There are fake contests, fake agents, unscrupulous editors, vanity publishers and rights grabbing publishers and corporations. The bottom line is that writers need to keep their heads up and be aware of what is happening in the world of magazine, newspaper, and book publishing.

Why are we so vulnerable? Because we WANT to get published. We WANT to see our names in print ... and dream of walking into that bookstore and seeing the promotional rack stacked high with OUR best seller. There is no easy road to getting published ... but the unscrupulous would have us believe an easy route exists. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. If they want money upfront, check out the fine print.

There are a number of really great WRITER BEWARE sites painstakingly created and maintained by people who have YOUR better interests in mind. Check them out from time to time so that you are aware of the issues, the question marks and the downright dishonest.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have an excellent Writer Beware section. It is up to date and relevant to all writers. It includes excellent information on Copyright, Electronic Publishing, Literary Agents and an very good Writer Alert section. Did you know that Harlequin does not register copyright on behalf of their writers? Yikes!!

http://www.sfwa.org/beware/

 

If you sell to Canadian Markets sign up for the PWAC (Periodical Writers Association of Canada) Bulletins. These are published whenever there are copyright issues, nonpayment alerts and red flags to do with the Canadian Publishing scene.

http://www.pwac.ca/

 

American Society of Journalists and Authors has a CONTRACT WATCH section at their site. You can also sign up for their Contract Watch email newsletter.

http://www.asja.org

 

 

 

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