the troubling rise of publishing scams (and bad literary agents)

[@AlexaDonne]

Quick tips I gave in the premiere chat on spotting red flags in agent bios: they mention X years of experience but provide no specifics on what that experience is. They say they interned at or worked at a literary agency, publisher, magazine, or school but don't say where (always Google to dig and find out if it was a not-great place). They say they worked at X place but don't specify job role or length of time--they may be passing off an internship or short-lived assistant position as agenting/editorial experience at a place, for example. They claim to have written books/screenplays but don't mention being published/where they were published/if those screenplays were sold--a cursory search will typically reveal they don't have experience taking their own creative work to the next professional level (thus don't have experience with what that looks like)--this is ALSO a trick for rooting out those selling books/courses who aren't qualified to teach them, as well (in the author space). They mention a degree as their primary qualification but list zero industry work experience. Generally be wary of bios that are vague/broad and decline to offer specifics, that go overboard in being pithy and personal (especially an over-emphasis on loving reading and wanting tho help writers w/o requisite professional experience) at the expense of offering a proper snapshot of their professional qualifications.

[@rebeltvr6046]

So if I want to find a good literary agent, how should I go about finding one?

[@dreadfulpennyanimates3476]

I always thought as long as they don't ask me for money, I'll be good. Never thought of this. Good video.

[@Viksbelle]

Great advice! RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH before any action. Also check the Writers Beware blog. Frequent offenders often get mentioned there.

[@bakugosrage8976]

Thank you for this information. I'll will vet every literary agent using tools you placed. I am currently working on 3 Sci-fi books that are adult reads. It still has to be edited, proofread, and formatted.

[@yiota23rock]

I am author with 4 published books. I know what is mean "beta readers". Donne has a such a right. I have the luck to see some "scum" agencies who iis not clear agencies or publishing houses. Take care guys what happens in market. I am searching for agent from 2020. Donne has in the point in every part.

[@StephenAryan44]

Ugh, it's difficult enough to get published without being terrified that someone is going to scam you!

[@corinarades3878]

That is one of the biggest problems these days. You need to know who to trust, who is legit and who is not. I got scammed by the American Writers Group. AWG is a fraud.

[@dobanator4501]

Don't pay anyone money!

[@lostinlore523]

We're seeing it in the freelance editing corner as well. Many of us have certificates in editing, industry experience as a former agent or paid editor, and clients who can vouch for us. And we bust our buns to make sure that we're giving writers our best and helping them to hone their craft. But there are emerging editors with no experience who are scamming writers for a quick buck. One client recently told me about a former freelance editor who barely left any comments, did not provide an editorial letter, and was cruel in her feedback. He showed me her email and I was appalled. And it does make it harder for those of us who are legitimate because we're often scrutinized alongside the scammers due to fear of being scammed. It's frustrating all around.

[@AlexaDonne]

Yes, this! It makes it so hard for the pros who have been doing the work (and well) for years. People get skewed ideas of what a professional edit even is, and it screws it for everyone :(

[@teresagrabs488]

I'm seeing an increase in clients who say this as well. They turn to Fiverr and other bargain-basement priced editors who do little work or simply run it through a computer program. One went so far as to supply the client with the Grammarly report and say "make these changes." On the flip side, I am also seeing an increase in hostility from fellow editors because I focus on (legitimate) small presses and self-publishing. One fellow editor went so far as to say I was destroying the industry because my clients self-publish. It feels like a lose-lose situation no matter how you look at it some days. I've been editing for more than twenty years and have clients in both sides of the aisle (traditional and self publishing). There are a lot of good editors out there. But, it's the ones who believe it's an easy buck who make it hard for everyone.

[@alwaysapirateroninace443]

This is so helpful! I recently had a friend who I was able to say, "No, you're not supposed to pay a publisher to publish your book."

[@StephenAryan44]

SFWA also has a Writers Beware list of dodgy agents, so it is always worth checking lists like it, to find out if an agent is legit or not.

[@corinarades3878]

Please be careful about fake publishing companies like the American Writers Group. They have a nice website and attractive services, but they are all lies.

[@therealannataylor]

Ugh. On beta readers. I had an experience where I offered to beta read a story for this woman, gave pretty great feedback if I do say so myself, but after going through several rounds of back and forth and reading the story a few times, she said that she was paying other people to beta read her story as well. Now, I’m not at all upset about beta reading for nothing. I think that beta reading is more like CPs, where you share stories and give serious intense feedback in an exchange. BUT finding out that she was paying several other people to do the same thing I was doing for her made me pretty bitter. I ended up having to stop reading for her because I was so annoyed. Absolutely her decision to both pay for and accept a volunteer offer to read a story (and like I said, I don’t care that she paid others to do it), but if you find yourself in the position of doing both, don’t let slip that you’re paying other people. I feel like that’s just incredibly unprofessional.

[@celseac8107]

Actually a writer is required to have multiple beta readers and do "rounds" with multiple betas in order to produce a good work. I have been a beta and I had betas for my own manuscript. Meanwhile CPs are only a few (2 at most, usually).

[@fairytala]

Celsea I think you missed the point. Of course you need multiple beta readers to improve your manuscript significantly. But it is pretty unfair to pay some of them and not others - either rely on volunteers OR paid readers, but paying some for doing the exact same thing you ask others to do for free is a dick move. And it's especially rude to tell the unpaid ones about it after they put in a lot of work and effort. It comes across as if their work is worth less than the paid ones or you're just taking advantage of them. So choose one or the other OR be honest upfront(!!!) with the unpaid ones that you will pay others for the same thibg they are doing.

[@celseac8107]

@@fairytala aaah sorry yes I didn't understand that this person wasn't paid while others were. Then the complaint sounds reasonable

[@VinnyTheory]

If she critiqued your story for free in return I don’t see the problem at all. You two were critique partners and that’s the paid-trade off

[@MMD-nu8nf]

Re: bad agents, I fell for this trap last year. I was so eager to finally sign with someone that I didn't mind she had no experience in the industry. She worked for a reputable agency and was mentored by a fantastic agent, but she had never made a deal of her own-- in fact, when we signed, she had *just* been promoted from her internship position. We were offered the very same hybrid publishing offers you'd mentioned, and she didn't even recognize that they were scams; by this point I'd seen so many of the same offers on Reddit that it was very clear to me, someone with almost no experience in the industry. She's the sweetest person in the world and I do believe she only means the best, but there's almost no hope for traditionally publishing this book anymore. Authors: Don't! Rush! Your! Decision! Sometimes the light at the end of the query tunnel is just a cliff, and if you don't stop to look where you're going, you'll plunge straight to submissions death.

[@rayahjaymes2413]

This came RIGHT on time! I've been seeing A LOT of new literary agents and publishers pop up on Twitter and I'm always like, WTH they have no qualifying credentials. But you perfectly explain how we got here!

[@thecoverclovers5624]

I’m so appreciative of you making this video-especially as a teen author. I hate that this is going on right now within publishing, but I think this discussion is very needed. Thank you for speaking of this.

[@k.d.r.3980]

I have paid for beta readers and I love it. I've never paid more than $20. The main reason I've paid for betas is we've all been in the situation where we've been ghosted by betas or have gone over the requested turnaround time, or have returned little feedback. The same way you can see samples of editors work you can see a beta style. I get my feedback on or before the specified date, it includes comments, track changes and a feedback letter. So far, so good! I have no complaints.

[@dreadfulpennyanimates3476]

True, especially since you can't ask unpaid beta readers to hurry up, and they usually haven't done this before so they may be focusing on the wrong things.

[@Lilitha11]

$20 seems like a pretty okay price. However, I googled it a little and it seems paid beta readers usually charge 100-200 dollars for a novel length book.

[@ChrisWilliamsDallas]

Reedsy was SO helpful for me. In fact, the editor I reached out to did a background check on me (on facebook)! Turns out, my friend who officiated my wedding, who is also an author, used to work for her when she was EIC at a magazine. Match made in heaven. I'm sure that won't happen for everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised.

[@Avatar_Brandy]

Ive never heard of an editor or an agent doing a background check on an author, is this the norm? From what I’ve heard from other agents, they don’t do background checks on their authors. Authors aren’t an employee of the agent or the editor, they’re a client.

[@ChrisWilliamsDallas]

@@Avatar_Brandy I should put background check in quotes here. She found me on FB and we ended up having an overlap of close friends.

[@StephenAryan44]

@@Avatar_Brandy some agents will check to make sure a potential client isn't a raging homophobe, or racist etc. Better that they know ahead of time and can pass on the book and representation, than find out later.

[@corinarades3878]

You were lucky to find someone serious. Just let you know that American Writers Group is a fraud.

[@AllisonMiller30]

I was signed with a scummy publisher for two years. Their version of editing wasn’t looking for comma splices, run on sentences or something like that, it was “how many garbage phrases can I puke up on this aspiring authors work.” Then developmental edits were making me feel bad about myself, pushing me to delete every emotional scene, and then alluding to that if I don’t change the word Corey to mom, I would lose my contract. Then I went to proofreading where I was left on read for a solid year. It was a publishing company that said it was “by writers for writers” which meant they were talking about boosting up new authors, only to release or rerelease their own books and leave their authors on read. Around this time last year, they dissolved my contract and blamed me for it. So, let me share my red flags, I didn’t see because I was too eager to be traditionally published. 1. Look up their address. My publisher had a virtual address. Which just feels like a crime and predatory. 2. Look up and carefully examine everyone who works there. My copy editor was an insurance agent, and was working towards her English degree. She was also published through a self published with extra steps company. 3. Look at where they’re getting their covers because they could be doing like mine did and use royalty free photos. That’s wrong, I feel because there’s so many people who make beautiful covers that are unique to that author and cheaper than a royalty free photo membership or whatever. 4. Look at the volume of the work they are putting out, and compare it to the long response time to get back to you. They have published two books that are not written by the ones who run the company and the people who run the company were having two books come out a year. 5. Yes, you will have to be your own commercial, but the publisher should market you along with you making your own promotions. That’s all for now, I will die mad at these people.

[@corinarades3878]

I understand your pain, I had the same experience with the American Writers Group. They are frauds. They butcher my manuscript, and when I asked for a refund they ghosted me.

[@AllisonMiller30]

@@corinarades3878 I’m never trying again. I’ve had way more success putting my books on Amazon and being annoying online about the fact I wrote books.

[@silllykitten329]

Name & shame them so other writers don’t fall into their trap.

[@AllisonMiller30]

@@silllykitten329 Foster Embry Publishing

[@andeeharry]

21:02 I know someone who spent 20k on an editor....apparently. So I looked at thier book and it had loads of issues in the first paragraph. It was a fantasy space station in the 31st century, but they kept mentioning different periods before the 31st. I was labelled as an ''cyber bully'' for saying that the story is bad. Of course, the person published it and blocked me.

[@fadedpages]

Lol I have seen people offering "beta reading services." People are allowed to spend their money however they like, but in my opinion that is a waste of money. If you hang around writing communities long enough, you're all but certain to find people willing to read your book for free.

[@knackis2116]

Maybe. I've found getting reliable beta readers can be tricky. It's gotten to the point where I would seriously consider paying someone for it, if I had the money to spare. It might be that I'm not spending time in the right places, but I've heard similar stories from other people. Now, I've had some luck with enthusiastic readers for some projects, but for other projects I've had people ghost me or not show any interest. I imagine for some people (myself included) beta reading feels more like work than leisure, and I can understand if they want something out of it, whether that be an exchange or money.

[@mybooksandthings]

As an English major and MFA graduate, I wouldn't hire me to do copy edits because we literally never learned about grammar. And yeah, developmental edits? Just get a CP.

[@AlexaDonne]

Right? I don't think people realize. I actually did have Elements of Style as an assigned reading for one of my journalism classes, but I don't think that's the norm. I didn't understand all the mechanics of copy editing until I'd been professional copy edited... and I'm someone who writes "clean" in terms of spelling/grammar/usage... and they still find SO MUCH to fine-tune in my work. Qualified copy editors are brilliant.

[@tasmiatahia01]

Super helpful as always. Thank you Alexa for being our wise publishing aunt, always looking out for us. 🥰🥰

[@AlyssaMatesic]

I had an idea of the literary agent scams out there, but I had no idea they were so common on Reddit as well 😓 This is such an important video for anyone trying to get published right now; thank you for your research on this awful subject!

[@X1Vampi1X]

Funny thing, I saw a scammy ad on this video for publishing, promising huge sales "if you follow these 3 steps" etc

[@gemmaberlanti3508]

How ironic.

[@rdmertz29]

Thank you for this! As an independent editor myself (who has done indie editing for at least eight years now) I do want to push back on some of your points, though. It is simply not possible for all writers to work with editors with publishing house experience, nor is it necessary. I do not have many of the qualifications you mention (my degrees are in art history and my publishing experience prior to going freelance was in non-fiction), yet I approach my work with professionalism and provide extremely thorough feedback. As a result, my clients have received or been nominated for their first awards, including Silver Falchions and an Agatha, and every indie writer I have worked with has asked to work with me again. Likewise, when you are talking about self-published books, just looking at a finished product will not tell you much about the person who edited it because, unlike in trad-pub, editors working with self-pub authors have no actual control over a book's final product. Nor, for that matter, do you know the quality of the original manuscript--a great author may not require all that much from their editor, whereas a new or struggling author may need a lot of help to get their manuscript to an even passable place. If you want to know about an editor's work, you need to see a sample of *their* work, not that of their authors. This could mean looking at a couple pages of line edits from another author's work (but only if that author has given permission) or paying a small fee to receive edits on the first few pages of your manuscript. The editor should also be clear about the kind of feedback they give and how long they may need with the manuscript, with deadlines being agreed on ahead of time.

[@t.s.611]

I agree with all of this, especially your point about the finished product! When I hand an edited manuscript back to an author client, I do so knowing that they may decide to ignore everything I suggested. That's just part of the business on the indie side, and also why I ask my clients NOT to credit me in their finished books! It sucks that we're in an unregulated profession that so many people use to scam writers.

[@user-jj2go1ot8v]

Couldn't agree more. It's worth mentioning that tradpub houses, especially the Big Four, can be incredibly elitist, incestuous, and discriminatory in their hiring practices. You pretty much have to know someone to get in, or have the ability to work an exploitive internship. And there's at least one Big Four that pretty much only hires graduates of a particular 6-week program in NYC that costs about $10k to attend and has a 30% hiring rate for graduates. Imagine spending that much for a 30% chance of getting a job that will pay you pennies to live in the most expensive city in America. I wouldn't necessarily expect someone on the writer's side of things to know the ins and outs of hiring at publishing houses, though, and I think for the most part this video provided great advice on what newer writers should look out for.

[@Ejf96]

I've seen a lot of these same things spreading on Twitter and it's crazy! Thanks for all the clarification! ❤

[@Janessarose96]

I agree with 99% of this!!! The only caviat I feel is there are good freelance developmental editors- but I do have to admit there are hard to find and the pool is without a doubt full of scammers!- I think the most important thing is to ask for a sample! Even if they haven’t been hired or worked in an agency/editor’s office doesn’t mean they don’t their craft just as well and can be just as good as a more traditional hired editors in an office.

[@lostinlore523]

Legitimate editors will *always* offer to do a free sample edit. I've found that scammers tend not to offer these AND they also tend to have insanely quick turnaround for things that should take time, such as a developmental edit.

[@user-jj2go1ot8v]

@@lostinlore523 Legitimate editors who are accepting new clients will always offer a sample, but some have reasons for charging a nominal fee. For example, sometimes writers with no intent to hire will ask 40 different editors for free samples, sending each a different chapter of their novel, in order to get a free Franken-edit. If the sample is free, it's kind for the author to only ask for it if there's a good chance of hiring (if you're trying to choose between 2-3 candidates, for example). If an author asks for 15 free samples, they will probably get a lot of redundant advice that 14 people have each put a few hours of free labor into with no real chance of landing the contract. This is why some editors charge $5-25 for a sample, to reduce overhead on behalf of people who aren't very serious about hiring. It doesn't mean they're not legitimate. I don't bother with it, personally, but I get why, especially if you're well-established and busy, or if your samples run long. Everyone's business runs differently. On the writers' side of things, treating editors' time with respect is best for everyone because it helps these services remain free. Generally, scammers don't provide samples for free or otherwise. They ask writers to take a huge leap of faith. I would not recommend committing to an editor without getting a sample first, which will also help weed out people who are earnest but not qualified/overcharging. I would also recommend a contract that outlines the fees, due dates, indemnities, and details of the services provided, to protect both the client and editor. If the contract seems too in favor of the editor, the client should of course feel free to negotiate terms or run away, lol.

[@lostinlore523]

@@user-jj2go1ot8v I should have specified what I meant. Of course some editors do charge a nominal fee, though this is usually subtracted from the cost of an edit when you book a service. So, you get that money back if you move forward to work with them. What I meant was that many editors won't charge you for reading/editing those sample pages as if it's a separate service, which some scammers do try to do. You see scamming agents and publishers do that as well. Again, I should have elaborated on that to avoid confusion. Sorry about that! Overall, though, I do think the lack of consistent standards in the editing community does make it more vulnerable for both editors and writers to fall prey to scammers. For example, I personally provide a contract outlining fees/payment plans, expectations, turnaround, and limits. I always give clients time to ask questions and to negotiate. But I've heard from several fellow editors they won't do that because it's "weird" or it puts off clients. They also won't do NDA's if requested by clients. I've worked with companies who request NDA cooperation all the time and have never had an issue with doing this. I've never had a client put off by legal protections for both them and myself. If anything, it's helped some of my own clients feel safer working with me. And yet, some professionals put out there that this is not okay. Others say it is. That can be quite confusion to many in the community. There also seems to be discrepancies in what one constitutes as "qualifications" in the field as many are apprehensive outright drawing lines on who has experience and who doesn't. So, it's definitely not as clear cut as it could be. I hope, though, that we'll continue to see the community evolve for the better (not the worst).

[@user-jj2go1ot8v]

@@lostinlore523 No worries! I was also unclear. As far as qualifications go, I think they would be best demonstrated in the sample. If they are leaving meaningless comments or all they do is run spellcheck, I'd say they are objectively underqualified, but that quickly becomes apparent and this protects the writer from the worst scammers. If their comments aren't worth the price they're charging, the client can make that (more subjective) determination from the sample. That is where asking for multiple samples would be helpful. But I agree, there's a lot of self-taught talent in this industry and I would hate to lose that. Not everyone needs an MFA or tradpub experience. And I've met people with MFAs who couldn't find their ass with a map, so. And I think some standardization is a great idea! Especially when it comes to contract usage and baseline terms. That would protect a lot of novices on either side from getting taken advantage of. From what you described, I think our contracts look fairly similar and I've never had a client balk at it. Like yours, they're usually relieved. And NDA's seem like a perfectly reasonable request for this kind of work--I would hate to think that my editor was complaining about my manuscript on Twitter to a bunch of other publishing professionals. I don't know what one would have to gain from refusing to sign; it seems like the terms would be standard professional behavior regardless. If there was something unreasonable in there, it would be better for client relations to negotiate it than reject outright as a matter of policy. I suspect most of these "handshake" editors won't be in business long after they get shortchanged the first time, or they will start to see the bright side of contracts. If I had a client who was put off by a contract, I'd be inclined to let them go. It's a little sus not to want to be nailed down to terms, in my opinion. I'd be worried about shifting expectations--"Oh, I thought 'editing' included formatting and uploading to KDP, and now I'm VERY upset. Do this for free or I will ruin your reputation :)" And the same from the writer's side--"Oh, you thought 'editing' meant in-line comments and a dev letter? Here's your Grammarly report, that will be $5000 :D". It's just not worth it, there's other fish in the sea. Thanks for talking shop with me, and I humbly apologize for writing you a novel lol

[@linus1703]

Defense of paid beta/critique partners, I'll be honest I kind of prefer to have a few who I'm paying something to. Not huge amounts but I've had so many free ones who just ghost you or give utterly useless feedback. Perhaps I'm paying for my laziness here and it can somewhat fall into sensitivity reading or accuracy reading ie if the character is from some place I want someone from there to be giving me feedback.

[@ErinLovegood73]

Ms. Alexa, you are a godsend. Thank you so much for all the information you share. I've learned so much.

[@amandarandomtube4793]

This really highlights the importance of getting a good agent to me. Also thank you, people/businesses have gotten so shady in a lot of areas lately. I can definitely see where someone who has never been published before wouldn't know that those bad practices aren't normal to the industry.

[@thefrancophilereader8943]

My understanding is that some indie authors hire beta readers because they feel that if they pay someone that person is more likely to give them objective, bold feedback. Non paid beta readers may be more hesitant to tell a writer what they need to hear about their book.

[@TheWaggishAmerican]

I'd think it would be the exact opposite. A reader with no monetary ties (to me at least) would seem more likely to be honest, where someone being paid may want to lighten their tone if they think an author is sensitive and are interested in having repeat customers.

[@callieconover8356]

Thank you as always for being so generous with your time on KZbin and Reddit to help aspiring authors! I'm not one myself, but I really enjoy learning about this world through your lens and find your videos so interesting yet soothing!

[@KyoshoLP]

Just want to say how incredibly useful your videos have been to me over the last several days. I've watched A TON of them, now. Just submitted my first queries to find an agent. Your videos really helped me figure what to look for and how to do it properly. Thank you!

[@britneyp1307]

There are SO MANY freelance editors onTikTok telling new writers that they must hire an editor before querying. It's so messed up and they are just preying on young/inexperienced writers.

[@jessip8654]

Just my luck. I've spent eight years writing with the intention to publish, and after finishing multiple books I finally have one I think has a snowball's chance in hell of getting traditionally published. And of course I finish it when the market is bonkers.

[@ayaya5888]

To be fair, the market is always bonkers, but I get your meaning

[@homelessjesse9453]

just do what I decided to do. Adapt a short story and turn it into a 15-20 minute screenplay. Then try and save as much money as you can and film it. That's the best bet for getting your story told. And in the end, that's all that matters - getting your story out there.

[@StephenAryan44]

You still can, it just requires a bit more care than before, a bit more research. You should check an agent's credentials anyway, see who else they represent etc. to see if they are a good fit for you, but now you just have to dig a little deeper.

[@jessip8654]

@@homelessjesse9453 it has fantasy elements that would need a big budget and I have worked in film enough to know I don't want to make films. So I guess I'll just keep writing books.

[@marthaburns2048]

Have learned a million things from you - admire your expertise. I admire that you see your profession as professional and that we writers need to work with professionals. But when we knock on the door of professionals for literally years - taking time from our work - it’s so discouraging. I think Ive found a legit hybrid publisher. I hate thinking they are scamming me - I realize I had to come up with $. But I’d put my book up next to one I saw published recently by big 5 where the publisher and big name agent then ignored her book. Love to hear you speak more to hybrids… or I’d like to hear a hybrid author as excellent as you are. Admire your honestly.

[@lisamariakerschbaumer3355]

Thank you so much for those tips! I am about to send off my very first manuscript to different agents - and I have already seen some shady editing firms online. Love your videos! So much good content!!

[@tracy-marie]

You hit the nail on the head. I have seen so many “editors” on you tube selling their services and the fees are absolutely outrageous I don’t know what makes them qualified. I knew that was crap. People be careful. Thanks for your honesty.

[@TheCourtneyProject]

Ooooh getting my popcorn for this one! 🍿 Glad you’re bringing light to this. Bringing it to everyone’s attention is so helpful. ❤️

[@coralreeves4276]

I've written for vanity publishing and trust me when I say that although there's a certain amount of satisfaction seeing your book become a reality the publisher restricts a LOT of creative freedom for pitiful pay. I only know I wasn't getting scammed because they weren't asking for money. I'm sure there were decent ones out there but my experience with mine was hardly fun.

[@AJ-jf1lt]

I'm a marketer and publicist in tradpub. One of the highest paid serial litrpg writers (AKA selfpub) is in my social sphere. Because they've had tradpub editors court them, and they "understand litrpg better than anyone," they've been discussing how they're going to be an agent for the rest of their career, "connecting tradpub and serial self-pubbers." And I'm sitting here like NOOOOO HOLY FUCK NO. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT TRADPUB. YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED. But I can't say anything because I get painted as a tradpub elitist who degrades self pub. And it's true, some people idolize tradpub and cruelly shit on self pub even though self pub is actually an incredible field. But that's not what I'm saying here. You can't just paint yourself as an agent one day because you have a lot of Patreon followers... just become a "selfpub career manager" or something and do the back end shit for them and take a cut. You don't have the relevant experience to be an agent dealing in tradpub...

[@LinzyTaylor]

I have a new novel I’m writing from a screenplay I wrote. Because of my tiktok I have many “agents” reaching out to me who can “help” me. I don’t buy it. My pages aren’t even done yet. Thank you for sharing this video!

[@janaondova1309]

It has been over 3 years since I found your channel and I must say you helped me out a lot when it comes to my writing and motivation….. thank you so much for being here for us ❤️❤️

[@mummypuffin]

Wasn't the term 'beta reader' used in the fanfic world well before modern indy publishing was even a thing? And thank you, Alexa! Great video as always.

[@AlexaDonne]

Yes, it was, and I almost replied to that woman's post but I didn't want to spike my blood pressure that particular day haha.

[@sophiekearing6600]

A lot of these trends are so scary! Thanks for keeping us informed, Alexa! 🙏

[@kristinlaurelluna]

Commenting to say your glasses and top are super cute! Loved the video!

[@royalmason1539]

I wonder if the promotional and distribution packages sold by self-publishers (vanity press) actually has any effect on your book sales. Most services claim distribution to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Koto, Ingram, Baker & Taylor, etc. But what does that mean? Just making a book available on a long list of books from your publisher is not the same thing as pitching the book. Traditional publishers have a promo budget for each book they publish. Your book can technically be available world wide but if the publisher doesn't do something to draw the distributor's attention to it...?

[@BarrettLaurie]

Another great video. Thanks for this.

[@melissaleigh-annauthor3078]

I am an in the author and hybrid publishing company. After watching your video all I want to do is make sure that my company is transparent and I can see how it would be scammy or look that way. No thank you so much for posting this video it was very helpful

[@elizabethk1027]

There really has been such an influx of shady, or just plain unqualified, agents recently. Thanks, Alexa.

[@Gaywatch]

This is what makes me suspicious of a certain KZbinr who otherwise gives out solid trad pub advice and has legit cred but I just can't recommend their channel--they act like paying a freelance editor when you're going for trad is a perfectly normal, everyday option while (big shocker) offering freelance editing services themselves. They don't push the agenda that hard at all (which I would say is almost worse) and it just...irks me. Which is a shame because KZbin really needs good trad pub voices.

[@felixkimani5375]

Thank you so much Alexa I really needed this, I wrote a book that I self published it this year, and I needed to know this.

[@dropslemon]

See, I've considered freelance copy editing since money is REALLY tight for me, but since I *don't* have that editing portfolio to work from, I was intending to charge SUPER cheap *because* I'm not looking to steal people's money, I'm looking to help people have written works that are technically correct in terms of spelling, grammar, etc. and I know I'm not massively qualified. Of course, that's only been a consideration at the moment as something I COULD do to get a little bit of extra breathing room in terms of finances and that I know I have the skills for, if not the professional qualifications for it.

[@teresagrabs488]

Love the video and agree with 99% of it. When it comes to self-published authors and editors, the final product may or may not reflect the editor's abilities or provided feedback. Sample edits are vital if you're going to hire an editor and self-publish. Some writers pay for editing, accept few suggestions, then publish. Some self-published writers are in the "quantity over quality" category and truly believe that readers do not care about grammar, punctuation, and story quality--just that the story is readable. I also have had this experience with two small presses who valued speed over quality (don't require revision after editing).

[@bergfridskaaradias2071]

Re what you said about English degree not including grammar: I think that depends on where you you live. Here in Norway, Eng is a second language and the Eng university degrees do cover that.

[@brendapate5596]

Thank you for the warnings regarding scams in the business. Very helpful.

[@abd-al-kareemqasim1711]

I know it’s a bit cliche to comment about how good your timing is with these videos but I literally got a response from what I thought was a small press. They offered a “hybrid” contract. I had never even heard of hybrid publishing before but it seemed like a red flag so I googled the press and let’s just say their reviews did not paint a pretty picture 😂

[@rebeccatrusty7979]

The blouse and glasses matching combo is 👌

[@DeMeza725]

I know someone who had his novel rejected from the big publishers. He then considered a small publisher, but the tradeoff was that he had to pay some money to have the book published. I adviced him against this. But he really wanted to have his book published, so he went along with it. The publisher got the money and then added the book to the book catalogue, but also stopped making any effort to market and sell the book. He now struggles even to get information on how many copies (if any) have been sold...

[@HO-bndk]

He'd really never heard of "vanity publishing"?

[@SM-yd8hq]

I’ve seen a big uptake in authors and ‘authors’ selling writing courses, some as much as $10,000 US.

[@roseamy552]

I absolutely love your writing advice/Author advice. You have helped me so much when it comes to my writing and if I didn't have someone like you to listen to, I'd be lost and possibly fail lol. Keep these videos coming!!!

[@SensibleSoulHealing]

It's been a massive uptick in scammers all together. It's crazy. I started an Instagram account a couple of months ago and I was flooded with comments and DMs about people who could "help" me grow my account for the low price of... so on and so forth. It sometimes feel like there are more scammers than normal people. It makes it hard to FIND the writing communities that are genuinely out there for the good reasons.

[@madelinejameswrites]

All of these terrify me BUT I am so grateful for this video! Thank you!

[@u_t_d_s_h-1_a]

They call themselves 'subsidy publishers' ... Yeah, you got that right, one's got to be wary of them...

[@RachelBateman]

You are an absolute gem of a human being. I have notes written to film a video like this, and I keep putting it off. And now I’ll just send everyone to yours and avoid having to do it at all! 😂 But seriously, this really needed to be said, and I am so glad you posted this.

[@AlexaDonne]

Haha I put this topic off for FOUR YEARS b/c I was worried I'd come off as a pedantic dickhead ha. But the rise has been SO SHARP recently I had to say something.

[@ichorliqours]

Alexa, can you talk more about how to know if someone advertising themselves as a traditional publisher actually *HAS* a valid/good distribution network? You make some really awesome points, I just wonder what to look for when it comes to doing your due diligence on this point.

[@kath627]

very nice. you're videos are always so informative

[@millerfamilytrees]

I had to take a lot of grammar classes for my English degree. 🤷‍♀️

[@tiomela]

I did not. And I'm an English teacher

[@millerfamilytrees]

@@tiomela I think that explains why Im trying to hire people and they can't pass my grammar test. It's pretty scary.

[@corinarades3878]

Thank you for sharing. I have been scammed by the American Writers Group, so I appreciate the waning.

[@silllykitten329]

Very helpful, thank you.

[@CNHolmberg]

Everything👏 in 👏 this👏 video👏

[@mrplatink]

“Its a matter of being really, really careful.” Too bad I’m a sucker 🥴

[@darksidefrog]

There is (or there should be) a big difference between a regular beta and a paid beta. A paid beta reader should act as kind of bridge between a regular beta reader and a dev edit. They're reading as both a reader and with the lens of someone who understands editing requirements, and you should recieve a report. It's far more indepth and it should feel like hiring a professional.

[@ArtemisMS]

Well, your English undergraduate degree SHOULD teach you grammar, though I think what really gave me a firm handle on grammar was my Latin degree. But yeah, I see a lot of people saying they have an English degree and that that qualifies them to edit fiction. Gonna have to agree with Alexis here. I have a doctorate in English, but what makes me a good copyeditor is my profession as an English teacher. I mean, I literally copyedit for a living (teaching people how to write). That's something you learn via your career, not your degree. EDIT: Also, hilariously, when I have beta-read for people and made copyedits, they often reject my "suggestions." 😆 Always makes me laugh... like, okay, that's your opinion but it's also technically, grammatically INCORRECT.

[@AynneMorison]

I like the format with Draft 2 Digital. You can choose to take extra service packages and do what you feel comfortable with doing on your own. They have a fairly broad network for offering the book. They started with just ebooks and are moving toward adding some print services. Interesting concept.

[@AJ-jf1lt]

Hybrid publishing exists and is great -- for nonfiction. Ever been to like, a yoga conference, and the person has a table of books, and you're like, oh shit, YOU got a book deal? They didn't. They hired a hybrid press to do quality cover design, typesetting, and some editing. The goal is to contribute legitimacy to your real career by making a book available to support it. Hybrids are also often employed by museums or art galleries for their gift shop books. Restaurants who sell their own cookbooks in the lobby also hired a hybrid. Money flows from the author/organization TO the press, but it's perfectly legitimate. A good example is Figure 1 Publishing in Vancouver. But hybrids practically don't exist ethically for fiction. For nonfiction, the author goal is to increase their company's legitimacy. Hybrids can do this. The exchange of goods and services is ethical. For fiction, the author's goal is a writing career. Hybrids cannot do this. So, the exchange of goods and services is unethical.

[@absolutelycitron1580]

Wait so you're saying I chose the worst time in modern history to be an aspiring writer? Makes sense. My timing is always terrible lol. I regret nothing

[@RandoPiano]

As always, such a great job. Thank you for all your informative videos!

[@merrittgates8653]

Alexa! I’ve been binge watching your videos lately and I love you so much! You are so awesome and helpful and I just wanna be your friend!

[@alliew31]

I've beta read before for my dads friend. Didn't get paid, but he appreciated that I told him kids born in this century don't use the term necking. Also, mentioned that they probably knew what a phonebook is even though they might not have used one (high school freshmen in 2017)

[@alliew31]

Btw, he asked me and my brother since we're mixed the same as his mc was

[@DreamstudioXD]

What does "necking" mean??

[@amarachiisaac9420]

@@DreamstudioXD Kissing

[@wodensol5000]

Nearly finished my first book. Should be done by this week. Happy to hear this might be the worst time to try and publish ever, yay!

[@curious_puspin_cat]

Thank you for this. My book passed in the evaluation of a neophyte publisher. But there's no valid information nor reviews on their Facebook page. I'm not sure of their legitimacy. If i have doubt, i should follow my instinct or I will regret it later. Besides its hard to sell the book if your an unknown author. There's only 2 ways to achieve my dream, self-pub or a legitimate known traditional publisher. 😊 I don't need to rush my dreams. After all, i just started writing last year.

[@r.t.6775]

Thank. you for giving all of this behind the scenes information. All us aspiring writers appreciate it! Should we basically wait for covid to completely blow over and everything calms down before we try to get our books published?? Should we just write a bunch, and work on editing and then try publish later?? Also, I really like your shirt and how your glasses match it!

[@katie4623]

I was made an “offer “by an agent and she said that she loved my MS but it needs editing. She would make me an offer if she wasn’t so busy because she doesn’t have time to help with the editing herself. THEN she said if I didn’t have anyone to help with editing the MS she is running a paid editing masterclass and I should let her know if I wanted to attend. Apart from that she seemed totally legit and even has some known clients but I thought it was very sketchy that she asked me to attend her paid editing course but wasn’t prepared to help me with edits as my agent? She even said she would like to see an edited version of my MS after I’ve edited it. So she seemed genuine about representing me but also wanted to sell me her class. Anyway I signed with someone else who said very little edits are needed (that’s another point altogether agents seem to feel so differently about how much work remains to be done on the MS) Would be interested to hear if you think she was a scammer or just being inappropriate?

[@marykate4489]

That's a scam. Totally inappropriate. Your agent edits your MS as PART of their job, you don't pay them for that. Ugh, this makes me so mad.

[@katie4623]

@@marykate4489 you know what’s scary though. I think she IS a legit agent? So does this mean even proper agents are now behaving like that?

[@marykate4489]

@@katie4623 I would not call someone who's telling you to pay for edits a legit agent. They may be legitimately employed at an agency, but not all agencies are created equal. There are not great agents at not great agencies doing this. What makes someone a legit agent is that they behave the way legitimate agents do. No good agents are telling their clients to pay for their own edits. That's the agents' job to do with you when you sign with them. If they "don't have time" to do the bare minimum in prepping your MS for submission, what else do they "not have time" for? I would run far and fast from this agent (and not be afraid to warn others away.)

[@jankyfluffy898]

It was mostly published by small indie eBook publishers in the 1990's. Except for a story that was selected for standardized tests. There are scam eBook gurus who claim they are eBook pioneers but were published after 2010. Many lie about their expertise. Most hybrids are scams. Even when they aren't, hybrids can own your brand.

[@thestorywasbetterinmyhead6990]

The paid beta reading thing gets on my nerves lol. This one time this girl emailed me offering her services and said if I didn't want to pay we could swap. So I was like yeah let's swap and she literally emailed me not even 24 hours later saying she finished my book. Mind you it was 150k and the book was trash lol. I read her "beta worksheet" and could literally tell she read the first chapter and the last chapter and tried to act like she read the whole thing. I was so mad lol. All because I didn't want to pay her

[@imogen9409]

Jeez , people are such scams lol but I love the username!

[@mdaniels6311]

Wow 150k in one day, that is pretty impressive. That is 6250 words an hour, or 105 words per minute, for 24 hours, without breaks. She should get a medal.

[@michaellayne-vw4jp]

Great content! What are the names of legitimate traditional publishers?

[@Cezzlina]

Avoid Sandra David at Arrow Gate Publishing. Despite my gut feeling, I gave her far more information than I should have and my person date.

[@chriselwell9657]

It's not surprising. Trying to go down the regular publishing route is nearly impossible. It's just twenty-three year old female agents trying to find books for young girls.

[@FawnPoet]

PREACH IT SISTER! Love the videos!

[@journaliry464]

Think you can make a video about the different jobs in publishing and how each of those jobs opporate post-covid?

[@billyalarie929]

it sounds to me like, what's really going on (and not to shame any authors who are being taken advantage of by these predatory businesses), is that a large majority just comes down to paying attention to the wording, how people are presenting themselves. in other words, there's really not much in the way of inherent-to-the-industry-insiders kind of info that couldn't be gleaned by the particularly observant writer who has never been in the business. is that fair to say? again, i don't want to come off as inflammatory or anything of the sort; it's all VERY good information to take into account (e.g. i've read the phrase "hybrid publisher" and my brain kind of rang a bell, because it seemed... well, kind of a contradiction?? but it's great to hear you talk about it, i.e. VERY good confirmation that i was thinking about this the right way), i'm just wondering if i'm on the right track; i don't wanna sound like i'm some kind of know-it-all despite not having ever been in the business on either end of the business (yet! i'm going to be a published writer one of these days, goddammit! *shakes fist*) but it does seem like, for the most part, it is plausible to sidestep these hurdles by paying attention to the wording of things, if you take a minute to think about these things. roughly true?

[@harisratkaur1234]

I use the Hero's journey Formula if you don't know what this is Now you will understand The 12 Stages of the Hero's Journey The Ordinary World. This is where we meet the hero and identify with him or her. ... The Call to Adventure. A challenge or quest is proposed. ... Refusal of the Call. ... Meeting the Mentor. ... Crossing the Threshold. ... Tests, Allies, Enemies. ... Approach to the Innermost Cave. ... The Ordeal.

[@arnettrabaker4872]

This was really informative-thank you!

[@brendanmcnally9145]

This is an incredibly useful video. Thank you for posting.

[@carrieb1414]

Should I put a copyright license on my work before having it edited?

[@Arisu_BLAK]

My cousin actually did hybrid publishing, which I think she got scammed on because she had to pay 3000 dollars for, and it was based out of London. And they promised to like promote her book and place on university shelves like Cambridge and yeah I was thinking it sounded a bit sketchy

[@ladywynzlphroom1953]

Thank you for your informative videos. As a new & unpublished (so far) author, these videos are invaluable. Off topic Would you consider doing occasional critique videos of first; sentences or paragraphs or page?

[@michaelr3583]

this happens a lot in the record business to aspiring writers

[@BrittsIndieBooks]

And THIS is why i went ahead and published on amazon

[@PabloGonzalez-dm3xm]

I have written three novels, two are part of a series and one is a standalone. I've been trying so hard for months to get even an agent for the standalone, because I hear it's much more difficult for debut authors to sell a series. I've trimmed thousands from the word count, paid to have the query letter and synopsis edited, and have exhausted the agent listings I've come across. I'm about 20 rejection letters deep. Is it time to give up on this novel and write something else?

[@susanmoore6794]

Just ordered your book brightly burning xx

[@andeeharry]

I have noticed that beta, critique and proofreader charge per word now, as they read through your story. I am not sure what's going on with that. I asked them and they just told me that they have to change with the times ''you get what you pay for''...but I am still unsure about this.

[@trianonsailing7472]

I am receiving a $29,000 plan that claims massive result due to working the computer research side of the business. Thoughts, btw it has a very famous black bird in it's name.

[@AlexaDonne]

Wait you're paying someone 29K to be published?!

[@rebeccamaracle2878]

I have an off-topic question, but I'm hoping it could be addressed. If you only plan on writing one book, at what point should you let your agents/publishers know that? How much would it hurt your chances?

[@Neil-writer-author]

PublishAmerica was a scam. I got published with no editor no advance and no publicity. Page Publishing asks for money to publish books.