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Publishing Industry Terms and Contracts: Some Resources, and Some Advice
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware On my last post, a reader posted this comment: Can you recommend a site where publishing contract terms are, if not discussed, defined (and maybe have a note like "This is good, this is okay, this is ...
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Another Great Quote for PASSION BLUE
Fellow YA author Lesley Livingston was kind enough to read Passion Blue and give it this wonderful blurb: Passion Blue is a lush, vibrant read that is utterly transporting. Full of heart and heady imagery, it is a luminous tale that swept me back to another time and place and into the life of a brave girl struggling to find her true destiny. Victoria Strauss paints beautiful pictures with her words. – Lesley Livingston, author of the Wondrous Strange series
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When is a Dodgy Publisher Like a Stopped Clock?
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware A stopped clock is right twice a day. A dodgy publisher is right...well, less often. But sometimes. I'm thinking of one publisher in particular--about which Writer Beware has gotten a LOT of complaints--...
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Another Great Blurb for PASSION BLUE
Amazing author Jane Yolen has been kind enough to blurb Passion Blue: I am a huge fancier of historical novels, so when I began Passion Blue, set in late fifteenth century Italy, I expected to like it. It promised landscapes, art, architecture, romance. But I didn’t just like the book, I LOVE it. Though much of it takes place within the walls of a nunnery it has adventure, arguments, soul-searching, several villains, romance, hair-breadth escapes, dastardly betrayals, and girl power. I simply galloped through it. – Jane Yolen, author of The Devil’s Arithmetic, Briar Rose, and other novels set in historic periods – I’m still pinching myself!
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In the Garden Again
Today’s the first day of daylight savings time (yay!). It was also the first gardening day of the season for me. We had very little snow this winter, but a lot of windy weather, so there were many downed branches to pick up. I also cut down the ornamental grasses that I left standing over the winter for visual interest, and dealt with the damage that some tunneling creature created around my compost bin. I have a terrible feeling that whatever it was ate the lily bulbs I had in that area. We shall see. All my bulbs are poking their heads up, and my hellebores are showing their snouts. I’ve even got some crocuses ready to bloom in sheltered spots. I love this time of year; it’s so full of promise. I love the prospect of returning to the outdoors after a winter spent largely inside (a stress fracture…
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When a Writing Contest Has a Hidden Agenda
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware If you’ve been reading this blog for long, you may have guessed that I’m not a big fan of writing contests. Partly this is because so many contests are a waste of time, with minimal prizes, negligible prestige, and zero cachet on your writing resume. Why not spend your energy on something that can get you closer to building a readership–submitting for publication, or publishing on your own if that’s what you want to do? There’s also the risk of bad stuff in the entry guidelines–such as the MeeGenius Golden Owl Contest, where simply submitting constitutes agreement to publish and acceptance of a publishing contract that claims rights in perpetuity. Writers who don’t read the fine print carefully enough may find themselves trapped by such provisions. And then there are the contests with a hidden agenda: making money for the sponsor. Published Book…
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When a Writing Contest Has a Hidden Agenda
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware If you've been reading this blog for long, you may have guessed that I'm not a big fan of writing contests. Partly this is because so many contests are a waste of time, with minimal prizes, negligible pr...
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Why You Can’t Always Trust the Source
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Many writers assume that a literary agent's inclusion in a market guide or listing--whether it's a print book, such as Jeff Herman's Guide, or a website, such as QueryTracker--is an imprimatur of reputabi...
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New French Law Seizes Digital Rights
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware The issue of orphan works--out of print, still-in-copyright books, films, photographs, etc. whose rightsholders can't be found--is one that has been much in the news lately. Concern over a potential mon...
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Why Poets Should Not Seek Literary Agents
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Writer Beware hears from a fair number poets. Much of the time, they're contacting us to ask about self-publishing, or to check the reputation of a journal or a contest. Sometimes, unfortunately, they've ...