There is a new
kink in the old agent-for-upfront-fee scam. One of my longtime writing friends told me that just as she had been waiting for the “right time to
terminate” her relationship with her agent, she received a mass e-mail
informing her of the agent’s new fee-for-service plan. My friend then
terminated her contract (the terms of the contract had already expired) and asked
that the mention of her books be removed from this former agent’s Web site. The
agent refused her request (and other authors' requests) citing that she was the
“agent of record” for those books.
My friend says, “I feel
bad for new writers who fall for this trap of paying her upfront fees.” This
agent also added another wrinkle to her fee collecting program—a
cancellation-of-contract fee. Learn more at (http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2017/02/red-flag-alert-loiacono-literary-agency.html?m+1 )
I have no idea whether
keeping a book that is no longer represented by an agent on an agent’s site is
legal, but it certainly is misleading if not downright unethical. One of the
tools that authors use to judge the effectiveness of an agent is their
catalogue of book sales. It is important that you are all aware of this
practice and double check with some of the authors who have been (or are)
represented by any agent you are considering.
You should also be aware
that some agents “sell books” to presses that would take any book presented to
them, often called (rather erroneously) self-publishing presses and that were
once called “vanity publishing or presses” and still are by anyone who cares to
flaunt their #bookbigotry. Of course these agents usually still take their 15%
for “handling” and “representing” or “selling” the book to that press. There is
more on that in the blog link above.
You will also find more
on finding reputable agents and editors in both The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor including
things to look for and questions to ask both the professional you are
considering as a hire and those clients they provide as references. There are
all kinds of ways you can be mislead—both intentionally and unintentionally.
MORE ABOUT TODAY’S GUEST BLOGGER
Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience
as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in
her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and the many classes she taught
for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’
Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have
won multiple awards. That series includes both the first and second editions of
The
Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor won awards from USA
Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next
Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award. How
To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically is the newest book in
her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers.
Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the
California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and
her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance
with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San
Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s
Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.
2 comments:
Carolyn, thanks for the heads up on unethical agents. Authors have to be so careful. Even major publishers like Simon and Schuster have offshoot self-publishing sister companies or affiliates. New authors see the "Biggie" and think it's good safe to use. Authors have to be so careful.
I have a client who used one of these self-publishing companies and is paying $325 per illustration for his first picture book. Wish I had known him at the time. Keep in mind too that even if you use one illustration per spread, it's considered two illustrations. And, guaranteed the company is outsourcing their work to someone who's charging something like $40 an illustration, maybe even less. It's so sad.
Sad and it makes me so angry. I see authors using unnecessary agents again and again. One of my pet hates.
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