Writers Beware...

Publishers and writers have always had a harrowing time sorting out reputable professional services from questionable practices. Thankfully, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Writer Beware site is making the process easier with their proactive fraud busters.

At www.sfwa.org/beware/, volunteers (mostly anonymous due to the controversial nature of their work) maintain a database of 600+ questionable agents, publishers, and independent editors. The intrepid staff continually researches, updates, and post warnings about nonstandard practices that violate writers' best interests, i.e., extraordinary fees, conflicts of interest, abusive or nonstandard contract terms, unprofessional practices, nonperformance, and dubious qualifications.

These investigators are in constant communication with legitimate agents and editors to get a good feel for standard business pr actices, plus they keep close counsel with an experienced intellectual property and consumer protection attorney. They also offer a free research service for writers with questions about agents, publishers, and others (e-mail atbeware@sfwa.org ). Many thanks to SFWA!