tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post7645285522492441451..comments2023-08-14T10:44:59.007-04:00Comments on Novel Spaces: They Like Your Money!KeVin K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14792797517571690942noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-31485988788981002522012-06-18T16:16:04.233-04:002012-06-18T16:16:04.233-04:00^ Yep. Reminds me of those "Draw this turtle,...^ Yep. Reminds me of those "Draw this turtle, and you can be an artist!" courses.<br /><br />On a whim, I sent a writing sample to one of those mail-order courses, but I wrote that absolute worst drek I could conjure. Wrong words (there, their...your, you're, etc.), I changed the gender of my POV character midstream (and back again), and so on.<br /><br />Naturally, I was accepted because my writing showed such great promise. :)Dayton Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14579725240702685223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-7546709090514631782012-06-17T22:50:26.809-04:002012-06-17T22:50:26.809-04:00A friend of mine got suckered into a writing cours...A friend of mine got suckered into a writing course that promised to make you a published writer in three months. He paid hundreds of dollars for a crappy course that couldn't hold up to sixth grade English and never got his stuff published any where. <br /><br />The thing is, he was trying to recruit me because it gave discounts if you signed up someone else. I was too stingy to pay for that course or to pay to publish anything at that time. Good thing I was a cheapskate!Jewel Amethysthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14813773386476356666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-75294046973421513282012-06-16T21:52:51.428-04:002012-06-16T21:52:51.428-04:00In the early days of my publishing education I was...In the early days of my publishing education I was a reader of anonymous literary agent Miss Snark's blog and I took her "money flows to the writer" advice to heart. <br /><br />Not so a screenwriter friend who was contacted by a 'manager' with an offer to rep his scripts - for a reasonable fee, of course. My pal signed the contract without even a web search of the manager's name. My very first cursory search turned up an impressive trail of crookery. Hopefully, my friend learned his lesson.Liane Spicerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05035607144500219524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-296925001635265182012-06-16T20:38:50.246-04:002012-06-16T20:38:50.246-04:00I had a guy try to scam me out of the film rights ...I had a guy try to scam me out of the film rights for my <i>Last World War</i> books. He was pretty convincing at first, but my Google-Fu was strong, and I sniffed out the ploy before it went too far.<br /><br />My lone brush with near-fame. :)Dayton Wardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14579725240702685223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-43610423231108104372012-06-16T16:10:59.999-04:002012-06-16T16:10:59.999-04:00When our youngest was in the third grade a poem of...When our youngest was in the third grade a poem of hers was published in the local paper. Not too long after she received a notice that her poem was so outstanding that it would be included in a leather-bound anthology of award-winning poetry by young writers. She could have a copy of the anthology for only $40. We knew it was a scam, but she was so excited we ponied up. The cover was red leatherette, but her grandparents were suitably impressed and she was proud. Targeting children is the lowest form of scam, but there's no way to explain to a 8-year-old she didn't really win anything, so they got away with it. The one and only time I gave a vanity press any quarter.KeVin K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14792797517571690942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-34841986711966528432012-06-16T13:58:48.823-04:002012-06-16T13:58:48.823-04:00Words to the wise. Thanks for sharing that sage ad...Words to the wise. Thanks for sharing that sage advice "Money flows toward the writer!"MiaMarlowehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027069675291646955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-17197348871989328142012-06-16T13:18:15.322-04:002012-06-16T13:18:15.322-04:00Yeah, there are tons of these scams out there. My...Yeah, there are tons of these scams out there. My favorites are the "indie presses" that are nothing more than vanity presses with new names. They still charge a bundle up front, and still don't offer a whole lot more than you could do on your own.William Doonanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07540517192121681243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5594341074652821017.post-64360535320285112992012-06-16T11:32:16.160-04:002012-06-16T11:32:16.160-04:00Always someone willing to make book (money) off of...Always someone willing to make book (money) off of a person's dreams. those people are really irritating to those of us who have dreams.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com