Hey,
A few weeks back I posted a question about a start up, small press who contacted me through my blog, asked me to submit something for their anthology, had given me a preliminary acceptance, but then I realized from an update to their web site's FAQ that it was very possible that they didn't intend to pay me (or any of the other writers who submitted to the series.) My question was if they didn't intend to pay me, did it still count as a professional credit that I could use while shopping my fiction to agents and editors.
I got some great responses which have unfortunately been lost. Someone asked me to let the list know what the final outcome was, so here goes:
I got the requested changes back from the editor. They were very minor and easily done. I made the changes and sent them back along with the requested biography blurb. I figured I'd wait until I had an actual acceptance before I began to ask questions about rights and payment. (Also, as I had stated in my original post, I normally write book length fiction, but this submission is an anecdotal piece for a how-to series; essentially an expanded entry from my weight loss/fitness blog. I had little time or soul invested in it.)
One of the things in my biography was the URL for my blog. To my surprise, the next day I had a couple of hits in my blog's referrer stats from the publisher's web site. I checked their site and there I was, listed as one of their authors. I sent an e-mail back to the editor asking if that listing meant they had accepted my revised submission and if so, would they be needing my snail-mail address to send me the Use Agreement. There was dead silence for the next two weeks.
Today I sent another e-mail to let them know that I was still looking for the agreement and heard back almost immediately from the CEO. He sent me the "Writer's Agreement" and the final item was this:
That told me everything I needed to know about the money. I'm no expert on rights, but that also seems a little bit dodgy to me. I sent off an e-mail thanking them for their consideration but withdrawing my submission.
Who knows? Maybe they'll be the next ".... For Dummies", but I, for one, do have an issue with them: a) making money off my work without paying me, and b) as someone pointed out in reply to my original question, certainly expecting me to promote the book via my blog.
I'm new to the forum so I don't know what the protocol is for listing the publisher by name. They're not actually scammers, but someone may want to think twice before throwing in with them. Let me know if it's acceptable and I will.
A few weeks back I posted a question about a start up, small press who contacted me through my blog, asked me to submit something for their anthology, had given me a preliminary acceptance, but then I realized from an update to their web site's FAQ that it was very possible that they didn't intend to pay me (or any of the other writers who submitted to the series.) My question was if they didn't intend to pay me, did it still count as a professional credit that I could use while shopping my fiction to agents and editors.
I got some great responses which have unfortunately been lost. Someone asked me to let the list know what the final outcome was, so here goes:
I got the requested changes back from the editor. They were very minor and easily done. I made the changes and sent them back along with the requested biography blurb. I figured I'd wait until I had an actual acceptance before I began to ask questions about rights and payment. (Also, as I had stated in my original post, I normally write book length fiction, but this submission is an anecdotal piece for a how-to series; essentially an expanded entry from my weight loss/fitness blog. I had little time or soul invested in it.)
One of the things in my biography was the URL for my blog. To my surprise, the next day I had a couple of hits in my blog's referrer stats from the publisher's web site. I checked their site and there I was, listed as one of their authors. I sent an e-mail back to the editor asking if that listing meant they had accepted my revised submission and if so, would they be needing my snail-mail address to send me the Use Agreement. There was dead silence for the next two weeks.
Today I sent another e-mail to let them know that I was still looking for the agreement and heard back almost immediately from the CEO. He sent me the "Writer's Agreement" and the final item was this:
That told me everything I needed to know about the money. I'm no expert on rights, but that also seems a little bit dodgy to me. I sent off an e-mail thanking them for their consideration but withdrawing my submission.
Who knows? Maybe they'll be the next ".... For Dummies", but I, for one, do have an issue with them: a) making money off my work without paying me, and b) as someone pointed out in reply to my original question, certainly expecting me to promote the book via my blog.
I'm new to the forum so I don't know what the protocol is for listing the publisher by name. They're not actually scammers, but someone may want to think twice before throwing in with them. Let me know if it's acceptable and I will.
