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.
How many times have you tuned into a murder mystery television show, such as Murder, She Wrote, and within the first 10 minutes, been able to ID whodunit…sometimes even before the murder occurs? I bet a lot of you are like me – you can spot the murderer right from the beginning, and your onlyRead More
I blogged Tuesday about PublishAmerica’s now-infamous J.K. Rowling promotion, which promised, for just $49, to bring PA authors’ books to Rowling’s attention during PA’s upcoming visit to Scotland. (The promotion, which has set the blog- and Twittersphere abuzz, has also been covered by a variety of news sources, including the Associated Press, The Bookseller, andRead More
PublishAmerica. As many of you are aware, this author mill is known for its efforts to persuade its authors to buy their own books, in part via a rotating series of "special offers". If only authors will order X number of books, a copy or copies of the book will be sent FREE to celebrities (Tom Hanks, Oprah), publishers/producers (DreamWorks, Random House), bookstores (Borders), and other coveted sources of exposure (Starbucks, the New York Times Book Review). (For an ongoing discussion of these and other offers, see this thread at Absolute Write.)
A brand-new PA offer has a twist: no book purchase necessary. Just a $49 fee (or $69 for the multi-book option). And who's the lucky celebrity? None other than world-famous author and digital pioneer J.K. Rowling.
We will bring your book to the attention of Harry Potter's author next week while our delegation is in her hometown, and ask her to read it and to tell us and you what she thinks. Tell her what you think: in the Ordering Instructions box write your own note for JK Rowling, max. 50-100 words. We will include your note in our presentation for her!
I’ve been getting questions about a new awards program: the IndieReader Discovery Awards for self-published authors. “What do you get when you cross a bunch of great self-published books with extraordinary publishing industry professionals?” the Discovery Awards website asks. “IndieReader’s first annual ‘Discovery Awards’ (IRDAs), where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to makeRead More
When Westerners think of major book markets, India may not be the first country that springs to mind. But India’s publishing industry is the sixth largest in the world, and fully a third of it is devoted to English-language publishing. Just as in the USA and the UK, the success of debut novelists in IndiaRead More
I’ve gotten some questions over the past week about a fiction contest currently being conducted by WriteOnCon, a “totally free, interactive online Writer’s Conference held annually during the summer.” The contest, which is being conducted in association with TheReadingRoom.com, offers a grand prize of $1,000, an author profile page at TheReadingRoom, and evaluation by literaryRead More
