About Us

Mission

Who we are, what we do, and why. Includes information on how to contact us.

Overview and Site Map

What you’ll find on the Writer Beware® website, plus links to general resources about literary scams.

Writer Beware®

Legal Recourse and Other Remedies

What do you do if you’ve been defrauded? We offer suggestions and resources for taking legal action, along with a variety of options for filing complaints.

Scams in Action

Case studies of notable literary scams, including Edit Ink, Commonwealth Publications, Deering Literary Agency, Martha Ivery/Press-Tige Publishing, and more.

The Truth About Literary Agents’ Fees

What you need to know about fee-charging literary agents.

Writer Beware®: The Blog

To complement the general advice and warnings on the Writer Beware® website, the Writer Beware® blog provides up-to-the-minute information on specific scams and schemes–along with advice for writers, industry news, and a special focus on the weird and wacky things that happen at the fringes of the publishing world.

Connect With Us On Social Media

Visit our Facebook page for publishing news, writing advice, and other items of interest to writers. Join the conversation!

Follow Victoria on Twitter for scam alerts and the latest info on the writing biz.

Whom Not to Query

Our “Thumbs Down” Agency List

Our “Thumbs Down” Publisher List

Writer Beware® is actively seeking documentation.

We maintain an extensive archive of documentation on literary agents, independent editors, vanity publishers, self-publishing services, small presses, and others that engage in the questionable practices we warn about on this website. If you have letters, contracts, brochures or other material you think we would like to see, please help us build our database by sending them to:

Victoria Strauss

PO Box 1216

Amherst MA 01004

or e-mail us.

Writer Beware® is a registered service mark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.

Except for graphics, and where specifically indicated, all Writer Beware® contents copyright © Victoria Strauss

Writer Beware® logo by James F. Beveridge

MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION