Thursday, October 15, 2009

Sneaks and Storytellers: Which Are You?

Publishing folk live in one of two homes:


1) STORYTELLERS: The Hobbit Hole

The first type of folk live in a cozy hobbit hole. STORYTELLERS sniff book pages. STORYTELLERS love finding typos but don't throw it in your face. STORYTELLERS read, read, read. Or edit, edit, edit. Or write. Or draw.


2) SNEAKS: The Rat Hole

Need I tell you what lives in a rat hole? Beware. SNEAKS use publishing to funnel money--without offering quality in return. Beware the individual who owns both a literary agency and a publishing house. Never go into a contract you don't fully understand. Never pay for "traditional publishing." Never pay an "agent" monthly. Never trust the SNEAK who can't give you a straight answer. There are some dishonest folk out there. Always trust your gut.


My upcoming blogposts will feature STORYTELLERS I admire and have met. Check out the awesome and sometimes embarrassing run-ins I've had. Have you had any?

Now you know the sneaks from the storytellers. Which one are you?


Further reading:

Scam case studies: http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/cases/#Mills

1 comment:

  1. What a useful post, Bethany! I have nothing but contempt for companies that take advantage of an author's dream to get money from them. Good for you to give this advice :).

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