Links To Check Out Scams for Writers

Publishing is a difficult industry. Authors have a multitude of choices that are confusing and can help or hinder a full-time career in writing, if that's your goal. I've been trying to provide information on traditional, self-publishing and the smaller publishers of POD (print on demand) publishers. Many POD publishers are legitimate but for all three options, authors need to know the ups and downs of the business. None of them are perfect.

The sad part is that scammers have taken advantage of the situation. They know the eagerness of writers to be published0--some of them whose work isn't ready to see the light of day--and some who are close, and few who could sell to a traditional publisher with a good agent. But how do you know the difference.

Study, networking, asking question, and know what to ask is the answer to that question. When I was looking for an agent, I talked to fellow writers and learned the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hard names of well-qualified agents, and I began submitting. Yes, I was rejected by a number of them, but the one I really wanted I continued to pursue and she continues to be my agent today.

When you don't have a solid network, who do you turn to? That's the difficult question - but you can ask them on blogs and if you attend conferences, you often have the opportunity to hear agent panels and publishers panels which will help you make good decisions.

One method for sorting out scammers that I use and suggest others use are the two links below. They are good sources for information. Yes, I have seen an error or two on the site, but in most cases, they will warn you and tell you the truth about agents and publishers of which you need to be wary.

One that I've used for a long time is: Editors and Preditors (notice the spelling at Click here:
Click here: P&E: Literary Agents http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pubagent.htm They take a look at agents, publishing houses, magazines, and more.

Another is: Writers Beware at http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/agents.html

This site defines agents duties, suggests questions to ask an agent and defines things to beware of. It also describes pros and cons of various kinds of publishing and things to watch out for that signals a scam publisher

Both sites are worth checking.