Scams
Writing, unfortunately, can be a target rich environment for scammers. To a new writer, the entire publishing industry can seem like a byzantine machine specifically engineered to keep new talent out of the game. Well, it’s not. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
But it’s a hard business to crack. And that makes it easy to be taken advantage of. Do you need your manuscript tweaked, just a little? Desperate for an agent? Know that if you could just make that big-time editor glance cross-eyed at your manuscript, you would be the next Rowling? For just a small fee, all of these things can be yours. Well, not really, but you don’t need to know that until the charge is on your card.
I remember reading (where, I have no idea, and really wish I could cite this) some advice for avoiding scams. Money flows to the writer. You do the work, they pay you for it if they want it. That simple. You’ll pay for all sorts of things. Paper, ink, mailing. Classes if you want, conference fees, coffee at your favorite caffieneteria. But you don’t pay to have someone look at your query, or to be published. You’re paid for that. Usually, very little.
Here are two sites that are great resources about publishing (and agent and contest and…) scams.
One last thing. Self-publishing has changed in the last few years. On demand publishers, and the ability to market and sell your writing on the net has made it a maybe-feasible business. Good luck, if you want to try it.