It can be so easy to get caught up in the scams that the writing world has to offer. Let us help you by sharing some links and information on those who prey on unsuspecting writers. If you have a link or information you’d like to share with us, send us an e-mail.
Rule #1: Money flows toward the writer. You shouldn’t have to pay to be published. That is called “vanity publishing.”
Two of the biggest scams of all are those concerning poetry and book publishing.
The National Library of Poetry is also known as:
Poetry.com
The International Library of Poetry
Watermark Press
International Society of Poets
PublishAmerica is one of the worst vanity publishers.
Here is some information on these vanity publishers and scams.
Poetry scams and more
Writer Beware: Victoria Strauss’ excellent Web site
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/
Columnist Dave Barry arrives at The International Library of Poetry
http://windpub.com/literary.scams/ripoffs.htm
Consumer Reports Investigation
Excerpt from ABC’s 20/20 News Magazine TV program Jan 5, 1998 Expose
Better Business Bureau on Literary Scams
Article by Teresa Nielsen Hayden (of Making Light)
Poetry CON tests
The Author’s Lawyer
Holly Lisle on Scam Spotting
Writers Scams
Poetry Scams dot com
Poetry NOT com
The Academy of American Poets: Writing & Publishing FAQ
Absolute Write Article on Poetry Scams
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=996
http://www.toad.net/~andrews/scam.html
Writers Weekly Report
Better Business Bureau Report on The International Library of Poetry
Poetry contests from hell
AARP Consumer Report
http://www.author-me.com/poetryscams.htm
http://www.poetrykit.org/scam.htm
Vanity Book Publishing and more
Writer Beware: Victoria Strauss’ excellent Web site
AbsoluteWrite.com’s Bewares & Backgrounds Board
How Real Publishing Works
General tips about avoiding/dealing with scammers
PublishAmerica’s Nonexclusive Contract Amendment/New Release Agreement
Condensed: Here are The Reasons We Don’t Recommend PublishAmerica
PA Contract Analysis
The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread
The New Neverending PublishAmerica Thread
Indexing the Big PublishAmerica Thread
The Great PublishAmerica Hoax
True Stories about PublishAmerica
Atlanta Nights and PublishAmerica
The Author’s Lawyer on vanity publishing, including PublishAmerica
National Writers Union Alerts
All about Vanity Publishing
Watching Out for Web Scams
The Price of Vanity
Self-Publishing Becomes a Nightmare
American Society of Journalists and Authors
Do Your Homework on PublishAmerica
The Truth About PublishAmerica
