Writing Scams

[JaNell]

Here are some sites to look over while researching where to send your poem or story:

Predators & Editors
SFWA's Writer Beware page
Stop the International Library of Poets aka "National Library of Poetry", "International Society of Poets", "International Poetry Hall of Fame", "Watermark Press", "Poetry.com", and "Poets.com"
Fiction Factor's Writer's Alerts and Warnings

The best quickie advice I can give is from Fiction Factor:

Money flows TO the author. Never the other way around.

Which is to say:

1) Legitimate publishers never charge a reading fee.
An entry fee for a contest is a different thing entirely, but why pay them for something you can get paid for?

2) Legitimate publishers always give contributors a free "contributors copy" even if they don't pay you cash.
What's more, you'll probably get about 40% off the cover price of any additional copies you buy.

3) Any publisher that pressures you to use their "editing service" before they make a decision on your work is most likely a scam.

[JaNell]

What signals a possible literary scam?
You Too Can Sniff Out Scams
Contests and Vanity Anthologies


Edited in:
ABC 20/20 investigation of ILP/National Library of Poetry (a.k.a. Poetry.com)

The National Library of Poetry is also known by the following names:
--International Library of Poetry
--Poetry.com
--Watermark Press
--International Society of Poets