Watching Your Back

When you're a writer, you want nothing more than to be published, find an agent, and get a contract with a publishing house for that novel you wrote. That's the way this business works. The problem is, there are a lot of people out there who know how desperate writers are to see their books in print which breeds more scams than you can shake your contract signing pen at.

As writers seeking publication we have to proceed with caution. Take the time to check out that agent or publishing house, see who they publish and where. Better to err on the side of caution than jump in with both feet and sob over your saving account later.

I know, this isn't a very uplifting blog post but sometimes it's good to remind ourselves that writing, though a joy, is still a business.

And a quote from the book, "A Grave Talent" by Laurie R. King, which I just finished. The line was for a young painter but it works for writers, too. Excellent read, by the way.

"He told me that artists needed wide experience to do their art properly, that anyone who never looked up from the paper soon had nothing to draw."