As a writer I always dreamt of writing tons of novels and being loved by my readers/fan all over the word. Oprah would want to sit down and talk to me, Michele and Barack would invite me to dinner while in my down time I would take family camping trips with Denzel Washington and his wife Pauline.
See how pretty the picture sounds? I can really see it as I sit here typing. That’s my literary dream and through several titles I have published it was my attempt at making those dreams a reality.
For the most part the literary industry is a good place to network, grow and learn but there are some rotten apples that often make us roll our eyes and say what in the world?
The Internet is a fountain of tons of knowledge. Google should be a writers best friend but at times the search engine is treated like it has the cooties.
On the Internet offline nobodies are suddenly online some bodies. With a Facebook page and a few pictures and quotes many pose as literary professionals from book club presidents, book reviewers, literary consultants, literary agents, editors, graphic designers and publishers.
To a new author looking to network Facebook would be a cesspool of professionals that could help the writer out, but without proper research and knowledge of the particular job of the person one is seeking out, many will find themselves at a great disadvantage.
This is when the virtual nightmare comes in because the inexperienced writer does not know that the publisher she paid to publish her book is a single mother with a drug addiction and has no intention of ever publishing her book.
Deception happens often and lots of money is loss due to these fakes. It makes the jobs of the REAL professionals that much harder because the frauds have given the good guys a bad name.
In the last seven months there have been several incidents where authors were conned out of their money by people they trusted. People they thought they knew. People who appeared to have their best interest at heart.
A lot of finger pointing and name calling took place but at the end of the day responsibility lies with the consumer. Before spending money for services check references. This will alleviate many headaches. Don’t be afraid to ask people about the person you will be spending your hard earned dollars with.
Don’t just go by the word of mouth of a few people do a thorough investigation on your own, while this can be a very tedious process, I promise you it is definitely one you won’t regret.
Kisha Green is an author who has a passion for writing and sharing her witty personality with many through social media. For more info about Kisha, visit her website www.divabooksinconline.com and you can also follow her on Twitter @KishaGreen
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