Monday, July 18, 2011

Writers, Be Cautious!

Hello Writers,

We, as a group are voraciously targeted by scammers who promise the moon if we will submit our precious manuscripts. Maybe because we writers are so eager to see our name in the lights, so to speak, we fall for these traps.

Thank God, I did my homework before submitting my first full length, "Journey To Forgiveness." But I did fall for the Poetry.Com scam a couple years prior. They oogled, ahhed and salivated over my poem, flattering my wonderful accomplishment. Then...then they asked for the right to publish this wonderful piece of work in a "beautifully-bound book along with 200 other poems" and sell the book back to ME (unlimited copies) for "ONLY $39.99 EACH!

I left with a deflated ego, feeling pretty stupid, but thankfully, I sent them NO money. What I wondered was: Who REALLY won the $1,000 they offered in the poetry contest? Or did anyone win?

That said, I just found an interesting site titled, "Agents From Hell." Very informative and enlightening. It could save a lot of heartache. The link listed below contains several links if you would like to check those out, too.

We writers work too hard to be taken in by grasping, scammers. Let's band together and stay smart. Do your homework before submitting that manuscript you've poured heart and soul into. You will be glad you did.

http://www.rightsofwriters.com/2011/04/agent-from-hell-and-top-six-scams.html/

8 comments:

Miss Mae said...

That's so true, Laurie, we work too hard to be ripped off by these scum!

Thanks for the warning! :)

Sarah J. McNeal said...

A good word to the wise. Sometimes we are so excited at the idea of finally getting published, we don't stop and allow reason to help decide if the company is trying to extract money or a legitimate publishing company.
It always pays to do some research and to talk to authors published there.
Great blog.

Laurean Brooks said...

I agree completely, Miss Mae. It's easier if we learn from someone else's mistakes.

Thank you for stopping by.

Laurean Brooks said...

Sarah, I can identify with that. I get so excited when someone says "yes" to my manuscript. I have to make myself calm down, think rational, and do the research.

Thank God for Google. LOL.

Thank you for dropping in. Very good advice.

Gail Pallotta said...

Thanks for the information, Laurean. You're so right. We do need to be careful what we do with our hard work.

DanielleThorne said...

Laurie, many years ago I did Poetry.com as well and still have my $40 anthology book. Haha. Oh well--it is a shame that there are people out there that will take advantage of an artist and dreamer. It's awful that authors are continually taken advantage of by publishers and bookstores. It shows you how dedicated we are to our dreams and our craft--we never give up, and we never get paid what we truly deserve! ;) Maybe someday authors will be as esteemed as sports figures!

Laurean Brooks said...

Gail, I'm glad the article interested you. It's wise to be educated to those who would steal from us.

Thank you for commenting and may God continue to bless you.

Laurean Brooks said...

Oh Dani, I hope so. We authors work hard at what we do. We deserve more credit than what we get. LOL.

As long as God can use my writing to minister, I want to continue.

Blessings to you and yours.