Tell it to the cleaning lady on Monday.

They say money can't buy me love so I don't pay for no pussy.

[scavengerhuntsman]

Warning to writers

While you are worrying about whether beta readers will steal your ideas, there is a more genuine threat on the horizon.

When offered a publishing contract, please do all your research before you sign. There are a number of fakes and scammers out there, as well as good-intentioned amateurs that don’t know how to get your work to a wide audience. I won’t tell the heartbreaking stories here - there are too many.

Being published badly is worse than being never published.

It can destroy your career and your dreams.

The quick check is to google the publishing house name + scam or warning.

But, to be sure, check with these places first. They aren’t infallible (nothing is) but they can help you protect yourself. They are written and maintained by expereinced writers, editors, publishers and legal folks.

Absolute Write: Bewares and Background Checks

Preditors and editors

Writer Beware

and the WRITER BEWARE blog

Keep yourself and your work safe.

This is really important, so if you are a writer or have writer friends, or you are a writing blog, please reblog it.

[rosey-buddy]

Just to let you know, PublishAmerica changed their name to America Star Books.

[lunamax1214]

HEAD’S UP, WRITER TYPES: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT PSA!

[oldmanyellsatcloud]

Also applies to many so-called freelance sites that are just content mills, and may not pay unless your work is used, even if the contract seems designed otherwise.

[konekat]

Listen, reading these is like legit reading horror stories.  When it comes to publishing your writing, always, always, ALWAYS do your research.  Not only will it help you avoid scams, but it will also be likely to help you land a much better fit for an agent/publisher/whatever.  Knowing more is never going to hurt.

[glorious74-deactivated20181211]

Omg!!! Thanks for the warning! Writers— reblog!

[thegirlwiththebook]

I’ve heard stories like this that are scarier than horror stories. This is an all time worst nightmare for a writer. Everyone reblog and make sure you keep your work safe! 

[the960writers]

Always, ALWAYS check Writer Beware. Let me also recommend Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s blog about contracts and contract scams for authors in her section Business Musings.

[more-legit-gr8er-writing-tips]

Reblogging again for the links. Also check pred-ed.com and the Absolute Write forum. Then google Publisher’s name + scam and see what comes up. Do NOT use the BBB ratings, they are wholly unsuitable for rating publishers and regularly give A ratings to well-known publishing scams. You can also read my own post on publishing scams, have a link on the left of my blog ( can’t link here, I’m on mobile, sorry).

[bodaciousbanshee-deactivated202]

@korrigu

[breelandwalker]

SUPER IMPORTANT PSA!

Equally important to know is that you can SELF-PUBLISH through a number of platforms these days. @ean-amhran and I used Amazon’s CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing to publish both of our books. No editors, no contracts, no finagling with publishers who want to change your materials. Just direct-to-market material.

(Granted, it means you’ve got to do a LOT more work yourself with editing and formatting and cover art, but it’s worth it to miss the headache of trying to bargain with publishing houses or avoid scams.)

Be vigilant, fellow writers!

[jenniferrpovey]

If you choose to self publish then HAVE A PLAN and think things through.

And hire an editor. Please, for the love of all that is holy, hire an editor. It’s expensive, but you will get a better book out, a better reputation…

[athelind]

If you’re going to publish electronically, make sure you also get someone who can LAY AN EBOOK OUT PROPERLY.

I have spent money on Kindle books, many of them reprints of older works, whose formatting is so messed up as to render them unreadable.

[jenniferrpovey]

I actually recommend using the Smashwords Style Guide even if you don’t use Smashwords.

It lays out how to neatly format an e-book in a wonderful step by step format, and you can get it free from Smashwords. Just leave off the couple of things that are (very obviously) Smashwords specific.

If you can’t stand dealing with the meticulous detail, then by all means hire somebody, but most people can learn to format an ebook correctly and once you’ve done it a couple of times it takes about an hour tops.

[freshest-tittymilk]

@ghdos spread the knowledge

[vorpalgirl]

Because the redirects aren’t working for me, I’m going to assume others might have trouble with these links, so for those who need it the URL for the website to Writer Beware is: www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/ As stated on here: “Writer Beware is sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, with additional support from the Mystery Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.” These are not publishers’ guilds, notice; you sometimes see scammers trying to defend themselves against Writer Beware exposes by claiming that they’re “small press” or “indie” and Big Publishing is somehow out to get them - but all of those guilds are run by and for writers, to help support them and represent them in the field. It is the closest writers have to having unions, and there’s no direct competition between them (you could literally be an in any of those guilds are the same time as each other, in addition to others, and I believe a number of authors are).

Writer Beware is a wonderful resource, and I highly recommend it. It’s both a good general guide to the scams people run/red flags to watch out for (such as giving up your copyright entirely as opposed to specific rights, or being charged to publish something or have it edited, when they’re trying to act like they’re a “normal” publisher), and a frequently-updated list of the latest specific known scammers, both in “fake agents” and fake/scammy publishers categories. (The company formerly known as Publish America is one of the most famous and egregious cases, but by far not the only one)

Additionally, for SF and fantasy writers, the SFWA’s own list of qualifying markets that one can be published in as a prerequisite to be able to get into their guild (remember, it IS a profession-based guild), is a great guide to normal markets for those genres that have standard contracts that aren’t abusive or scammy, and their guidelines include some of the industry-standard minimums for “per word” etc rates, so even if some new magazine market isn’t on their list, you can tell if it’s suspiciously far outside the usual per-word or whatnot standards. (It’s likely the guidelines for Mystery Writers of America etc also would be useful in that vein) Even if you’re unpublished or don’t want to join their guild, they’re a wonderful group and resource, and I highly recommend their site and Writer Beware in particular! The other sites mentioned above, such as “Preditors and Editors” should be still valid if you Google them, and are often rec’d by Writer Beware, but Writer Beware is the one I’m most familiar with. :)

[hookslovelyswan]

Also, you should never have to pay an agent or anyone a  “reading fee”! DO NOT PAY PEOPLE TO READ YOUR WORK!!! Run away from so-called agents that charge a reading fee! They are considered unethical in their own industry!

Also related to agents: Should you go this route and seek one, DO NOT PAY ONE DIME TO THEM upfront! A real agent only gets paid when he sells your book to a publisher! The average cut is about 10-15% of the first sale profits, if I remember right, with cuts of film and other rights maybe being more, when sold. At most, writers should only be responsible for the costs of phone calls and postage.

For more information see: How Literary Agents Get Paid. Standard Commission Practices and Payments for Literary Agents

Edited to Add: Some other great, highly respected resources for writing and getting published are:

Writer’s Digest

The Writer

Writer’s Market

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

Writers’ References For the Accurate Portrayal of Common Eating Disorders

This has been a common request, so I decided it was finally time to share my resources on the accurate portrayal of eating disorders with my followers.  A LOT of popular media gets this wrong, but we owe it to survivors to portray their experiences with authenticity and respect.  Happy writing!

General:

Eating Disorder Myths

Eating Disorders Facts & Myths

10 Things No One Tells You About Eating Disorders

Fat People Have Eating Disorders Too

Eating Disorders in Men

The Glamorization of Eating Disorders

Eating Disorder Recovery Stories

Anorexia Nervosa 

19 Things No One Tells You About Battling Anorexia

The Physical Effects of Anorexia

Anorexia Comes In All Sizes

Anorexia in Men and Boys

What Not to Say to an Anorexia Survivor

Physical Symptoms

Lanugo

Anorexia Can Strike and Kill as Early as Kindergarten

Bulimia Nervosa 

Common Misconceptions About Bulimia

More Myths About Bulimia

The Effects of Bulimia on Your Body

Why Bulimia Can Cause Weight Gain

Dental Problems From Bulimia

Men With Bulimia

A Plus-Sized Woman Clears Up Misconceptions About Bulimia

Surviving Bulimia

Binge Eating Disorder

Warning Signs of Binge Eating Disorder

Signs, Symptoms, and Causes of Binge Eating Disorder

Men With Binge Eating Disorder

Stories From People Who Have Suffered From Binge-Eating Disorders

Tips on Recovery From Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder Recovery Story

[the-blacksmithing-boy-deactivat]

[scy-ence]

me, rollerskating into my first day of art school with a lollipop in my mouth, wearing the “men have made a lot of bad art” shirt and a backpack with a gay space communism patch and another that says “I HATE FIGHT CLUB”: okay first things first no one is allowed to perceive my corporeal form

[800-dick-pics]

Sometimes i wish white people would like ask themselves “Am i unnecessarily exposing black people and/or people of color to racism/anti-blackness they otherwise wouldnt have encountered?” When you white people share these graphic videos of black people getting shot in the streets or immigrant crying for their parents are very traumatizing for people of color to see over and over 24/7 365, because this is still our lived experiences and these things can happen to us and our communities!! Exposing us to unnecessary racism is racism!!!

[800-dick-pics]

white people can reblog

[justsomeantifas]

Name a more iconic quadruple, I’ll wait. 💅💅💅

[brendonsmall-deactivated2022090]

iconic

[scyence-asks-and-replies]

stages of listening to Emotion

stage 1:

stage 2:

stage 3:

[thefilmchick]

[foie]

[ninjasexfarty-blog1]

Back when I was in charge of hiring for GameStop, a guy came in, handed me his application, and ‘accidentally’ let a sonic screwdriver fall out of his sleeve. “Now that you know I’m a time lord, I guess you’ll haaaaave to interview me,” he laughed alone, and that’s why I refuse to watch Doctor Who.

[lookingforsomethingoutsidemymind]

Visit Original Link

[coleichepartemanonritorna]

[ahscircus]

american horror story blog ♚

[scyence-asks-and-replies]

playing Night Glo, Hideaway, and Drink the Water on repeat in hopes of making myself better Also watching AHS hoping it's disturbing enough to make me forget about all the crap happening in my life right now So far it's working...

[muscleluvr4-deactivated20140223]

98 percent of teens believe they are the 2 percent of teens. reblog if your the 2 percent that isnt the 98 percent that thinks theyre the 2 percent

[bossnigger-deactivated20170810]

what if  i just walked around with a sword on my back

hear me out:the mindset when you see someone with a gun, and you also have a gun is “yeah, that guy has a gun, but i also have gun so all i gotta do is catch him off guard and win”

but if you have a sword on your back and someone wants to kill you, they’ll think “what the fuck that dude is just walking around with a goddamn sword, he must know how to use that shit im outta here”

[cerebralzero]