A question for the real writers

[davidwatts]

I just got a feedback from someone who told me that they liked my style, needed short stories and wanted to publish me. I assume that this is some kind of joke or a mass e-mailing of all Lit writers for some new website (hey, at least they ASKED!) coming up. I got an e-mail address for someone (not Random House) who sounds like a person rather than a company.

My question is if this sounds familiar to any of you folks? Thanks.

 

[carsonshepherd]

I got the same one, from Lit feedback. PM me for the address.

 

[CharleyH]

I just got a feedback from someone who told me that they liked my style, needed short stories and wanted to publish me. I assume that this is some kind of joke or a mass e-mailing of all Lit writers for some new website (hey, at least they ASKED!) coming up. I got an e-mail address for someone (not Random House) who sounds like a person rather than a company.

My question is if this sounds familiar to any of you folks? Thanks.

I am a terrific writer, mostly, and I know others I could name who are ... who is asking you? ... it depends - feel it out, what do they want? How much are they paying? Free? LOL - no and no and no, unless you want to be published, and are desperate. What is the site? Known? Not? Use your gut feeling

 

[Penelope Street]

Was it something like the following?

I read your stuff and and I like your style...The purpose of this email, I want to publish your stories for people to read! Get back to me and we'll see which ones we will use!

Nice and personal, huh?

 

[CharleyH]

Was it something like the following?


Nice and personal, huh?

LOL - PENNY! What is your feeling on writing though. Freebie or not?

 

[Weird Harold]

I got an e-mail address for someone (not Random House) who sounds like a person rather than a company.

From what I've seen, there have been a few legitimate offers to publish authors initially tendered through the feedback system. There have been many more scam attempts perpetrated that way.

If the person claims to represent Random House or some other publishing company, send an e-mail to the "contact us" address at the company's website and ask if the person works for them. If you can't indepedantly confirm the person is on the level, then it's probably a scam.

Some offers are from individuals or small companies looking for authors not already taken by larger publishers for a start-up publishing company, but those are shaky propositions even if you can distinguish them from the scams.

 

[Penelope Street]

LOL - PENNY! What is your feeling on writing though. Freebie or not?

Well, since Rumple taught me the importance of an ellipse, I've been trying to look down my nose at those that misuse them.

 

[CharleyH]

From what I've seen, there have been a few legitimate offers to publish authors initially tendered through the feedback system. There have been many more scam attempts perpetrated that way.

If the person claims to represent Random House or some other publishing company, send an e-mail to the "contact us" address at the company's website and ask if the person works for them. If you can't indepedantly confirm the person is on the level, then it's probably a scam.

Some offers are from individuals or small companies looking for authors not already taken by larger publishers for a start-up publishing company, but those are shaky propositions even if you can distinguish them from the scams.

Maybe. My experience is they (PAYING publishers) do not OFTEN SEEK, and I am guessing on BOOK LEGIT, NOT PORN, which I know much about. Ask Doc in a polite email, or Colly, they have been approached on Lit and had experiences. What I CAN TELL is this: Porn people do NOT have the time to seek writers, and believe me, they GET tons of offers, they pay, and anyone who does not is bogus.

Investigate a site. Investigate - if you are interested and they are, then you will get what you need and the pay you desrve - BELIEVE ME.

BUT, If you want to get published free - go for it It is your decision.

 

[davidwatts]

Something exactly like that. It sounded like a generic message to me, but at least they didn't just swipe the stories ala porn-story.org. did.

Was it something like the following?


Nice and personal, huh?

 

[CharleyH]

Well, since Rumple taught me the importance of an ellipse, I've been trying to look down my nose at those that misuse them.

Well we all hate ellipses, and weird harold is not so weird .... getting back to my question Do you want to write for free? Or not?

 

[Penelope Street]

Well we all hate ellipses, and weird harold is not so weird .... getting back to my question Do you want to write for free? Or not?

I love writing, creating. I do it for free now, and I'll continue to do so until I don't want to anymore, which I hope will be never. Sure, I'd be happy if someone payed me to do what I love, but that's not why I started writing.

 

[CharleyH]

I love writing, creating. I do it for free now, and I'll continue to do so until I don't want to anymore, which I hope will be never. Sure, I'd be happy if someone payed me to do what I love, but that's not why I started writing.

Then my advice for an author of your calibre is bogus

 

[velvetpie]

I got the same e-mail.

Run, don't walk away!

 

[davidwatts]

I got the same e-mail.

Run, don't walk away!

Thanks all. I figured it was a mass mailing of sorts, but I don't think that Lit would give them a list of us, so they would have to go through the member profiles for them. What's their motivation? They already know that we will write for free as well as subject ourselves to the slings and arrows of outraged strokers.

 

[Erotic-Kiss]

Thanks all. I figured it was a mass mailing of sorts, but I don't think that Lit would give them a list of us, so they would have to go through the member profiles for them. What's their motivation? They already know that we will write for free as well as subject ourselves to the slings and arrows of outraged strokers.

I think there is a setting in your personal literotica author's page that will ask if you want to sign up to be contacted by professionals in order to publish your writing. Do you have that option turned on? If you do, it could be a legit offer...

 

[cantdog]

I got no such feedback.

 

[davidwatts]

I think there is a setting in your personal literotica author's page that will ask if you want to sign up to be contacted by professionals in order to publish your writing. Do you have that option turned on? If you do, it could be a legit offer...

No, I fear the only professionals who would want to be contacting me about my writing are psychiatrists.

 

[shereads]

You writers are such skeptics. If I had that attitude, the Bank of Eritrea wouldn't have promised me $100,000 just to lend them my checking account number to entrap those diamond smugglers.

 

[Seattle Zack]

As soon as they ask for my credit card number, I put 'em on spam block.

On the other hand, that president (in exile, nonetheless) of Nigeria ... goddamn, he is a persistant motherfucker. I may have to send him $12,000 so he can get his legal mess untangled and forward me the 19.8 million dollars that I am entitled to.

 

[shereads]

As soon as they ask for my credit card number, I put 'em on spam block.

On the other hand, that president (in exile, nonetheless) of Nigeria ... goddamn, he is a persistant motherfucker. I may have to send him $12,000 so he can get his legal mess untangled and forward me the 19.8 million dollars that I am entitled to.

That poor clueless bastard. No wonder he's in exile. I've refinanced my house twice to loan him a total of $24,000. Last month, I even had to cover his FedEx bill. But it's never enough, Zack. His lawyers always have some story to explain why they need more, and the payoff is always just around the corner.

It's obvious that he's the victim of some kind of scam, and that the lawyers are in on it. How can anyone be that gullible?

I'm starting to think I'll be lucky to make a fraction of $19.8 million. And now it looks like they'll owe you half, which would leave me with one-third, or about $12 million. Is that right?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

If this guy wants you to send him some money, I'd give it a pass.

I've been contacted by publishers and it worked out okay. I've got a couple books with Ellora's Cave (which I won't mention because I've become so superstitious about release dates). It was a long journey, but it started when an editor from their ill-fated subsidiary contacted me after he saw some of my stuff on Literotica.

I also get queries for permission to use stories from some non-pay sites and I almost always give it to them. I'm not making any money off them while they're posted on Lit, so why not?

 

[Erotic-Kiss]

No, I fear the only professionals who would want to be contacting me about my writing are psychiatrists.

Oh. Now I have to look up your stuff.

 

[Softouch911]

I too find it hard to believe anyone would scam me off of my desire to be published, make it to the top of the NYT best list the following month, and appear on Letterman.

 

[davidwatts]

Oh. Now I have to look up your stuff.

Look down is a more accurate phrase.

 

[Erotic-Kiss]

Look down is a more accurate phrase.

Touche'