The official blog of Writer Beware® shines a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow-world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls. Also providing advice for writers, industry news, and commentary. Writer Beware® is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association.
I get a lot of questions about publishing contracts, and many requests to review them. I’m not a lawyer, but I do have a fair knowledge of publishing contract boilerplate, as well as a good grasp of the issues that writers need to look out for, and I’m always willing to provide experience-based feedback. (Plus,Read More
To all appearances, Colorado-based Aspen Mountain Press is an active and problem-free publisher. According to its Submissions page, it is currently seeking new fiction, and it recently launched a SF/fantasy imprint. This attractive facade, however, is misleading. For a number of weeks now, I’ve been hearing from authors and staff about major troubles with AMP.Read More
EDITED JULY 2013 TO ADD: Pubslush has changed its basic business concept. See the Addendum below. On Tuesday I posted about PUBSLUSH Press, a new crowdfunding venture for books. I found it an interesting idea (rather than just donating cash to worthy projects, PUBSLUSH supporters actually pledge to buy books; if the number of supportersRead More
I’m sure you all remember the notorious J.K. Rowling Incident, in which PublishAmerica tied Rowling’s name to one of its numerous author promotions. Rowling was not amused; through a spokesman, she made it clear that she had no relationship with PublishAmerica. Subsequently, her legal team sent PA a cease and desist demand, which occasioned aRead More
I’ve been getting a number of questions lately about PUBSLUSH Press. From PUBSLUSH’s FAQ page: What is PUBSLUSH Press? PS Press (as we prefer to call ourselves) is a full service publishing platform that connects writers directly with their readers using social media. We operate like a traditional publishing house, except we let the readingRead More
The Google Books lawsuit, which generated a widely hailed and criticized settlement that was ultimately rejected by the court, will go to trial–although the parties in the case say that they are still in talks. Per Publishers Weekly, The Google Books case is headed to litigation. At a status conference Thursday, Judge Denny Chin adoptedRead More
