Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Absolute Write Needs Your Help

Please note the new button in the sidebar. When you click it you'll be sent to the Absolute Write Paypal form. If you can spare any amount it will make a difference. Jenna's blog goes into details but here's an excerpt:

We remain committed to getting back our property (our databases) and it appears we will have to take legal action to do so. In the meantime, along with the help of some wonderful volunteers and some wonderful paid staff, I'm going to begin rebuilding the forums from the Google cache pages.
- please go visit Jenna and let her know you are supporting her, whether you are there to support with your good thoughts and best wishes or with a donation, please do go there and leave a comment to let her know. Link to her blog and get everyone else to do it as well - consider it a late AWMondayMeme. A snail mail address for non Pay-Pal donations is also listed on her site.


Meanwhile, lets revisit the 20 Worst Agents list, just for the fun of it! (preamble added at A.C. Crispin's request - if you copy this and use it, be sure to add the preamble paragraphs, it's important)

Below is a list of the 20 literary agencies about which Writer Beware has received the greatest number of advisories/complaints over the past several years.

None of these agencies has a significant track record of sales to commercial (advance-paying) publishers, and most have virtually no documented and verified sales at all (book placements claimed by some of these agencies turn out to be "sales" to vanity publishers). All charge clients before a sale is made--whether directly, by levying fees such as reading or administrative fees, or indirectly, for editing or other adjunct services.

Writer Beware recommends that writers avoid questionable literary agencies, and instead query agencies that have verifiable track records of sales to commercial publishing houses.

Note that while the 20 agencies listed here account for the bulk of the complaints we receive, they're just the tip of the iceberg. Writer Beware has files on nearly 400 questionable agencies, and we learn about a new one every few weeks.


* The Abacus Group Literary Agency
* Allred and Allred Literary Agents (refers clients to “book doctor” Victor West of Pacific Literary Services)
* Barbara Bauer Literary Agency
* Benedict Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency)
* Sherwood Broome, Inc.
* Capital Literary Agency (formerly American Literary Agents of Washington, Inc.)
* Desert Rose Literary Agency
* Arthur Fleming Associates
* Finesse Literary Agency (Karen Carr)
* Brock Gannon Literary Agency
* Harris Literary Agency
* The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following:
o Children’s Literary Agency
o Christian Literary Agency
o New York Literary Agency
o Poets Literary Agency
o The Screenplay Agency
o Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency, formerly Sydra-Techniques)
o Writers Literary& Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)

* Martin-McLean Literary Associates
* Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc.
* B.K. Nelson, Inc.
* The Robins Agency (Cris Robins)
* Michele Rooney Literary Agency (also d/b/a Creative Literary Agency, Simply Nonfiction, and Michele Glance Rooney Literary Agency)
* Southeast Literary Agency
* Mark Sullivan Associates
* West Coast Literary Associates (also d/b/a California Literary Services)


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7 comments:

Laurie said...

Thanks for the reminder to keep posting the top twenty scummiest scammers list. :D

Pass The Torch said...

I added a link to my blog too. And we're working our way around the world with Random Acts of Kindness.

Keep up the great work Dawno!

Anonymous said...

Hail, Mighty Dawno.

I have posted another post, The Absolute Write diaspora: caches and contributions, for information about the Google cache project, contributions, the refugee camp, and your own CafePress site. Toss corrections and updates into its comment thread and I'll incorporate them ASAP.

Cheers --

TNH

Dawno said...

Thank you laurie and kellyc for keeping the momentum going.

TNH, you are an angel to all of us AWers - thank you so much for giving us the visibility of multiple mentions on your site.

AstonWest said...

One would think that the hosting company couldn't keep their databases hostage like that...weird.

One would think with all the tech junkies that frequent (and moderate) AW, there would be someone out there who could do the hosting themselves. Maybe that's just my random thoughts...

LauraT said...

Dawno, how do you make the technorati tag?

I had a few things on my blog and deleted them while republishing by accident~! now, I can't remember who showed the format... Thanks!

Mac said...

And who the heck is still using IE, anyway?

Whoever you are, for pity's sake stop it, right now!

 
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