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Writer Beware's 20 Worst Agents

Gillhoughly

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RMealey said:
NYLA accepted my partial manuscript and now states it needs to be edited, I accept that but after reading about them in Writers.net, here I hesitant to even consider further interaction.

Re. NYLA: RUN AWAY!! RUN AWAY!!!

Trust your instincts, and trust the stuff here by people who have been there, done that. Take your book elsewhere.
 

AC Crispin

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Walk away!

Both Whitmore and New York Literary Agency are scams. You know that now. You have no responsibility to either of them to pay them or interact with them further. Just walk away and count yourself lucky. Next time, do some research and locate a real literary agency (or 10) to query, and find out which publishers are legit, and which ones aren't.-Ann C. CrispinWriter Bewarewww.writerbeware.com
 

sinner1047

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NYLA

Just wanted to bump this thread with a little info on NYLA. If you have been scammed by way of sending them money, please contact the Florida and New York BBB and Attorney General, the FBI and the FTC. All of these entities have complaints on file against Bobby and his gang, and the more people we have that can verify this scam, the stronger a case we have. I was very lucky to have found this thread after only paying $85; NYLA was requesting another $2800 when I found this site. Thank you to all the gurus that are making new authors aware!!!
:Soapbox:
 

CrunkKing

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sweeeeeeet

just wanted to say dat you guys are awesome! its great to see there are so many people out there who care enough to guide other fledgling authors along the thorny path to publication! i was about to send my entire MSS out to Debbie Fine and I just googled her name with 'reputation' and BLAM! threw that idea out of the window! thanks, you guys...
 
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frank anthony

Just wanted to say that without this posting page writer would be in a world of do-do. This site has the best info of any site i've visited. If you ever have a question about a publisher or an agent, sign on to the site.
Frank Anthony
curtis lake mysteries
curtislakemysteries.com
[email protected]
 

James D. Macdonald

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Moondancer said:
I received a complaint from the person whose email has been posted. The complaint specifically states that she has been receiving spam.

The fax is quoted as follows:

"Re: Unlawful publishing of my email address by your customer.

Here is the page on which my e-mail address has been unlawfully published without my consent. I am receiving SPAM because of Absolute Write Water Cooler's illegal activities."

This was followed by a print out of PaulaO's post.

More cartoony threats from Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., worthless agent and frequent wielder of the groundless legal threat.

I'd really love to see the laws that make posting an email address on a messageboard illegal. I seriously doubt they exist. The fax that Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., sent is worthless scrap and should be ignored.

The publication of her email address was not unlawful, nor was her permission required to post it.

Go away now, Barbara. We know what you are: one of the twenty worst agents in America, and a person addicted to making hollow threats.
 

Alan Yee

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James D. Macdonald said:
More cartoony threats from Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., worthless agent and frequent wielder of the groundless legal threat.

I'd really love to see the laws that make posting an email address on a messageboard illegal. I seriously doubt they exist. The fax that Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., sent is worthless scrap and should be ignored.

The publication of her email address was not unlawful, nor was her permission required to post it.

Well, if it's from Barbara Bauer and not some poor starving writer, I think that makes it a much different story. We KNOW Barbara Bauer, Ph.D. of The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency sends out completely baseless legal threats. Yes, I repeat, Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., a scam literary agent from the scam literary agency called The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency, sends out completely baseless legal threats. If it was a ruthless and vicious posting of a starving writer's personal information, that would be one thing. But if the baseless legal threats come from a scam agent named Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., who runs a scam literary agency which is a scam called The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency (I repeat, The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency run by Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., is a scam), and who's furious that she, Barbara Bauer, Ph.D. of The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency, was selected as a Top 20 Worst Literary Agent (yes indeed, The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency run by scam agent Barbara Bauer, Ph.D. is a Top 20 Worst Literary Agency) by Writer Beware and is mad that someone, in this case Writer Beware, has exposed her, that is, Barbara Bauer, Ph.D. of The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency and her, that is, Barbara Bauer, Ph.D. of The Barbara Bauer Literary Agency's shady business practices.

If it was illegal to post someone's email address on a messageboard, then every single messageboard all across the Internet would be slammed by lawsuits.

Come on Barbara Bauer, Ph.D., I'm going to make sure Google finds this page and puts it on the first page of results whenever someone Googles "Barbara Bauer" or "Barbara Bauer, Ph.D." or "Barbara Bauer Literary Agency" or "Barbara Bauer scam."
 

James D. Macdonald

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Interestingly enough, do you know what I find right on the front page of fraudulent agent Barbara Bauer's website? Her email address.

It's this: [email protected]

(Y'know, it isn't necessary for someone to post his or her email address in order to get spam. Spammers get lists from all kinds of places and trade 'em among themselves. They send out spam to random addresses and record the ones that don't bounce. For all I know, Barbara Bauer, Ph.D.,
[email protected] , spammed herself in order to create the smokescreen to threaten a baseless lawsuit.)


 

DaveKuzminski

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Even though there are folks who feel it is wrong to spam a scam, I still believe it is a useful and proper tool for use against them. After all, weeding out the spam from the marks is quite probably the only real work any of the scammers do.

Who knows? With enough of those to discourage a scammer, some might actually quit and find socially acceptable jobs such as selling used cars or running for public office which are both considerably more lucrative. After all, they already have the spiel and patter, so they're probably qualified, if not over-qualified.
 

James D. Macdonald

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I wouldn't know how to go about "spamming a scam," or what good it could possible accomplish. I'm sure scammers have the same kinds of mail filters that normal people do, and get just as much spam, no more and no less, than normal people.
 

victoriastrauss

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Moondancer said:
Forgive my impertinent personal interest in the well-being of this site. Should a similar situation arise in the future I will handle it in the normal businesslike manner, as any other web hosting company would do.
Moondancer, have you read this thread, or the other thread on Barbara Bauer? She is known for making drive-by threats against people who post any sort of information about her. She's pulled the same stunt on Jenna, me (three times, in three different ways), and several others who've posted here. We've ignored her and she hasn't followed through--as is typical for literary scammers, who not only are unwilling to shell out for legal assistance, but don't want to risk exposing the dirty details of their businesses to the light of day.

Potential and former clients tell me that she has a hair-trigger temper and is prone to upbraid and abuse those who question or displease her, so I'm not surprised to hear that she gave you an earful on the phone. I'm sorry you've had to endure this, but believe me, her theats are empty.

- Victoria
 

Gillhoughly

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I've got bets going with my pals here that BB is either mental and off her meds or living in a parallel reality to ours where we have evil twins out to get her. Trouble is, all her e-mails end up in OUR reality!

:tongue
 
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Alan Yee

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I posted this as the first entry on my brand-new blog (http://alanyee.blogspot.com/).

I expect BB will send me a Cease & Desist in the near future. I also expect she'll find the blog post before she finds my Google-power post in this thread a little further up the page.
 

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Hellow, This is my first post as I am new to the site. Think I found you guys just in time. The "worse" list is awsome. I'm thinking of attending the NYC 06Pitch. Can anyone tell me if they have experience with this workshop and is/was it worthwhile. Funds are tight but...
 

aruna

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Famous1 said:
Hellow, This is my first post as I am new to the site. Think I found you guys just in time. The "worse" list is awsome. I'm thinking of attending the NYC 06Pitch. Can anyone tell me if they have experience with this workshop and is/was it worthwhile. Funds are tight but...

Welcome! Here is a thread about the pitch conference:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=708235#post708235
 

nanagain

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thank you thank you Thank You! I have a list of Agents that I was going to submit a manuscript to I'll compare both list to make certrian there aren't any louses on it!
 

Gillhoughly

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It's been edited.

Again. Censorship is alive and well, kiddies. Let the Bauer Beware, we're on to it.

They've removed some links to sites where her threatening letters have been posted. Some of these are in the overly long Discussion board:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Barbara_Bauer

Making the board long is "Marky48" who is defending what can't be excused, and most who follow the saga have the impression that Marky48 is Bauer herself. (Correction on this below.)

This is the deleted link to the writer who has the threatening letters posted on her blog, along with the 20 Worst Agents list she was told (by Bauer) to remove.

http://p-n-elrod.livejournal.com/11606.html
 
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Gillhoughly

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Thank you, Uncle Jim. That's another beer I owe you. :Hug2:

I don't follow much on other boards or I'd be better informed about the dramatis personae for these matters, but have fewer hours to write.

One of my buds sent me a very enlightening mail on Marky and he seems to be the sort of person I don't want to hang with in a pool hall. Certain portions of his anatomy and my pool cue would likely have a painful collision, and it wouldn't be any dang fun for him, though the rest of us might find some amusement until the EMTs and cops arrived. :tongue
 

SRCole

Thank you all SO much!

I am incredibly excited to have found this Writer's Forum. I had run across this "New York Literary Agency" or something like that, and got a bad feeling about it and googled them. I found this Absolute Write Forum and discovered that my hunch was right. I joined the boards immediately, just about five minutes ago.

We writers have to stick together!

I'm not going to work with any agent until I run it past this forum first.

Take care everyone, much more from me will come. I feel so much better now, being a part of a group where it really feels like people are watching each other's backs. What a huge relief...
 

Terre

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Thank you for the list. I too sent in a query to the New York Literary Agency. was contacted a short time later when they asked for my entire novel. Strange, but flags go up now, almost every time someone actually wants to read my novel. It's so great that there is a web-site one can go to and get the latest info on places before you actually send out.
Thanks again!

TerreT
 

UWS

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?

CaoPaux said:
Excellent point, sir, thanks for dropping in to make it. :)

Trident Media and Noble House are two others off the top of my head. All the more reason to make sure one has the exact and full name of the entity being researched.

Uhh, "off the top of" your head for what? Being good agents? Lousy agents? I've never heard of Noble House but Trident, as far as I know, has a stellar reputation. I recently sent them a query letter. Please clarify what you meant. I already had one terrible experience with an agent (not a scammmer, just lousy) and this time I'm going to make 100% sure that the person who represents me is good and reliable.