Writer Beware

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Peak Fake: A Scam Website Impersonating Macmillan Publishers

Header Image: funny fake face disguise: black glasses, nose, and mouth on bright yellow background (Credit: nito / Shutterstock.com)

JAN 19, 2024July 12, 202419 COMMENTS

I write a lot about impersonation scams on this blog--for good reason: they are extremely common, and becoming more so all the time. Literary agents, publishers, production companies, film directors: all are targets.

The purpose: money, of course. By posing as real, reputable companies and individuals, the scammers aim to make it more likely writers will be bamboozled into paying for needless, substandard, and/or fraudulent "services".

This one, though, takes the cake: an entire website impersonating Macmillan Publishers.

CONTESTS AND AWARDS

Contest Caution: Script Writing Audition from Silent Manga Audition

JAN 12, 2024January 12, 20243 COMMENTS

Silent Manga Audition (SMA), a project of Tokyo-based manga and anime production company Coamix Inc., conducts regular open auditions, or contests, for creators of silent manga (manga without dialogue). Contestants can win cash prizes, as well as mentoring and, possibly, publication.

SMA is currently running a contest for writers. The goal: to become a manga scriptwriter.

Entrants are invited to submit "a manuscript IN ENGLISH for the first chapter of a series, including one introduction page". Winners receive cash prizes, plus the possibility that their script "could be developed into manga series by our MasterClass members and you through our editorial support!" The submission form is here; there are no entry fees. Entry deadline: February 1, 2024.

BEST OF WRITER BEWARE: YEAR IN REVIEW

Best of Writer Beware: 2023 in Review

Header image: White paper dialog box with 2023 cut out stencil-style, on a blue background (credit: NicoElNino / Shutterstock.com)

JAN 5, 2024January 5, 202410 COMMENTS

Every January, when I look back over the previous year's blog posts, I'm amazed that there was so much to cover. When Ann Crispin and I started Writer Beware in (gulp) 1998, we really didn't envision it as a long-term project; we thought if we put out enough warnings, and named enough names, there'd eventually be no need for us. How naive we were. 25 years on, there's more to warn about than ever.

Below, please find a roundup of WB's most impactful posts of 2023: all the schemes, scams, pitfalls, and industry shenanigans that were fit to print. Plus some good advice...and a bit of bonus weirdness.

First, though...

WRITER BEWARE

A Message at Year’s End

Header image: candle buring on snowy windowsill amid evergreen boughs

DEC 22, 2023December 22, 202318 COMMENTS

As another year of schemes, scams, and pitfalls draws to a close, I just want to say THANK YOU to the readers of this blog, to the writers who share their stories, and to the industry professionals and others who spread the word about Writer Beware. Writer Beware would not exist without you, and we are so grateful for your support and trust.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, happy holiday season, however you choose to celebrate it. See you in 2024!

LITERARY AGENT SCAMS

How to Spot a Fake Literary Agency

Header image: "Real" fading away and being replaced by "Fake" (Credit: Net Vector / Shutterstock.com)

DEC 15, 2023March 11, 202459 COMMENTS

As if writers didn't have enough to contend with, the past couple of years have seen a huge rise in scammers posing as literary agencies.

I'm not talking here about the imposters who "borrow" the names of real agents and agencies (though they are certainly part of the same problem)--but about scammers who set up entirely fake literary agencies as fronts for extracting money from writers.

Reputable literary agents do occasionally reach out to authors whose work they've seen to ask if the author is represented or to invite a submission. But this is rare. Reputable literary agents are buried in queries; they don't have a pressing need to scout for more.

PUBLISHER COMPLAINTS

Author Complaints at LR Publishing London Ltd. (formerly LR Price Publications Ltd.)

L.R. Price email revoking author's right of veto: "Your complaints have placed us in a position where you accuse us of a breach of contract for delays which are within your control but outside ours. Therefore we have to act in order to maintain the integrity of the contract and our rights under it, including the rights to edit, publish and sell your book.

The only option available to us is to revoke your veto and approval rights. This will mean that our editors make all decisions regarding your book's publication and will allow us to quickly finalise the work that is being carried out and publish your book without further delay.

While you have lost your rights of approval and veto, this won't affect any other rights or obligations that you have under the contract and you will retain all other rights...However, I note you have made several threats to publish false and defamatory comments about us on social media. If you do this, then you will lose all rights to your book and you will also be sued for libel."

DEC 1, 2023October 20, 2025399 COMMENTS

Founded in 2013, per its listing at Companies House, UK-based publisher LR Price Publications Ltd. (LRP) describes itself as "dedicated to publishing books by new and unknown authors".

LRP is a fee-charging publisher. It offers three publishing paths: fully author-funded; "shared publishing", with LRP saying it contributes part of the cost; and publisher-funded ("Choose this option if you would like the publisher to pay all of the publishing costs and if you do not mind losing ownership or the rights to your book"...hmmm). All of the LRP authors who've contacted me (more on that below) signed up for the shared publishing option, with payments ranging from around £900 to around £1,500.

Unusually, LRP doesn't feature its books on either of its two websites. Instead, it provides a link to Waterstones, where 99 LRP titles are listed (many with cover images missing). There appear to be distribution issues, however. Only a fraction of the titles are actually in stock online; most have to be ordered from the publisher, with a delivery lag of 4-5 weeks.