? Well, when your book has fallen so far into the backlist that your publisher no longer even includes it in its catalogs, and sales have dropped down to practically nothing, there's no reason for the publisher to continue to hold your rights. Much better for the book to go out of print, and for you to revert the rights and do something else with them--self-publish as an ebook, for instance, to take advantage of the exploding ebook market, or try to market them to other publishers. That's what I did with my Stone duology ( The Arm of the Stone , first pubbed by Eos in 1998, and The Garden of the Stone , first pubbed by Eos in 1999)--and I'm thrilled to announce that both ...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Oprah. The mere mention of her name sets writers' (and let's face it, publishers') hearts aflutter. Oprah, maker of best sellers. Oprah, whose most offhand endorsement can generate massive sales. What author hasn't daydreamed about that kind of exposure? What author hasn't wondered how their life would change if their book became an Oprah pick? Well, other than Jonathan Franzen . So I'm betting that legions of poets are thrilled by this call for submissions at Oprah's website. Poetry—it has the power to excite, encourage, and even sustain us during difficult times. How has poetry made an impact on your life? O, The Oprah Magazine is teaming up with guest editor Maria Shriver for our poetry-themed April issue, which hits newsstands March 15. Send us your original work or a favorite poem that's especially meaningful to you—Maria will review submissions, and some may appear in the magazine or on Oprah.com this s...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Many of you may already be familiar with the names in the title of this post. If you're not, have a look at this Alert on the Writer Beware website , and at my September 2009 post about the Florida Attorney General's civil lawsuit against Fletcher, his companies, and some of his business associates for deceptive business practices. For those of you wondering about the status of the lawsuit, it's still active, and proceeding through the courts. Lawsuits of this kind often progress very slowly, especially where defendants seek to delay the process by filing jurisdictional disputes, motions for changes in venue, and the like. We will be posting updates as we receive them. EDITED MAY 2014 TO ADD: The lawsuit has been settled, with Strategic and Fletcher ordered to pay restitution to authors. A full report is here .