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____________________________________________________________________
Data Dump Territory for Writers!
Not
for the faint of heart.
P.N.
Elrod's gotten a lot of questions on writing over the years.
Here's
her take on a few aspects of the industry, including serious bewares
concerning sharks in the publishing pool.
_____________________________________________________________________________
How do I learn to write?
You read.
Seriously.
All writers are insatiable readers. The 808 section
of your library has LOTS of books on how to write.
And this is a helpful forum:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/
Membership is free, though they can use donations.
How do I to find a
publisher?
Go to a bookstore. Look
inside the books similar to your work for the names and websites of
their publishers. Read their submission guidelines.
You will not find any
Publish America (they're a print mill, not a real publisher, so
steer clear) or vanity press titles in the major chain stores.
If you see a "TESTIMONIALS" page
anywhere on the site, leave. It will be a vanity press, print mill, or
some other pay-to-publish operation with a "catch" that will be bad
for writers.
Good guys or bad guys? Check them out!
How do I find an agent?
Ask your favorite
authors.
Most don't mind
replying to a short polite e-mail asking who represents them. It's
a good way to avoid scammers.
Make sure the author writes stuff similar to
your own work. I am
delighted to be represented by
Lucienne Diver of The Knight Literary agency.
Do NOT pay any agent who
wants money before selling your book. They have no reason to sell your book
if you're dim enough to pay them first. That's a good reason for them to not
sell anything.
A legit agent makes
money AFTER achieving a sale.
A helpful hint for SAFE agent-hunting.
Have doubts? Check them out.
Pitfalls can be avoided.
How much does it cost to get published?
Nothing.
Publishers pay YOU.
Don't let anyone tell you different.
Remember YOG'S LAW. "Money flows toward the writer."
Its corollary: "The only place a writer signs a
check is on the back, when they endorse it."
Writer Beware
-- When in doubt, check them out!
_____________________________________________________________________________
FAQs on Fanfic, Writing, Publishing,
and E-rips
_____________________________________________________________________________
FAQS ON WRITING
You write too slow!
Can I do vampire stories myself? I'm not doing it for money or anything like
that....
Sure--so long as those stories have your OWN
characters, not mine.
I'm asking fanfic writers, on-line RPG gamers,
and
bloggers to please include my work out of whatever creative writing you
have in mind.
Using another writer's creations without
permission--even when you are not making money on them--is called copyright infringement.
There are penalties for getting caught.
The simple fact is that it's perfectly
okay and legal for any writer to defend their copyright.
Most of the wonderful, wonderful people
who love and write fanfic totally understand and respect this.
I hope you're one of this most cool
crowd!
The Legalities:
Here's the dish--I'm not being selfish
or mean...it is to protect YOU!
(I have a special blog on it here)
In nearly ALL book contracts is a clause
that states if I find anyone violating my copyright I am legally bound
to take action.
If I don't, then my publishers would SUE me.
Publishers are really hard-assed about it. They do NOT care if you're making no money
from it and only do it for love. These are LAWYERS fer cryin' out
loud!
This is why I'm humbly asking fan
writers to please include me out because it keeps YOU safe.
I'm honored you like my work so
much, but I DON'T want anyone to get into trouble over it!
THAT SAID--I'm also stating that I have nothing
against fanfic! A few people sitting in the back
of some panel rooms misheard me on this point. Put away the
voodoo dolls and pins, you're scaring the children!
Other writers, TV shows, etc. don't mind fanfic on their works, and that's their business. I'm not
going to condemn fic writers for enjoying themselves. Some of my writer
buds (print published pros, yet!) write fic. My 'tude is live
& let live, and if a writer objects, just respect their view if they
don't want to play. It's just being polite.
VERY IMPORTANT:
Do not copy pages of any
author's books to put on websites or blogs.
Even if you give
the writer credit for the excerpt, doing so without permission is still copyright violation.
There is such a thing as "fair
use" and using short quotes is okay, but copying
whole pages of a book is copyright infringement. The fair use thing is
for reviews and commentary, but don't abuse it.
I have seen whole sections of books posted by
gamers who have them up as blogs for the characters they're
role-playing. They also blog for the character. You guessed it, that's
also copyright infringement if the character is owned by someone else.
And think--whatever is posted from a book could be a SPOILER!
Maybe you really love a particular section of a favorite book, but fans who haven't read it yet won't thank you
for spilling the beans on a key scene.
Don't you just hate it when someone
blurts out a spoiler? I do.
Please, be polite and let other readers enjoy
finding out those things in their own!
Wait a sec--YOU wrote fanfic!
Indeed I did, a good 25+ years ago when I didn't know any better.
No one told me what a risk I was taking. No excuses, it was my bad. I
even thought the "I mean no copyright infringement" statement would keep
me safe. Not.
But I learned about copyright, and I don't write
fic any more. I was very, very lucky. I didn't get sued, and I am extremely grateful for that.
If I'd been
prosecuted for it there would have been NO Vampire Files
or any of the other books, because the publishers and agents would have
heard about it and rejected my work as a legal liability.
That's why now I let new writers know what
they're risking and encourage them to make up their own universes to
write about.
This
lady decided to rewrite Star Wars. It is a nasty cautionary
tale. No biggie, lots of fans have done it. But SHE decided to
SELL her book via her own publishing house and put it up on
Amazon. Well, of course word
got out and the all-seeing eyes of LucasFilm's lawyers turned her
way.
Never mind the fact that everyone in the
SW fanfic community is ready to nail her hide to the wall for terminal
stupidity, she has lost ALL chance of ever becoming a professional
writer. It doesn't matter that she has her own publishing
"house," these days anyone with the right software can set one
up and the big guns know it. Publishing is a small world, and the
people that matter in it just love hanging at the bar and sharing
stories. Word gets out.
That little disclaimer in the front of most
zines "we intend no copyright infringement" cuts no ice with lawyers; it
is their job to make your life a misery.
I usually hear that
as an automatic defense from fanzine writers/publishers and some actually believe it will protect them from prosecution. But the
hard truth is that the owners of any given copyright have a right to
defend it. If they ever decide to
go after the violators, their writing career is over.
It doesn't matter that you're doing it
for love, not money.
Once you’ve been accused of
plagiarism and/or copyright infringement NO legitimate publishing house
or agent will want to see anything you write.
A pen name won’t save you, nor
will appeals about First Amendment Rights. This is not about
freedom of speech, it's about people using something that
doesn't belong to them. There are whole sections on "intellectual
properties" protected by copyright.
A writer friend of mine once got a letter
from two fanfic writers asking to use her famous series character in a fan
fiction they wanted to publish. Some writers don't mind this sort
of thing, but she is not one of them. She said no, giving her
answer in writing. She kept copies of all their mails.
Not getting the answer they wanted, the
fans went ahead and published anyway and hoped she wouldn't notice.
(D'oh!)
My friend--who is not rich--was forced to sue.
She won her suit, but was close to flat broke after the lawyers were
done. Had she held off, her publishers would have bankrupted her
by suing her. Like me, she has that clause in all her contracts.
The fans had to gather and destroy all
copies of their zine, so they got off light. In the meantime, my
friend's life was badly disrupted, she fell behind in her work, and it
didn't do her health any good having to deal with something so easily
prevented had those fans simply shown common courtesy and respected her
wishes. Most fanfic writers are
really fantastic, wonderful people who ARE totally polite and respecting
of another's property. They accept the other person's wishes and
move on. What's on this page has to do with that tiny fringe
element found in any sub-culture. We've all met them!
On the professional
level: This
extreme case cautionary tale is still going
around about two women (Dawn & Susan Hartzell writing as Pauline
Dunn) who ripped off Dean Koontz's Phantoms,
lifting the plot and whole passages and putting them into their books,
which they sold to Zebra back in the 90's. They got
caught. (Well, d'oh, again!) They had to give back
thousands in advance money and buy a full
page ad (which costs thousands) in Publisher's Weekly to publicly
apologize. (Trust me--they got off light.) That was back in the
90's--in ALL that time I've
not heard of them selling anything else ever again, at least to a
professional print house under their pen name. Now this was an
over the top case of "WHAT were they THINKING???" --- but you can see the
consequences just ain't worth it!
So be safe. Make up your own
universe and play in it.
It’s a LOT more fun than my or anyone
else's used backyard. Write the kind of
stories YOU want to read. That’s how my career got
started!
BE HONEST.
Remember young Kaavya
Viswanathan whose book apparently plagiarized a number of other
novels in the genre? If she ever sells anything again I shall
be very surprised. Perhaps you heard of
Cassie-Gate and the ferrets? Romance writer Cassie Edwards was finally busted. She'd been
plagiarizing copyrighted works for decades.
Remember this idiocy? In this case the writer made up
stuff, passed it off as a true story, and embarrassed the hell out of
Oprah, who'd bought it as a real deal. Not smart in the age of Google.
All any writer has when they start their professional career is their
good name.
So be smart and keep it!
Because of these scandals, publishers are taking out insurance riders to
keep them safe from dishonest writers. I've had to sign such documents,
swearing that the content of my books is my own, and not copied from
another source. That's always been the case for me, and it sucks that we
live in a world where such riders are required, but there it is.
_____________________________________________________________________________
What
about the Kolchak stuff? And Quincey Morris? Aren't those fan fics?
Kolchak's copyright is owned by writer Jeff
Rice, but he granted permission to a professional publisher
to allow
other writers the use of his character. I get paid for that
writing, and Jeff Rice gets paid for the use of his character.
It's professional writing and legal since everyone agreed on the
contracts.
The copyright on Dracula, etc.
expired decades ago.
It is in something called THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.
Public Domain is a cool thing!
It is totally LEGAL to write a Dracula stories, film, novel, musical,
and/or ballet, etc. if you want!
Many
other writers have written Dracula stories and novels before I took a
turn.
I'm sure
Bram Stoker would be quite shocked that people still read him since the
book was not successful during his lifetime.
Copyright infringement might have annoyed him, too, though.
His widow sued a film maker for ripping off Dracula in the German
film Nosferatu. She won her suit and tons of copies were
destroyed. The film survived and is something of a classic now,
but the guys who made it should have gotten permission from the
start. It must have been a horrible experience for Mrs. Stoker to
have had to go through that.
______________________________________________________________
What's with that "don't sell your book on eBay" limit?
Sounds like a good idea to me!
Only
if you're into wacky comedy relief.
Editors
and publishers NEVER cruise eBay listings looking for future best-sellers. Trust me on this, they are steadily plowing through the
manuscripts that have been sent to them by writers who are serious about
getting published.
I've seen a few of these idiotic
and absolutely useless attempts. NOT ONE of them ever resulted in
a professional sale, but I bet they were contacted by plenty of
scammers.
_____________________________________________________________
How much does it cost to get a book
published?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! You pay for paper, postage, and photocopying of your manuscript before
you send it to a publisher, but that's all.
One more time:
THE PUBLISHER PAYS YOU!
Some self-labeled "publishing" houses--that are really
print mills and subsidy publishers--give the
impression that paying to get into print is the norm and how it's done,
but those are vanity houses who put this LIE about so THEY can get your money. (More on this theme below....)
DON'T USE THEM!
You can tell who they are--they will ALL have a "TESTIMONIALS" page.
EVERY pay to pub site has one. RUN away.
Real Writers Don't EVER use
Publish America.
This print mill is on
SFWA's "not recommended" list.
With good reason.
Neos
and others who don't bother to do research buy
into this one's website promises, thinking "Hey, I get an advance, that makes me a
pro, right?"
Professional writing organizations do not recognize ANY PA
title as
a pro writing credit. Forget about joining MWA, SFWA, RWA, Author's
Guild, etc.
You may be a "Published Author" on the PA
website, but you are not a professional writer as defined by the pro
writer organizations or their members.
The PA "advance" is ONE dollar. They send a check,
knowing most writers won't cash it. What joy. They call it
symbolic. Well, you can enjoy the poverty of symbolism or you can get
real money for your writing.
Your book is locked
into a 7-year contract. It is NOT a writer-friendly
.
Most contracts with book publishers end when a book ceases to sell.
The print rights return to the writer who may re-sell the rights
elsewhere. A contract can expire in 1 year or 20 years depending on good
or poor sales.
PA hangs onto your print rights for 7 long years, whether the book
sells or not.
They charge writers who want out a hefty fee. For
those 7 years they will do their best to get YOU to buy copies of your
own book. Seriously. It's how they make their money.
After 7 years, PA automatically RENEWS the contract for another
7 years unless the writer sends in written notice they do not want a
renewal. Make sure it's a certified letter that someone has to sign for,
too.
PA's marketing plan is to sell your book back to YOU, your doting family, and friends.
They demand a mailing list. You will get weekly e-mails urging you to "stock up" and to "have copies
on hand."
Your book will NOT be placed in any bookstore as they have no
distribution.
Your book will be listed on B&N and Amazon, but nearly every listing
shows their titles are "Out of Stock."
Why is that?
Since PA is a Print On Demand operation (which they deny--a
lot) they only print a book when it is ordered.
A reader will not buy a book that shows it is "Out
of Stock." Result to the writer? NO SALES.
Another problem--no one will be able to find your book unless they
specifically search for its correct title.
I tried to find a special PA book on Amazon I thought would be worth
having, as the writer had other books published by real publishing
houses. I put in his name. But only those pro titles came up in my
search--NOT the PA title! I eventually found it, but by then I
didn't want to buy it.
It cost too much.
PA books cost 30-50% MORE than similar sized books from other
publishers. It costs them about 3.00 to print a 150-page trade
paperback. Its retail price will be from 19-25.00 -- that's a hardcover
price!
PA writers are expected to go into bookstores and beg for shelf
space. This is what PA calls "promotion." Most stores will say no. They're well aware of PA's reputation.
They have no profit margin on a PA book. Stores usually buy books at
40% off cover price, and make their profit there. PA will sell them
books at about 5% off cover price. It's simply NOT cost effective to
stock them.
You may buy a PA book through a store. Expect to pay for it in
advance.
Again, PA says your book will be "available" -- but that's NOT
the same as being shelved.
But don't take my word for any of this.
Google "Publish America" + "Scam" and see for yourself.
Go to the Absolute Write's Bewares
& Background Checks forum.
STAY SAFE!
_____________________________________________________________
How
much does it cost to get an agent?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! A reputable agent only
gets paid AFTER the book has sold. NEVER
USE a fee-charging agent!! You want an agent out selling your book,
not one sitting on his duff waiting for your check to clear and having a
good laugh at the easy money he just got from you! (They will usually
have a number of interesting excuses why your book's not selling.
More below!)
Many agents will have slick looking
sites. LOOK FOR agents who have sold books to print publishing
houses. Those books will have an ISBN number, be up on Amazon and
have reviews in Publisher's Weekly.
If the book has been printed through a
POD, subsidy or vanity house--RUN AWAY.
If an agent asks for a "reading
fee," --RUN AWAY.
If an agent asks for a
"processing" fee, or up front money to cover postage and
copying costs--RUN AWAY.
Those are scam artists. You could
be out thousands of dollars while they live it up and do NOTHING to sell
your book.
A legit agent will NEVER ask you for
money. A legit agent takes her 10-15% cut only AFTER a book sells.
And some of these "agents" are
real whack
jobs.
Check the Editors & Predators
site for the
woman who faked her death to get out of lawsuits from angry clients she
robbed.
A legit agent will be professional and
polite. It's a business and they're in it to make money by helping
you make money. They get paid only when you get paid!
_____________________________________________________________
Back
to top
I’m writing this really good vampire book.
Will you please read it and tell me what you think?
Sorry, no, that’s an editor’s job.
Absolutely do NOT send any professional
writer anything you've written. We're too busy! Such things
are deleted unread. (If you're lucky. If not then we'll print
it out and read the juicier passages aloud at convention panels for a
laugh. I've seen it happen.)
If I
said yes to everyone who wanted my feedback on their novel/short story/idea I
would have no time to write my own, couldn’t pay my rent, then me and my
dogs would be living in my car until it died, then we’d drag our
starving bodies to your door and fall down gasping and ask if you could
please spare us some food….you get the idea. It’s just too embarrassing.
There are a number of ways to get
feedback for free; honest friends who also write are your most valuable
asset. DO NOT send you book off to any freelance "book
doctor" (see more below) or some website reader service offering
critiques for money. They're just looking for an easy way to get
out of having a real job.
You CAN look into services offered by
real print house publishers. Harlequin Publishing will do this FOR
A FEE, but at least you know whoever reads your work is in the real
world publishing industry. You can check the details at
http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/learntowrite/ltwSection.jhtml?itcType=critiqued
Apparently your book doesn't have to be a
romance, but that's the genre they're familiar with; you can check other
publishing houses to see if they have a similar service. Harlequin
is very active in supporting new writers, more so than any other house
I've seen. They ain't perfect, but who is? Check out their
online writing course, it's free!
http://www.eharlequin.com/cms/learntowrite/ltwToc.jhtml
Yes, I know. It's eHarlequin
and I have a fine rant against e-books below. However, this
subsidiary is with a huge print publishing house, not some
kitchen table production run by an inexperienced unpublished greedster
looking to take your money.
I will give you a tip: Don’t give up your day job until you’re making a
steady living at being a writer…and even then! (Writers rarely have
benefits like health insurance, dental plans, etc. and they have to pay
extra self-employment taxes and other fun stuff.)
If you
meet a writer at a convention resist the temptation to tell her all
about your book. That writer would much rather be sitting in the
bar visiting with friends.
Absolutely DO NOT send me your
fanfic or any idea for a novel you think I should write, either! I
love, you, I really do, but I have plenty of ideas of my own, thank you.
Seriously, if I DO need an Idea, I'll ask for one on my blog.
DON'T put your book up on
the web for all to see. There are thieves out there.
Posting your whole book online is seen by publishing houses as a "1st
printing." They won't be interested in buying your book then.
Avoid display sites like "Worthy of Publishing." They are linked to a
vanity publishing company, which is a huge conflict of interest. They
offer a BAD deal to publishers. Books on display just don't sell to
legit publishing houses. Editors do not want a "2nd printing" nor do
they cruise by there looking for new writers. But I'm sure a
number of WoP books were eventually vanity published!
Avoid Poetry-dot-com. Your poem will "win" first place
in some contest, then they will give it a special spot in a poetry
book--which costs YOU about 100.00 to buy if you want to see your poem
in print. Each book has about 800 poems in it. Each poem a
"winner" in the contest. It costs them 3.00 to print the book.
You see
where this is going?
Poetry-dot-org is where you should go instead.
Non profit. REAL poets.
_____________________________________________________________
Back
to top
How do I learn to be a writer? Do
I have to take classes?
www.sfwa.org/writing/
www.absolutewrite.com
The sites above have EXCELLENT advice. Go
there. Absorb. Absolute Write has forums where you can post
parts of your writing and get feedback. Many pro writers post advice
there or are moderators. It is a safe, polite venue to help you
sharpen your skills.
Becoming a writer is an individual journey,
like becoming a painter. Classes probably won't hurt, but you only
use what works for you.
Read everything, especially read books
OUTSIDE of the genre you want to write in. That helps you develop
your own "voice," and it makes you real, real smart.
Get a copy of Strunk and White's Elements
of Style.
It's a skinny book found on every writer's
desk. Read it and keep it on your desk.
Read the 808 section of your
library. I did.
WRITE. A lot. Every
day. You don't get good at music unless you practice every
day. Same thing for writing.
_____________________________________________________________
Hooray! I just finished my novel and am posting it
on the 'Net for a Big Time editor to spot!
As my friend Rachel
Caine says,
"Posting your novel on the 'Net in the hopes that a big-time editor
will see it is like writing the perfect resume and then tacking it to
the front door of your house, hoping your future boss will walk
by."
Reality check: Big Time editors don't have TIME
to surf the Net looking for talent. The talent goes to them.
You wanna be published? Go through the proper channels as
outlined above.
It's the Way Things Work!
Besides--why should they buy the cow when
you've already given the milk away? D'oh!
Another "D'oh" -- As we
have sadly learned, there are thieves on the 'Net! They
might like your work so much that they copy it and claim it to be their
own. Heck, they could even send it in to a publisher with their
name on it!
I got word from one of my long-time
writer buds that an erstwhile fan scanned and copied portions of her
novels, changed the characters' names, and put it up on a website,
claiming authorship. All I can think is that the fan was mental,
because this writer is very well known and has many readers. One of those fans--seeking reading material in the
genre--found this rip-artist's site and passed the news to the writer's webmistress.
She contacted the site's ISP server and got the thief shut down in an
eye blink. She does periodic searches in case this person tries to
pull this stunt again.
Fandom is a very small
community and fans tend to read the same things. Sooner or later
someone's going to spot a theft and report it.
In this age where piracy is just too easy,
it is more important than ever that we respect copyrights.
The ISP's and others fully understand this and go after violators to protect themselves from prosecution. But there's virtually
no protection against you getting ripped off by some thief. Some
of these disputes devolve into pointless "she-said/she-said"
sniping matches. Don't kid yourself, there are a lot of strange people out there who see nothing wrong in copying stuff off the Net, so
be smart about how you get your feedback, then send your book to a check-writing editor at a print house.
_____________________________________________________________
Back
to top
What do you think of
E-Publishing?
The money sucks. I don't bother with them.
Some are better than others. If you choose to go with an
e-house, be sure to check them out first:
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=22
http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html E-book earnings vs
print book earnings
_____________________________________________________________
Back
to top
What's
POD, and why are you so down on them?
POD stands for Print On Demand, which
means a machine spits out one book at a time every three minutes for a base
cost of about three bucks.
Publish America uses this, reselling
the books to their writers for a huge profit. (REAL publishers use big
offset presses and print thousands of copies an hour.)
POD technology is a good idea. It means
the publisher only prints a book that has actually been bought and paid for by
a single reader. This means no warehouses of unsold books and no
huge investment for the publisher. I think it's great to save the trees
this way, but too often POD books just aren't up to snuff.
Many do not have proper editing.
PublishAmerica books, for example, are run through a spell check as "editing"
which puts in new errors!
The fact
is, the customers some POD (and fee-charging e-houses) target are the
new/inexperienced writers eager to get published who are intimidated by or
ignorant of the professional publishing process.
The POD and subsidy houses play on that
insecurity, and they are getting filthy rich from it.
Let's talk
royalties again.
A royalty is a percentage of the book's cover price
or sometimes wholesale price. Example:
a 21.00 print hardcover with a 12% royalty means 2.52 goes to the writer for each one
sold.
A 6.99 paperback with
a 6% royalty = .41 for each and so on.
So this POD
house gives a 25% royalty for trade paperbacks sold from their site.
They give 10% on books sold through a bookseller--who's most unlikely to carry a
POD book anyway, so I'm assuming this might be through a seller like
Amazon. E-books are sold for a flat 8.00 and you get to keep 4.00 of
that. If you sell any. Assume you won't.
This "publisher's" standard royalty is
around 5.50. Sounds great, it means if you sell 411 copies you've made a
profit!!
But most vanity, POD, and
self-published books never sell more than 10-15 copies.
With FEW exceptions,
the only one who makes money at it is the POD publisher--busily collecting as much
cash as you care to send him.
I heard it's a good idea to take a
larger royalty percentage instead of a large advance. I heard you can make
MORE money that way!
So have I. It stinks.
Short answer why? The advance check may be the only money the writer
will ever get for a title. The writer is not in charge of print run numbers or
sales--her publisher is.
A publisher may print enough books to achieve a profit for them, but not
enough to generate a royalty for the writer.
If it takes the sale of 6,000 copies to pay back the advance and start sending
royalty checks to a writer, then the publisher might print/sell only 5,000
copies. They will make money on it and the writer only has the
advance check.
Is this a bad deal for the writer? Yes, but at least she got the advance
money.
Forgoing a good advance in favor of large royalties is a stupid move for a commercial
writer.
GET ADVANCE MONEY. WRITE A NEW BOOK. RINSE, REPEAT.
Yes, there are exceptions:
If the writer is a regular on the NYTimes bestseller lists with 100's of
thousands of sales this could happen. But it won't. Those writers have smart
agents who will ask for and get a huge advance. Agents will bet on a writer's
future, but they ALWAYS get the advance first.
If the writer wants to place a niche-market piece in an E-house like Ellora's
Cave. In that case, 37% royalties can be had--but you won't sell as many
copies as a comparable print house would. (Show Me the Money proves this.)
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What
would you do to make E-publishing more acceptable?
Have them pay writers a real advance and hire talented, experienced editors.
When a house has money invested in a writer it sends a message to the
potential book-buyer that a novel is likely worth reading! They
know the book has gone through a proper editing process and that the
publisher is willing to risk money on this writer in the hope of making
a profit and earning prestige for their discovery of a new writing
talent.
Unfortunately for many would-be writers,
(and readers!) the E-publishers know they can turn a profit by
accepting any and all material coming their way. The lion's share
of sales money goes to them, which easily covers the yearly cost of
maintaining a website and buying the right kind of software to download
books.
Just
about anyone with basic computer skills can open a "Publishing
House" on the Net. Writers who are more anxious to get their
name on a book cover than in writing something worth a print publisher's
money will always
find a home with them and don't those e-houses know it.
Remember, ANYONE can open an
on-line publishing house for the price of the software and website
space.
Just like anyone can hold a garage sale.
And what do you find at garage
sales?
The crap no one else wants.
Treasures
are the exception not the rule. Investigate a few dozen of these
sites and see what they have in common that send up your red alert
flags. (Charging reading fees, holding contests where YOU pay THEM
money, charging editing fees, no editing at all, etc.) You don't want to deal with them.
I periodically browse the larger,
long-established houses, checking to see if things are improving.
But when I read cover blurbs (uncorrected by the indifferent publisher) that are
full of typos, word repetitions, clumsy sentence structure, basic
punctuation and grammatical errors, and just plain stinky writing, I am NOT inclined to read farther
unless in a masochistic mood.
I printed a sample page from one book for my writer's group as an
example of how NOT to write! That publisher just proved to me
they're in it for the money and don't care a hoot about their product,
whether it's any good, or helping writers improve their skills.
You send them the ingredient list off a bottle of catsup as your new
"novel" and they'll put it into print.
Check out the now famous "Atlanta
Nights" incident, where 20+ writers each wrote a novel chapter
(purposely trying to be as bad as possible) then sent the lot in to
PublishAmerica, unedited.
The book was initially accepted and the
writer, "Travis Tea" (say it fast) was about to sign a
contract and get a ONE DOLLAR as an advance!
Oops! PA found out about the hoax and
canceled everything. Read for yourself--it's a hoot!
http://critters.critique.org/sting/
http://www.travistea.com/
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb202277.htm
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006032.html
Don't send anything to a
"publisher" who promises to "respect" your
manuscript. This translates as no editing at all!
Every
writer needs editing, because you can never catch all the
typos and goofs or anything else that can go wrong. Again, the publisher
is either incompetent or lazy, doesn't really care about helping your
career, and can't wait for your next check to clear. Again, they make
much of their money off of writers who order copies of their own books.
(See the above rant on POD houses.)
And we've all seen the IBM commercial
where the stodgy professor is one-upped by the earnest student who tells
him that thanks to Print on Demand technology *everyone* can get
published!
Think about it. Everyone-can-get-published. That can be a remarkably bad idea. I'm all in favor of free
speech, but raise your hand if you've ever read a laughably gawdawful
book? Hmm. That's all of you. Yup.
Uh-huh. My point exactly. I weep for the slaughtered trees.
And again, STAY AWAY FROM PUBLISH AMERICA.
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Woo
hoo! I found an agent willing to read my book.
But he wants a reading fee. Is this normal?
Yes--for rip-off artists! Run away
from this one. Fast! Warn off your friends!
NEVER, EVER PAY an agent to read your
book. A
legitimate literary agent will charge you a fee—usually 10 - 15% of the
advance—only AFTER they’ve sold your novel.
Fee-charging agents are to be avoided at
all times! The general scam—and it is a scam—is to tell writers
"You’re good, but your book needs polishing, I know a "Book Doctor" who
can fix you right up." Then you pay THIS person a fee—it can run into
the thousands, more than any advance you'd get—to "fix" your book. THEN the " agent" might say afterwards
that he can’t sell the book and offer a number of creative excuses.
In
the meantime he and the "doctor" have split your money and are having a
nice vacation. There are several horror stories--all true--on the SFWA
website listed below. Think it won't happen to you? Think
again. One of these bottom feeders scammed over 5 million from
eager wannabe writers who didn't know any better! Don't be a
victim!
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What IS a book doctor, anyway?
(More
info at
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
He or she is a person supposedly experienced in multi-levels of publishing
and editing who can read and proof your book, offer a critique, basic feedback
or even a whole re-write.
They charge a fee for this, anywhere from several hundred to several
thousand dollars. The latter amount will likely far exceed any advance
you could expect from a publisher. The fairest rate I've seen was a
dollar per page. There
are legit book doctors, but check their credentials. Many of are
NOT published! Or they might have one POD book or an E-book out and be
claiming to know-all about the world of publishing. Or they sold one
obscure title a dozen years ago. You don't want to deal with them.
They just want your autograph on a big check. I
saw a sad case once--the "writer" had a single E-book up at a site,
and now considered himself to be such a seasoned professional that he'd set up
his very own "manuscript services site," which included book
doctoring for a hefty fee. He might have a thriving business going, I don't know.
I had a grim laugh over the painfully
glaring grammatical errors in the ad-copy--not to mention the ones in the
book! (I read from the sample chapter on the e-book site and winced.) Oh, yeah the
victims, I mean, customers of this "writer/editor" were also e-published. Talk about the blind leading the blind!
I doubt he ever heard of The Elements of Style, or if he had, then the
book was limited to being decorating ambiance for the old office. Think
I'm being harsh? Hardly. I just hate seeing a rip-off in
progress. I AM being kind by not dropping the address of this site.
One
thing to remember is that a good, experienced writer who is qualified to be a book doctor
will be busy WRITING, not trying to fix other people's works! Ditto for a
good editor.
Some legitimate,
trained, successful writers and editors might free-lance as book doctors, in which
case they will let potential clients KNOW about their list of credentials
and references and published titles. ("Jane Smith worked five years as
assistant editor for Random House and served a two-year apprenticeship at
Tor..." "John Jones has 22 mystery novels in print with
Mystery Ink....") A "doctor" with a business degree from
Harvard who took Composition 101 in his freshman year is not qualified for the job. Ditto for
anyone with the nicely vague "has
an English degree from Whosis College." I know someone who teaches college English, but he doesn't know how to edit. Beware
of "doctors" who tell you you're the next John Grisham. Even
editors who have been in the business for decades can't predict that sort of
thing! Excessive praise usually means a scam is running and you're the
mark! It is up to you to CHECK
credentials. Call up the references in question and ask if they know who the
book doctor is. Oh, yeah--get the contact number from the house's site, not
the book doctor's or you could be talking to a shill. Beware of helpful
editing services that omit the editor's credentials. There's usually a
reason for this. There aren't any! A
legit editor or agent won't be afraid to steer you toward success stories of writers who got
print published with his or her help. Those names will be writers you can contact and
you can ask how
they liked the doctor's help. If their titles are all E-published, from a vanity
press, or POD, then give the "doctor" a pass. You want someone who actually got
PAID for their writing! I didn't know
about book doctors when I started out. I couldn't have afforded one,
anyway! In
seeking feedback for myself, I asked
friends (and they were VERY brave) to read and comment on my first
novel. Several picked out the same weakness each time, so I
fixed the problem, then started sending the MS off. It worked out. You can also
try a local writers group for feedback. It helps if there are at least a
few print-published writers in the group! Beware of touchy-feely groups who
LOVE everything or shark tanks with critics who delight in shredding stuff to make
themselves look clever. A good
critique is more than "Yuk, I hated that!" It will offer an
explanation of why something didn't work, then a possible
solution. ("You know, Mr. Dickens, chopping off the hero's head in
the first paragraph just didn't work for me. I think it needs more of a
dramatic build, then slam dunk the whole guillotine thing home at the END of
the book! What d'ya think?")
Again--if they're so good at writing,
why didn't they make a sale to a print house? (Brace yourself, some of the
reasons cited are usually way more entertaining than their book!)
If you want the whole low-down on all levels
of E-publishing go to the SWFA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America) website. Especially THIS section:
http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
You will learn a LOT! Not all E-houses or book doctors are bad,
but there are enough rip-off places in the industry to make it seem so.
Tread carefully! Always read the fine print at least five times.
Then get a friend to read it. Then send to a print house first.
If you think it's tough to break in, you're
right, but it's not impossible. My first novel was sold
right off Ace's slush pile.
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Aren't "slush piles" just
that? After all, it's just a matter of luck. Sooner or later
someone wins the lottery.
What an incredibly STUPID way to run a multi-million dollar
business. Just pluck any old
manuscript out of the pile that week and send it to press and hope the
readers buy it.
Not.
No publisher leaves the expenditure of that much money and effort to
"luck." This is a business, and they want to make
money.
There is NO "quota" of slush books they're supposed to meet.
They are honestly looking for the next bestseller. It's a big prestige
thing for them if they discover a new Rowling, Clancy, King or Steel.
Sounds to me like you tried and got rejected and
this is the old sour grapes violin singing away. Well, too bad,
try again. You think I dashed off Bloodlist in my spare
time and kicked back waiting for the check? It
took over TWO YEARS and 25+ rewrites to sell that first book, but it
was worth it for the learning curve. I had to WORK to get
published!
What's the matter? Afraid to play
with the big kids? Think talent doesn't have anything to do
with it? The slush pile is the most honest sink or swim in the
industry. If you're good enough and stubborn enough and can come
back fighting after getting a bloody nose from rejection letters and
still don't give up, you will get published.
Think of the worst professionally published book you ever
read. That writer got paid to kill trees.
Think you can do better? Do you KNOW you can do better??
Then get off your duff and write your book.
I had a great teacher who taught that "People who are good at excuses
are good at very little else." So don't waste time coming up with
excuses over why you're not in print.
Get to work and finish something and send it out and work on
something else and don't stop and don't go all chicken on yourself.
DO IT!
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WRITER
BEWARE'S 20 THUMB'S
DOWN AGENTS LIST
complied
by Victoria Strauss and A.C. Crispin,
as
seen on Miss Snark's blog
Below
is a list of 20 agents about which Writer Beware has received the
greatest number of advisories/complaints during the past several years.
None have a significant track record of sales to
commercial (advance-paying) publishers, and most have virtually no
documented and verified sales at all (many sales claimed by these agents
turn out to be vanity publishers). All charge clients before a sale is
made, whether directly, by charging fees such as reading or
administrative fees, or indirectly, for "editing services."
If
you have been defrauded contact WRITER
BEWARE AND REPORT IT!!
Steer
clear of the following: And keep in mind these are only 20 out of 100's
of scammers.
Rule
of thumb for any agent:
If
they want money from you before selling a book--RUN AWAY!
*The Abacus Group Literary Agency
*Allred and Allred Literary Agents (refers clients to "book
doctor" Victor West of Pacific Literary Services)
*Capital Literary Agency (formerly *American Literary Agents of
Washington, Inc.)
*Barbara Bauer Literary Agency --
This person has sent abusive mails telling me to remove this list. Since she
continues to charge fees this list stays UP. More on this bit of lunacy may be found on my
blog. And there is the musical-- "Bye-Bye
Barbara!"
*Benedict & Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency)
*Sherwood Broome, Inc.
*Desert Rose Literary Agency
*Arthur Fleming Associates
*Finesse Literary Agency (Karen Carr)
*Brock Gannon Literary Agency
*Harris Literary Agency
*The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following:
-Children's Literary Agency
-Christian Literary Agency
-New York Literary Agency
-Poets Literary Agency
-The Screenplay Agency
-Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency)
-Writers Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of
the above-mentioned agencies)
Run by Robert
Fletcher, called "Bouncing Bobby" by some, because as soon as one of his
ventures is shown to be a fee-charging site, he registers a new business
name and starts up again. Currently being investigated by the Florida
State Attorney General's office.
*Martin-McLean Literary Associates
*Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc.
*B.K. Nelson, Inc.
*The Robins Agency (Cris Robins)
*Michelle Rooney Literary Agency
(also d.b.a Creative Literary Agency
and Simply Nonfiction)
*Southeast Literary Agency
*Mark Sullivan Associates
*West Coast Literary Associates
(also d.b.a California Literary
Services)
Lee
Shore Literary Agency -- No. 21 Honorary Runner Up mention
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