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New/Updated Alerts at Writer Beware: Literary Agent Uwe Luserke, SBPRA
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Writer Beware's Alerts page has been updated. NEW ALERT: Literary Agent Uwe Luserke In 1997, complaints began to surface about German literary agent Uwe Luserke, who was selling foreign rights to Engli...
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Link Roundup
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Links to articles, blog posts, etc., that I found especially interesting this week: - The Department of Justice's lawsuit against Apple and five of the Big Six publishers for alleged ebook price-fixing--in...
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Guest Blog Post: Why Small Publishers Fail
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I've used up a lot of column space on this blog warning about the risks of submitting to small presses, especially brand new small presses. In my opinion, this is currently the most dangerous area for write...
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Writer Beware’s Swag Shop for Discerning Scammers
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Writer Beware's Swag Shop for Discerning Scammers As many of you know, Writer Beware is a 100% volunteer endeavor. We do receive support from our sponsor, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Ameri...
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PublishAmerica, Literary Agent: An Inside Look
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A little while back, I blogged about yet another of the ways in which PublishAmerica was attempting to extract cash from its authors: a fee-charging "literary agency." In the announcement that introduced...
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To Our Readers: Thank You
Sometime over last weekend, the Writer Beware blog passed the 20,000 subscriber mark! We'd like to offer a heartfelt thank you to all our readers and subscribers for their attention, support, and participation (we love comments! We love questions!) ...
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Publishing Industry Terms and Contracts: Some Resources, and Some Advice
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware On my last post, a reader posted this comment: Can you recommend a site where publishing contract terms are, if not discussed, defined (and maybe have a note like "This is good, this is okay, this is ...
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When is a Dodgy Publisher Like a Stopped Clock?
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A stopped clock is right twice a day. A dodgy publisher is right...well, less often. But sometimes. I'm thinking of one publisher in particular--about which Writer Beware has gotten a LOT of complaints--...
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When a Writing Contest Has a Hidden Agenda
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you may have guessed that I’m not a big fan of writing contests. Partly this is because so many contests are a waste of time, with minimal prizes, negligible prestige, and zero cachet on your writing resume. Why not spend your energy on something that can get you closer to building a readership–submitting for publication, or publishing on your own if that’s what you want to do? There’s also the risk of bad stuff in the entry guidelines–such as the MeeGenius Golden Owl Contest, where simply submitting constitutes agreement to publish and acceptance of a publishing contract that claims rights in perpetuity. Writers who don’t read the fine print carefully enough may find themselves trapped by such provisions. And then there are the contests with a hidden agenda: making money for the sponsor. Published Book…
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Why You Can’t Always Trust the Source
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Many writers assume that a literary agent's inclusion in a market guide or listing--whether it's a print book, such as Jeff Herman's Guide, or a website, such as QueryTracker--is an imprimatur of reputabi...