[SpecialKT]

Hi everyone. I want to thank you all for your diligence in your attempts to protect fellow writers. It really provides a great example of a strong writing community, and I'm happy I found this site, which I hope will be helpful for me in the future.

Let me introduce myself. I am a Bachelor of Arts candidate at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in Fiction Writing (for real! it's awesome!) I'm set to graduate this fall! I really enjoy, not just writing, but also reading other people's stories and helping them edit and rewrite to make their story the best it can possibly be. I recently started my own online literary magazine, Kaleidoscopic Resonance. Going into the second issue, I'm still smoothing out the wrinkles, but overall I'm pretty proud of it and it should only continue to get better. My goal after graduation is to find a good paying job (good enough to pay off my student loans) in publishing and editing.

So in an attempt to jump-start my career, I began searching for publishing jobs last March. And I ran across a very enticing post on WriteJobs.com offering the opportunity to telecommute - a dream job for a student! So I didn't even think to look into this company, apart from checking out their own website. I emailed the contact in the post and got setup to start work as a Poetry Critic for the infamous - *cue suspenseful music, dun Dun DUUUM* - Writer's Literary Services. I've been working there for 8 months now, fairly happily with only a few bad spots along the way. In September, I broadened the playing field by becoming a critic of Novels and Children's Stories in addition to Poetry. So knowing now that I am a regular person, a writer just like you all, who also works for the company in question, let me give you a taste of my experience, as a "tween-er", in between the tracks...

My job as a Critic for the Writer's Literary Services (or whatever our name is now, we've kinda sorta changed names twice since I've been working here) includes reading three poems from poets, the synopsis and a few pages to the first chapter from a novel, then providing a critique of the work based on prompted questions from the company's form and my own experience and opinions. I try to give the most honest and thorough critique of the artist's work to help them improve their writing and hopefully help them get published through improving their writing. I do admit to using generic "cut and paste" responses on certain topics, which amount to general tips that every new writer can use. However I only "cut and paste" when it is appropriate and I do provide examples of every criticism I make.

Every now and then I feel like I'm crushing some poor soul's dreams - seriously, you guys should see some of the garbage I get. Some days I do not look forward to opening the manuscripts. Ugh. But sometimes I get a real jewel. I've even started writing some promising names down to look out for in the future - if they ever end up getting published. And even better is when I get a diamond in the rough that I can really help with the tips and tools I've acquired from college and my experience in the industry. That is an awesome feeling! Anyway, the point I'm trying to drive home to everyone is that I work as an Independent Contractor for Writer's Lit. I am in no way affiliated with the company, nor do I have any secret motives of trying to rob poor unsuspecting writers. I think the reason they get to say that the critiques are done by objective third-parties is because they are done by people like me, even though we critics may work under a company that works alongside another company. Do I think the critiques are worth it for a writer? In some ways, yes, but in general, probably not. If you don't have a writing community to turn to for an honest opinion on your work, then yes, the critique is absolutely invaluable. If you do have a support system where you get valuable feedback, then you really shouldn't need the critique. And it seems to be a pre-requisite to some Literary Agencies. At any rate, I was getting paid $10 per critique. The math still doesn't add up to me - authors are paying $84 and I only get $10 of it, seriously? I asked for a raise when I quit my "day job" so to speak, to focus solely on my critiques and my last semester of college. Unfortunately, they turned me down. But I'm just happy to be getting paid for a service that I am paying my college to allow me to give to my fellow classmates!

Unfortunately for me, apparently all of the negative posts about this company have got around and with the economy already in shambles, I think Writer's Lit is about to fall. Recently, I received a pay cut by 25%. I now make $7.50 per critique, barely minimum wage in my state. The company hopes to make up for this cut at the end of each month after assessing their financial status and give a bonus to each employee based on the amount of work he/she has completed. Not holding my breath on that. For the past month, I'm missing two paychecks and one paycheck actually BOUNCED! I wish I was kidding. The company claimed to be having some "fraud activity" at the time, but I think it was bad bookkeeping, personally. Well, my bank charged ME with a $15 return check fee (what's that all about?) I've contacted my Administrator in Accounting about the bounced check (mind you, this is all through email) and it's been a week and I still haven't heard anything back. I have received and successfully deposited a paycheck into my account since the bounced check, so they haven't dropped out of the game just yet, but things are not looking good for them. I got online and Googled the name, realizing that if I lose my job and back pay, I have no way of contacting any other employees to band together with. I was hoping to connect with some other employees online and see if anyone else that worked for the company was having the same troubles I am. I keep thinking, what if they're scamming ME? It'd be just as easy to do as a writer. I hesitate to call it a scam though. They are providing a service, however misrepresented and disappointing some people feel it is. As to whether any one has actually been published by my company - well, I don't work for a literary agency, I work for an editing agency, so my company and I have no direct effect on whether an author actually gets published. Nor do we claim to. I stand proudly by the work that I've personally done for this company, though I'm still not sure about this Robert guy who signs my checks and I'm still not even sure that all the companies are not one in the same.

I hope that any of you who have received a critique understand now that we are real people working with you, not corporate zombie Nazis, even if the company we work for seems to be questionable at best. Everyone can use some valuable feedback from a knowledgeable insider. I'm in a bit of a pickle because I want out, but because of my personal situation - graduating from school, preparing to move, etc. - it will be difficult to get another job for just a month. So it seems I am stuck working for the enemy for the time being just to pay my bills. I'm hoping for the best. Hoping the company turns around and takes the actions to improve their ethics. Hoping they don't go under while I'm still working there. Hoping I will receive the pay that I am entitled to, that I worked hard for. And hoping that no more of my fellow writers will be duped into believing that an agent is really much help to a new writer.

I wish you all the best in your writing endeavors. Please be careful out there. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Just be gentle. I am a real person with real feelings, and not some blank face at the other end of the computer.

- Katie