Writer Beware Update

Last week I wrote about one of the new scams that writers who sell their books on Amazon have to watch for vigilantly (Sock Puppets, 9/19/12).

This week I want to pass on some good news about one kind of scam that's dwindled with the changes in the publishing industry: literary agency scams. (This is actually early-August info—I'm a little slooow getting it out to you, sorry! Better late than never?)

Victoria Strauss, of the well-known and respected Writer Beware blog, writes about the reduction in literary agency scams, but also points out that those of us seeking literary agency representation can't assume it's all good out there. Scammers are still there, looking for our business. Victoria mentions the following active scammers in her post:

• Best Selling Book Rights Agency
• Clark, Mendelson, and Scott (aka Franklin-Madison Literary)
• International Book Management Corporation (previously known as Sterlinghouse Publisher), which no longer operates a literary agency, but now sells other, related, scam services)

It's great the list isn't much, much longer (there are more worth checking out on the site, though). But Victoria points out that although the reports of scam agencies are down, complaints and inquiries about small publishers, vanity presses, self-publishing services, and marketing services related to all of these are up.

So, while there is some good news, the message is still, Writer Beware! It's an interesting read, and the blog is a great one to follow.