There are a lot of indie presses out there now. Some are good and some are bad, the trick is to find one of the good ones. I know I intern for one of the good ones, and have applied for jobs at a couple others, but really what can the writer do to make sure they are submitting their work to a good press? According to Writer Beware you need to watch out for:
- Does the press charge you any money?
- This would make the press a vanity press
- Do they solicit or spam you?
- Most reputable presses will not do this
- Are there complaints about the staff or press?
- If there are a lot of unhappy authors, there is probably something shady going on
- What are the staff credentials?
- You want someone who knows what they are doing working for you
- What is the website like?
- If there are a lot of grammatical or typographical errors, what makes you think they will properly edit your work?
The list goes on to mention several other things to watch out for. Check out their site for more information on not just indie presses, but other areas important to writers.
Great post; there's so much out there now, it really is crucial for writers to do their homework. Some of these small presses are not legit and give the valid ones a bad name.
ReplyDelete