Avoid posting and agent scams
Agents and publishers will earn money if an author’s writing is successful. Publishers will receive their money after the sale or in advance. Agents get their share after royalties hit the author’s sold book. If you do a good job, you both deserve and earn what you earn. The problem is with editors and / or agents who are unethical.
Let’s start with “editors”. Some that ask for money in advance are legitimate, yew They provide certain services such as professional editing, promotion and production of a quality product. These services must be included in the price paid for the books that the author agrees to buy. However, if the “edit” provided is a spell check at best, then be careful. An editor will provide at least one professional editor who will work with the author to improve, adjust, and protect the error book. That edition should be part of the package, not just if you pay extra. As stated above, a publisher will be paid in advance or after the books are printed and sold.
However, any “publisher” who doesn’t do extensive editing is nothing more than a vain publisher, one who will provide a few books for a price (usually high) for people who simply want to see their words in a book, flaws and all. However, don’t confuse print-on-demand companies with publishers. A POD is not intended to be anything more than a printer. A publishing scam promises that the company is a publisher.
A true publisher does not request material from a writer for an anthology and then expects the author to buy a book. A true publisher rewards the writer, don’t expect the writer to reward the publisher – now this refers to book publishers rather than magazine publishers, who often “pay” in publication numbers.
Whenever a person or organization claims to be an agent or agency, but requests money in advance. An agent is paid as a percentage of the author’s royalties. Apart from a few expenses, such as sending your manuscript to a publisher, with documentation of the actual postage cost and possibly to photocopy your manuscript. However, some agents may ask you to send multiple copies instead of billing you for the copies. Any billing is for actual expenses, not inflated amounts.
Another point about the expenses borne by the client: The author and the agent agree on which expenses will be invoiced. prior to they are incurred. If the writer never agreed to any expenses and the expense was not included in a contract, then the agent billing those expenses is at least unethical, if not criminal. Allowable expenses must be clearly included in any contract and agents must not make any profit from such expenses.
Jenna Glatzer, in Writer’s Summary June 2006 says, “Never pay anyone to represent you.”
An agent is supposed to get a percentage of the client’s profit from publishers and producers, not the client. That means that agents do their work first, selling the author’s work, and then they get paid. Ethics Agents do not request representation fees, withholdings, setup fees, evaluation fees, marketing fees, or editing fees. Nor do they suggest that an author “hire” a publisher they recommend.
Getting a compliant, aggressive, and knowledgeable agent is a good idea for anyone looking to publish a book. However, a bad agent is worse than no agent. One way to verify an agent is to find the agent’s ethical organization online, AAR, or by going to literary agents.org.
Just don’t be fooled by unethical “publishers” or “agents” who turn your writing into a feast for your greed.
Sources:
1. Andrew Zack, The writer, October 2005
2. Brian A. Klems, Writer’s Summary, January 2006
3. Jenna Glatzer, with Daniel Steven, June 2006
4. Various speakers at the OWFI conference, May 2006