Tip: Do Not Be Scammed

One of you intrepid readers mentioned via email a reluctance to give any money to anybody for anything to do with reading or publishing a writer's work, including contests. Well, this is a healthy instinct. There are many scammers out there preying on writers who just want to realize their dream of getting published. Now, there is a difference between a reputable contest charging a nominal fee to cover administrative costs and prize money, and a scammer. But be careful. Here are some rules of thumb:

1. Never pay an agent or publisher any money to read and/or publish your work. Ever. Reputable agents do not charge reading fees. Reputable publishers do not extract money from their authors. EVER. If you want to self-publish, more power to you, and you can do it at a fraction of the cost that "scam" publishers demand. (I'll post something about that someday soon.)

2. The running rate for contest entry fees is currently about $5 to $15 for a poem or short short story, $10 to $20 for a short story, $20 to $35 for a novel. If anyone wants any more than that, do not enter. (And you don't have to enter contests if you don't want to. They can be good for your resume but many very successful writers have never entered or won a contest.)

3. Prizes for contests should include publication in a reputable magazine or by a reputable publisher without any more investment on the writer's side. A new scam is for a "contest" a writer has entered to send a letter saying the writer's work "almost" made it, and if the writer coughs up, the work can be included in some other publication.

4. Contests, agents, and publishers in Poets and Writers and Writer's Market publications are usually safe. If you encounter any problems with them, tell Poets and Writers or Writer's Market immediately. They will want to know.

Poets and Writers has an excellent article on this at Poets & Writers, Inc. - Basic Info for Writers. Click "How Do I Avoid Scams?"

Here are two good sites where scammers are reported (these are taken from the Poets and Writers article): The Worst Poetry Contests of the on-line poetry contests and Writer Beware--Index Page.

Be careful out there. Remember, you are a good writer. You are worthy of professional, scam-free treatment.

Write on.