Hello.
I’ve read a lot of articles that say agents should not charge fees but I wonder if this one is different. The agency promises to “provide a free evaluation of your entire work.” Then, below the signature is the line. “We charge a $250.00 submission fee if you are offered a contract.” Is that normal? I think that if it goes to contract then the contract should not cost anything. Otherwise it still seems like a reading fee. I’m confused.
I didn’t realize I was depriving myself of fun and profit. Although I considered myself a fairly versatile writer, I avoided electronic publishing…until recently
After 14 years as freelancer under my belt, I finally took the plunge with eBooks. You can read about my success in that area here: https://www.writersweekly.com/success_stories/003705_10252006.html. Pleased with the results, I considered extending my career to blogging…but I wasn’t sure what I could offer that would be different or useful.
I’m writing this on Monday night. Richard’s vasculitis is coming and going and it got worse over the weekend and included something new – red lines under his skin (no, not the blood poisoning type). And, his other ankle swelled up. As of this morning, we’ve been waiting a week for a referral to a rheumatologist. I called the doctor’s office right when they opened this morning and expressed my frustration (you know how I can be!). They immediately called Richard back and told him they can’t find a rheumatologist who can see him before July!
Do *Not* Edit A Chapter As a “Test!”
Dear Angela,
Last year, I contacted a writer about a job listing editing a book. I included a copy of my writing resume, testimonials, contacts, rate sheet, and a list of links to articles and sites I had written and/or edited. The writer replied promptly with a request that, as a test, she was having all applicants edit a chapter. I had just read something in WritersWeekly about that very subject a week or two before and responded to the writer that I was a professional and the information I sent should be sufficient to determine whether or not she wished to work with me. I didn’t hear anything for a few days, but evidently she heard quite a lot. Her next email mentioned that, because so many of the people who responded balked at editing a chapter as a test, she was going to make her decision based on a test paragraph. Looks like I wasn’t the only person reading WritersWeekly at the time who caught onto this scheme. Thanks for alerting us to the scams.
As always…
J M
One of my most reliable sources of articles is industry events. In addition to getting the journalistic type of story that is relevant for news readers, I’ve found industry events to be a good source of features and “how to” articles.
Angela:
What do you say to the claim of many literary editors who say “Since we don’t carry advertising, we can’t pay our contributors.”
Cheers,
Roy
I simply tell them I won’t contribute my valuable time
to their hobby.
Five days a week, I work in a library shelving books. It is the perfect job for observing people’s behavior. One constant source of entertainment is the kids.
Most of them are naturally fearless and curious and ready to try anything. I’ve plucked two-year-olds from the upper shelves where they have climbed while their parents’ backs were turned. They delve without hesitation into fantasy and think nothing extraordinary about dogs talking and cats wearing hats. They soak up new experiences like sponges and are constantly hungry to learn and do and try.
The results of Richard’s biopsy are in. He has Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis, or LCV. We already pretty much knew he had vasculitis, but needed the diagnosis before they can proceed with more tests to see what’s causing it. Basically, there is a 50% chance it’s caused by an autoimmune disorder or medication or something he’s eating, and there’s a 50% chance they’ll never know what’s causing it. It could be caused by Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, or Hepatitis C, or it could be due to his thyroid medication (the doctor doesn’t think so), or….maybe my cooking? Okay, humor does help in times like these. Honestly, we’re praying it’s nothing serious and that we’ll never know what causes it. Because, if they do find out what’s causing it, that something might be serious. If it’s just a transient thing, chances are it’s an anomaly and very minor.
I’m pretty backed up this week so I’m going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Book Proposals. Yes, these are real! Enjoy!
Letters will return next week.
