• Do a general Google search using the person/company name along with words like warning and complaint.
• Go to Preditors and Editors, http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors.
• Check Angela Hoy’s warning site, Whispers and Warnings, http://www.writersweekly.com/whispers_and_warnings.php.
• Read Storm Warnings in the Freelance Writers Report each month.
• Post a notice at the WPN forum and WPNDiscuss and ask if anyone knows anything about this individual, agency or company.
• Visit other author/publishing forum sites. Check the posts. Ask if anyone there has had experience with this individual or agency.

And if you feel that you’ve been scammed, let us know via WPNDiscuss or the WPN Forum.
Resources for Writers/Authors
For Authors
Also check out, Firstwriter.com. http://www.firstwriter.com. Here you will find a list of 700 literary agents, 700 book publishers, 750 magazines (including 363 fiction and 420 poetry), book reviews, writing tips, copyright information and writing contests. The cost to access all of this is just $4.49 month.
Opportunities for Freelance Writers
Do you have a touching, true story about a horse, a cat, single parenting, being a divorced woman, surviving breast cancer or dealing with Alzheimer’s? The editors of Cup of Comfort will pay you as much as $500 for the best story submitted to each of several anthologies. All of those whose stories are accepted will receive a copy of the book. There is no entry fee. What do they want? Submit uplifting stories of 1,000 to 2,000 words in narrative nonfiction style. The stories must be original. Send only one per email and include your full name, mailing address and your phone number in the body of an email (no attachments, please) to wordsinger@aol.com. Complete submission guidelines are at http://www.cupofcomfort.com.
Writers Digest Magazine
RevolutionHealth.com
Flight Journal
Candace Carteen is producing a series of books and she’s seeking submissions. Hers are I Know Why books. Her hallmark book is I know why the Fat Girl Cries. She says that her series is unlike any other. Her anthologies highlight real stories from real people who live in the real world. She wants writers to tell what goes on behind closed doors, within a broken heart and in the passion of all beings. She doesn’t want writers to gloss over the reality of a situation in order to come up with a happy conclusion. Upcoming books are: I Know Why the Pet Owner Cries. The deadline for submissions to this book is June 31, 2007. I Know Why the Fat Boy Cries, deadline, Jan. 31, 2008. Other books coming up are: I Know Why Disruption Happens (adoption stories), I Know Why the Military Brat Cries, I Know Why the Momma Cries, I Know Why Infidelity Hurts, I Know Why the Papa Cries, and I Know Why the Thin Girl Cries. Candace wants stories of 500 to 2,000 words and she’ll pay an honorarium of $50 and a copy of the book to those whose stories are accepted. Learn more at: http://www.webspawner.com/users/iknowwhy/index.html.
Coyote Wild
Have you ever gone to CraigsList in search of writing jobs? Granted, there are quite a few newsletters and Web sites with job listings for writers. (I’ll mention some of them below.) I went to CraigsList this morning to see what I could find for you and was stunned by the variety of opportunities there. Here’s what I found just for the Los Angeles, CA area, power tool writer, commercial copywriter, writer for real estate site, editor-in-chief for publishing company, staff writer for gay magazine, travel writer, someone to write captions and editorial assistant. In Miami, they need someone to write a couple of articles on cosmetic surgery, a blogger and a freelance fashion writer. In Seattle, they’re advertising for a newspaper reporter, a medical writer and a copywriter for Nintendo.
Additional job sites:
http://www.writejobs.com
http://www.freelancewriting.com/careercenter.php
http://www.sunoasis.com/sunoasissearch.html
http://www.poewar.com/jobs
http://www.writersweekly.com (scroll down to “New Job Listings.”)
 
Opportunities for Authors
NEW! Dreamriver Press is seeking fiction and nonfiction works that inspire and uplift the spirit. It doesn’t matter if the work is contemporary, fables/fairy tales or spiritual. This publisher is also interested in manuscripts related to psychology and health. Submissions@dreamriverpress.com. Submission Guidelines at: http://www.dreamriverpress.com/submissions.html.
Melodie Johnson Howe will teach a workshop for mystery writers September 14-16, 2007 in Santa Barbara. For more information, http://www.sbwritersconference.com/enewsletter.
Wildcat Canyon Press
Ocean View Books
Quick Publishing
Opportunities for Artists and Photographers
Nevada Magazine
Mom Writer’s Literary Magazine
Book Promotion Opportunities
TV/RadioBroadcasts
Oprah isn’t the only game in town when it comes to promoting your book before millions of people. You might also want to check out “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “The Colbert Report,” with audiences of 1.6 million and 1.2 million respectively. http://www.colbertnation.com. http://www.thedailywshowonline.com.
iBusinessChannel.com
Danielle Hampson of ArizonaWebTV.com is also looking for interesting guests for her “Authors” show. Learn more at http://www.arizonawebtv.com.
Events for Authors/Publishers
Does your book fit into one of these categories? Do you live nearby any of these sites? If so, you might consider taking your book to the show.
International New Age Trade Show West
National Book Festival
Midwest Literary Festival
Southern Festival of Books
Buckeye Book Fair
Louisiana Book Festival
News Bites
Taxes for Writers
Kelly James-Enger of http://www.becomebodywise.com and Six figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money (Random House, 2005), posted an informative article on taxes and the writer in her latest edition of her newsletter, Writer’s Gear: Advice, Encouragement and Information for Your Freelance Career. 
She says that first you must determine if writing is a hobby or a career. How do you determine this? “The key, as far as the IRS is concerned,” says James-Enger, “is having a profit motive. In other words, if you’re writing with the intention of getting paid for your work, you’ve got profit in mind.” She recommends keeping track of all potential deductions. This includes your membership in WPN and other organizations, travel expenses related to your work as well as office supplies and equipment. Keep receipts for all possible deductions.
I have claimed my writing income from day one. For a few years, my expenses were more than my earnings. That’s okay, as far as the IRS is concerned, but they may get suspicious if you are filing for too many years without making a profit.
Are you keeping track of your expenses related to authorship? This might include fees, mileage and materials for publishing conferences, book fairs and book signings; books, magazines and consulting fees; promotional material; mailing lists and so forth.
New Policies for Barnes and Noble
I obtained a copy of Barnes and Noble’s latest Policy on Product Identification and Bar Coding. It says that compliance with the instructions in this document is essential to enable Barnes and Noble to offer your books and other products to their customers in an efficient and timely manner. They say that it is also a significant factor in their being able to reorder promptly to replace sales. They expect compliance for new publications or products, all backlist books and other previously existing products received after September 1, 2007. Of course, they want you to transition from the ISBN-10 to the ISBN-13, as you know. But they also want changes in bar codes for books. They are following the product identification policy of BISG (Book Industry Study Group) http://www.BISG.org.
All books accepted by Barnes and Noble must have a human-readable suggested retail price printed on the book. They need the ISBN 13 format and they must have the Bookland EAN bar code. This is not necessary for book purchases to fill a specific customer order or those books to be stocked only in a Barnes and Noble warehouse.
For a copy of the “Policy on Product Identification and Bar Coding, September 15, 2006” edition, go to: http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/for_publishers/Vendor_Guidelines/BarnesNobleProduct_ID_Policy09062.pdf.
What is a Distributor and What Do They Do?
There’s a good article at the PMA (Publisher’s Marketing Association) Web site by Davida G. Breier called, “How to Date Your Distributor.” Breier is a sales and marketing manager for Biblio Distribution—a company that specializes in distribution for small and independent presses.
Breier points out that a distributor is different from a wholesaler. Ingram and Baker and Taylor Books are wholesalers. They fill orders. A distributor has a sales force—some, of course, are more effective than others. Some, such as Biblio, want an exclusive relationship with you and others don’t mind sharing the distribution task with other companies.
Distributors often specialize. There are regional distributors, for example. If you have a book of interest to folks in a particular area, you might seek a regional distributor. Many distributors deal with books on specific topics, only—new age, nonfiction, children’s, etc. Booklines was my Hawaiian distributor for my book on how to present a Hawaiian luau on the mainland.
Distributors won’t work alone. Before accepting your book, they want to know that you have a platform and a promotions plan. A distributor may be able to get your book into bookstores, but if it isn’t selling, it won’t be there for long. It is up to you—the author—to bring in the customers.
Before signing with a distributor, make sure that you understand their contract and that this particular distributor matches your expectations and needs.
See Breier’s article at http://www.pma-online.org/scripts/shownews.cfm?id=1390.
Why AAR?
What is the big deal about choosing an AAR (Association of Author Representatives) agent? This organization serves as a screening system. They do the weeding work for you. You want an agent who has made some sales, don’t you? You want one that does not charge reading fees. You want a bonafide, legitimate agent, not someone who is masquerading as an agent. When you’re ready to find an agent for your great literary contribution, don’t swim with the sharks. Go to http://www.aar-online.org and choose your agent from their list of true literary agents.
Is the Press Release, as we Know it, Obsolete?
There’s an article circulating that says press releases written and distributed the traditional way are a waste of time. Penny Sansevieri, in her Book Marketing Expert Newsletter (April 5, 2007), says that journalists find the information and stories they want by searching the Internet. In fact the results of one study indicate that over 70% of Americans get their news content online. Sansevieri seems to think that press releases distributed online are still effective, but that the concept of targeted news releases sent via postal mail, email or fax is obsolete. She suggests, instead, posting your press releases at press release sites such as PRWeb and/or in the media room of your site.
I checked into this idea and learned that, while some sites charge a lot of money for press release services, there are others that claim to distribute your press releases inexpensively. PRWeb.com is one of them.
I also asked around and I received feedback from a major publicity firm countering Sansevieri’s claims. They agree with me that authors should not forego any opportunity to send targeted press releases. However, this is not to say that we shouldn’t also attempt the scattershot method of distributing press releases available via the amazing internet. Learn more about Sansevieri and her work at http://www.amarketingexpert.com.
Then I asked WPN Executive Director, Virginia Lawrence. Here’s what she said:
“I’m sending out press releases almost every day using the $35,000 per year Vocus service in my work with Ballantines PR. The Vocus service has a database of 800,000 editors with full contact info and their preferences. We do not do any scattershot mailings. We create highly targeted lists, then create and send great html emails with photos to showcase the client offerings. Sending these highly targeted emails has been wildly successful. We’ve generated articles on the front page of the LATimes, in Vogue, in Conde Nast Traveller, Wall Street Journal, etc. Our clients are very pleased and those articles have huge ad value. That is, we calculate what the client would have to pay for an ad covering the same space as the article. For example, in the last 9 months, we’ve generated an ad value of over $1,300,000.00 for Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau.”
Virginia continued: “In my experience the press release is far from dead. Rather, the truly newsworthy press release is vital to getting the word out to highly targeted media contacts and generating favorable articles. We send our releases by email using Vocus to reach the targeted media contacts directly. Then we also use the Vocus-owned PRWeb to send the releases out on the Internet newswires and through AP.”
“The PRWeb distribution is completely different from sending a press release by email. Sending out a release on PRWeb, we expect to find the release on Google News, Yahoo News, MSN News, etc, along with many other important sites.”
“The PRWeb prices start at $80. Then there’s the $200 level, and the big daddy choice, $360, which sends the release out on the AP wire in addition to the general online wire services.”
Notes From the Editor
One Author’s Long, Long Road to Success
Selden Edwards spent 30 years working on his novel and collecting rejection slips. He said that he has gathered enough rejection letters to paper two walls in his home. Recently, however, his novel Fin de Siecle, was picked up by Dutton for a generous six-figure sum. A few months later, he sold the movie rights. Today, Mr. Edwards lives to tell the story of patience, perseverance and publishing success.
This Author Was in the Right Place at the Right Time
Here’s one of those “I could have had a V-8” stories. Some years ago, I discovered an interesting Web site all about Library Cats. Did you know that there are over 300 known library cats in the U.S.? That is, cats that have been adopted by the staff/patrons of libraries. Most of them live right there in the libraries and interact with patrons. I loved the concept and contacted librarians throughout the states to get their library cat stories. I placed a few articles about some of the cats, but I collected way more rejection letters than acceptances.
I was actually quite surprised that there weren’t more editors who wanted these human interest stories. I contacted regional magazines about the cats in their areas, cat/pet-related magazines and magazines focusing on travel, libraries, lifestyle, etc. Most of them were not interested.
Well, imagine my surprise when I learned this week that a librarian in Spencer, Iowa, whom I had interviewed a couple of times about their library cat, Dewey Readmore Books, just landed a $1.2 million contract to write a book about this cat. Warner Books, (soon to be Grand Central Publishing) issued her the contract.
Yes, great ideas, persistence and perseverance are important. But sometimes, folks, you just gotta be in the right place at the right time.
will be held in November in Baton Rouge. http://www.louisianabookfestival.org is scheduled for November 23, 2007 in Wooster, Ohio. Learn more at: http://www.buckeyebookfair.com. is sponsored by the Tennessee Humanities Organization and will be held on October 12-13, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee. http://www.tn-humanities.org/festival. will be held in Aurora, Illinois, October 6-7, 2007. So far, they don’t have the particulars of this year’s festival posted at their site. Keep watching: http://www.midwestliteraryfestival.com. sponsored by the Library of Congress. To be held in Washington DC September 29, 2007. http://www.loc.gov/bookfest. features a trade show and seminars June 23-25, 2007 in Denver, Colorado. For more information about displaying your book there, http://www.inats.com/west/index.html. is launching “Cover Stories”—a weekly internet broadcast program featuring authors and books. They’ll be interviewing authors of books related to business, technology, sports, entertainment, health, finance, political and others. http://www.businesstvchannel.com. needs artwork in the form of photography, sketches and graphic art. Learn more at http://www.momwriterslitmag.com or contact the art editor at: editor@momwriterslitmag.com. uses artwork and photography. Contact art director, Matt Smith at matt@nevadamagazine.com for guidelines. in St. Louis, produces scientific books, outdoor and regional guides as well as some self-help books on topics related to parenting and aging. Contact Angie Quick at quickpublishing@sbcglobal.net. in Denver, Colorado. They publish literary fiction and science fiction titles. You’ll have to write for a copy of their guidelines for writers: Lee Ballentine, POB 9249, Denver, CO 80209. publishes gift books and self-help books on personal growth, family, women’s issues and relationships. They particularly like books that will fit into the gift market. Do you have a fun project that might interest the editors at Wildcat Canyon Press? Get a copy of their submission guidelines at their Web site: http://www.counciloakbooks.com. Magazine uses fiction, poetry and even nonfiction, as long as it relates to speculative fiction (horror, science fiction and fantasy). They only pay $10 per piece, but this might be a good place to start building your platform for your fantasy, sci fi or horror book. http://www.coyotewildmag.com uses aviation-oriented material with a historical overtone. Study a copy of this magazine and then come up with a story and a slant that no other aviation magazine is doing. They usually publish, in each issue, two or three articles on WWII, a modern jet story, a pilot interview or personal story, a historical piece and a semi-technical piece with historical overtones. If you have some ideas that you feel are right for Flight Journal, contact Roger Post at rogerp@airage.com. Visit their Web site at: http://www.flightjournal.com. You’ll find submission guidelines at: http://www.flightjournal.com/fj/magazine/cguidelines.asp. Basically, they use articles of 2,500 to 3,000 words and they pay $600 and up. is new. http://www.revolutionhealth.com. They solicit personal health stories and they have a few jobs listed. has new submission guidelines. You’ll find them at http://www.writersdigest.com/wdguidelines.asp. Basically, the editors of WD want articles that help their readers stay inspired, improve their craft, understand the unique challenges of publishing today and get their work noticed. If you’ve read Writer’ Digest, lately, you know that their pages are filled with advice and real-life experiences delving deeply into what’s important to writers today. The magazine, of course, addresses the needs of writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and scripts. Circulation is 140,000 now and readers include men and women of all ages and varying levels of writing skill and successes. Unlike many magazines, Writer’s Digest will consider completed manuscripts on spec as well as queries. They prefer hearing from established writers. They pay 30 to 50 cents word for from 500 to 2,000 words—depending on the department you’re writing for. As you will discover when studying the magazine, they use opinion pieces, essays, author profiles, market reports and articles on writing technique. Kara Gebhart Uhl is the current Managing Editor. is a Web site loaded with articles for freelance writers and authors. Visit often at: http://www.forauthors.com., currently at: www.momwriterslitmag.com, is going to print in June. If you’d like to submit a review for a book that would be of interest to mom writers, write a profile of a mom writer/author, submit some of your poetry or an essay, for example, contact Paula Schmitt at editor@momwriterslitmag.com. is new out of Wachovia. It’s designed for parents and teens and will be distributed through high school guidance counselors. Do you have something you could contribute to a publication like this? http://www.wachovia.com/collegeready debuted last month. It is a quarterly publication focusing on the Central Pennsylvania region. Len Ingrassia is the editor. So far, no Web site in sight. Stay posted., a Canadian magazine, is coming to the United States. Evidently, this magazine is circulated free to theater-goers. It contains what is termed soft entertainment, including celebrity news and gossip. I doubt that they are open to freelance material unless you can interest them in a piece related to a celebrity occurence. http://www.tribute.ca has added two new travel sections starting with their March/April issue. http://www.nevadamagazine.com. For Submission Guidelines contact Joyce Hollister at editor@nevadamagazine.com. will become Grand Central Publishing in the fall of 2007. Why?? Well, Hachette Livre, the French company that purchased Warner Books, required a name change as part of the deal. Since Warner is moving into an office at Grand Central Terminal, the new name just seemed like an obvious choice. (Read, in the “Notes From the Editor” section, about an incredible success story for one first-time author who was recently issued a contract by this company.)