Writers Beware – Scams abound

Hey writers, have you ever played whack-a-mole?

Well, that’s a little sample of what the writing life can be like when dealing with scammers, con artists and all sorts of other low-life characters who have no respect for your abilities or dreams and only want to turn that to their own monetary benefit.

If you aren’t very careful you can spend thousands of dollars being lured on by empty promises, false representations and their fabulous expert (I use the term sarcastically) recommendations for which they in fact have no expertise at all. 

So at this writing I’m going to give you a few tips to protect yourself from the ‘evil meanies’ out there who aren’t for real, will gain you nothing, and plan to walk away with your hard-earned, scrimped dollars in their pockets.

First of all many of those who tread the dark side of publishing don’t simply go away once they’re unearthed and exposed to the light. No, not that easy or straight-forward. Hence the reference above to whack-a-mole. Many times they just circle back and open up shop under a new name with a fancy new website.

So keep your eyes open, I’ll tell you some of the things to look for and give you a couple of sites that can be of great help.

First of all beware any solicitation. Publishers and editors (with real publishing houses) aren’t into taking risks. They never approach unproven talent as they’re out to make money (yes, publishing is a BUSINESS). They aren’t evil, just practical. So, if you’re approached, send up the red flag and be super cautious. Only ones I know of who’ve been ‘approached’ are a handful of indie authors who’ve published, found success and then found themselves the center of attention of a publisher (or more than one). And that is VERY rare.

Vanity presses have been around forever. They’ll print as many books as you care to pay for (key words here are ‘you pay for’).  They kind of run in tandem with the newly termed ‘hybrid publisher’ (guess they don’t want to be called ‘vanity’ any more).

Now, they aren’t all ‘evil’. They serve a purpose, but that purpose isn’t to do much more than print a book, charge you for it and make their money. They offer many services to the author and they charge big time for them. In my book you’d be much better off to go the self-publishing route via Kindle or Smashwords or one of the other online publishers where you can have your book up and running in Ebook edition or in paperback via Create Space   through Amazon. There it costs you nothing to put the book up and available as a Print On Demand book once you’ve written, edited and come up with a killer cover. That leaves it with you, the writer, to find the initial resources (i.e. the writing, editing, artwork and promoting), but better than the killer prices the ‘vanity’ people charge.

Agents aren’t all ‘goodie twoshoes’ either. The legitimate ones make money by charging their clients a percentage of the sale to a publisher. But there are others out there who charge the writer for everything under the sun such as copies, marking, submitting your writing to publishers (hey that’s supposed to be why they get that percentage!), just reading the manuscript or a host of other ‘nickel and dime’ charges that can really run up.  Do your homework. Know who you’re submitting to and when you find one you can work with make sure you understand what they’re going to charge for and that you’re comfortable with it.

Finally I can give you a couple of good sites that have been around a while and keep an eye out for scams aimed at writers and help keep you abreast of some of the dark corners of the publishing world. They don’t pull any punches and are great resources when checking out an agent or publisher as well. Go visit and bookmark Writer Beware and Preditors And Editors. You’ll be glad you did.

Stormrider - Book Giveaway from Author

 

 STORMRIDER!

Yes, it's true, I'm giving away a Kindle copy of my SciFi/Fantasy book, Stormrider. Ending Feb. 14 at midnight.

For your chance to win a free copy head over to my Stormrider facebook page, click on the 'giveaway' tab and enter. 

Good Luck! 

Writers And Self Publishers - The Ultimate Resource Guide

Usually on Wednesday I offer up a link to a site I've found on the web that I enjoy or think is really worthwhile. 

Today, instead, I'm going to talk a little about The Self-Publisher's Ultimate Resource Guide

I was given a copy to review. It's gotten 89 reviews on Amazon at this writing and the vast majority are in the four and five star category. In my opinion it's a great resource. Of course it can be expanded upon (what can't?) Of course it's a compendium of lists (what do you expect?) The book is giving the self publisher resources. And it's organized into three categories; Prepare, Publish and Promote. 

There's not much fluff and not much commentary, which for me was actually good. It got right to the meat of things. And, I noted a couple of complaints that the links within the book weren't correct.  I had no such problem and indeed have found it most handy to jump from one section to another very easily. 

It's a book I'll keep handy when I'm thinking about who I need to contact for editing or illustrating, for Ebook conversion, book reviews and marketing - and yes, dare I say it, a whole lot more. 

My only sticking point was the subsidy publishers listed under publish. It didn't quite seem like something needed in a resource guide for self publishers - but then again, that could just be me.

The Future of Reading - for Writers and Readers

With all the changes we’ve seen recently we may well ask what will the reading of the future be like?

Who knows? I sure don’t. But, I’m an experimenter. I got one of those first clunky EReaders a few years back before Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Apple’s iPads  and wide spread PDFs.  Now I have a Kindle HDX 8.9.  Who knew?

Books are great, don’t get me wrong. I still love paper books and I don’t care if there are claims of a ‘war on paper books’.  Personally I think they’ll be around forever in one form or another even if they become ‘collectibles’.

I mean I suspect a lot of writers are publishing their books not only to Ebook format but to print on demand as well. Let’s face it, you can’t put your Ebooks on the shelf. And, for many writers it’s an inspiration to see those books on the shelf. I know I enjoy glancing across my study and seeing the line of books I’ve written and had published traditionally or self, marching across the book shelf in orderly fashion.

There are lots of readers who feel the same way and not just the ‘old fogies’ from years gone by who won’t let go of the ‘old way’.  There are simply many people who enjoy holding that book in their hands and turning the pages, maybe with feet up in front of a fire or just curled up in a chair our out on the beach.

On the other hand think about how much of the reading you do you now do online or on a tablet or even on your phone. Business, articles, magazines and yes, more and more fiction.  E-reading has joined the mainstream.

Heck, think of the convenience of Ebooks. If you travel you can pack up literally dozens of books for your pleasure or business in one small reader you can tuck in your carry-on.  On top of that Ebooks are generally less expensive than paper books (though with some super popular authors you could debate that). Don’t forget the ‘instant gratification’ of the download. You don’t have to order the book and wait for it, it simply appears on your reader after purchase.

There’s also the fact that Ebooks now have all sorts of bells and whistles. You can adjust the size of text. The reader is lit softly so you can read easily in low light. Many, like the Kindle, can also download a music library so you can listen to your favorite music (probably with headphones) while you read your favorite author.

Come on, really, how can the even most die-hard paper book proponent deny the convenience and say no to e-readers?

Not only all that, but I can see the potential where all of this could lead to people reading more and that would be a great thing. How do I get that? Well, think about it. If you run around with your tablet or smart phone your reading material is always in your pocket or purse, plus access to much more. Bored? Read a bit. At a doctor’s appointment and he’s running late – read. Bored on a subway or bus? Read. And there are lots of promotional low cost and free books and articles, even magazines to supplement your favorites you would willingly pay premium for to keep your reading queue full up.

And if you’re a writer, what a boon. You can carry your phone or tablet, read at will and even surf the web for research or fun. You can make notes to yourself on the run and email them to yourself about future projects or writing ideas. Then you can go back to your reading.

So yep, there’s a revolution going on, but I see no reason why the ‘what has been’ won’t blend with ‘what is to come’, sort of like an oil slick swirling on top of water.

And yes, there are things to be better worked out such as with my Kindle – they really need to provide a better way of organizing the books we buy. Right now it’s sort of in on big virtual heap and you have to scroll through to find a particular book. You can do minimal organizing, but it really needs to be in such a way as to allow the consumer to separate fiction from non-fiction, biography from business – and even sub categories like type of fiction; western, romance, SciFi, whatever. My books are organized by category on my shelf. I want the ability to do the same with Ebooks.  C’mon Geeks let’s get this sorted out.

So, tell me how you feel about the book revolution – how you’re utilizing it, or not. Do you take a reader traveling or are you still toting paper books? Or do you use your phone, tablet, whatever just for games and communication? And check out the links below if you’re interested in where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Here’s What The Future of Reading LooksLike 

Reading In The Age of Amazon 

From Papyrus to Pixels 

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - Words!

I picked World Wide Words for this week's fun and possibly helpful website for everyone who loves them. 

Readers, Writers, anyone who enjoys the English language will enjoy cruising this website. Weird words, questions and answers, origins, and more.  Jump in, explore, have fun!

Tips on Writing - Solitude

Solitude

Yes, that’s the subject for today. A writer can’t worry about being alone. A reader must welcome alone time to be able to read.

Solitude is the sunshine that allows creativity to flourish. In the quiet time your thoughts can take shape and you can focus. You can unwind, face inner demons, reach deep and find out who you really are. I focus more on the writer, but the same applies to the reader. There are times when we simply need to do nothing, to just sit and be, in order to feel the creativity rise up from the depths of cool solitude. Even while you do nothing, you’re doing something. In the stillness lies the kernel of creativity.

But don’t listen to only me, listen to Lu Dorfsman who said, “Creativity is essentially a lonely art. An even lonelier struggle. To some a blessing. To others a curse. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea.”  Solitude can breed loneliness but it doesn’t have to. In solitude is the excitement of self-exploration and the birth of ideas.

And it doesn’t go for just folks who write or create paintings or sculpture or music (Mozart said, “When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer–say, traveling in a carriage or walking after a good meal or during the night when I cannot sleep–it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best and most abundantly.”) it’s a balm for everyone.

And it’s not just those creative. How about physicist Albert Einstein? He was famous for his long walks on the beach and said, “On the other hand, although I have a regular work schedule, I take time to go for long walks on the beach so that I can listen to what is going on inside my head. If my work isn’t going well, I lie down in the middle of a workday and gaze at the ceiling while I listen and visualize what goes on in my imagination.”

And one of my favorites, Nilcola Tesla who told us,  “The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone—that is the secret of invention: be alone, that is when ideas are born.”

Get it? We all need alone time. That means turn off your computer, silence your phone, put away your tablet and do some daydreaming. Sometimes focusing on the ceiling really is all it takes.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - Enchanted Mind

The mind is a wonderful thing and if you are a Writer, a Reader or both it can be a fantastic playground. Our brains are amazing!

So, today I give mention to a website called Enchanted Mind. Their tagline is "Magic Happens" and they have lots of categories to explore like humor, brain, mind, inspiration, creativity and more.  Don't you love the 'and more' - well sometimes the list can just get too long with categories and subcategories.  Head on over and explore a bit yourself.  Watch the short videos, explore, learn things, and if you're a writer, maybe get a fresh new idea.

And don't forget to tell me what you think in the comments below.