NOTE: This is the second of two articles chronicling the experience of two authors who unwittingly became victims of literary agent scams.

The second scam also seemed to start out as legitimate. Carl, a co-worker, announced at a staff meeting he’d obtained agency representation for his novel. When he mentioned the name of the agency, I recognized it as one who had recently rejected me. The agent had offered some suggestions on how to improve the story and mentioned she would be interested in taking another look after I’d made revisions.

Carl had also been told his manuscript needed work and had been offered suggestions for editing and revisions. But the agent went even further. She told Carl he could do the revisions or an editor she knew could do the polish for $1,500. In either case, she claimed with those tweaks she could “definitely sell this book”. Carl declined the editor’s services, and for the next several weeks worked on revising his novel during every free moment. When he submitted the completed manuscript, Carl was then told that because book marketing costs are so expensive, he would need to put up $25,000 to get the process started. The agent promised he would get that money back and much more once the book was published.   

How The Scam Works:
This agent had multiple scams going. Had Carl agreed to let the agent’s “editor” associate polish the manuscript, he would have been out the $1,500. Usually the literary agent and editorial businesses are owned by the same company and make referrals to each other without the author having any idea of their relationship. They’re not interested in improving your work, such agents and editors are only concerned with the editorial fees. At this point Carl realized all of his writing and revising had been for naught. As foolish as Carl felt, at least he hadn’t parted with $25,000.

Finding a good agent can be a very tricky business. Even authors who know better aren’t immune to making serious mistakes when it comes to the “promise” of seeing your words in print. Along with the list of following tips, remember the old adage: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Tips:
The agents contained in the Association of Author Representatives (AAR) database must adhere to a Code of Ethics. This is a great starting point for your agent search and some authors contact only agents belonging to the AAR.

Research every potential agent you’re planning to contact. Start with a Google search of the agency and agent. You may have to look at several sites to gather the information you need to make a well-informed decision. Another excellent resource is Agent Query.

How many books has the agent actually sold to major publishers? What was the date of the last work they sold? I’ve found more than one agent still accepting submissions who haven’t sold a book in years.

Use sites such as the Writers Beware section on SFWA and Preditors and Editors who track agents who engage in questionable practices.

NOTE: This is the first of a two-part article chronicling the experience of two authors who unwittingly became victims of literary agent scams.

One of the first things writers seeking agency representation should learn is that legitimate agents DO NOT charge author fees. These include agents who charge reading fees simply to read your manuscript; evaluation fees to review your manuscript; agents who require writers to pre-purchase books; or pay some of the publication and/or marketing costs.

There are a host of agent scams preying on authors desperate to see their book in print. One of the absolute best resources on the Internet regarding questionable agent practices can be found on the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) site under the section called “Writer Beware”. SFWA is constantly researching and updating the Writer Beware area to help educate authors to avoid the endless writer-related scams.

However, even writers who do their homework are not immune to unscrupulous agents. These two examples illustrate how even smart authors can get taken.

In the fall of 2003 I heard from an agency offering representation for my novel. The agent provided specific instructions on how the manuscript should be formatted for the best possible presentation. Before I signed anything, I researched the agency which I had found through a reputable author organization. Clearly, I didn’t do enough.

The agency included the six-month contract in their offer of representation, which I thought was odd. But it would get even worse. As I later learned from another author, legitimate agents don’t make representation offers through the mail electronic or otherwise, they call you personally.

The agency then explained they would need approximately 25 copies of the manuscript to send to publishers. I had two options: (a) I could make copies as the agency needed and pay for postage each time, or (b) pay the agency a flat-fee of $250 and let them make the copies. Knowing I should never have to pay an agent money up-front, my gut-reaction was to pass. However two author friends and several family members reminded me I had just paid $125.00 for three copies of the manuscript. This meant my final tally on 25 copies would be much larger than $250. They convinced me to change my mind and pay the fee.

Six months later I received a letter from the agency saying they were unable to find representation for my novel. Attached was a crooked, mimeographed list of the 25 publishers they had supposedly sent the manuscript to. When I contacted the organization where I had obtained the agent’s name, they asked an important question: Had I gotten copies of the rejection letter from every single publisher the agent had contacted? When I said no, the organization explained that’s how legitimate agents work and to ask the agency for those rejection letters. When I did, the agent told me those files had been destroyed at the end of the contract.

How The Scam Works:
Going back to the contract, the agent had already dated the contract for six months which meant I lost several weeks making the requested format changes. My attorney didn’t feel that was unusual, but I had reservations. Second, do the math. Two-hundred fifty dollars times a thousand “clients” is a cool $250,000. Most legitimate agents are inundated with thousands of authors seeking representation every year, so an unscrupulous agent can simply sit back and wait for their “clients” to send that $250 believing they have representation with a legitimate agent. I discovered later that the agency was on a list highlighting the 20 worst literary agents.

The problem of underage drinking is responsible for the deaths of over 5,000 people under the age of 21 across the U.S. every year. In a new report released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the survey reveals that more than 40% of the estimated 10.8 million current underage drinkers were provided with alcohol by adults.

In Shades of Darkness, as Kay relates the multi-generational struggle with alcohol within the Pierson family, it’s clear underage drinking played a role, which is also the case my own life. Underage drinking isn’t just engaging in risky behavior at the time; it translates into future problems as 40% of adults who began drinking before the age of 15 experience chemical dependency issues later in life.

Also in the novel, Beverly Pierson tries to warn her children of the odds they’re up against and they of course, think she’s over-reacting. Again, a true story taken from my own family history. The new study notes the large number of adults either enabling underage drinking or simply ignoring the seriousness of the problem. While Beverly makes an effort, like many parents she doesn’t go far enough.    

Other notable findings of the study:
More than half (53.9) of all people ages 12-20 engaged in underage drinking in their lifetime, ranging from 11% of 12 year olds to 85.5% of 20 year olds.

An average 3.5 million people aged 12-20 (9.4%) meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol dependency or abuse.

Approximately one in five people within this age group (7.2 million) have engaged in binge drinking - consuming more than five drinks on at least one occasion within the past month.

Rates of binge drinking are significantly higher among young people living with a parent who themselves have engaged in episodes of binge drinking within the last year.

These are staggering numbers which can’t be ignored or passed off as “part of growing up”. Underage drinking in the U.S. has reached crisis proportions and the time to act is now. Get informed and pass on that information to the young people who are a part of your life.

Rising gas prices, difficult economic times, and severe weather particularly in the Midwest are all affecting the 2008 tourist season. The state of tourism is also having a direct impact on the 2008 Presidential election.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, some 12 million people reside in what are known as Service Worker Centers, about 280 counties across the U.S. having a high concentration of service jobs but lower than average incomes. The Christian Science Monitor notes Barack Obama and John McCain are likely to place a strong emphasis on these counties in the fall, which have been battleground states in recent elections and ones both candidates will be fighting for in November.

Minnesota is one of those states, and because so many Service Worker Centers rely on tourism, it’s in voter’s interests to pay attention to these key areas during the campaign. Add to that the recent flooding in places like southern Minnesota and large swaths of Iowa, and the combination of issues becomes even more important.

The sub-plot of being politically aware and active in Shades of Darkness comes at a particularly important time in America’s history. During Campaign 2008 the Monitor is featuring Patchwork Nation, an endeavor going beyond the red state/blue state divide to write about “what issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect residents’ votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a particular audience.”

Follow the example of the Pierson family and go beyond the red and blue and get informed about just where your issues and concerns fit in, and how they may impact the election process.

Minnesotans love their summers, especially since they tend to be rather short. This year after a seemingly endless and cold winter, followed by a rainy spring that caused major flooding in parts of the Midwest, Summer 2008 officially kicks off on June 20. And Minnesota, like a lot of states, is more than ready.

National Geographic offers these Fun Solstice Facts:
The word “solstice” is derived from Latin roots which mean “sun stands still” an appropriate description of how the astronomical event appears from planet Earth.

The solstice has not occurred before June 21 since 1896. The early arrival is due to a complex quirk in the leap year calendar.

The summer solstice should actually be referred to as the June solstice since it’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Northern Hemisphere soaks up more sun during the solstice than on any other day of the year. However, since the atmosphere is still heating up from winter, the truly warm weather won’t appear until July and August.

The sun’s movements are especially pronounced in the polar regions.

North of the Arctic Circle the solstice heralds the beginning of 24-hour sunlight.

The solstice occurs at the exact same moment all across the planet. Due to the Earth’s two dozen time zones, people experience the solstice at different times of the day.  

A number of scenes in Shades of Darkness take place during the summer months, a great way to highlight the beauty of Minnesota’s abundant natural resources and wild life. Winter is a beautiful season too, but the lazy hazy days of summer usually mean no school and vacations. Get out there and enjoy it while it lasts!

Print On Demand (POD) publishing is leading the surge in book output. According to Publishers Weekly, traditionally published books rose by 1% in 2007, while the output for on-demand , short run titles soared from 21,936 in 2006 to a whopping 134, 773 in 2007. For self-published authors such as me this is both good news and bad news.

The good news is that more authors are taking control and publishing their work using POD technology rather than continuing what can be a futile search for traditional agency representation. On the not-so-good side is the sheer numbers of POD titles published, making for a very competitive market.

That means that authors who do self-publish using POD have their work cut-out for them in terms of marketing to set us apart from the crowd. Just as a mainstay of the real estate business is “location, location, location”; authors should get in the mindset of “promotion, promotion, promotion”.  

The new figures also include traditional books printed by mainstream publishers, public domain titles, self-published authors, and small publishers all using the print-on-demand technology. To get a sense of how drastically the print-on-demand technology is affecting publishing, consider these numbers: Between 2002 and 2007 production of traditional titles rose by 29% while POD increased by 313%, for an overall increase of 66% during the five year period.

One of the easiest ways for an author to promote their work is by taking advantage of the social networking sites that support independent authors. I’m a member of four such sites, and Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace is promoted on each of them. Besides promotional opportunities these social networking sites are a great way for writers to meet other writers, exchange ideas, get questions answered, have work critiqued, find writing events, classes, etc.

The four social networking sites I use most are: Authors Den, Author Nation, Nothing Binding, and the Red Room. Each site offers services targeted specifically to writers that help improve their craft and build community. Some of the services include:

Personal Author Page - on most of these you can add a biography, your book’s description, a cover picture, your photo, reviews, and where to buy.
Blogs
Forums
Writing Groups
Author Event Listings
Areas to post your articles, short stories, poems, images, and on some sites audio.

Not every site provides the same author services, so my advice is to visit each one and determine which will work best for you. There is also a bit of a time commitment as you register and add information to each site. Have content that will appear on all sites such as your author biography, book cover picture, description, reviews, etc. already completed so you’re not reinventing yourself for each site (unless of course you want to).

As an independent author these sites also help you promote yourself to different audiences. For example, besides this blog I have three others on the various social networking sites. When I announced the Squidoo page, I went to those sites first and I’m already getting feedback. If you’re taking advantage of blogs offered by such sites, authors can target posts to each site (usually only minor revisions would be needed) or submit the same post because you’ll encounter new audience members on each site.

There’s an old saying that “any publicity is good publicity”. Once the initial marketing push is over, such author supported networking sites are a great way to continue promoting your work indefinitely.

I have created a new Squidoo Lens for Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace. The page offers some components not found on the web site. These include:

New book reviews
Author interviews
Discussion questions for book groups or classes reading the book
A Duel - Take sides on a question dealing with justice and morality

I’ll update the page with new interviews, reviews, duel options, and other features. I’m also open to features/discussion questions readers of the book would like to see included. Check out the Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace Squidoo Lens.

On Tuesday night, Minnesota again became a part of political history. The evening of June 3, 2008, thousands of people filled the Xcel Energy Center and thousands more stood outside in downtown St. Paul to hear Barack Obama declare that he is the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.

 That’s one of the reasons political sub-plots show up three times in the novel - because Minnesota holds a unique place in the history of U.S. politics. Minnesota will add to that history in September when the Twin Cities hosts the Republican National Convention. In a touch of irony, Senator Obama made his pronouncement in the same venue where the convention of the opposing party will be held.

Another reason for the political sub-plots is the activism and commitment to voting that Minnesotans take very seriously. When I was growing up, on Election Day Minnesotans wore “I Voted” buttons with pride. They still do, which is one of the reasons Minnesota has close to the highest voter turn-out in the country.

The American political process is a long one and I would love to see us adopt a campaign season more along the British lines - a 10-week campaign season, everyone votes, and the new President takes office. In Australia, everyone eligible to vote is required by law to do exactly that, so there is no voter apathy.

My sister Susan returned from Australia in January and was amazed at how many Australians were following the U.S. election. The New Hampshire debates (clear back in January!) were carried live by Sky TV, one of the major Australian networks. I’ve included two links for the BBC and Australian news outlets. Check those out for a new perspective of how America and our election process are perceived by other countries.

One of the key plot points in Shades of Darkness, Shades of Grace, involves Red Wing Pottery, manufactured in the Minnesota town of the same name for nearly 100 years.

The matriarch of the Pierson family, Beverly, collects Red Wing Pottery and has gone into the antique business opening Past Treasures Antiques in downtown Wayzata, Minnesota. Red Wing had its origins in the rich clay discovered as the area was being settled in the 1860s. Over nearly 90 years the company would produce salt glaze pottery, utilitarian stoneware, art pottery, cookie jars, and over 100 patterns of hand-painted ceramic dinnerware. Much of the stoneware was marked with a distinctive red wing on the front, in later years the art pottery and dinnerware was stamped with a red wing on the bottom.

In the novel, Beverly and Bill Pierson give their son Paul and his bride Pamela, a blue tinted lily bowl and pitcher, a stunning example of Red Wing artistry. Officially advertised as “Ewers and Basins in blue tint” - the set was offered in the 1920s and 30s along with hundreds of other stoneware items for the household and farm. Because few of these gorgeous sets survived intact, in mint condition they are extremely valuable. Other Red Wing pieces mentioned in the book include Nokomis vases that were part of the art pottery line during the 1930s; cherry band pitchers which were manufactured during the same time period as the lily pitcher and basin; and cookie jars produced until the plant’s closing.

Red Wing Pottery is not only an integral part of Minnesota history; it also holds an important place within both American history and the pottery industry. In the early Twentieth Century, Red Wing Pottery was the largest manufacturer of pottery in the U.S. Red Wing Pottery ceased production in 1967, after a bitter strike permanently closed the plant. Ten years later in 1977, a group interested in collecting the pottery for both its beauty and historic significance founded the Red Wing Collector’s Society. Today, Red Wing is highly sought after by collectors and is often referred to as “the Cadillac of pottery”.

In 1984, John Falconer acquired the records, name, and legal rights of the Red Wing Stoneware Company and stoneware production resumed in Red Wing. Tom Woodruff purchased the company in 1998 and he and a team of skilled artisans proudly continue the tradition of producing excellent quality, American made, Red Wing Stoneware.

There are numerous web sites devoted to the history, preservation, and selling of Red Wing and some of the best are listed on the Resources page. More than a few Red Wing aficionados like Beverly Pierson have caught the collecting bug and developed spectacular collections of this beautiful pottery.