S.T. Literary Agency / Stylus Literary Agency

Shiva the Destroying Angel

Interesting

I am very familiar with 'Jill Mast' or Mevorah, take your pick.
What was sent to you is the same form letter Sydra sends to everyone who makes an inquiry regarding their heartless con game.
Run, they have never sold one manuscript or screenplay to anyone; ask them about their sales record.
Further, their 'principal', Robert M. Fletcher, alleged ChE, was convicted of securities fraud in the state of Washington in 2001.
He of course won't admit this, yet, any more than Leslie Williams will admit that she actually makes her living as a realtor in Boca Raton.
Use Google, you will find what I say is true - I'm sorry to break such news to you.
If you need links, ask.

Shiva the Destroying Angel
 

StphenGee

Re: ST Literary

Shiva, you have destroyed another $129.00 that was headed to that crooks coffers. May he rot in hell with the Enron and WorldCom thieves. My only question is, how is he able to get away with this? All the time I was being so gullible when I recieved emails that my work had "Potential" and after the Authors Intake Form, "You are just the type of person we are looking for." He may as well have emailed me at [email protected], but thanks to all you wonderful people and your extensive research on this thief you have saved me. I just hope he has not stolen my work, but on the other hand, I don't even think it's been read. Thanks again to you all and especially Kevin B.
 

StphenGee

Re: ST Literary

Shiva, you destroying angel, you have destroyed the devil for me. I was soooo close to lessening the balance in my check book, so mark up another $129.00 check that the thief won't cash. Thanks so much for you extensive research on this idiot. I almost feel like you are talking about Tony Soprano while you are revealing his history. The one inspiration I get while I'm reading through this thread is...this would make a pretty good book. Anyone?

Again, thanks to all for exposing this low life, especially you Kevin B. May Mother Fletcher rot in hell with the thieves from Enron, WorldCom and all the rest that think they are above the law. I found it almost hillarious that he even attempted to defend himself within this thread. If you are still reading this thread Fletcher, DROP DEAD, the Devil is getting a little impatient.
 

JustinoIV

evidence

Why don't you just send whatever evidence you have to the FBI, as well as the relevent state authorities?

Actually, if you destroy Fletcher's business, and you don't have proof that he is what you say he is, he could sue you.

Alerting people about a problem or a con is great. Spamming or ranting is not.

Out of 300 million people in this country, I'd say only a small fraction read this website.

Even if you intend to get a class auction lawsuit going, you'll need to have documented your complaints with the government, and ideally have some sort of criminal judgement against Fletcher.

You said you were wasting your time with this foolishness, well, now you're starting to waste up space on the website with nonsense.
 

absolutewrite

Re: evidence

Hi Shiva!

I appreciate your anger and what you're trying to do here, but I have to ask you to stick to the facts and just the facts, please. That is, it's totally fine to say "This is what he did to me, and here is what he's been convicted of, and I can't find a single record of any sales of his... etc." but please leave the vitriol out of it (he's a con man and a clown and a fraud and probably doesn't read anything). Provable facts are fine. The rest of it isn't helping anyone. I'll let you edit your posts...

Thanks!
 

emeraldcite

Re: ST Literary

folks like you allowing a con man to continue in operation

sadly, we're just a post board full of normal folk. i've never been burned by them so I can no legal claim to anything. As with most of us here, we can do little. I'm pretty poor and I don't have the funds to invest in lawsuits to protect people from getting conned. It's a sad fact that we just keep track of the cons and let people know when and where they occur. all writers should do mounds of research before they submit, but no one can be held responsible for that.

also, if you so feel moved, gather up your money and go after every con man, even the ones that you haven't tried. i think you'll find that there are too many cons, and if there isn't enough evidence, the law won't go after them. the court system is expensive, and they won't try anyone needlessly.

good luck with your writing career and make sure you research every place you plan to submit to very thoroughly. you'll find a lot of scams out there that nobody is doing anything about.
we all understand that you lost money, but slander and libel make your case weak, and threats can actually make the con the victim. if you want a case, you have to follow the law, as slow and frustrating as it is.
 

HapiSofi

Re: ST Literary

Shiva hasn't been asking for our approval or disapproval. That is one highly-motivated individual who has identified and adopted a clearly-defined task. We can cheer, or boo, or wring our hands, or offer useful suggestions; but Shiva is still going to be bent on exposing Sydra Technique and Richard Fletcher, and destroying their ability to continue doing business as scammers.
 

sfsassenach

Re: ST Literary

- folks like you allowing a con man to continue in operation, when you know he is little more than an individual out to steal money from hapless writers.

No, it's naive folks like YOU who let it happen.

Your anger is misplaced, Shiva. We didn't scam you. We've offered advice and support, but this is your crusade.

I wish you luck.
 

vstrauss

Re: ST Literary

>>folks like you allowing a con man to continue in operation, when you know he is little more than an individual out to steal money from hapless writers.<<

So what are we supposed to do, form a lynch mob and go down to Florida?

I personally find this pretty damn insulting. What, we're condoning fraud because we stick to factual statements and don't sling anonymous invective? Have you even looked through the posts here, and seen the responses to the many questions about ST, not to mention the slap-down that followed a foray onto the board by Robert Fletcher himself? The info I provide inspires at least two people a week to stay away from ST--and that's just the ones I hear back from (I get between 4 and 6 letters a week asking about the agency). That's not exactly doing nothing.

Wanna know how effective invective is? I got a letter the other night from someone who'd been looking for info on ST. He found this board, and read your posts. He was concerned about ST because of info he'd seen elsewhere--but your posts made him wonder if the info was credible. Blanketing the Internet with vitriolic messages DISCREDITS the kind of responsible fact-based information that I and Jim and Hapi and Dave and others provide, because it makes people wonder if all ST detractors are just pissed-off writers with a personal axe to grind.

Yeah, ST screwed you. You have every right to be angry (then again, you should have done some damn research before handing over the dough). It's also your right to post whatever you want wherever you want. But don't insult people with a much better track record than you of helping writers, just because they don't jump on your bandwagon.

- Victoria
 

vstrauss

Re: Another ST Thread

>>Curious to hear your thoughts on the angle of piracy<<

I think you can discount this. Agencies like this aren't interested in authors' manuscripts, only in their money. ST is a fee factory. They probably have hundreds of clients, and turn them over once a year. They don't need to pirate, nor do they want to bother. In all my years of scam-tracking, I know of just one--count 'em, one--documented incidence of piracy by a disreputable literary agency.

- Victoria
 

emeraldcite

Re: Another ST Thread

in order to pirate a work, they'd have to sell it, something we know most of the scammers can't do.
 

JustinoIV

that is why

"In all my years of scam-tracking, I know of just one--count 'em, one--documented incidence of piracy by a disreputable literary agency."

Since theft is extremely rare, this is why writers should just focus on submitting and selling work. Should an unscrupolous person use your work without permission after you've sold it, the publisher, producer, or studio will deal with them in a court of law.

Also, an agency that is known as disreputable will be shunned by the industry.

I think what happens more commonly is that people do write manuscripts and screenplays that have similiar concepts. And if one is purchase, sometimes people in the past have wanted to sue.

As Victoria said, it's when your work becomes known that you really have to worry. Look at this link.

www.eonline.com/News/Item...%2C00.html

Mattel had sued Aqua over the sexually suggestive song Barbie Girl. The song is about the plastic dolls Ken and Barbie.

I also remember reading about, a Bollywood film director who read an English novelist's book. He blatantly used the same names for the characters and everything. When she found out, she went to India and sued. His tv series was taken off the air temporarily, while they worked on her demands to be paid and to be credited.
 

ChunkyC

Re: ST and the whole ugly mess

:whistle Whew!

I just finished reading this thread and boy oh boy am I glad I decided early on that I wanted to submit my work directly to established publishers like Tor and DAW et al. Granted, my reason was that I wanted my stuff to be measured against the best to see how it shaped up, but SHEESH! Do I feel lucky today.

To Uncle Jim, Victoria, Hapi and all the rest of you who spend your valuable time and effort helping the rest of us, a huge THANK YOU! :heart
 

legendone

Re: ST Literary

:grr Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- folks like you allowing a con man to continue in operation, when you know he is little more than an individual out to steal money from hapless writers.

Not only that, both Sidra and ST Literary Agency ADVERTISE AT THE TOP OF THE SUBJECT PAGE.:cry
 

emeraldcite

Re: ST Literary

Not only that, both Sidra and ST Literary Agency ADVERTISE AT THE TOP OF THE SUBJECT PAGE.

those ads are provided by ezboard. unless we pay more money to ezboard for a better account, google supplies topic-specifi advertising.
 

legendone

Re: ST Literary

:grin
I know Emeraldcite, but isn't it a pain in the ass to think that this happens? :heart I still love you all.
If I had some money I would pay to remove those adds.:cry
 

HapiSofi

Re: ST Literary

Lege, what kind of battle-hardened first-worlder are you if you can't ignore a few ads? There've been studies done of this, and our ability to mentally block out ads is simply stellar. A lifetime of practice will do that for you.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: ST Literary

I'm seeing ads for ST and the Desert Rose agency! How can we be so blessed?

Next rule: If a literary agency advertises their services, you don't want that agency.
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: ST Literary

Interestingly enough, I saw an ad concerning Brain Tumors when I checked into this topic earlier this morning. I thought that was somewhat appropriate.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: ST Literary

Way back on page one of this thread, we read this from Robert Fletcher, the president of scam-agency S.T. Literary:

I read last week that 80% of all books published last year were from previously published authors, 10% were from celebrities, and 5% were from journalists. DO THE MATH and you can see what the odds are for as yet unpublished authors.

The math that Fletcher doesn't want you to do is this: Of that "80% ... from previously published authors," how many of those previously published authors had at one time been unpublished?

Answer: 100% of the multiply-published authors had been unpublished before they started. So ... a total of 85% of the books published in the previous year were from formerly unpublished writers. That sounds like darn good odds.

It's closer to 90% if you figure that the journalists had been unpublished before they started. Now that 10% from celebrities ... if you play your cards right you can be the author hired to write those, too.

Don't believe the lying statements of a pay-up-front agency scamster. ST Literary Agency hasn't sold a manuscript to a legitimate publisher. They don't know how. They don't have publishing contacts. They've never seen a real contract, let alone negotiated one.

If you really have $129 that you don't need, use it to buy Girl Scout cookies, then donate the cookies to your local firefighers and ambulance squad. It'll do exactly as much for selling your manuscript as sending $129 to Boca Raton, FL, ever would and it'll make more and better people happy.
 

legendone

Re: ST Literary

|I
OK Hapi. I won't mention them again. Urts tho.
I've got a feeling I'm being groomed for something big on this thread in the not too distant future. >:

8) Wonder if they paid their account.:rollin