Writer Beware

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Facing Author Lawsuits, Shawline Publishing Re-Brands as New Found Books

SEP 13, 2024December 21, 202462 COMMENTS

I first heard of Australia-based Shawline Publishing in 2021, thanks to a question from an author who'd been offered a contract.

Shawline was (and still is, under its new name) a self-styled hybrid, meaning that it charges fees. Its website loudly touts the "affordability" of its services, without mentioning specific amounts or revealing that required author "investments" are in the mid-four figure range. As of 2021, Shawline was charging AUD 4,500 (at the time, equivalent to approximately USD 3,380), with company documents claiming investments were "mutual" and Shawline said to be "the larger investor" (a frequent, though not necessarily true, claim by fee-based publishers). As is common with such publishers, the initial fee had the potential to be considerably higher thanks to add-ons such as website creation, printed materials, book videos, audiobook creation, ad campaigns, and more.

Contracts shared with me in 2022 and 2023 revealed the evolution of Shawline's fees, which increased to AUD 5,450 (USD 4,133) and then to AUD 6,990 (USD 4,997). The contract itself, on the other hand, stayed largely the same (you can view the most recent version I've seen here).

LITERARY AGENT SCAMS

The Latest Fake Literary Agencies

Header image: the word "real" fading away and being replaced by the word "fake" (Credit: Net Vector / Shutterstock.com)

AUG 16, 2024September 9, 202442 COMMENTS

Not too long ago, I published a post with tips and techniques to help writers spot a fake literary agency. This is a skill set it's important to have, because overseas scammers are increasingly posing as literary agents, and some are going to elaborate lengths to create websites that, at least at first glance, look pretty convincing.

In this post, I'll be looking at the latest crop of fakers to come across my desk. But first, for comparison purposes...

Most or all of these will appear on its website:

MARKETING

The Literary Reporter: A New Book Promo Site That’s Rather Less Than It Appears

AUG 2, 2024December 30, 202430 COMMENTS

Just last week, I began getting questions about email solicitations from a website I wasn't familiar with called The Literary Reporter (TLR).

The (extremely verbose--more on that below) emails offer authors placement for their books on the TLR website, plus promotion to "supported book groups" (none named) and a listing in the TLR newsletter, which claims a subscribership of 25,000. For this "unmatched exposure", writers only have to pay a one-time fee of $75.

Worth it? the authors who'd been solicited wanted to know. So I did some research.

CONTRACTS

Evaluating Publishing Contracts: Six Ways You May Be Sabotaging Yourself

Header image: word cloud featuring the word Contract (credit: www.epictop10.com / Flickr.com)

JUL 26, 2024July 26, 202418 COMMENTS

(If you're a regular reader and are feeling some deja vu at the title of this post, it's because I've published it before, in a slightly different form. I'm updating and re-running it because I've gotten so many questions about these issues over the past few months.)

Several years ago, a now-defunct literary magazine called The Toast gained notoriety by demanding that its writers surrender copyright. In the widespread discussion that followed exposure of this author-unfriendly policy, I was struck by the number of comments from writers who seemed to think that a bad contract clause was not so very awful if (pick one) the publication was great; the people who run it were great; the bad contract clause was not always enforced.

That's all very well. But this kind of thinking is exactly how writers get screwed: by making assumptions about a publisher's intentions, by letting their emotions overrule their business sense, and by forgetting that, in the author-publisher relationship, the publishing contract is the bottom line.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD

The Curious Case of Fullers Library and Its Deceptive Link Requests

JUL 5, 2024July 24, 202424 COMMENTS

This isn't strictly writing-related, but it is the kind of weird rabbit hole I enjoy going down, and it's a writer (and artist) who drew my attention to it.

The writer got in touch to share an email with me.

A local library, a young writer, a suggestion for a helpful resource to add to a list of similar helpful resources--sounds pretty normal, right? The writer maintains a page with a large list of links to, among other things, writing and arts organizations, so the suggested article seems like a good fit. Who wouldn't want to make young Nora's day?

SCAMS AND SCAMMERS

Cheated, Swindled, or Scammed: What’s a Writer to Do?

Header image: a hand surreptitiously slipping a $100 bill out of someone's back pocket (Credit: Kate Sumbler / Flickr.com)

JUN 28, 2024January 4, 202617 COMMENTS

You’ve chosen a publishing service, engaged a marketing company, entered a writing contest, hired an editor, inked a representation agreement, or contracted with a publisher, hybrid or traditional.

You’re aware that there are no guarantees: your book won’t necessarily become a bestseller. Your story may not win the contest prize. Your agent may not find a home for your manuscript. But your expectation is that the person or company will keep their promises, adhere to timelines, deliver acceptable quality, and generally honor whatever contract or agreement you both have signed.

What if they don’t, though? What if, after paying out a lot of money and/or waiting in vain for a service to be completed and/or receiving a product too shoddy to use, you realize you’ve been conned? What are your options? What can you do?