By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Unfortunately, protecting ourselves against scams is a very important topic for writers. And I think that, sadly, we’re easy prey since we’re eager to publish and want so much for our story.
Today, I’m sharing resources that help us avoid bad contracts, publishing scams, shady agents, etc.
First of all, Preditors and Editors (the unusual spelling is intended). This site maintains lists of recommended (or “not recommended”) agents, publishers, contests and more. If you worry you’re potentially being scammed or wonder if the agent you’re considering is reputable, this should be your first stop.
Writer Beware is another important resource that updates writers on current scams that writer Victoria Strauss has uncovered. The blog’s mission statement: “Shining a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news and commentary, and a special focus on the weird and wacky things that happen at the fringes of the publishing world.”
If you are in the position of having to negotiate your own contract, there are resources available to help you know what to be on the lookout for. I wrote a post in 2010 that covered as many available resources as I was able to find at the time. Most helpful, I think, was the Agenting 101 series of posts, put together by agent Kristin Nelson, now Hugh Howey’s agent. Part one of the series is here and you can find the rest of the series in her right sidebar. I used this series to negotiate my first contract with Midnight Ink before I was agented.
Because these posts are a bit dated, I also want to share the link to Passive Voice Blog where lawyer David Vandagriff will caution you about non-compete clauses (which have no business in our contracts).
Keeping it Legal is a blog by self-published writer and lawyer Helen Sedwick . She has helpful posts on a variety of legal topics for writers, including “10 Legal Terms Every Writer Should Know.”
Susan Spann’s blog: Susan Spann (no relation to me) is also a lawyer and writer and frequently posts on contracts and other legal issues concerning lawyers. Her publishing law posts are particularly helpful.
Protecting ourselves may also mean protecting ourselves from lawsuits. Industry expert Jane Friedman has two important posts that I think every author should read: “When Do You Need to Secure Permissions?” and (this one a guest post by attorney Bradlee Frazer) “Is It Fair Use? 7 Questions to Ask Before Using Copyrighted Material.” I’ve read these posts numerous times.
Also on Jane Friedman’s site is a helpful post from lawyer Helen Sedwick, this time on the topic of taxes: “What Every Self-Published Author Needs to Know About Taxes.” This article covers protecting ourselves from a nasty surprise around tax time (and I’ve had them before, unfortunately).
These are my go-to sites for educating myself on various problems I could face as an author. Do you have any sites to add or info to offer?
Image: MorgueFile: Alvimann
Holy cow, this is so great. I’ve visited Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors, but I haven’t checked out any posts on legal issues. This is definitely bookmark-worthy. Thanks for looking out for writers, Elizabeth.
Julie–Thanks for coming by!
Wow, so many sites! Need to make sure they are all listed at the IWSG.
Thanks, Alex!
Thanks for the post!
Thanks for coming by, Angela. :)
Preditors and Editors should top every writer’s list of go-to sites.
For legal issues, Ivan Hoffman’s site is excellent, too. He has lots of free reports.
Diane–Thanks for mentioning Ivan’s site. For reference, it’s: http://www.ivanhoffman.com/helpful.html .
Elizabeth – What a very helpful post! And very timely for me. Thanks for this.
Margot–Great! Hope it helps.
I’ve used P&E and Writer Beware & Kristin Nelson but most of the rest is new to me. Thanks so much for putting this all in one place. Bookmarking!
Jemi–Thanks!
Perfect timing for me, Elizabeth. I had no idea about any of these besides the first one. Thank you.
Hope they’re helpful, Karen. :)
With all the changes in the publishing world and with the old adage that there is profit in chaos, this is a post that very writer should read. There are all kinds of predators out there and many disguise themselves very well. Great article. Thanks.
DP Lyle
DP–So true! A lot of profit in chaos. Thanks for coming by.
Wow! Lots of helpful information. I had only known about a couple of them.
Loni–So glad you found it helpful!
Elizabeth–
Another post that’s of value to any writer–thanks yet again.
Question: do you know of any sites or posts that check out the legitimacy of people who offer editorial and/or marketing services? A great many such people are in these businesses, but I’m not aware of any way to check them out.
Barry–Although Preditors and Editors is known as a site that checks the legitimacy of publishers and agents, they do have pages for freelance editors (http://pred-ed.com/peesla.ht ) and promo (http://pred-ed.com/pepa.ht ). Hope this helps!
A very handy list of links. Thank you for putting this together. I’m saving this post.
LD–Thanks for coming by.
Wonderful, helpful post as always, Elizabeth!
Thanks, Janet!
Thanks so much for these tips, Elizabeth! These links could help a lot of authors from being taken advantage of by predators — and also stay out of hot water legally!
Hi Elizabeth .. finally catching up – the resources on Word, Track Changes .. and your dream and shelve it for a while – can quite see that … the first two particularly are such useful resources .. thanks so much – tips and tricks can be so helpful, when we know how to use them ..
Really helpful – thank you .. cheers Hilary
Thanks, Hilary! Hope you’re having a good summer so far…know you’ve got a lot going on there! Good luck with your catching up and thanks for coming by.
[…] Author Elizabeth Spann Craig offers a great list of resources to help writers protect ourselves. […]
This is awesome. I really enjoy your works.
Thanks, Harrison!