The Street Smart Writer: Self Defense Against Sharks and Scams in the Writing World

by Jenna Glatzer, Daniel Steven

Aspiring writers learn how to avoid frauds and unsavory deals in this handbook for getting published. The editor of AbsoluteWrite.com and a seasoned publishing attorney share their expertise to help writers spot an honest agent or manager, determine the value of vanity publishing, and avoid getting conned out of hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars when signing a contract. Sections on writing contests teach writers how to determine which contests are useless; other sections offer tips on avoiding costly conferences and shady seminars. A special focus on copyright ensures that writers protect their work from schemers who want to use creativity without paying for it. Appendices include sample publishing, agent, and manager contracts.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

306 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jenna Glatzer is an award-winning full-time writer who's written 28 books and hundreds of articles.

Her main writing interests are biographies and memoirs, and she often writes about health and parenting. She also loves writing for children, as well as writing humor essays and personal essays.

She's Celine Dion's authorized biographer and the author of The Marilyn Monroe Treasures, authorized by Monroe's estate.

Visit her website at www.jennaglatzer.com.

Reviews

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and straightforward examination of the scams and bad deals in the writing and publishing world and how to avoid them.

[Boris Slocum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book to own for anyone wanting to take up writing as a career. It points out some of the schemes and scams to avoid and, more important, what constitutes accepted and honest practice within the publishing community.

The books is several years out of date, and could use a refresher to point out some of the contemporary trends on the Internet, but most all of the advice is solid.

I recommend it.

[Helene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book made me feel depressed, but in an ironically good way. When I began this journey on writing/dreams of becoming published, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy road. However, this book helped inform me of more specific dangers to look out for. Some of the book wasn't interesting to me since it had a lot of jargon (necessary but evil), and also because I'm not interested in screenwriting at the moment. Also, some of the information may be dated despite the fact that it was only released in 2006.

Nonetheless, this book was a good building block/introduction to being more cautious/careful in the writing world. Probably worth reading for those who are interested in getting published.

[Dinochunks01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still working my way through it. The author offers a collegial tone which I rarely see in a popular press work addressed to writers. Her examples are concrete. Her tone is realistic, and hopeful. With a 2006 publishing date, I hope it addresses the radically changing world of the published word. The new Great American Novels will offer changing font size and the ability to search for favorite passages and a tougher to crack market. Also, how does an author autograph a Kindle or Nook or iPad at a signing?

[Sarah Jupiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book did a pretty good job covering the pitfalls that accompany being a writer. It was also a pretty fun read as the writer has real personality and uses personal experiences to illustrate the dangers out there.

[Ray Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another must-read reference for writers. Not all publishers are nice people unfortunately.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book that shows you the other side of writing and how to protect yourself. This is truly a must read for any aspiring writer

[Davina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A valuable tool to keep in your tool box! Fun to read and incredibly frank and informative. I highly suggest any aspiring writer read this before they enter the industry.