the troubling rise of publishing scams (and bad literary agents) 

So if I want to find a good literary agent, how should I go about finding one?

I always thought as long as they don't ask me for money, I'll be good. Never thought of this. Good video.

Great advice! RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH before any action. Also check the Writers Beware blog. Frequent offenders often get mentioned there.

Thank you for this information. I'll will vet every literary agent using tools you placed. I am currently working on 3 Sci-fi books that are adult reads. It still has to be edited, proofread, and formatted.

I am author with 4 published books. I know what is mean "beta readers". Donne has a such a right. I have the luck to see some "scum" agencies who iis not clear agencies or publishing houses. Take care guys what happens in market. I am searching for agent from 2020. Donne has in the point in every part.

That is one of the biggest problems these days. You need to know who to trust, who is legit and who is not. I got scammed by the American Writers Group. AWG is a fraud.

Don't pay anyone money!

Yes, this! It makes it so hard for the pros who have been doing the work (and well) for years. People get skewed ideas of what a professional edit even is, and it screws it for everyone :(

I'm seeing an increase in clients who say this as well. They turn to Fiverr and other bargain-basement priced editors who do little work or simply run it through a computer program. One went so far as to supply the client with the Grammarly report and say "make these changes." On the flip side, I am also seeing an increase in hostility from fellow editors because I focus on (legitimate) small presses and self-publishing. One fellow editor went so far as to say I was destroying the industry because my clients self-publish. It feels like a lose-lose situation no matter how you look at it some days. I've been editing for more than twenty years and have clients in both sides of the aisle (traditional and self publishing). There are a lot of good editors out there. But, it's the ones who believe it's an easy buck who make it hard for everyone.

Please be careful about fake publishing companies like the American Writers Group. They have a nice website and attractive services, but they are all lies.

Actually a writer is required to have multiple beta readers and do "rounds" with multiple betas in order to produce a good work. I have been a beta and I had betas for my own manuscript. Meanwhile CPs are only a few (2 at most, usually).

Celsea I think you missed the point. Of course you need multiple beta readers to improve your manuscript significantly. But it is pretty unfair to pay some of them and not others - either rely on volunteers OR paid readers, but paying some for doing the exact same thing you ask others to do for free is a dick move. And it's especially rude to tell the unpaid ones about it after they put in a lot of work and effort. It comes across as if their work is worth less than the paid ones or you're just taking advantage of them. So choose one or the other OR be honest upfront(!!!) with the unpaid ones that you will pay others for the same thibg they are doing.

@@fairytala aaah sorry yes I didn't understand that this person wasn't paid while others were. Then the complaint sounds reasonable

If she critiqued your story for free in return I don’t see the problem at all. You two were critique partners and that’s the paid-trade off

True, especially since you can't ask unpaid beta readers to hurry up, and they usually haven't done this before so they may be focusing on the wrong things.

$20 seems like a pretty okay price. However, I googled it a little and it seems paid beta readers usually charge 100-200 dollars for a novel length book.

Ive never heard of an editor or an agent doing a background check on an author, is this the norm? From what I’ve heard from other agents, they don’t do background checks on their authors. Authors aren’t an employee of the agent or the editor, they’re a client.

@@Avatar_Brandy I should put background check in quotes here. She found me on FB and we ended up having an overlap of close friends.

@@Avatar_Brandy some agents will check to make sure a potential client isn't a raging homophobe, or racist etc. Better that they know ahead of time and can pass on the book and representation, than find out later.

You were lucky to find someone serious. Just let you know that American Writers Group is a fraud.

I understand your pain, I had the same experience with the American Writers Group. They are frauds. They butcher my manuscript, and when I asked for a refund they ghosted me.

@@corinarades3878 I’m never trying again. I’ve had way more success putting my books on Amazon and being annoying online about the fact I wrote books.

Name & shame them so other writers don’t fall into their trap.

@@silllykitten329 Foster Embry Publishing

Right? I don't think people realize. I actually did have Elements of Style as an assigned reading for one of my journalism classes, but I don't think that's the norm. I didn't understand all the mechanics of copy editing until I'd been professional copy edited... and I'm someone who writes "clean" in terms of spelling/grammar/usage... and they still find SO MUCH to fine-tune in my work. Qualified copy editors are brilliant.

Maybe. I've found getting reliable beta readers can be tricky. It's gotten to the point where I would seriously consider paying someone for it, if I had the money to spare. It might be that I'm not spending time in the right places, but I've heard similar stories from other people. Now, I've had some luck with enthusiastic readers for some projects, but for other projects I've had people ghost me or not show any interest. I imagine for some people (myself included) beta reading feels more like work than leisure, and I can understand if they want something out of it, whether that be an exchange or money.

How ironic.

I'd think it would be the exact opposite. A reader with no monetary ties (to me at least) would seem more likely to be honest, where someone being paid may want to lighten their tone if they think an author is sensitive and are interested in having repeat customers.

To be fair, the market is always bonkers, but I get your meaning

just do what I decided to do. Adapt a short story and turn it into a 15-20 minute screenplay. Then try and save as much money as you can and film it. That's the best bet for getting your story told. And in the end, that's all that matters - getting your story out there.

You still can, it just requires a bit more care than before, a bit more research. You should check an agent's credentials anyway, see who else they represent etc. to see if they are a good fit for you, but now you just have to dig a little deeper.

@@homelessjesse9453 it has fantasy elements that would need a big budget and I have worked in film enough to know I don't want to make films. So I guess I'll just keep writing books.

Legitimate editors will *always* offer to do a free sample edit. I've found that scammers tend not to offer these AND they also tend to have insanely quick turnaround for things that should take time, such as a developmental edit.

@@lostinlore523 Legitimate editors who are accepting new clients will always offer a sample, but some have reasons for charging a nominal fee. For example, sometimes writers with no intent to hire will ask 40 different editors for free samples, sending each a different chapter of their novel, in order to get a free Franken-edit. If the sample is free, it's kind for the author to only ask for it if there's a good chance of hiring (if you're trying to choose between 2-3 candidates, for example). If an author asks for 15 free samples, they will probably get a lot of redundant advice that 14 people have each put a few hours of free labor into with no real chance of landing the contract. This is why some editors charge $5-25 for a sample, to reduce overhead on behalf of people who aren't very serious about hiring. It doesn't mean they're not legitimate. I don't bother with it, personally, but I get why, especially if you're well-established and busy, or if your samples run long. Everyone's business runs differently. On the writers' side of things, treating editors' time with respect is best for everyone because it helps these services remain free. Generally, scammers don't provide samples for free or otherwise. They ask writers to take a huge leap of faith. I would not recommend committing to an editor without getting a sample first, which will also help weed out people who are earnest but not qualified/overcharging. I would also recommend a contract that outlines the fees, due dates, indemnities, and details of the services provided, to protect both the client and editor. If the contract seems too in favor of the editor, the client should of course feel free to negotiate terms or run away, lol.

@@user-jj2go1ot8v I should have specified what I meant. Of course some editors do charge a nominal fee, though this is usually subtracted from the cost of an edit when you book a service. So, you get that money back if you move forward to work with them. What I meant was that many editors won't charge you for reading/editing those sample pages as if it's a separate service, which some scammers do try to do. You see scamming agents and publishers do that as well. Again, I should have elaborated on that to avoid confusion. Sorry about that! Overall, though, I do think the lack of consistent standards in the editing community does make it more vulnerable for both editors and writers to fall prey to scammers. For example, I personally provide a contract outlining fees/payment plans, expectations, turnaround, and limits. I always give clients time to ask questions and to negotiate. But I've heard from several fellow editors they won't do that because it's "weird" or it puts off clients. They also won't do NDA's if requested by clients. I've worked with companies who request NDA cooperation all the time and have never had an issue with doing this. I've never had a client put off by legal protections for both them and myself. If anything, it's helped some of my own clients feel safer working with me. And yet, some professionals put out there that this is not okay. Others say it is. That can be quite confusion to many in the community. There also seems to be discrepancies in what one constitutes as "qualifications" in the field as many are apprehensive outright drawing lines on who has experience and who doesn't. So, it's definitely not as clear cut as it could be. I hope, though, that we'll continue to see the community evolve for the better (not the worst).

@@lostinlore523 No worries! I was also unclear. As far as qualifications go, I think they would be best demonstrated in the sample. If they are leaving meaningless comments or all they do is run spellcheck, I'd say they are objectively underqualified, but that quickly becomes apparent and this protects the writer from the worst scammers. If their comments aren't worth the price they're charging, the client can make that (more subjective) determination from the sample. That is where asking for multiple samples would be helpful. But I agree, there's a lot of self-taught talent in this industry and I would hate to lose that. Not everyone needs an MFA or tradpub experience. And I've met people with MFAs who couldn't find their ass with a map, so. And I think some standardization is a great idea! Especially when it comes to contract usage and baseline terms. That would protect a lot of novices on either side from getting taken advantage of. From what you described, I think our contracts look fairly similar and I've never had a client balk at it. Like yours, they're usually relieved. And NDA's seem like a perfectly reasonable request for this kind of work--I would hate to think that my editor was complaining about my manuscript on Twitter to a bunch of other publishing professionals. I don't know what one would have to gain from refusing to sign; it seems like the terms would be standard professional behavior regardless. If there was something unreasonable in there, it would be better for client relations to negotiate it than reject outright as a matter of policy. I suspect most of these "handshake" editors won't be in business long after they get shortchanged the first time, or they will start to see the bright side of contracts. If I had a client who was put off by a contract, I'd be inclined to let them go. It's a little sus not to want to be nailed down to terms, in my opinion. I'd be worried about shifting expectations--"Oh, I thought 'editing' included formatting and uploading to KDP, and now I'm VERY upset. Do this for free or I will ruin your reputation :)" And the same from the writer's side--"Oh, you thought 'editing' meant in-line comments and a dev letter? Here's your Grammarly report, that will be $5000 :D". It's just not worth it, there's other fish in the sea. Thanks for talking shop with me, and I humbly apologize for writing you a novel lol

I agree with all of this, especially your point about the finished product! When I hand an edited manuscript back to an author client, I do so knowing that they may decide to ignore everything I suggested. That's just part of the business on the indie side, and also why I ask my clients NOT to credit me in their finished books! It sucks that we're in an unregulated profession that so many people use to scam writers.

Couldn't agree more. It's worth mentioning that tradpub houses, especially the Big Four, can be incredibly elitist, incestuous, and discriminatory in their hiring practices. You pretty much have to know someone to get in, or have the ability to work an exploitive internship. And there's at least one Big Four that pretty much only hires graduates of a particular 6-week program in NYC that costs about $10k to attend and has a 30% hiring rate for graduates. Imagine spending that much for a 30% chance of getting a job that will pay you pennies to live in the most expensive city in America. I wouldn't necessarily expect someone on the writer's side of things to know the ins and outs of hiring at publishing houses, though, and I think for the most part this video provided great advice on what newer writers should look out for.

I do media psych too! :)

Haha I put this topic off for FOUR YEARS b/c I was worried I'd come off as a pedantic dickhead ha. But the rise has been SO SHARP recently I had to say something.

He'd really never heard of "vanity publishing"?

Yes, it was, and I almost replied to that woman's post but I didn't want to spike my blood pressure that particular day haha.

I did not. And I'm an English teacher

@@tiomela I think that explains why Im trying to hire people and they can't pass my grammar test. It's pretty scary.

Btw, he asked me and my brother since we're mixed the same as his mc was

What does "necking" mean??

@@DreamstudioXD Kissing

Jeez , people are such scams lol but I love the username!

Wow 150k in one day, that is pretty impressive. That is 6250 words an hour, or 105 words per minute, for 24 hours, without breaks. She should get a medal.

I have never seen a copy of The Ivies without a dust jacket? I pop into the bookstore frequently and they all do, which includes my second printing. What do you mean by case laminate? And from where did you purchase it? I can ask my publisher about it, but that is odd.

I'm really sorry to hear that. If you live in the US, you may be able to take them to small claims court in the state where they live, especially if you communicated terms in writing.

@@user-jj2go1ot8v a friend of mine who's sister works for a law firm is looking into things for me he has told me recently that this person owes a hell of alot of other author money for sub pare work please, God they get shut down

Hi Carrie, a good dev editor should be able to separate their personal preference from the manuscript they're looking at and provide craft-based reasons for the changes they suggest. For example, my comments usually look like "x is not narratively satisfying because y and z, I would recommend a, b, or c." Imo, best practices include a few follow up emails with the client to make sure everyone is on the same page about the authorial intent and project direction. In my experience, this keeps everyone happy. Happy clients are the best marketing strategy. You're right about previous books they've worked on. That's more to show work history. A sample edit (which will be free or a nominal fee, length varies, everyone's business runs different) will give you a better sense of the editor's style and the service they provide. If the sample is free, it's kind for the author to only ask if there's a good chance of hiring (if you're trying to choose between 2-3 candidates, for example). If an author asks for 15 free samples, they will probably get a lot of redundant advice that 14 (or even 15) people have no hope of getting paid for. This is why some busy editors charge $5-25 for a sample, to reduce their overhead on behalf of people who aren't really serious about hiring. I don't bother with it, personally, but I get why. Generally, scammers don't provide samples for free or otherwise. They ask writers to take a huge leap of faith. I would not recommend committing to an editor without getting a sample first, which will also help weed out people who are earnest but not qualified/overcharging. I would also recommend a contract that outlines the fees, due dates, indemnities, and services provided, to protect both the client and editor.