I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I had a blast!
I'm working on a short story for the Ladies and Gentlemen of Fantasy, which, is still looking for submissions. My friend Jenna works on an annual anthology, Ladies and Gentlemen of Horror, which the newest edition will be out around Halloween.
I'll give you the link, much easier that way. Information is on Facebook, if you need me to send you details, by all means, contact me.
But that isn't the purpose of today's topic. I just keep forgetting to mention it and my head hurts enough without the added pain of facepalms...
No, today's topic is more of a reminder to newbie authors out there, just stepping into the publishing world. Before you sign ANY contract with ANY publisher, CHECK. THEM. OUT.
There are lots of small presses out there. Lots of creepy scam artists just waiting to take advantage. No one likes to feel like an idiot after all is said and done, but remember, even the smartest people can still be conned.
There are lots of available resources out there for you to use. One of them being Absolute Write's Water Cooler. They have forums where there are lists of posts of who's good, who's bad. They also link you to Preditors and Editors.
If all else fails, check the Better Business Bureau, or even better, the Bad Business Bureau.
But nothing can beat good old fashioned word of mouth. With Twitter and Facebook and all these other social media places out there, just simply ASK if any authors have heard good or bad about anyone you might be interested in submitting your life's work to.
Sometimes, even after you've done all the digging you can, you still might end up having issues. Just remember that no contract lasts forever and you can always find a better fit somewhere else. But listen to your instincts, see if you're a good fit. Talk to other authors. Don't listen to petty gossip, because sometimes you won't get the full story, so make sure you do your homework.
Research. Research and more research. It's just like writing, you have to look hard when looking for someone to help promote your 'baby'. What are they going to do for you that you can't easily do for yourself?
Good luck!
Have any links to share of places to get info? Post in the comments below and as always, feel free to share your advice.
5 comments:
Hope you get your short story done in time.
Definitely ask around and check out those sites. No reason not to be informed.
Here's wishing you all the best for that short story. And you're advice about researching first is invaluable. It's so easy to be tempted into agreeing to these places and the head-aches afterwards are horrid.
There are so many scams out there eager to take advantage of a writer hungry to make their publishing dream come true. So your advice to research, research and research so more is priceless.
Thanks Alex and T. Drecker. But yes, researching who you want to publish with is as important as researching for your writing, itself.
Wise words.
Good luck with the anthology.
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