It is somewhat amazing how I still learn more and more about the bizarre world of writers and publishers, also known as the “shark tank.” And here we go again… yet another experience I would like to share.

In another entry on this blog I couldn’t find anything good about literary agents and their apparent lack of business sense. At the same time I was very impressed by the business model and the professional attitude of the Writers Literary Agency. Rather than dealing with a single, overworked and unorganized literary agent (agents always complain about the number of queries they receive), I found it refreshing to deal with a team of professionals where each member took on a certain aspect in the process of finding a publisher. However, with what I learned today, I am happy I didn’t sign the contract they had sent me. As it turns out the whole thing is a scam. Let me quote from another web site:

“Literary Agency has no verifiable record of book sales under any of its names. For this reason (among others) they’re on Writer Beware’s Thumbs Down Agents list.

There is currently an active investigation into their business in the state of Florida (the 275 Madison Avenue address is a mail-forwarding service). If you live in Florida and have had any interaction with any of these “agencies,” please contact the Florida attorney general.

The way their operation works:

They accept any and every manuscript that is sent to them. They require that the manuscript be given an “independent critique,” which they are willing to sell to you for $90, from another company that they secretly own. Based on this “critique” they will offer to represent you, but will request that you have the manuscript “professionally edited,” again by a company that they secretly own. After you pay whatever amount you’re willing to pay for the “edit,” you’ll be told that you need a web page to advertise your book to publishers, for which they’ll charge you $150. After that, they’ll offer you their “aggressive agent” program, for $90, to submit the work to publishers. Children’s book authors may be asked to pay for illustrations. Screenwriters may be asked to pay for “coverage.”

As I mentioned, they have no apparent record of sales to commercial publishers, despite having been in business for the better part of a decade (under one name or another).” – WritersNet.com

The scary thing is that the requests for critique and editing make sense. Getting a critique of your work is helpful. Having your work edited is absolutely mandatory for a new, and even the established writer. Again, all this makes sense, and for that reason it is so easy to fall for the scam.

Let me also fortify my statement on their professional approach. The Writers Literary Agency explained the whole process between accepting a manuscript and finding a publisher in minute detail. The information they provided was extremely helpful for me to understand the process, and I wish regular, honest literary agents would go through the same effort of attracting new clients. The entire interaction between a new client and the Writers Literary Agency took place per e-mail which I personally deem highly effective, and I still believe that regular literary agents could learn a lesson or two from them. In fact, a great number of literary agents have just started to discover the possibilities that are provided by the Internet.

Yes, the downside is that a fast Internet connection combined with a word-processor encouraged a vast number of people believing they can write, may it be poetry, fiction, or nonfiction. The harsh truth is that the vast majority of these writers will never publish a book, unless they spend thousands of Dollars through a vanity publisher. Nevertheless, it is time that literary agents discover the power of the Internet. The Writers Literary Agency actually demonstrated how it can work, if only they would actually look for a publisher…

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