Latest from the Writer Beware blog and the Victoria Strauss half of the dynamic duo of Strauss and Ann Crispin:
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Since Ann has so thoroughly covered what real agents do, I’m going to spend a little time on some things that real agents DON’T do–practices and procedures that, if you encounter them, should make you very, very wary. Ann’s already mentioned some of what follows, but I thought it’d be helpful to have it all listed in one place. Note that these aren’t necessarily signs of a scam–they may just indicate that the agent doesn’t know what he or she is doing. Inexpert agents are often sincere and well-intentioned, but their low level of expertise means that they aren’t any more likely to place a book than a dishonest agent. So scammer or incompetent, the bottom line for writers is the same: no sale.
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