Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

WRITER BEWARE ®

Warnings About the Schemes, Scams, and Pitfalls That Threaten Writers

About Us

Mission
Who we are, what we do, and why. Includes information on how to contact us.

Overview and Site Map
What you’ll find on the Writer Beware website, plus links to general resources about literary scams.

Writer Beware

• Alerts for Writers
• Contests and Awards
• Copyright
• Independent Editors and Manuscript Assessment Services
• Literary Agents
• Print-on-Demand and Electronic Self-Publishing
• Recommended Reading
• Small Presses
• Vanity and Subsidy Publishers
• Vanity Anthologies
• Writers’ Services

Legal Recourse and Other Remedies

What do you do if you’ve been defrauded? We offer suggestions and resources for taking legal action, along with a variety of options for filing complaints.

Scams in Action

Detailed case studies of notable literary scams, including Edit Ink, Commonwealth Publications, Deering Literary Agency, Martha Ivery/Press-Tige Publishing, and more.

The Truth About Literary Agents’ Fees

What you need to know about fee-charging literary agents.

Writer Beware ® Blogs!

To complement the general advice and warnings on the Writer Beware website, Writer Beware’s blog provides up-to-the-minute information on specific scams and schemes–along with advice for writers, industry news, and a special focus on the weird and wacky things that happen at the fringes of the publishing world.

Find Us On Facebook

Visit our Facebook page for the latest publishing news, writing advice, and other items of interest to writers. Join the conversation!

Whom Not to Query

Our “Thumbs Down” Agency List
Our “Thumbs Down” Publisher List

Writer Beware is actively seeking documentation.

We maintain an extensive archive of documentation on literary agents, independent editors, vanity publishers, self-publishing services, small presses, and others that engage in the questionable practices we warn about on this website. If you have letters, contracts, brochures or other material you think we would like to see, please help us build our database by sending them to:

Victoria Strauss
PO Box 1216
Amherst MA 01004
or e-mail us.

Writer Beware ® is a registered service mark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.

Except for graphics, and where specifically indicated, all Writer Beware ® contents copyright © 1998-2011 Victoria Strauss

MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION