You have probably heard about writing scams and say, “I’d never do anything that stupid. How could someone think this wasn’t a scam?”

A writer gets a letter in the mail; send us your manuscript for an instant evaluation. Maybe they’re a new writer, maybe they’ve been writing for a while. But one thing is for certain, they all want to be published. And they want it badly.

So when they see a new agent or publisher in town, it’s like a sign. They don’t think first. They just assume they are dealing with legitimate agent or publisher. But there are no shortcuts to getting legitimately published and getting paid for your writing. You have to be careful at all times.

To keep from being cheated, you’d have to investigate all the prospective agents and publishers, check out their customers, go online to the watchdog sites and call the Better Business Bureaus and attorney generals in their home states. Even then, you could get taken. Makes you wonder if it is worth the risk?

But what can writers do to protect themselves from scams, both online and off? Here are some things that should make you want to do more research about an agent or publisher:

1. Requests for up-front fees. This means any money out of the writer’s pocket before a book is sold, whether it is for expenses or marketing fees. Agents make their money by selling your work to publishers. They shouldn’t need to ask you for money to do that. Remember; “Money flows to the writer, not away from them.”

2. Referrals to paid services, such as editing or book doctors. While recommending you have your work looked at by an editing service is fine, the agent or publisher shouldn’t tell you where to go. Some agents have a list of editing services they deal with, but if you chose to see someone else that shouldn’t have an effect on whether they represent you.

Complete article here