The New York Literary Agency: Warning

sinner1047

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So who would one contact to take this guy down? I am so irate about this situation; I would love to see this go down the same way that Melanie Mills went...FBI, FTC, or NY attorney general? AAR says that if I'm a member they will lodge a complaint, but I would like to get a lawsuit moving on this.
 

James D. Macdonald

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sinner1047 said:
So who would one contact to take this guy down?...FBI, FTC, or NY attorney general?

I'd say "All of the above, and don't forget the IRS, the BBB, the Florida attorney general, and a letter to the editor of your local newspaper."

For a lawsuit: Talk with a lawyer who knows publishing, ask about causes for action, and follow his advice.
 

sinner1047

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Well, well, well...

Ok, so I am going after this guy, li'l ole me down here in south Florida. I am going to try and get contacts for all these people and see what I can do about the situation. If you guys know of anyone that would like to be a prat of this, direct them to this thread. Thanks again for everything!
 

jpserra

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New York Literary Agency

I am struggling to find an agent to represent my second novel. I recently received a contract for the New York Literary Agency and wanted to know if anyone had any experience with them or has any information on them. They appear to be obscure.

JPS
 

James D. Macdonald

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New York Literary Agency?

They're an utter scam. A fraud. A cheat. They'll take your money and give you nothing in return.

They claim to have offices at 275 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor, right? You know what's actually there? A mail-forwarding operation. "New York Literary Agency" is actually based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Neither New York Literary Agency, nor its parent, ST Literary Agency, has ever sold a book to a legitimate publisher. Their founder, Robert Fletcher, is a convicted swindler.

See also:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=729

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13517

Stay away! Very bad news. They aren't just obscure: They're crooks.
 

aruna

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MadScientistMatt said:
Since you paid with PayPal, you might be able to dispute the charge on your credit card. After all, they did sell it to you under false pretenses.
I don't know how it's done but it's possible to cancel a paypal payment after paying it. I know it, because it was done to my sonwho runs a small internet business. Somebody paid with paypal, he sent the stuff, and afterwards they revoked the payment, which went off my son's paypal account. And there was nothing he could do about it.
 

Caty

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If you Gooogle the "Paypal wall of shame" you'll see just how easy it must be to get money back. The disgruntled vendors who've had accounts frozen and money refunded runs into several pages.
 

sinner1047

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I have tried to cancel my payment, but the payment went thru almost immediately (having a gold star rating on Paypal worked against me this time!) and Paypal says they can't refund for "services" rendered, only misleading goods tendered. I don't know; I have contacted New York Literary Agency and Writers Literary for a refund. NYLA has refused, even though I cc'd the BBB of FL and NY, and Writer's Literary hasn't even commented back. I have also contacted the FBI, the FTC, NY and FL attorney general and my local newspaper, and nothing has come back except automated replies from some of the Federal agencies. I know that this was not much money, but it is way more than that. I was so excited that someone was representing me, my family even threw a party for me! Now I have a grudge, and considering that the physical address for NYLA is in Boca, where I live...
 

sinner1047

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jpserra said:
I am struggling to find an agent to represent my second novel. I recently received a contract for the New York Literary Agency and wanted to know if anyone had any experience with them or has any information on them. They appear to be obscure.

JPS
P.S. jpserra...RUN AWAY!!! I am currently trying to bring charges against these people for fraud. Do not go forward with anything having to do with this company!!!
 

Aconite

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sinner1047 said:
I have contacted New York Literary Agency and Writers Literary for a refund. NYLA has refused, even though I cc'd the BBB of FL and NY, and Writer's Literary hasn't even commented back.
Have your lawyer* contact them. Rotten companies aren't going to refund your money just because you ask--they wouldn't make as much that way.


*If you don't have a lawyer, get one. If finances are a problem, check out Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.
 

sinner1047

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Huh, ok...

Funds are definately limited, so thank you for the heads up on the Volunteer Lawyers. I will google them and see if they would liek to help. Victoria had mentioned that sometimes this company had issued refunds if oyu made a big enough stink and cc'd the BBB, btu I guess they are getting a thicker skin nowadays. Thanks for the info.
 

victoriastrauss

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I heard from a number of authors who got refunds--just the other day someone told me they got their money back. But checking back through my files, all of these are ST or Stylus clients. Maybe they're going with a different M.O. for the satellite agencies.

Or maybe it's as sinner1047 suggests, and they're no longer refunding at all.

It's still worth writing or cc'ing the BBB's though, because if there are enough unresolved complaints, it'll be noted.

- Victoria
 

sinner1047

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Or maybe it's as sinner1047 suggests, and they're no longer refunding at all.

Hmmmm, I'm thinking that since I live in Boca, and Bouncin' Bobby does too, that maybe I should set up a lunch date with him and point out the error of his ways. I checked out the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and they have a 8-12 week rotation, and you have to be a member to even be considered. Since I cannot walk into the office (living in sunny s. FL as I do) I think that I am going to contact the local "hero" news network and see if theyn want to get in on the action...
 

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sinner1047 said:
Since I cannot walk into the office (living in sunny s. FL as I do) ...

What do you mean, you can't walk into the office? You mean in New York? They don't have an office in New York. All that's in New York is a mail-forwarding service.
 

VShaw

New York Literary Agency

Hello everyone
i am new here and was wondering if anyone has heard of the New York Literary Agency? They want me to sign a 2 yr contract and pay for some critique. I am wondering if this is a scam or not. Please help.
Thanks
Vickie
 

D.J.

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VShaw said:
Hello everyone
i am new here and was wondering if anyone has heard of the New York Literary Agency? They want me to sign a 2 yr contract and pay for some critique. I am wondering if this is a scam or not. Please help.
Thanks
Vickie

Please check other threads before you agree to anything. I was almost taken in by Stylus which is a "sister company" as I understand it. There are several that fall under that umbrella of ownership.
 

JerseyGirl1962

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Cao Paux,

We both had the same idea, lol. :idea:

Except you went right to the New York Literary thread. At least VShaw will get right to the heart of the matter and will save his or her dough.

~Nancy
 

sinner1047

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Yeah, but the office in Boca has a physical address. I called the office there and guess who answered for Writers Literary? Robert Fletcher. I have heard back from the FTC and from the BBB of south Florida. We'll see...
 

Jaycinth

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Get your money back

Sinner1047 said he/she(?) was trying to get money back. Hopefully when you paid thru PayPal, you used a credit(not debit) card. If you did you have 30 days from the date of teh charge to contact the credit card company and dispute the charge (Why? They took your money and did not deliver the product)
Sometimes, if you are a good guy and always pay on time, then they'll extend your window to 6 weeks or two months.
Once you have disputed the charge, they charge back the company and put your money back. the company then has 30 days to dispute your dispute. If they do, then you have another 30 days to dispute their...(Yadda yadda etc) Unless they can prove that they delivered exactly what it says they were going to do, then you win.

Luck luck luck!
 

sinner1047

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Jaycinth said:
Sinner1047 said he/she(?) was trying to get money back. Hopefully when you paid thru PayPal, you used a credit(not debit) card. If you did you have 30 days from the date of teh charge to contact the credit card company and dispute the charge (Why? They took your money and did not deliver the product)
Sometimes, if you are a good guy and always pay on time, then they'll extend your window to 6 weeks or two months.
Once you have disputed the charge, they charge back the company and put your money back. the company then has 30 days to dispute your dispute. If they do, then you have another 30 days to dispute their...(Yadda yadda etc) Unless they can prove that they delivered exactly what it says they were going to do, then you win.

Luck luck luck!
I have tried all the above; my credit card company said no because they did give me a critique and Paypal does not give refunds for services. The only response I have gotten back is from the SE Florida BBB. They have repsented my complaint to the company and are awaiting a response (good luck). If they do not hear back in 14 days, they send a 2nd request. If nothing in 7 days then they start an investigation. Let's hope...
 

irvm2924

NY Literary Agency - Madison Ave

Does anyone have any info on this agency?
 

DaveKuzminski

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irvm2924 said:
Does anyone have any info on this agency?

What part of the preceeding posts did you not understand???!!!

This agency is nothing more than a literary mosquito from the swamps of Florida that is interested only in sucking your wallet dry.
 
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