Tips for writers on how to avoid illegitimate literary agents and publishers

Writers of every age look forward to the day when they will see their name in print whether it is on a book, short story, poem, article or so on. Many novice writers, after they’re finished writing a project, immediately jump onto the internet and begin the long and grieving task of searching for the right publisher for their work.

What they don’t realize is that a general search on the internet can lead to overwhelming results. There are so many companies out there looking for writers to submit their work. This is not the best way to go about searching as the results you will find on a webpage may be out to scam you. They may appear to be legitimate and sound professional but there is one sure sign to figure out if the company is a fraud. Look at their submission policy. If they charge a fee, the number one thing to do is not to submit to them. No legitimate literary agent or publisher will charge an up front fee to see your work. They make money by commission on the amount of books you sell.

Another point to look out for is companies who will not provide a track record of their clients and amount of books sold. If they fail to do this, they are probably hiding something. Normally, these companies would be happy to provide the writer with these records.

As far as agents go, writers need this information to let them know if the agent is successful in their job. The information given to author also lets them know if the agent has expertise in a given genre. Agents who don’t share this form of advertising are likely to be hiding something.

In the case of a book doctor, however, warning signs are more subtle. You should be suspicious if you are referred by an agent or publisher. A few lines you may hear to scare you into searching out a book doctor are: “Publishers don’t accept manuscripts that haven’t been in the hands of a professional editor first”, or “A manuscript that has been professionally edited, stands a far better chance of landing an agent.” These claims are not true!

A reputable book doctor will have professional credentials such as being an editor for a publishing company, or as a commercially published author. The book doctor should have no quarrel in sharing this relevant information.

In these cases, the next thing you should do is write down the agent’s or publisher’s name and contact information. (You can do the same for editors or book doctors who have scammed you.) You can report a company, or companies anywhere online where you