Lee Shore Literary Agency / SterlingHouse Publishers / CYNTOMedia Corp.

[ronniedawg]

This is just a warning to inform new writers or anyone that hasn't dealt with this "agency." They charge fees of all sorts. Including reading,editorial,and a monthly billing of so called, " submissions."

Located In Pittsburgh, Pa and also operating Sterling Publishing, a subsidy publisher owned by the very same Cynthia Sterling, Head Agent of Lee Shore.

Several writers have contacted me and have been bilked out of thousands, and I mean close to ten thousand in one case.

So, writers, stay away from this one.

[HapiSofi]

Is Lee Shore still in business? If so, those guys are bad as they come.

I first heard about Lee Shore a long time back. I'd known for a while that slush readers at publishing houses were puzzled by Lee Shore's submissions. It wasn't that 90% of the manuscripts were obviously unpublishable, though they were; that's no mystery at all. Every newbie who learns to open and log slush swiftly figures out that certain agencies are a never-ending source of bad books. You don't have to train newbies to recognize the scam agents; you have to keep reminding them that it's possible for a good writer to fall into a bad agent's hands.

With Lee Shore, the mystery was why they made it so easy to reject their books. The cover letters practically gave you permission to do it. Sometimes there wouldn't even be a proper cover letter accompanying the manuscript, just an auto-reject form with check-off boxes giving you a choice of reasons to reject it. (My young informant visibly turned up her nose when explaining this. "We throw away the form and send them a real rejection letter," she said.)

A year or two later, I finally found out what was going on with that. The first part of the loop was pretty standard scammer fare: Lee Shore lured in naive authors, bilked them of fees for this and that, and told them that No Publisher Will Look At A Manuscript That Hasn't Been Professionally Edited. Which is completely untrue, by the way; that claim is an infallible genetic marker for scam agents.

The "professional edit" is a popular way for these agents to pry additional money out of their clients. Some agents simply demand that their authors pay them to edit their manuscripts. The owner of Lee Shore is known to have demanded a $9500 editing fee from one author (http://www.writers.net/forum/read/10/12936/12899Vf#12936). Rotten awful scam agent Martha Ivery did the same thing, and she was barely literate. Other agents send the author off for a very expensive "edit" at the hands of a confederate. One must assume that kickbacks are involved in these arrangements, since the money can be substantial and the "edits" almost never produce a saleable manuscript. I can't see professional scammers handing over their pigeons to be plucked by others without making something on the deal.

When the editing stage was finished, Lee Shore would announce that the supposedly buffed and polished manuscript was now ready to be sent out to publishers, ooh gosh how exciting. Then they'd send it out to a bunch of publishers and collect a bunch of quick rejections. This was the explanation for those mysteriously listless cover letters, and auto-reject check-off enclosures: they were collecting rejections, pure and simple.

When you're killing slush, there are going to be a lot of manuscripts that can be rejected out of hand. These first-cut rejections are reasonably quick to process. Lee Shore was trying to get that fast rejection response because the rejections were all they wanted.

Why? Because an author who'd thought their manuscript was polished and publishable, and who then gets hit with a bunch of quick rejections, bam bam bam, is going to be in a very vulnerable state, sort of like a cutlet that's been pounded with one of those tenderizing hammers. Having reduced the author to this condition, Lee Shore then ran their crowning scam. They'd call the author, rejoicing, saying they'd placed the book with a house that absolutely loved it, a small publisher but such a perfect fit for the book, O happy happy day.

You can imagine the author's reaction to this news. Their sufferings would be redeemed! Their book would be published! It would be in bookstores! People would read it! Cue the sun bursting forth from clouds, witch-kings crumbling to ash, orcs incontinently fleeing in all directions, and free beer for everyone forever. And the name of this kind and perceptive publisher? Why, Sterling (http://www.writersweekly.com/warnings/leeshore.html) House (http://www.writer.net/forum/read/6/3473/3473), of course.

Alas, there were two things Lee Shore would omit to mention. One was that most books sold by Lee Shore were placed with Sterling House. The other was that Sterling House and Lee Shore were both owned (http://savage.authorslawyer.com/journals/j_98.shtml#9822) by the same person, Cynthia Sterling (http://www.writers.net/forum/read/10/12936/12899Vf#12936). Needless to say, Sterling House was a rapacious vanity publisher; but when your very own agent is telling you this is a good deal, it's hard to resist.

There's no record of Lee Shore ever selling a book to a real publisher. They did place some of their titles with a small number of other (http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/001541.html) vanity publishers with whom they had noticeably cozy relationships: Northwest, Commonwealth, Aegina, and especially PressTIGE (http://www.writersweekly.com/warnings/presstige.html) (on which, more anon). I'm suspicious of this for the same reasons I'm suspicious of the arrangements whereby scam agents refer their clients to "professional editors" who charge them a mint. There's only so much plucking you get can get out of one pigeon. Why should they be turning their clients over to operations that'll take them for thousands of dollars, if they're not getting a kickback on the deal?

You don't need an agent to sell your book to a vanity publisher, and real agents don't do it. Sometimes you'll see professional authors placing their unsaleable old out-of-print titles with PODs just to keep them available. Wildside's been doing a lot of that kind of publishing, and they're a respectable operation. But if you see agents placing their clients' hitherto unpublished titles with PA, iUniverse, Xlibris, 1stBooks, etc., run the other way.

But back to Lee Shore. They had a particularly cozy relationship with PressTIGE Publishing (http://www.speculations.com/rumormill/index.php?m=40&t=272), a notoriously corrupt (http://www.authorslawyer.com/l-publishers.shtml#ivery) operation run by Cynthia Sterling's longtime crony Kelly O'Donnell, a.k.a. Martha Ivery (http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/general.html#Alert). This gets complicated. Watch carefully:

1. Kelly O'Donnell and Martha Ivery are the same person.
2. Martha Ivery runs the Pacific Literary Agency.
3. Martha Ivery is the Publisher of PressTIGE publishing.
4. Kelly O'Donnell runs Kelly O'Donnell Literary Services.
5. The Pacific Literary Agency and Kelly O'Donnell Literary Services both sell their clients' books to PressTIGE Publishing.
6. Over the years, Cynthia Sterling and Kelly O'Donnell/Martha Ivery have undertaken many joint projects.
7. Among its commercial credentials, Kelly O'Donnell Literary Services lists "sales" to Sterling House.
8. Among its commercial credentials, Lee Shore lists "sales" to PressTIGE Publishing.

Isn't that cute? You could keep the author running in circles forever, batting them this way and that like a cat playing with a mouse, and never once let them come anywhere near real agents and real publishers who'd pay them real money and sell their books to real readers. I once saw a writer indignantly defending Lee Shore on the grounds that they'd placed five of his books with publishers. Turned out he'd been published once each by Northwest, Commonwealth, and PressTIGE, and twice by Sterling House: five placements at notorious vanity houses in a row. He must have had a lucrative day job; otherwise he could never have afforded it.

Bear in mind that a lot of the people who fall among these thieves don't have high-paying jobs and can't afford it. They mortgage their houses, sell their cars, spend their savings, and dip into the grocery money. Bear in mind as well that there's no guarantee that these books that get shunted off and wasted on vanity publication deals would have been unsaleable. Scammers don't care how bad their writers are, but they don't care how good they are, either.

I can't tell whether I've just written a current warning or a case study, because I don't know what Kelly O'Donnell, Cynthia Sterling, or any of their former employees are doing these days. Whatever it is, I hope it's painful, humiliating, and has nothing to do with books. But I trust that it was nevertheless useful for me to write this, because even if that particular batch of nogoodniks are no longer ripping off authors, someone else is sure to be doing it.

[JustinoIV]

Please inform those writers to contact the relevant agencies such as the attorney general, the Internet Fraud division of the FBI, the local police, and the department of consumer affairs. I do appreciate people putting up information here, but watchdog groups and sites like these have no power to prosecute. I think often victims of scams just sulk it in. So inform them to resolve their issues outstanding with the government. Actually, they should sue the bastards for defrauding them, but first the other complaints need to be made so that the government can investigate.

[vstrauss]

Lee Shore is still in business because they do smart business (unlike the notorious Martha/Kelly, who couldn't remember on any given day which of her personas she'd said was dead in order to get an unhappy author off her back). They maintain a slick pseudo-professional veneer. They know the lingo. They don't charge too much money, or charge it too often. They don't indulge in crazy antics or obvious lunacy. They don't abuse their clients to their faces, and they respond when authors call or e-mail. They are careful not to tell lies that can be caught out. They do send out queries to publishers, and can muster actual rejection letters (as HapiSofi says, it's all part of the scheme, but it adds to the impression of legitimacy, at least from the hoodwinked client's perspective).

They probably do a bigger and more lucrative business than just about any of the big-time operators, yet I get fewer complaints about them than about anyone else.

Cynthia actually cut ties with Martha/Kelly at some point, because ol' Martha was just too loony. Bad for business.

- Victoria

[ronniedawg]

Yes, Victoria, I have to agree they are slick. I am hoping they are investigated and prosecuted. Mail fraud is mail fraud anytime the perps use the mail to achieve their financial goals through fraudelent means. I'd love to be there to watch Cynthia go up the river. In reality the service she provides is nothing more then fraud.

[AC Crispin]

Writer Beware put Martha out of business. She declared bankruptcy, and hasn't been doing any agenting for a couple of years. She is watched closely. The FBI seized all of her records, manuscripts, computers, etc.

Writer Beware helped the FBI find victims, and then the FBI found many more on their own. A case has been prepared against her, on many counts of fraud, but it seems to have stalled after the FBI sent it to the next level.

We keep hoping that at some point someone will get around to reading the material on this "made" case and decide to issue an arrest warrant.

Until then...at least she's out of business.

-Ann C. Crispin

P.S. Hapi, I feel like Butch and Sundance looking back at their pursuers...who IS this guy? You sure know a lot about all of this! It's not often we run into people who are as scam knowledgeable as you appear to be that we haven't already met.

If you want to introduce yourself, my email is:

anncrispin@aol.com

:-)

Anyhow, thanks for the help here on these boards!

[HapiSofi]

Nobody exciting or impressive, Ann. I just know a little bit about writing and publishing, I like to talk about them, and things are less complicated for me if I do it this way.

People like you and Victoria and Dave and Jim are the real scamhunters. If there's anything helpful I can add to that pursuit, I'm happy to do it.

[AC Crispin]

<tips hat to Hapi>

Pleased to meetcha, Hapi. Butt in and share in the "eddicating" whenever the urge strikes -- it'll save my fingers. <smile>

Victoria and I often get to feeling like broken records on writer boards. Nice to know some folks are paying attention.

-Ann C. Crispin

[James D Macdonald]

Hey, Dave!

Do you think Cynthia is talking about you? Or maybe it's Ann and Victoria?

Quote:
I recently read some unflattering comments about certain agencies on the Internet.

What is your response to Internet rumor mills?



The Lee Shore Company is very aware of the derogatory, commercially disparaging and libelous remarks posted on Internet websites that claim to be legitimate reporting sources on publishers, agents and others in the publishing and literary industry. The Company’s decision is to handle this situation via the court system. We will not validate these sites by entering into a cyberspace debate with nonprofessionals. Furthermore, we have invited our detractors to come and visit us, but they have refused. We have challenged them to produce solid evidence to back their (false) claims, but none has been forthcoming. Anyone desiring more information on our Company may contact us directly at 412-271-1100 or visit our facility for a friendly, candid discussion. We’re located at 7436 Washington Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15218. You can also make arrangements to meet with us at any of the larger trade shows, here or aboard.


http://www.leeshoreagency.com/faq.html

[DaveKuzminski]

Well, I do bring out the best in people. However, I believe they mean all of us since they stated "websites" in the plural form.

Handle it through the court system? Oh, how clever. I'll look forward to seeing them prove that what P&E has stated is false. Hey, do you think they'd have a better chance if they joined with PA to make it a class action suit?

[KW]

A few years ago I had checked out Sterlinghouse publishers. After an hour on the phone, at my expense, she told me that it would cost $7,000.00 for x ammount of books. What a joke.

Dave, PA wouldn't hook up with them. PA doesn't want their practices out in the open and that is why they have never sued anybody for saying anything about them. I'm sure you know this though.

After I forgot about Sterlinghouse I went for Finesse Literary Agency. Seeing she was a joke I didn't sign with her, but do still have all the paperwork she sent me with the list of authors she said she placed. After that I found PA.

I just keep going after the criminals don't I?

Kevin

[KW]

I still have the contract for Sterlinghouse if anyone is interested. Even the one for Finesse Literary Agency.

Kevin

[vstrauss]

Kevin, I'd like to see the Sterling House contract--PO Box 1216, Amherst MA 01004.

Lee Shore isn't the only questionable agency that feels it has to explain away the watchdog groups. We like that....

- Victoria

[KW]

Victoria, you got mail.

Kevin

[James D Macdonald]

Same FAQ:

Quote:
I read on the Internet that, if an agent or a publisher is interested in my work, they should spend their money on my book, not my money. Would you please comment?



The best way to address this comment is with a question. What do you think a writer must do to persuade an agent or publisher to invest their money in an author and her work? Lately it seems that writers expect to get something for nothing. They are under the mistaken impression that, because they have written a novel or nonfiction manuscript, they are ipso facto entitled to free reviews, free marketing, free editorial advice and a considerable advance from a major publisher. For a very select few, this is indeed the case. But those select authors have earned the right to receive this very exclusive treatment, and much is expected from their work. Every success has its price, and every well-known author has a story to tell about how that success happened for him. I wish I could say that good writing alone will be enough to earn you literary success, but it is not. Today’s new writers must produce well-crafted work, know how to promote themselves effectively, and be willing to assist in their own publicity and public relations.


May I comment too?

This "very exclusive treatment" goes to ... everyone who signs with a legitimate agency and a legitimate publisher!

Good writing alone may not bring you "success," but it'll sure-enough get you published. What no one's figured out yet is how to make the public buy a book they don't want. Believe it or not, sending money to a scammer won't make the public want to read your book either.

The best way to address this comment is with a question. What do you think a writer must do to persuade an agent or publisher to invest their money in an author and her work?

Write a good book. That's 100% of it.

[aka eraser]

Exactly Jim. We need to keep hammering away at this Big Lie the scammers keep feeding to naive writers.

The Big Lie: You need to be famous, or have an "in," or pay someone who does, in order to be represented by an agent or published by a traditional publisher.

Bullpoop. Horsehockey.

Every single traditionally-published writer was a nobody the first time they were published (excluding authors who were celebrities in another field). They wrote a good book and submitted it until they found a publisher who agreed with them. That publisher paid them for it, not the other way around.

Ditto with the vast majority of legit agents. They don't see a dime until the book is sold. They get paid when the writer gets paid.

Talent and perseverance is the recipe, not tossing $ at slick-talking, scum-sucking dream merchants.

[James D. Macdonald]

Cynthia Sterling, Lee Shore Agency, and the big lie that scammers tell the young.

Remember, kids, agents work on commission -- and they collect after they've sold your book.

[CaoPaux]

The latest incarnation: http://www.leeshorecompany.com/Pages/About/about.html

[HapiSofi]

The latest incarnation: http://www.leeshorecompany.com/Pages/About/about.htmlThey're still not dead? What does it take? It's like we're in a Hammer film, and Cynthia Sterling is Dracula.

[Brandon Kerlee]

I particularly enjoyed the part about "Why do writers expect something for nothing" under the FAQ's...

Yes, how dare they expect to be paid for their work... :P

[Kasey Mackenzie]

LOL...Well it isn't something for nothing if the company is a REAL publisher, who actually distributes the author's books widely and *gasp* MAKES MONEY OFF OF IT! If you're just a thinly-disguised printing company, on the other hand...

[CaoPaux]

Book Maven, come back! Repression ain't healthy. ;)

[UrsusMinor]

Sorry to drop in so late on this discussion, but isn't a "Lee Shore" what sailors most fear--that is, a coastline downwind (leeward) of your vessel?

In the Patrick O'Brian books, one of the sailors is a poet who has some lines about 'the impervious horror of a leeward shore.'

"Brought by the lee" or "against a lee shore" are both sailor expressions for an almost hopeless situation.

Was this agency trying to be funny, or engage in foreshadowing, or is there really a scammer named 'Lee Shore'?

[CaoPaux]

*snerk*

lee shore
n.

A shore toward which the wind blows and toward which a ship is likely to be driven. Oh, that's rich.

AFAIK, there's no person "Lee Shore" with the agency. What're the chances they'd accidentally name their organization something so appropriate to their business model? :ROFL:

[davids]

Hi-a friend who I consider to be a fine writer has contacted me about the Lee Shore Agency-cannot find anything about her but my friend has told me that this agency charges up-front fees! I have also suggested to my friend that they query at least 100 agents-it is not everyone who gets bites first time out so just keep trying-she has worked very hard-first timer-and quite capable-talented as far as I am concerned-anyway if anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated-I did suggest to her that up-front is down back and should be ignored-however excited as she is what can I do except suggest and be denied because she cannot see the trees in the forest! I am a softy am very lucky in my literary endeavors-ego get thee hence-thank-you all for any info-Dave

[HapiSofi]

Davids, you've posted in the wrong thread, but tell your friend that the Lee Shore Agency is a con game, one of the worst of the fake agents, and that he or she should have nothing to do with them.

[Aconite]

davids, the Index at the top of this page lists a whole thread for the Lee Shore Agency:

Lee Shore Company, Ltd., The (Cynthia Sterling) (aka CYNTOMedia Corp., CYNTOM Cinema Productions) (see also SterlingHouse Publishers)
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986

[MadScientistMatt]

*snerk*

Oh, that's rich.

AFAIK, there's no person "Lee Shore" with the agency. What're the chances they'd accidentally name their organization something so appropriate to their business model? :ROFL:

Maybe because both will take anything the wind blows in.

[pniner]

Actually, the name comes from Cindy's middle name, Lee, and one of her maiden names, Shore (I've seen at least two maiden names attributed to her).

Similarly, SterlingHouse is from her current married name. The name of her "media branch," Cyntom Productions, is a combination of her and her husband: Cynthia and Tom. Her office building is named The Sterling Building. Her country home, which includes cabins and such, is named Sterling Woods (by herself, at least).

If you think that's egocentric, you should see her office. Self-portraits and photographs of herself everywhere (yeah, I've seen it).

[Gravity]

I wonder what she'll name her 5X7 cell at Club Fed? Stone Manor, perhaps? Mossy Acres? The Fortress of Solitude? The mind reels...

[Branwyn]

Oh brother-- I got excited for a minute to find he handled occult fiction.

Go figure.

[James D. Macdonald]

Heading back over to Lee Shore's web page, I find a new FAQ question!

I hesitate to ask the following question but I've read some negative comments regarding the Lee Shore Company on the Internet. I can’t believe the junk that is out there, but why are these individuals and Internet companies doing this to your company and other literary companies, publishers and literary agents?

Easiest thing in the world to answer, sport: the Lee Shore Agency, and some other literary companies, publishers, and agents, are crooks. Y'know, scammers. Serious bad guys who take your money and hand you a bag full of nothing in return. Notice that legitimate publishers (the ones who get real books into real bookstores) and legitimate agents (the ones who sell real books to legitimate publishers) don't get those negative comments. Ever wonder why that might be?


We have asked ourselves the same thing at the Lee Shore Company.

And the answer never occurred to you? Here it is in words of one syllable: You're crooks.

The Internet can be a bewildering place sometimes, can’t it?

Not particularly. Kids in grammar school have figured it out.

Personally, we don’t know why the Lee Shore Company is one of the targets of these unfounded, unprovoked attacks made by a few Internet sites.

It's because you take authors' money when you know that you can't provide the service the author expects: representation to legitmate publishers; sales to a non-vanity press. The common word for taking money for a service you know you can't provide is fraud.

All of us at the Lee Shore Company were equally surprised and dismayed when we learned that some of these Internet sites actually copied and pasted sections of the Lee Shore Company’s website on their sites without our permission, as if we had responded to questions they posed to us.

All part of the service, chum. But, since you're offering, here are some questions for you to answer: What have you sold, ever, to a commercial publisher? How much does your typical author pay you? Why aren't you a member of AAR?


The bottom line is this: The Lee Shore Company has been in business since 1988 and has never encountered anything like this.

Oh, come on. You've been encountering things "like this" since the first day you hung out your shingle. Real authors know that the only place a writer signs a check is on the back.

The Lee Shore Company and our affiliated companies, CyntoMedia Corporation (http://www.leeshorecompany.com/Pages/FAQS/faq.html#), SterlingHouse Publisher (http://www.leeshorecompany.com/Pages/FAQS/faq.html#) and Cyntom Cinema Productions (http://www.leeshorecompany.com/Pages/FAQS/faq.html#), have decided not to get involved in the Internet rumor mill or conduct any negative Internet campaign against our detractors.

Thanks for the list of other scammers to avoid. (Oh, and incidentally, the Rumor Mill is here: http://www.speculations.com/?c=68528 )

We are working through the legal system and proper governing entities to resolve this situation that is commercially disparaging and libelous.

Are you indeed? You've been saying that for years ... without ever actually contacting anyone in the legal system or "governing bodies" (whatever they are). Could it be because you don't dare get close to a court? Perhaps because you've heard of discovery? I bet you haven't lifted a legal finger because you know that, in libel cases, truth is a complete defense. As damaging as being called a bunch of scammers on the internet might be, it would be infinitely worse to be proved a bunch of scammers in open court. The minute you sued someone you know you'd get countersued, and you know that you'd lose.

Rest assured that we stand behind our mission statement and will continue to do so. Lee Shore Company’s best wishes and support go out to all those companies who have been damaged by the Internet rumor mill.


What was your mission statement again? Ah, yes, here it is: "The mission of the Lee Shore Company is to offer the highest quality literary services available and to educate writers about their craft and the literary marketplace." You do that so well! By the time you're done with them your authors have learned an expensive lesson about the literary marketplace.

And it's great that you're sending your best wishes and support to Martha Ivery, Melanie Mills, George Titsworth, James Van Treese, Dorothy Deering, Janet Kay, Don Phelan, Bill Appel, Ursula Sprachman, and all the rest. I'm sure they appreciate your vote of confidence.

[victoriastrauss]

I have a hunch that our gal Cynthia sent a nastygram to Monet (see deleted posts upstream).

- Victoria (whose modly X-ray vision enables her to read deleted messages)

[James D. Macdonald]

Another cartooney? I wouldn't be surprised.

Meanwhile, Cynthia lists a whole bunch of "Clients and Titles" over on her webpage. As of this afternoon, a quick walk through Amazon shows me this:

ALL NONFICTION TITLES

Memoir/Biography/True Story

My Kingdom Come by M. Stephenson

Not found.

Technicolor Dreamin': The 1960'S Rainbow and Beyond by K. Moller

Trafford Publishing (pay-to-play vanity)

The Brownsville Texas Incident: The Final Analysis by W. Baker

Not found.

Last Call: The Cpl. Larry Brian Mitchell Story by A. Egger

Not found.

Where is Grandpa Sleeping? by M. Culler

Not found.


Snap Diagnosis by C. Ead

Not found.

Reference/Textbooks

European and American Painting: A Reference Guide by R. D. Peterson

Not found.

Globalization: The Attack on the American Dream by Brian Patrick Burke

Not found.

New Age

The Runik Tarot by J. Gieseking

Not found.

The Sculptured Soul by S. Garza

Not found.

Humor

A (Rather Rude and Insensitive) HANDBOOK OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHO-SILLY ISSUES (For the Bubba in All of Us) by Raymond H. Stem II

Not found.

Religion

God Without Dogma by Hugo Fruehauf

Xlibris Corporation (pay-to-play vanity)

Special Interest

How to Protect Yourself From Your Own Attorney by R. Colombo

Not found.

ALL FICTION TITLES

Mass Market Action/Adventure

The Treasure of the Mary Dier by D. Hoag

Not found.

Life Could be a Dream by J. Stevens

Not found.

A Ramadan to Remember by R. Penny

Not found.

Berlin Breakdown by B. Rapp

Not found.

Contemporary Fiction

Marmion Cross Roads by W. Forests

Not found.

Blind Spot by C. Fazzolari

Not found.

Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Hunting Season by B. Cook

Not found.

Obsession by M. Irvine

Not found.

He Loved Me Not by M. Irvine

Not found.

Broken Doll by C. Constantine

Not found.

Heart of the Amazon by N. Atherton

Not found.

Mass Market General

High Ground by W. Short

Not found.

Make me Good by S. Coleman

Not found.

Prize Day by R. Penny

Not found.

Red Earth Dig by J. Zedolik

Not found.

Detonator by T. G. Allen

Not found.

The Great Gathering of the Gods by S. Garza

Not found.

The Cairo Purchase by T. Conrad

Not found.

Strange Isles Sonorous Rivers by E. R. Sublett

Not found.

The Ultimate Conman by M. J. Ibarra

Not found.

Thanksgiving Day by S. Zarcinas

Not found.

Historical/Period

Ransomed From the Fall by B. Cook

Not found.

Mass Market-Horror

Portrait of Greed by B. Coyle

Not found.

Paranormal Romance

The One to Fear by W. W. Frazier

Not found.

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Viral Invasion by G. Braz

Not found.

A Stranger in Time by L. Joesph

Not found.

Children of the Ascendance by M. Smith

Not found.

Mass Market Suspense/Thriller

Fatal Decisions by B. Coyle

Not found.

Soul Riders by B. Coyle

Not found.

A Pale Rain by B. Rapp

Not found.

Young Adult

Menemasha’s Secret by B. Baker

Not found.

Hattie's Decision by B. Baker

Not found.

Seagull Island Summer by A. Stankay

Not found.

The Bones in the Soup by M. Stephenson

Not found.

Samantha B. Honeycomb by S. Zarcinas

Not found.


In the whole list, only two published -- and they bothl came out from pay-to-play vanity presses. Y'know something? You don't need an agent to sell your book to a vanity press. All you need is a checkbook.

How about the books, not listed on Lee Shore's page, that came out from SterlingHouse?

Pay-to-play, every one. And Atlanta Nights (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1411622987/ref=nosim/madhousemanor/) has a better Amazon Sales Number than most of them.

(Oh, and would someone tell Cynthia that "Mass market" is a distribution model, not a marketing category or genre? Thanks.)

[Branwyn]

How is it, that these people are able to get away with this? Is it that no one has filed a law suit against them?
When the heat gets too hot, they close the restaurant and open a new one?

I thought psychics had a bad reputation due to some rotten apples, but they don't hold a candle to these crooks.
It's a shame. It's hard enough to learn the trade, and then to have to weed the poison ivy from the roses... it gets painful.

[triceretops]

Jim, you'll also notice that the first name of all the authors has been left out of the title. This would certainly make the search even more difficult. A deliberate list of false authors?

Tri

[James D. Macdonald]

A deliberate list of false authors?



Nah, I'm pretty certain that it's just laziness/incompetence. I'm sure they have plenty of unsold authors on their list (like, all of them).

The synopses of the unsold books on that site are things of wonder, BTW. I wonder if anyone at Lee Shore speaks English as a native tongue?

[James D. Macdonald]

How is it, that these people are able to get away with this? Is it that no one has filed a law suit against them?

Literary fraud is low on law enforcement's priority list. And for most authors the amount they might win in a lawsuit is far less than what they'd have to spend up-front on lawyers.

[Branwyn]

Thanks

[victoriastrauss]

Or else she couldn't be bothered to make up their first names.

- Victoria

[Monet]

I have a hunch that our gal Cynthia sent a nastygram to Monet (see deleted posts upstream).

- Victoria (whose modly X-ray vision enables her to read deleted messages)

Just a note to let you all know -- the reason I deleted my posts was because they weren't about The Lee Shore Agency. My posts were about another agency.

[Popeyesays]

Sorry to drop in so late on this discussion, but isn't a "Lee Shore" what sailors most fear--that is, a coastline downwind (leeward) of your vessel?

In the Patrick O'Brian books, one of the sailors is a poet who has some lines about 'the impervious horror of a leeward shore.'

"Brought by the lee" or "against a lee shore" are both sailor expressions for an almost hopeless situation.

Was this agency trying to be funny, or engage in foreshadowing, or is there really a scammer named 'Lee Shore'?

"Leeward" means to lie in the direction the wind is BLOWING. A westerly wind means the wind is blowing to the west, whatever is to your east is to the "Weather side" and whatever is to the west is to the "Lee side".

If you are to close to the shore and the wind is blowing ONshore, the sailing vessel (or powered vessel for that matter) has the land to its lee. A sailing vessel has to beat or tack away from the lee shore. If there is a promontory of land sticking too far out for the ship to tack away, then ity is in extreme danger.

I suspect the scammer do not know the difference between a lee shore and a weather shore. It's probably just coincidence; but one cannot be certain.

Regards,
Scott

[Jaws]

Easiest thing in the world to answer, sport: the Lee Shore Agency, and some other literary companies, publishers, and agents, are crooks. Y'know, scammers. Serious bad guys who take your money and hand you a bag full of nothing in return.
Now, now, Uncle Jim. I think you're jumping to conclusions here.

They might just be terminally stupid.

Specific example: The client of mine whom the principal of Lee Shore referred to Northwest Publishing, to the tune of [confidential amount bigger than a breadbasket]; then, when Northwest collapsed, to Commonwealth, which my client rejected; then, following that rejection, to Sovereign, to the tune of [confidential amount bigger than a breadbasket]; then, when the Deerings changed residences for a period of 46 and 41 months respectively (see US v. Deering, No. 99cr76 (E.D. Ky.)), to SterlingHouse, without disclosing the common ownership. At which point my client wised up. I pointed him toward a small press that happily published his book, which remains in print and actively selling.

Let me take that back. Scammers.

And if you don't like this, Cynthia et al., I've got documentation. Lots of documentation. Don' t'row me in dat dere courtroom, Br'er Fox!

[James D. Macdonald]

Northwest, then Commonwealth, then Soveriegn, then SterlingHouse?

"Once is chance, twice is happenstance, three times is enemy action." -- Ian Fleming

[Quiller]

"Leeward" means to lie in the direction the wind is BLOWING. A westerly wind means the wind is blowing to the west, whatever is to your east is to the "Weather side" and whatever is to the west is to the "Lee side".

If you are to close to the shore and the wind is blowing ONshore, the sailing vessel (or powered vessel for that matter) has the land to its lee. A sailing vessel has to beat or tack away from the lee shore. If there is a promontory of land sticking too far out for the ship to tack away, then ity is in extreme danger.

I suspect the scammer do not know the difference between a lee shore and a weather shore. It's probably just coincidence; but one cannot be certain.

Regards,
Scott

A westerly wind is a wind blowing FROM the west and going east. The weather side of a boat is the side of the boat the wind is hitting*The lee side of the boat is the other side. A lee shore (when on a boat) is the shore to the lee (i.e. downwind) of a boat. The same shore is a weather shore when standing on the land (or, if you will island).

* implication of the term "weather" and "lee" in the context of a boat usually means wind to port (left side, when facing forward on the boat) or starboard (right side). When the wind on "on the nose" or "on the bow", or "aft" or "on the stern", the terms weather and lee are not usually used. The terms date from sailing vessel days, and "being on a lee shore" (meaning trying like hell to sail away from land and rocks downwind from the boat and not making headway upwind) was a very bad thing. A full 1/4 of all commercial sailing vessels (even at the end of commercial sailing vessels) sank before getting old enough to be retired. Shipwrecked on a lee shore was probably the most common reason a sailing ship did not reach its intended port.

[Sonarbabe]

Shipwrecked on a lee shore was probably the most common reason a sailing ship did not reach its intended port.

And it all makes sense now....

[Gillhoughly]

Real authors know that the only place a writer signs a check is on the back.

One of these lifetimes I would treasure the honor of bearing your children.

[CaoPaux]

Re: SterlingHouse Publishers (Pemberton Mysteries, 8th Crow Books, Cambrian House Books, Blue Imp Books, Caroline House Boooks, Dove House Books, PAJA Books, et al.)

FYI - This publisher has received "two thumbs down" from Writer Beware:

http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2007/02/happy-valentines-day-from-writer-beware.html

[triceretops]

Oh, yeah. Nice list of baddies, CaoPaux. The notorious Thirteen.

Tri

[Donna Pudick]

I see that P & E has listed them as a subsidy publisher. I've had complaints from some of their former authors. Is there a thread on them here? They have been soliciting agents for material.

Thanks, DP

[James D. Macdonald]

For information on SterlingHouse, see the Lee Shore Agency (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=986).

SterlingHouse also apparently operates under the names 8th Crow Books, Blue Imp Books, Broadmoor Books, Cambrian House, Caroline House, Paja Books, and Pemberton Mysteries.

[Donna Pudick]

Thanks, James. I can't believe they are actually soliciting agents. The communication was from a guy named Dave Waeltz. A warning to other agents, this communication comes off sounding very legit. If you are new in this business, have a care if this comes to your e-mail address.

DP

[James D. Macdonald]

Edit Ink (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/Editink.html) used to solicit agents too. And some scam agencies actually do make submissions to real publishers.

Once you start looking into this demimonde the variations are fascinating.

[AC Crispin]

Hey, Donna, would you mind sending a copy of what Sterling House sent you on to Writer Beware?

The email address is beware@sfwa.org

Sterling House is on Writer Beware's "Two Thumbs Down Publisher List" and with good reason. They're a vanity press, and the "literary agency" Lee Shore Agency is owned by them.

So they double-dip in scamming writers.

-Ann C. Crispin
Chair, Writer Beware
www.writerbeware.com

[victoriastrauss]

Donna, I second Ann's request. I've heard from a couple of other agents who've been solicited by SterlingHouse; they seem to be soliciting very widely. I'd love to have another copy of what they're sending out.

- Victoria

[Braydie]

Several years ago I sent queries on the same day to about ten literary agencies. The Lee Shore Agency was one I queried and was thrilled to receive a response from an enthusiastic agent. The correspondence easily led me, a novice, to believe my query had piqued someone's interest and instructed me to send my completed manuscript to them. Later that day, or maybe the next, I received a totally unexpected phone call from a Lee Shore agent who fed my know-nothing ego. :poke:

Eventually we got around to the real reason for the call. According to the eager agent, she definitely wanted me to send my completed manuscript if I hadn't already done so, but because of the time involved in reading and critiquing the work, it was also necessary for me to send a $125.00 check or money order. :Shrug:

When I tentatively questioned the request for money, the friendly representative explained that a small reading fee was standard practice for small agencies. It was my first time around the block, so I agreed to send a check with the manuscript. It was an honor to give professionals a few dollars just to give my work some qualified attention and hopefully to get it out into the world. :hooray:

Probably about two weeks later, I received a printed critique book with handwritten critique entries. Also included was a suggestion that all my writing problems might be solved if I followed the instructions in some books from their agency that had been written and published by their very own staff members. They offered to sell me a few specific books, wait for me to make necessary edits to my manuscript and critique the revisions - all for an additional $125.00 plus the cost of their highly recommended books. :roll:

That was the day I went online and did the research I should have done in the first place. I happened upon Preditors & Editors, added the site to my Favorites, and steered clear of any further correspondence with the Lee Shore Agency. Duh.

[victoriastrauss]

Braydie, thanks for your post. I've copied it into the Lee Shore thread, so people who may be thinking of querying that agency will be sure to see it.

- Victoria

[Donna Pudick]

Be happy to send it. It's three pages long. I'll send it to the site Ann included in her message. And thanks, guys.--DP

[Braydie]

victoriastrauss,

Although it's somewhat embarrassing, I hope telling about my experience with the Lee Shore Agency will prevent at least one published-author-wannabe from making the same mistake.

[Donna Pudick]

Look at Sterling's website, it's very impressive. If you click on submissions, you get a one-sheet submission form to fill out, no mention of money. They probably take it in small increments, a charge here, a charge there. According to the e-mail I got, they'll be at Book Expo in NYC. Has anyone here seen one of their books in person? Or any of their persons in person?

[James D. Macdonald]

Let's look at SterlingHouse's front page (http://www.sterlinghousepublisher.com/)

They showcase a number of books. I'm going to look at their Amazon sales numbers (just a dipstick).

KILLING BLUE EYES ISBN: 1-56315-340-8 Amazon.com Sales Rank: None
TOUCHING THE DEAD ISBN: 1-56315-332-7 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,153,783 in Books
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS ISBN: 1-58501-096-0 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,852,061 in Books
DEATH BY COMMITTEE ISBN: 1-56315-329-7 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #398,840 in Books
SUM OF EXISTENCE ISBN: 1-58501-104-5 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,771,189 in Books
DEAD EDDIES HOUSE ISBN: 1-56315-327-0 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,589,451 in Books
IS SIZE IMPORTANT? ISBN: 1-58501-032-4 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #716,617 in Books
DEAD MAN'S HAND ISBN: 1-56315-380-7 Amazon.com Sales Rank: #629,507 in Books

============

They do apparently go to BEA: here's a photo from their webpage (http://www.sterlinghousepublisher.com/pages/bea_beerandpretzelparty.htm).

[victoriastrauss]

SterlingHouse doesn't charge cash upfront--which is what enables them to declare that all of us who label them a vanity publisher are wrong. However, their contract requires authors to buy 550 copies of their own books. So authors are still paying to see their books in print.

- Victoria

[callalily61]

550?! :e2thud:

[CaoPaux]

Updating link: http://www.leeshorecompany.com/

Some flotsam just won't blow away.

[ninthwraith]

I just found this forum. My writing partner and I got sucked into Lee Shore/Cynthia Sterling when an editor of hers recommended we send our fantasy novel to her. We paid for the professional edit and a few thousand to Northwest just before it went under.

We did get the *^%$ books, and then were informed that the FBI had raided Northwest. It was made clear to us that Ms. Sterling was operating with Northwest, and we sent a packet of information to the Attorney General in Utah in case he wanted to prosecute her as well as the other "agents" doing business with Northwest. A few others got taken down: Cynthia did not.

This was back in the 90s, and what still truly galls me is that just before she told us Northwest wanted our book, she told us that Baen wanted to look at the mss. Baen was ignored, she recc'd we sign with Northwest, and even though alarms went off in my head that you do NOT pay to have a book published, my partner wanted it so badly and her father was willing to pay, so I agreed.

I still have the paperwork, including all correspondence and contracts with Sterling and Northwest if anyone wants it. In their galleys, Northwest attempted to put the book's copyright under their name. I did tell Cynthia that had to be changed, and stuck to it even after she flat-out lied and said, "It's standard operating procedure for the publisher to copyright the book." Too late. We'd already done it with the Library of Congress, had the certificate to prove it, and NW had NOT paid for those rights. I said no, the copyright was changed.

It absolutely infuriates me that this witch is still operating, and has created her own subsidy press now. She knows exactly how to slide between "illegal" and "unethical" and how to prey on eager newcomers. Up to the moment we fired her, she was attempting to get us to place the manuscript with yet another subsidy press, and was ignoring legitimate publishers.

I also find myself wondering if, since Northwest actually did publish the thing and assign it an ISBN number, if that novel is forever damned by legitimate publishers. What also infuriates me is that a short-story using three of the characters was published by Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, so I will always wonder if Baen would have been interested.

So. If you have a novel that's been subsidy published by someone that was convicted of a felony - i.e., bilking virgin authors to the tune of millions - and that was 15 years ago, should you just round file it or re-edit it and send it out? And if you send it out and someone buys the thing, do you tell them it was subsidy published?

I really, really loathe Cynthia Sterling.

[IceCreamEmpress]

This was back in the 90s, and what still truly galls me is that just before she told us Northwest wanted our book, she told us that Baen wanted to look at the mss.


That was almost certainly a lie, if that makes you feel any better. According to everything I've heard about her, she doesn't even bother sending manuscripts to legitimate publishers in the first place.

[Khazarkhum]

I also find myself wondering if, since Northwest actually did publish the thing and assign it an ISBN number, if that novel is forever damned by legitimate publishers. What also infuriates me is that a short-story using three of the characters was published by Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine, so I will always wonder if Baen would have been interested.


Welcome! :welcome: Love your name!

Did you write the story that appeared in MZB?

[ninthwraith]

Welcome! :welcome: Love your name!

Did you write the story that appeared in MZB?

Absolutely. Got paid for it 'n everything. And thanks for the welcome. :)

The Baen request was legit. I have a copy of the letter.

[victoriastrauss]

Ninthwraith, Writer Beware is interested in your documentation--could you please contact me at beware@sfwa.org? Thanks.

Cynthia Sterling worked not just with Northwest Publishing (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/cases.html#Northwest), but with Commonwealth Publications (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/cases.html#Publishers) and Press-Tige Publishing (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/cases.html#Ivery)--vanity publishers all. In addition, both Commonwealth and Northwest paid kickbacks to agents who persuaded their clients to sign up.

Northwest never distributed many of the books it printed, and never printed many of the books authors paid for. I don't see why, if you re-edited and re-titled your book, you shouldn't try to sell it to a real publisher--or rather, since it's fairly pointless approaching a major SF/fantasy imprint like Baen unagented (even though they say you can), looking for a reputable agent to sell it to a real publisher. You would need to come clean about the fact that it was vanity published by a crooked outfit that possibly never actually put it on sale, but you wouldn't need to mention this at the query stage.

- Victoria

[IceCreamEmpress]

The Baen request was legit. I have a copy of the letter.

I'm blown away that Cynthia Sterling actually did part of her job correctly even once. Seriously, my mind is blown.

Was the book ever printed or sold? As Victoria says, lots of the NPI books were purely hypothetical. If not, the fact that it was acquired by a scam house shouldn't affect its chances in the marketplace, though obviously you would want to disclose that. Edit it, give it a new title, and send it to real agents. The fact that another story with those characters appeared in a magazine is certainly a plus.

[victoriastrauss]

I'm blown away that Cynthia Sterling actually did part of her job correctly even once. Seriously, my mind is blown.
Lee Shore really did send out submissions (along with stuff like pencils and keychains with the agency name on them--Ann and I have spoken to editors who got this stuff), and may still do so for all I know. It can be worth a fee-charging agency's while to do this--it generates form rejection letters, which allow the agency to convince the client it is "really" working for them, and also to step up the desperation factor before lowering the boom on the vanity publishing offer.

- Victoria

[Panda Dragon]

Hey guys. I'm new here and was wondering if I could ask your advice about something.

I recently got offered a contract with Sterling House publishers offering me a three book deal with a fantasy trilogy I'm writing. The contract loosk pretty good, but they mention in the contract that I have to buy a certain number of copies in (550). That adds up to over 6000 dollars (which will be a littler cheaper as I live in UK).

Does this sound like a good deal? From what I've seen, these guys seem to know what they are doing and I've been talking to the people and they are very honest (they did warn me about this prior to sending me the contract, so it wasn't like I wasn't expecting it). But the rest of the contract does look pretty good, so I'm wondering if I should balance that out with this one clause.

Any advice? Dose anyone know anything about sterlinghouse?

Thanks

[eqb]

There's a thread on them here:

http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57767

In short, they are vanity publishers. Run, run away fast. Money should flow toward the author.

[Mumut]

Preditors and Editors say:
Sterling House: Not recommended. A wholly owned subsidy press belonging to Cynthia Sterling. Known imprints are Cambrian House, Pemberton Mysteries, Dove House Books, and Broadmoor Books.

I'd be getting out before you spend a single penny (or a married one for that matter).

[waylander]

Ever seen any of their books in bookshops? I haven't.
This is a pay-to-play show. You'll find they don't do anything to get your books into bookshops, and it will be very difficult for you to do it on your own. No respectable reviewer will look at them either.

[Sheryl Nantus]

money flows TO the author.

you may not have gotten into writing to get rich - but you sure didn't get into it to get poor, now... did you?

;)

[victoriastrauss]

I've merged the two SterlngHouse Publisher threads with the Lee Shore Literary Agency thread, as they are under common ownership.

Panda Dragon, I suggest you read back through the messages for more detail on this company than you probably want. The short version: as you know, SterlingHouse offers contracts requiring authors to buy 550 copies of their own books (more expensive than some more straightforward vanity publishers). Lee Shore is a fee-charging agency with no recent track record of sales, as far as Writer Beware is aware, and a history of working with vanity publishers, including SterlingHouse (you don't hire an agent to place your book with a vanity publisher).

Writer Beware on why vanity publishing (http://www.sfwa.org/beware/vanitypublishers.html) is never a good idea for authors.

Names associated with this company:

Cyntomedia (the parent corporation)

SterlingHouse Publisher Inc (http://www.sterlinghousepublisher.com/newsite/). (imprints include SterlingHouse Books, Paja Books, Blue Imp Books, Pemberton Mysteries, Dove House Books, 8th Crow, Pero Thrillers, Cambrian House Books, Broadmoor Books, and Caroline House Books).

Lee Shore Company Ltd (http://www.leeshorecompany.com/pages/about.htm). (the literary agency)

Cyntom Cinema Productions

Cyntopedia (http://www.cyntopedia.com/wiki_1_6_10/index.php/Main_Page) (the company's very own wiki)

- Victoria

[DaveKuzminski]

Cyntopedia (http://www.cyntopedia.com/wiki_1_6_10/index.php/Main_Page) (the company's very own wiki)


Oooh, doesn't that make it look impressive? Now they can quote an "expert" site that lists their books, authors, publishing house, imprints, and agency. I can't help but wonder if any copyrights or policies of Wiki are being violated.

[DeadlyAccurate]

I don't see how. From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki) (heh): "A wiki is software that allows users to collaboratively create, edit, link, and organize the content of a website, usually for reference material. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites."

IIRC from my research into portal software, the software Wikipedia uses is available for anyone (I don't remember if it's open source, though).

[misterburns]

Hmm, I see the Sterling House link is still active, but the Lee Shore Literary Agency link is dead, redirecting to the Wiki. Maybe you guys succeeded in killing her off, and she's strictly a vanity press now? No more pretending to be an agent?

[victoriastrauss]

Per this announcement (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/classifieds.html) (scroll down), "As of January 1, 2008, Lee Shore Company, Ltd. will no longer be accepting manuscripts for representation. It will continue to offer editing and other literary services."

The announcement comes from SterlingHouse's latest endeavor, an online newsletter called Writers News Weekly (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/). Check out the "Dear Lee (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/dear_lee.php)" feature. Also this cartoon feature (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/on_our_plate.html?page=1) (you need to read up from the bottom of the page). Agenda much?

- Victoria

[BenPanced]

:Wha: Um...wow...erm...

[inkkognito]

The cartoon strip...uh...ummmm....I'm speechless, and that's pretty rare.

[Gravity]

Also this cartoon feature (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/on_our_plate.html?page=1) (you need to read up from the bottom of the page). Agenda much?

- Victoria

My God. "Surrealism" doesn't do the word justice. It's like she's channelling Fletcher Hanks.

[IceCreamEmpress]

Per this announcement (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/classifieds.html) (scroll down), "As of January 1, 2008

Nothing like making an announcement 11 months late!

Lee Shore Company, Ltd. will no longer be accepting manuscripts for representation. It will continue to offer editing and other literary services."

The announcement comes from SterlingHouse's latest endeavor, an online newsletter called Writers News Weekly (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/). Check out the "Dear Lee (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/dear_lee.php)" feature. Also this cartoon feature (http://www.writersnewsweekly.com/on_our_plate.html?page=1)

I am dead from laughter now. Clearly, the cartoon is the appropriate medium for this craziness.

I also think that John Scalzi will be jealous that y'all are horning in on his unquestioned role as Emperor of Internet Bacon.

[c2ckim]

Any info on this part of Sterling House? I've read the existing thread on Stering House and wondered if this part of it was as tainted as the parent company.

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

If the parent company is bad, and this part is run by the same person(s), it likely is bad.

[CaoPaux]

Yes, they are all bad.

[victoriastrauss]

At least some SterlingHouse contracts now offer a small advance ($250-500 in contracts Writer Beware has seen), but since the buyback clause is still included (typically, 550 books at a cost of nearly $7,000), writers still wind up very much out of pocket. But it's a nice PR ploy, because SH can now claim to be an advance-paying publisher.

Here's something else SterlingHouse does to make money (http://accrispin.blogspot.com/2009/05/victoria-strauss-sterlinghouse.html): charge big bucks to its authors to attend Book Expo America.

- Victoria

[CaoPaux]

http://www.leeshorecompany.com now redirects to http://www.cyntomedia.com/