Victoria Strauss, a crusader against publishing scams, is warning aspiring writers to be wary of The Sobol Award contest. She writes, in part:
[…]the contest is being run by an
organization that apparently will eventually transform itself into a
literary agency, it is, in effect, a reading fee (according to the
contest rules, literary representation isn’t limited to the 10
winners–offers can be extended to semi-finalists).[…]This is tantamount to signing with a literary agent whose background
you haven’t checked or aren’t able to research, and, in my view, is the
main argument for avoiding the contest.Also, I’d never
advise a writer to pay $85 even for a contest of proven, unimpeachable
reputation.
Good advice. If you were to ask me, I’d say save your money and submit your manuscript instead to an established literary agency or reputable publisher that doesn’t charge you anything to read your work.
(Thanks to Tari Akpodiete for the heads up)
It costs fifty dollars to enter the Pulitzer competition.
Yeah, but the newspaper pays it.
Or, as in my case, they don’t submit you in the first place. 🙂
And the Pulitzer’s aren’t a literary agency.
Writing scams: yet another scam?
Heh. Thanks to “A Writers Life” for the link to Victoria Strauss’s post “The Sobol Award”. I agree with Victoria’s comment “I’d never advise a writer to pay $85 even for a contest of proven, unimpeachable reputation. In my opinion,
Anyone can enter and pay the entry fee. See the Pulitzer.org website.
Yeah, but if you win the Pulitzer, people care.
Two years ago I entered a novel just for fun. It was the best fifty bucks I’ve ever spent. I got a thousand dollars of fantasy out of it.
So let me ask the stupid question of the day:
Where do you go to find reputable agents and publishers? Has someone compiled a list or a resource that’s untainted by scam artists and PODS?
I’m grateful for everyone pointing out all the frauds and scams, because it’s desperately needed. The follow-up issue is, once I finish revising my manuscript (I suffer from the Fitzgerald curse, it seems), where on earth do I go with it?
And of course, the “Doh” addendum: has this question already been asked somewhere else and I just haven’t seen it yet??? 😀
If so, pat me on the head and tell me to go home.
Xaedalus: There is no foolproof list, but your best bet is to consult the Association of Authors Representatives (AAR). Most old-line, established literary agents are members.
http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do
Xaedalus,
For agents: Read the deal announcements on Publishers Marketplace. See who is selling books in your genre and to which publishers. That should give you a clue as to who is actually doing business. If an agent sells books to Putnam, St. Martin’s, etc., they’re legitimate.
http://www.publishersmarketplace.com
For publishers: Go the bookstore or check out Amazon. See who is publishing the books you like and the authors you respect. They are likely to be legit.
You can also check the accepted publishers lists maintained by MWA and ITW:
http://www.mysterywriters.org/pages/join/publishers.htm
http://www.thrillerwriters.org/publishers_list.html
If you’ve never heard of the publisher, see which books they’ve published. If you’ve never heard of any of the authors or books, that should tell you something.
I disagree with this:
“If you’ve never heard of the publisher, see which books they’ve published. If you’ve never heard of any of the authors or books, that should tell you something.”
as it is a blanket statement. What it should tell you is that you don’t know something. No one can know every writer or every book or every publisher. Or are you claiming that you do? I wonder if everyone has ever heard of you.
So, to the person asking: if you encounter a situation with writers, books and publishers unfamiliar to you, it simply means that you need to do more homework. All may be legit, or none at all, but just because you haven’t heard of something doesn’t mean it is either good or bad.
I’m currently trying to find a publisher for my new book. Articles like this help new authors a lot! Thanks!