Buyer Beware: Vetting Services for Writers

Vetting Writing Classes and Services for Writers

Buyer Beware: Vetting Services for Writers

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A few days ago my husband sent me this email (yes, our offices are down the hall from each other, but you’d be surprised how often intrahousehold and intramarital communications are conducted this way when you marry a computer geek):

“I got a message on LinkedIn from someone at this site who said how they’re impressed, after reading my profile, with my experience and want to know if I ever considered writing a book. Keep in mind my profile lists that I work with FoxPrint Editorial. Their newest blog post seems to be from 2023. Ever heard of them?”  

I won’t name the site here, but I went onto the website and it’s very professional-looking, offering tip-to-tail concierge service for authors from idea to book tour, touting the number of authors who have used their services, the hundreds of awards won by those writers, the hundreds of thousands of reviews posted about those authors’ books, and the high-profile media outlets where those authors have been featured. It’s a pretty exciting-looking site.

No prices are listed.

Creatives as Commodities

Many years ago, in my little baby actor days, there was a very common sales pitch that went something like this: A broad, usually vague casting call for actors (basically an audition notice) would be posted in a local paper—yes, kids a paper, because I’m that old—and all we hungry little fresh-faced aspiring stars would flock to it.

Once there, you would get assessed, starting with the positive: “Wow, you have enormous eyes. The camera loves them.” “You’ve got real presence onstage….” “You’ve got natural charisma.”

Then came the critique: You needed a more professional headshot and résumé.  Your delivery could use more polish. Your camera technique needed some work.

They knew how to fix that though, with the right makeup and lighting and photographer they could send you to, or their professional acting program that was just starting and still had a couple of slots available, or their highly exclusive camera class led by an established film director that would make you a pro in front of the lens, which you just might be a fit for.

You simply needed the right people in your corner—a team behind you to help you flourish. Sign here and write the check (“yes, it’s a lot, but it’s an investment in your career”) and you’re off on the road to success.

It’s incredibly seductive: the attention, the praise, the often legitimate talent and skill and experience of the people offering to help you, the dazzling track record of those they’ve worked with in the past, the idea of finally—finally!—not forging through this forest alone anymore, but having a team of professionals so deeply invested in you, helping you find a path through the trees.

But the actual, literal investment is yours—an often steady stream of it leaking from the budding star.

It was one of the things about the industry that most frustrated me: how easy it was to sell to people who wanted something so desperately, just by dangling their dreams in front of them.

It’s the same in the writing and publishing industry—seemingly more and more. And I have complicated feelings about this because I am one of those people offering services.

Vetting What You’re Getting

Here’s the problem: A lot of these services and products are legit and genuinely useful. I learned a great deal about acting and camera technique and auditioning and voice and movement from classes I took or instructors I hired. I got some excellent headshots from professional photographers. These are indeed tools an actor needs to practice their craft.

As a writer, you may need help structuring or finishing your book. It may take hiring a professional editor to help you see your way out of the woods of your manuscript, and working with one is likely to teach you an enormous amount about storytelling and writing craft. You may need designers or programs for covers and interiors and graphics. You may need support for packaging your book or formatting or marketing or publicity, or any of the increasing number of writing career–related tasks that fall to the author—skill sets we may or may not have, or where professional assistance or training are the most efficient and useful way to get where we need to go.

Your job is to determine how much of it you need and where you want to spend your resources and time and money.

Read more: “Caveat Scriptor: When Creators Become the Customers

As an actor, once I had a foundation for how to audition and get the job, I didn’t need those basic classes anymore. I learned more from doing it than I would have by continuing to study it. Once I began working regularly as an actor, I learned more from being onstage in a show or working in front of the camera than I ever did in any class I’ve taken.

On the flip side, I knew authors who took their own headshots or had friends do it, and that was nothing I ever wanted to try. I knew where my skills lay and that was not it, and the effort required to do it properly did not outweigh simply hiring someone who already was an expert. It was worth it to spend the not insignificant money of hiring a pro (and I still do for my current business headshots).

But here is a hard truth about the acting industry, and any creative industry: No amount of money you spend is going to make you a success. That takes hard work, yes, and talent—most of the time. You’d be surprised how far people can get in a creative industry without either one, simply with a fortunate confluence of the other elements that go into building a successful creative career: luck, contacts, timing, and countless other variables that are utterly out of your control—and may in fact be random.

It’s another one of the frustrating things about this business.

But you’ll find no shortage of people offering goods and services that they may intimate—sincerely or otherwise—will give you a better chance at success. Some may even promise it. (Run from those guys.)

Here are what I’d call some other yellow flags to consider avoiding with goods and services marketed to authors:

If the seller tries to create or inflate a need/demand:

This applies to things like the solicitation to my husband—who is listed as a technical adviser for my company (which he is) and has no digital footprint whatsoever (nor interest) in writing. I’m immediately skeptical of the “Hey, you should write a book!” sales pitch.

Think about it: You know firsthand how hard it is to write, let alone profitably publish a book. Why would any company/individual put so much effort into convincing you to do so unless they knew they stood to make money from it no matter what?

But it also can take the shape of preying on authors’ most cherished desires: “Do you want to be a bestselling author?” type of solicitations. Ain’t nobody got the secret sauce for that (or every author, agent, and publisher would be rich), and if anyone implies they do, walk away.

Targeted solicitations:

I suspect most authors already know that agents and publishers aren’t exactly beating down authors’ doors to convince them to please let them have their books. Being approached by anyone at all in this business always raises my antennae. If someone comes prospecting, they’re probably not looking for gold in your work, but in your wallet.

Hard sells:

If anyone pushes you with a “limited time only” offer, or “only a few spots left!” or “onetime price!” some skepticism may be called for.  These pitches want to create a sense of scarcity, a time-honored sales tool, little FOMO bastards that we humans are, but give this one some thought too: If it’s such a hot ticket, why are they advertising for more sign-ups or dropping the price?

Frankly if you feel pressured at all, I’d take that as a cue to step back from it, not into it, and give a closer look to what they’re offering and what you actually need—and want to spend.

Really in-demand goods and services don’t need to pressure you. From my own experience, I turn potential clients away more than I sign on with them, simply because I can take on only so many projects a year, and my schedule tends to fill up five or six months in advance.

More than that, I’m very likely to talk authors out of hiring me if I feel I’m not the right editor for their manuscript or that the story isn’t yet at the point where a professional edit may be the best use of the author’s money, time, and energy. In those cases I offer alternatives—recommendations to other editors or resources to help them develop the story further so that working with an editor is most productive and effective when it’s time.

What I’ve never done is try to talk someone into hiring me, and if you feel anyone you’re thinking of hiring is doing so, you might examine that a bit more closely.

Watch: Jane Friedman on “Spotting Publishing Scams and Bad Deals

More Tips for Evaluating Goods and Services

A few more tips for considering when and whom to hire:

  • Not all services or classes or goods are created equal. It’s on you as the buyer to do your due diligence in vetting what you’re getting—and it’s worth taking the time and effort to do that thoroughly. (I offer a free 13-page downloadable guide on my website, Get It Edited, that’s loaded with tips on doing this for hiring editors/coaches—and its guidelines may also be useful in vetting other services.)

Read more: “Three Things to Know When Hiring a Pro
  • You don’t always get what you pay for, and more expensive doesn’t always mean better. This works both ways though. Less expensive doesn’t always mean less good; it may mean new or not established, or that they have large enough volume to keep prices low (as with Jane Friedman’s top-notch online courses usually offered at just $25), or any number of things unrelated to its actual value.
  • Just because someone can do it doesn’t mean they can teach it. And vice versa. Judge the value of a class or workshop based not just on the presenter’s own accomplishments in that field, but on their track record for teaching it.
Read more: “What to Know When Hiring a Pro
  • One size never fits all. As an actor I took everything from Stanislavki’s Method acting to Meisner technique; studied various pros’ approaches to auditioning, camera work, improv, and more, but as in writing, none of it was an exact fit for me. I took tools from each that resonated and left behind those that didn’t to create my own individual style and technique as an actor. Just because something works for one person that doesn’t mean it will work for you.
  • In any creative medium, there is no such thing as the right way. That said, there are the ways that are more likely to get you the job, or that suit a particular editor or agent or publishing house. There are ways that are likelier to appeal to a broader swath of the ultimate consumer of your art. There are ways that have been proven effective and ways that are untested, and the latter might result in your work falling flat or it might result in something entirely new and unique that takes the world by storm. Find your own formula based on your goals, needs, and means.
  • No one can do it for you. You can hire all the pros and sign up for all the classes and services and tools in the world, but at the core, this art is based on the artist. Experts can help you improve and expand your skills. They can deepen your knowledge of your craft. They can help you produce the best work you are capable of presenting right now. But even if their past client roster includes every wildly successful author you’ve ever wanted to be, they cannot make you that thing. No one can, not even you.

Much of this industry is out of our control as the creators. Success by outside metrics is based on too many moving parts beyond our ability to affect, and it’s often lightning in a bottle. Even the people behind it or experiencing it may not know exactly what made it happen. If they did they would hit home runs every time afterward, and there are few who have managed that.

Be smart and careful about who you hire and what you buy in service of your career. But focus on the foundation of it: continue to learn, produce the best work you are capable of producing at the time you’re producing it, and keep growing and creating.

Have at me, readers—I want to know about your own experience with classes, workshops, conferences, photographers, designers, marketing/PR pros, editors/coaches, beta reading services—whatever services or goods you’ve hired or paid for. How did you find the person you hired/product you bought? How do you decide when to hire someone and who to hire, or what you need and what to purchase? Feel free to share your experiences and tips so we all benefit!

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20 Comments. Leave new

  • Laura Drake

    The Real Person!

    Author Laura Drake acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 9:42 am

    Thank you for getting the word out, Tiffany. It breaks my heart to hear stories of scammed authors. Is it me, or does it seem like there are more people offering services to writers than there are writers?
    And most of them are failed writers, right?
    Not saying there aren’t wonderful service providers, but do your due diligence!

    Reply
  • Jan Heidrich-Rice

    The Real Person!

    Author Jan Heidrich-Rice acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 12:47 pm

    Thanks for another good one, Tiffany! I have so many mixed feelings here, starting with this: I miss the days when writers could write, agents could agent, editors could edit–full time, without having to balance a zillion tasks from all their other necessary income streams. I used to vow I’d never approach an agent who also wrote, but I get it, many of them have to do it all, and then some, in order to feed the fam. These days we see so many good (and bad) resources offered out there. Personally, I count on input from other writers I know and admire and trust when deciding how to invest in myself. Sometimes I feel pesky with all my questions, but so it goes.

    Reply
    • Oh, Jan…that nostalgic dream does sound lovely, but there were no days like that! Or I guess it’s more accurate to say that in the days when writers could just write, they existed under a very paternalistic system where they were the dreamy content providers who didn’t need to trouble their creative heads about business–“Let the Big Guys take care of all that! You just write, artist, and we’ll handle the rest”–but the writer received a pittance of the profits (and generally that’s still the case in traditional publishing), gave up all their rights for the most part, and had little say in their own careers as far as design, marketing, direct reader outreach, etc.

      The current publishing environment is a mixed bag–challenges and advantages. Authors have much more to manage, but also the potential for much more autonomy and control over their careers.

      And don’t ever feel pesky with questions! You should ask as many as you like to feel confident and comfortable with whoever you’re hiring. Your work and your career are too important not to–and any professional worth hiring won’t mind at all.

      Reply
  • Renae Baker

    The Real Person!

    Author Renae Baker acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 2:11 pm

    Thank you for the very useful information, Tiffany. As an actor, I can attest that the predatory scammers are out there, just as you described. I’m newer to writing, and I appreciate the caution and practical advice.

    Reply
  • Leslie

    The Real Person!

    Author Leslie acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 2:51 pm

    Thank you for this post. As a recently retired graphic designer, I’m familiar with that industry’s high pressure, out-of-nowhere solicitations. I love Jane Friedman’s classes—she and her teachers are invaluable and have taught me so much about the craft of writing.

    Reply
  • Cate

    The Real Person!

    Author Cate acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 4:22 pm

    I love this, and it’s so true: “No amount of money you spend is going to make you a success.”

    I was just told about a company that apparently guarantees a bestseller if you work with them. I visited their website and this is splashed on the homepage: “We have an amazing guarantee… You’ll become a Bestselling Author”

    That statement alone screams scam. The titles they’ve published are truly not bestsellers. Slapping a #1 Bestseller! on a book cover basically means nothing. It burns me up that people out there are actually paying for this service. It took some digging, but I finally found a cost: $15,000 – $150,000. This is nothing more than a vanity press touting false guarantees and preying on writers. As for their featured bestsellers? I’ve never heard of a single one.

    Thank you for shedding more light on this topic. It’s scary out there.

    Reply
  • Karon

    The Real Person!

    Author Karon acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 5:00 pm

    Sometimes even legitimate services aren’t the right fit. I signed on with a woman I had taken a course from. She read my stuff and thought I had lots of potential. The cost was on the higher scale. She had written 5 books herself and taught courses at a high-ranking (in Canada) university. I knew from experience that she was tough and held nothing back, but I felt I was thick-skinned enough to handle anything. I should have read her books first. I did learn a lot, but I found myself second-guessing every sentence, every word choice (not always a bad thing) and being so stressed before each meeting worrying about her reaction, that I finally had to split ways. I don’t regret the learning experience, but it did take months for my critique group to help me regain my confidence.

    Reply
  • Christina Anne Hawthorne

    The Real Person!

    Author Christina Anne Hawthorne acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 5:39 pm

    Excellent post. Thank you. I’m on LinkedIn for a reason that escapes me, and the only people who ever follow me are “experts” in marketing. They don’t look like rabbits, but they sure do breed like them. Periodically, I go in and officially reject their follow requests because I know they’re but one breath away from a sales pitch.

    I’ve never been scammed when it comes to my writing, but then I’m highly cautious and never move forward without proper vetting. I’m always looking for opinions from those I trust. If those opinions don’t exist, that’s the first red flag.

    Too, I’ve been a regular reader (and note taker) at numerous online sites that I trust for well over a decade. I comment, converse, and learn. A skeptic by nature, I’ve always taken a measured approach, not just to purchasing, but to adopting methods. That means ignoring “always” advice and instead picking, choosing, and adopting methods to create my own unique process.

    If it doesn’t work for you, it doesn’t work.

    Reply
    • I’ve been seeing a proliferation of marketers contacting me on LinkedIn lately too! And getting a lot of very sketchy solicitations for people offering to pay to place posts on my blog.

      You’re smart to look for personal references first–that’s the gold standard, though there are so many pros offering services out there now, I get that it can be hard to find a direct testimonial. Still, any professional should have a legit client list they’re willing to share at least part of, and I’m not at all opposed to an author asking to contact some of them if they want to.

      Your careful approach is a good one, I think–and I really relate to your taking elements from many different areas and creating your own best practices. That’s the key! Thanks for the comments, Christina.

      Reply
  • Garry LaFollette

    The Real Person!

    Author Garry LaFollette acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 10, 2024 10:05 pm

    A piece of trivia . . . care to guess who generated the most wealth from the California Gold Rush of 1849 into the 1850s?

    Leland Stanford. Yes, the founder of Stanford University. Leland never panned for gold in his life. But he became richer than anyone who did because his focus was on selling supplies to the hopeful.

    Far as I know the supplies he sold were at least as good as any other seller’s. No doubt equipment bought from his Sacramento store helped some prospectors achieve their dreams. But as Stanford and his three partners – all of whom died incredibly wealthy and as ‘the Big Four’ did more to shape the state of California than any four people – demonstrated, when large numbers of people chase a dream, they become a highly attractive and profitable market.

    Attractive to both people who have significant insights into the dream and skill in helping others grab on to it, and attractive to people who worship at the alter of P.T. Barnum whose infamous quote might as well be paraphrased as ‘there’s a sucker logging onto the net every minute’.

    Reply
    • This is fascinating, Garry–I had never heard this, but it makes sense that the real profits–save a few lucky prospectors–went to the suppliers. It’s so easy to sell a dream–even the possibility of one, isn’t it? I guess that’s why lottery tickets and gambling can be so alluring. I don’t know that I think of it as predators and suckers in the writing arena. I do think there is a need for many of these goods/services–or at least that they can be genuinely useful to authors–and that most providers have genuine intentions of doing so. But I do think it’s crucial that authors take time and care to assess what they truly need, what they can afford to spend (in not just money, but energy, time, and other resources), and who is offering it. Due diligence is so important. Thanks for your always thoughtful comments!

      Reply
  • Jocosa Wade

    The Real Person!

    Author Jocosa Wade acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 11, 2024 5:34 pm

    This post is a keeper, Tiffany. I’ve been blinded by the ‘secret sauce of success’ many times as an actor and writer because rejection sucks. But no amount of rejection is ever going to stop me from writing. And I’ve come to terms with the possibility & probability that I may never become traditionally published. And that’s okay because embracing a creative life often means having to eat a shit sandwich. LOL

    Reply
    • Rejection sucks, and that dream is POTENT! And we are often raised in a culture of a go-get-it mentality: “You can achieve anything–everything!–with hard work!” I wish that were always true in our field, but it’s not, sadly, and I think creatives have to question that premise–as well as that there is any kind of secret sauce–if we’re to create a satisfying, successful career.

      It sounds like you’re already answered one of my “barometer questions” I often ask myself to see if I’m still on a path I want to be on: “If someone told me right now I’d never hit the heights of success in this pursuit, would I still want to do it?” That question led me out of acting and away from fiction writing–but so far day after day in my editing/teaching work, it’s a big old YES, just like you and your writing. Glad you’ve found that solid center for yourself.

      Side note: “Embracing a creative life often means having to eat a shit sandwich” is now the title of my autobiography. 😉 Thanks for the comment, Jocosa–nice to see you here!

      Reply
  • Lee Reinecke

    The Real Person!

    Author Lee Reinecke acts as a real person and passed all tests against spambots. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk.

    October 11, 2024 8:33 pm

    Thank you for these words of caution and guidance for vetting professionals in the writing arena. During the past eight years, I have attended the Erma Bombeck workshop four times, numerous Antioch Writer’s Workshop events, and contracted with editors, internal and external designers at Reedsy. I have taken in-person and zoom classes and read tirelessly.
    Mingling at workshops allows me to meet numerous successful authors who have provided recommendations of professionals like you. I always carefully review credentials, relevant work experience, and some of the books these “leads” have been involved with. When I was seeking a developmental editor for my memoir, I took advantage of 3 prospective editors’ sample edits. This proved priceless when someone from the UK substituted words common there (such as “windscreen” for windshield), but never used in the US where my book was published. Today I nearly signed up for a $400 review of my first 70 pages, pitch, and synopsis, but when I looked at the agent’s website, I learned that he favored innovative fiction. Since my novel is nowhere near that genre, I clicked away from the offer. I agree with you when you say, “it’s on you to do your due diligence” in determining whether someone’s offer is right for us.

    Reply
    • Wow, you’ve been busy! This past year was my first at Erma, and I loved it. Plus, as you point out, it’s such a great way to find professionals you might want to work with, and to get a good idea of whether they’re a good fit for you. I love that you do so much due diligence–I always recommend authors speak to multiple professionals before choosing, and get several sample edits for editors/coaches. It’s too expensive–and too important–not to. (I always say that you should do at least as much research and deliberation in choosing an editor as you would with buying a car or a mattress.)

      I love that you realized the agent you were considering buying a critique from wasn’t a fit for you. There might still be value in it, but likely not as much for you as with someone in your arena. Thanks for your insights, Lee!

      Reply

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