I came across these sites during my writing travels. Some of you may already have them bookmarked or are familiar with the names, but thought I would include for the others. Just to let you know, I do not profit from any of these sites; just a consumer who wants to be informed too. http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealp.htm Preditors and Editors ™ A guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers Warnings and Cautions for Writers--Literary Agents Writer Beware DISCORD AGGREGATE: Agents from Hell Agents from Hell D.
I suppose I didn't word the title and explanation very well, but the reason for the thread is to make people aware of the scams out there for writers. There are too many to count waiting for your money, and not about to do anything for it. They know all to well you are hungry for a publication of your story, so will go to any length or cost to proceed. In one case, a so called editor was working out of her garage in Florida, yet had an address on 5th Avenue in New York City, which was only a drop box. Appeared prestigious, yet was not. Many people lost hundreds to this scammer. So beware, and hope the sites will help you keep your money and give only to the legitimate ones. Hope I helped. D.
It's not only money you need worry about. I'd also recommend extreme caution about posted offers to review or edit work, or represent you as an agent, via email, where no website links are given whereby you can check on how reputable they are. Email addresses are just to easy to come by, and unlike websites, there are not many ways to check for scam complaints. Some of these "offers" are from plagiarists looking for talented unknowns whose work they can steal, and build up or disguise as their own. If they do give a web site, check it out. Does it have a professional layout, is it relatively free of spelling and grammatiical errors (especially if they are offering editing services!), and is there contact information apart from email addresses? If there are telephone numbers, give them a call. Search the Web for complaints about the site, but take reports of praise with a grain of salt, because they could be seeded in various places by those operating a scam.
