Pitfalls Facing Newbie Writers

Started this morning out by meeting an old friend and going for an almost three-hour nature walk. The day was windy and very overcast so, although I had my suntan lotion in my pocket, I never put it on. My friend is African-American, and she didn't apply any lotion either. No excuse. I could have reached for that lotion, but I didn't.

I'm now sporting a rosy red face and neck. I feel like a vampire avoiding mirrors because it's such a shock to see my tomato red sunburned face.

During our walk, my friend and I talked about the difficulty of breaking into the publishing business. There are just so many pitfalls waiting to trip up a newbie writer. I forget sometimes how much I've learned in the last couple of years. Over the next few days, I've decided to focus this blog on some of those pitfalls:

PREDATORS

There are more of these out there than you think. They generally fall into three categories: (1) Scam artists posing as agents; (2) Scam artists posing as editors; and (3) Scam artists posing as publishers.

Unfortunately, in the last few years, more and more of them are advertising in places like Writer's Digest. This is the big reason why I cancelled my subscription to Writer's Digest a couple of years ago. In my opinion, any magazine which purports to help newbie writers should make more of an effort to not run ads by con artists who fleece writers.

Most newbie writers start out by sharing their work with friends and family. Remember: Your mother, spouse and best friend are not professionals. They are the people who love you so, of course, they're going to love your work.

The newbie writer--now bolstered by compliments from loved ones--seeks validation in the publishing industry. Those ads or listings that emphasize "We love to work with new and undiscovered talent" are particularly attractive and are meant to entice/attract the newbie writer.

Quick and Dirty Scams:

(1) Agents who charge a reading fee. Agents work on commission. They are paid from your advances/royalties when they get you a contract and you are published. The AAR (Association of Authors' Representatives) has a Canon of Ethics which says that an agent charging such fees is "serious abuse" that reflects adversely on the profession. An agent who joins the AAR must agree not to charge such fees.

(2) Specific recommendations from agents regarding editors. A common ploy is a letter to a newbie writer that essentially says, "I love your work, but it needs a bit of polishing. Here is the name of the editor I recommend." An ethical agent will tell you that your work needs polishing. S/he will not offer to provide those services, or to link you with a specific editor.

Note: A friend of mine got a list of three editors from a scam agent. She thought this was an indication of honesty. Turned out all three editors were the same person doing business under different names. Find your own editor.

(3) One stop shopping: A site that claims to offer you editing and publishing in one place--for a price. Remember: Money always flow FROM the publisher to the writer, not the other way around. An ethical publisher provides editing as a part of the publishing process. You should not be paying a publisher for this service.

There are places you can go to check out an agent or publisher. One of the best sites is Preditor and Editors. That's not a typo. It is Preditors, a word play on Predators. Go here: http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/. You can check out any agent, editor or publisher. Bookmark the website. You'll need it again and again.

Last week, a writer friend emailed me complaining about how long the process of finding an agent/publisher was taking her. She finished her novel about a year ago. Against the advice of her critique group, she immediately began marketing it. After a year of rejections, she finally accepted that her novel wasn't ready for publication. But, she is still trying to shortcut the process. Instead of taking the time to listen to the critiques from her group, she is now in the market for an editor, thinking that will speed things up. Her impatience makes her an ideal candidate for a scam artist.

Writing is a profession. Like all professions, it takes time to become proficient. Every lesson you learn along the way--whether it be about your craft or learning the industry--makes you a better writer. Accept that it will take time. Embrace the time as an opportunity to improve your craft.

Good luck and keep writing.