Writers | Copyright | Publishing Scams

Is the World Really Dying for Want of Your Words?

Short answer: No. Long answer: That doesn’t mean they don’t have value.

As a starry-eyed undergrad, I had visions of writing the next work of great, enduring literature. A couple of Literature classes later, I dreaded the thought of being psychoanalyzed, posthumously, by wet-behind-the-ears grad students. My vision changed: I would write entertaining paperbacks — gothic romances (which I still think of as “lady running away from the creepy old house” novels, thanks to their well-branded cover art), thrillers, shocking supernatural tales like Poe or Stoker.

And then reality set in; I was lucky to eventually land a job that had the word “writer” in it — Technical Writer, that is. My first manager — a Navy vet and an aspiring novelist, himself — gave me some of the best writing advice, ever: “Remember that this is a work for hire. You will get lots of feedback, lots of red ink. You may be told that your writing stinks. It’s not personal.

Some of the ‘corrections’ are not correct — you’ll have to figure out which ones are. Some of them won’t be negotiable. Just do the work, get it done by the deadline, and cry after 5:00. Go home, leave work at the office, and write fiction and poetry on your own time.”

The truth is, this advice applies well to fiction and poetry, too. Both have their commercial realities. You write, the publisher buys — or does not buy.

Honestly, rejection is about as personal as you choosing one tomato over another at the grocery store. You don’t need 50 lbs. of tomatoes; you need four perfect tomatoes.

And perfect is whatever you say it is, today.

But now, you’re the farmer. You have 50 lbs. of tomatoes to sell, and they are all ripe. You hire a middleman, an agent, to sell your produce. Today, someone else’s tomato looks fresher, juicier, more commercially viable. The grocer takes a pass on yours.

But the agent, who only gets paid when you do, runs down the next street, or around the corner, and finds another grocer who is pushing pasta and your tomatoes look like just the right complement — red, plump, and perfect for making marinara.

If the agent won’t move your tomatoes, it’s because he doesn’t think he can sell them. It may be because they’re starting to mold, or it may just be that he doesn’t have an in with the right buyer. Only you can know when to throw in the towel, and plant the seeds of the next crop.

Writing is not for the thin-skinned or the faint-hearted.

Why does the idea of writing, then, attract so many sensitive suckers? Ask yourself: Do I love to write? Or am I just someone who’d like to have written? You don’t have to answer this out loud. But if no one’s told you the truth, yet, let me: There are easier, more reliable, less ego-battering ways to make a living. If you don’t love to write, go — run — and do one of those other things. There is no shame in it.

Once upon a time, “a writer” was not something anyone would have been proud to call their child.

If you delight in wordplay, read voraciously, love the smell of old books, agonize for minutes over just the right word; dream of the people you invent in your head, and love to watch them act upon the stage we call an “imagination,” then it’s time to also get savvy about this life you’ve signed up for and not be anyone’s patsy.

Copyright and Subsidiary Rights

First, it’s important to understand what rights you have under law. What does “copyright ownership” actually mean? In this story, I am only going to discuss U.S. law, but most countries have similar copyright provisions and respect others’ copyright laws under various treaties. We’re not going to go into that kind of detail, here.

In the U.S., 17 U.S. Code § 106 — Exclusive rights in copyrighted works it gives creators — writers, musicians, artists, photographers — certain exclusive rights that can be separately licensed to others. These include things like the right to make, distribute, and control the transfer of ownership in copies — such as in printed books, ebooks, web posts, audio recordings, and so forth. They include preparing “derivative works,” such as translations, screenplay adaptations, audiobook recordings, toys, games, and amusement parks.

These rights are worth protecting and defending; they have significant value.

Vanity Press and Subsidy Publishing

Whether you write speculative fiction or find your pen drawn to other genres, you should bookmark the SFWA Writer Beware® site.

According to SFWA, “Traditional publishers are highly selective, publishing only a tiny percentage of manuscripts submitted.” There is no cost to the author; traditional publishers cover all the costs of publishing and recoup them through book sales and licensing of subsidiary rights. Writers should carefully read any contracts they sign, to see what rights they’re selling or licensing to the publisher.

Vanity, subsidy, and most hybrid press operations, on the other hand, market themselves as being publishers, but authors bear all or most of the costs of publishing and probably will not recoup the costs through book sales. Beware of signing over rights or money to this kind of publisher! They are strong on flattery — they will tell you that you owe it to the world to ensure that your words reach a wide audience — but odds are good they won’t do anything but print boxes of books for you to store and sell from your garage.

Others are simply scams. This tale of woe? I know the author. I’ve read his novel, and it’s pretty good. It’s too bad it was wasted on scam artists and vanity press — he’s better than that. But he was naive.

And notice how, despite all the red flags, the author quickly finds ways to convince himself there’s nothing abnormal or wrong with the strange setup he encounters when first he meets his “agent” face to face:

My illusion began to fall apart as I drove farther and farther from the city, and ended up in some rural suburb of very modest older homes. As I pulled into the driveway of what turned out to be the Deerings’ house, I quickly began to restructure my impression of agents. In the time it takes to walk from the car to the front door I had decided a good agent wouldn’t waste money on fancy offices and receptionists, and working out of one’s house wasn’t a bad thing. After all, I had written my book in my own house.

You might as well just self-publish. It may be cheaper, you’ll keep all rights, and you can still order a ton of books to sell from your garage.

Phony Followers

Whenever I get followed by fake accounts, I look around to see who our “mutual friends” are. It’s usually writers or small businesses run by people who don’t understand the first thing about social media.

When I ask them why they followed back — why they didn’t report and block these accounts, they’ll invariably say, “Well, they seemed nice enough,” or “They looked harmless. I thought it would be okay.” Men and women, both, will fall for a pretty face, a professional headshot, or a good tale. “They looked lonely,” some will say. “They said they just wanted a friend.”

Unfortunately, every follow-back gives these fake accounts an air of legitimacy. Why? Oh, so many reasons — and probably just as many that I have failed to imagine.

• To build up following for a social media page prior to “rebranding” it as something else entirely;
• To get personal information — bank account numbers, phone numbers, answers to those lovely “security questions” like “what was your first pet’s name,” and “what was your first car?” A recent one involves hijacking a friend’s account — or creating an imposter account using photos stolen from your mutual friend — then contacting you through Messenger to brag about how the “stimulus grant” they just got. If you express an interest, they’ll give you a phone number to call (their burner phone, or a friend’s) and tell you how to get yours, too. I’ve never called, so I cannot explain the rest of the process, but I’m sure we can both imagine.
• To weasel their way into your other contacts, using you to give them the impression of legitimacy.
• To bombard you with disinformation in an election year. Many of the politically oriented accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are fake — some are out to hijack donations from the unsuspecting or to sell t-shirts with catchy, snarky slogans on them. Some of the most well-known, popular pages are run by people whose own political views are absolutely not reflected on the page.

Bottom line: These folks don’t care about you, or your precious words. Don’t follow or friend anyone “just to be nice.” Be wary. Ask “mutual friends” if they would personally vouch for the person before you accept them into your social circles. I go a step further: If the account looks obviously hinky, I’ll report and/or block it. It is, after all, a most contentious election year.

Fake Reviews

Writers live and die by word of mouth, and on the Internet, that means reader reviews on Amazon, blogs, and social media. It is tempting — oh, so tempting — to beg for, perhaps even to pay for, reviews. Or to say, “Please, only leave a review if you liked the book.”

But that’s cheating.

And it can result in the loss of all your reviews, at least on Amazon, if you’re caught at it.

So, dear Readers — and we are all readers, here, I trust? — please do your favorite authors a huge favor. Just as you would leave a tip for your waiter, please leave a review for the books you love. There, I said it — no need to debase yourselves, my fellow authors!

But here’s where I betray us all: Reviews are for book buyers. They are for readers, choosing which books on which to spend their hard-earned cash. They are not for us to ask, “Say this or that,” but rather for us to stand back and graciously accept.

Dear Readers: Write the truth. But be specific, please. Do not say, “I hated this book,” and leave it at that. Because the very reason for your hatred may be the thing another reader loves. “The author spent too much time describing food, and the back alleys of New York in 1887, and not nearly enough time detailing the extent of the corpse’s putrefaction…” You know. To each his own.

The only time a writer ought to interfere, or ask that a review be removed from public view, is when it is clearly written by someone who has not read the book or someone who is being nasty or personally vindictive. In that case, deal directly with the site — don’t bother arguing or engaging with a spiteful reviewer.

Wise Up Fast!

You cannot afford not to have a social media presence, nor can you afford to be a fool about it. Do your research before agreeing to any terms, or signing any contracts, that would give away your valuable rights. When it comes to publishing anything online, be sure that you understand the deal you’re making. Medium’s current terms of service are not so very different from any other web hosting company’s — you are granting them a non-exclusive license to do what you asked them to do, and you have the opportunity, here, to earn back the money you pay in for membership. But should you publish a draft of your novel here, if you hope to land a lucrative publishing contract with a traditional publishing house? Probably not.

Should you be grateful for every “follower” who comes your way, and should you return the favor of a follow, by following them back? No.

Should you believe anyone who lays the flattery on thick as creamery butter, and tells you your writing is the best thing since sliced bread? No. I have known vanity press that would literally publish a poem written by a cat walking across the keyboard. Smile, enjoy the compliments, then shake it off — roll up your shirt sleeves — and get back to work. Don’t be a sucker.

Holly Jahangiri is the author of Trockle; A Puppy, Not a Guppy; and A New Leaf for Lyle. She draws inspiration from her family, from her own childhood adventures (some of which only happened in her overactive imagination), and from readers both young and young at heart. Subscribe to her newsletter at https://hollyjahangiri.substack.com/