BEWARE: Children's Literary Agency (WL Childrens Agency)

James D. Macdonald

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Robert Fletcher, using his "Sherryfine" account, and signing his post "RKForever," made a major spamming run on Absolute Write today. Somehow he missed this thread.

Unfortunately for Robert, it was a "defense" of his business that he'd already posted, and that had already been refuted line-by-line.

See it for yourself here:

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19104&page=1&pp=25

No sane person would consider submitting material to an agency like that.
 

majiklmoon

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James D. Macdonald said:
No sane person would consider submitting material to an agency like that.


Hey! just remember there are plenty of sane people who made the mistake of submitting there, but found this site because of that. See, this is me, trying to put a positive spin on my major mistake of 2006 lol
 

ajrmom

CLA Still at It

I am a repeat offender of almost allowing myself to be scammed - first with ST, now with CLA. I have some terrific email dialog saved from my going back and forth with ST - if anyone wants to see it, let me know.

At least this time, I didn't get as far into the process, and I checked in here, before submitting my manuscript - maybe I'm finally learning my lesson.

Here is their latest rendition of their form letter. I love the part where they discuss their location -- after reading this thread, it really made me giggle.

I could've spent all day picking the typos apart, but I thought I'd much rather see what you all come up with first.


Thanks so much,

Jami

"Thank you for your query to the Children's Literary Agency. Based on your
query form information we would like to see more.

1) Would you please send us an electronic copy
of your work for further evaluation?

Please email your manuscript to
[email protected] .

2) Would you please answer these 2 questions
in the body of the SAME email? (Just copy and paste
the questions).

A. How long have you been writing, and
what are your goals as a writer?

B. Do you consider your writing 'ready-to-go',
or do you think it needs some polishing.

You may send either 3-5 chapters or the entire manuscript, whichever you are more comfortable sending. Your manuscript is completely safe within our company. We take care to properly manage all access and if we don't end up working together, we delete all files.

Please DO NOT include any questions with your manuscript submission. If you have a question, please send it to
[email protected] where the proper people may address your question. Most of the questions you may have are answered on the website and at the bottom of this email.
Please see the FAQs below.


Our preference for receiving your manuscript is via email.
============================================
If the file size is greater than 5 megabytes you can mail it to us on CD,
but please only send it once, either by email or snail mail (we prefer
email). Our mailing address is: The Children's Literary Agency, 275
Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, New York 10016. If you decide to mail your manuscript please be sure to INCLUDE your email address (very clearly) so we may reply and process your manuscript. Mailed manuscripts may take up to 30 days to reply/process. Emailed manuscripts are processed much more quickly. (If your filesize is over 5 megs we also just recently found a free service that will move large files. Take a look at
www.yousendit.com. We've used it successfully in the past. Just use my email address as the "send to" address.)


We believe we are very different than other agencies.
==========================================================
We believe that we are unique in that we are willing to develop an author and their talent. We like the metaphor of a "business incubator" as a description of how we will take time to bring an author's work to the proper quality level, even if it takes months to do so. We take pride in the fact that we answer every email personally within 2-3 days. Please, watch your spam filters!

Our job is to find a buyer for you, period. You may understand how a
Literary Agency works, but many authors don't. As your Literary Agent, our mission is to assist you in finding a publisher and to coach you along the way in various options available to you. We don't edit, we don't
illustrate, our mission is to sell for you.

As for compensation, get paid on success only, meaning we only get paid if you get paid. Typically we will receive 10% of what you receive. We do not charge fees, so our compensation is based on success only. Along the way, we may suggest that you continuously improve the quality of your work and or how it is presented. Once your work is deemed 'presentable', then we'll start shopping it to publishers. We never promise a sale, but we can tell you that we have a model that works.

We look forward to receiving your materials.

Best regards,
Sherry Fine - V.P. Acquisitions

p.s. You might as well get used to these long emails. Part of our filtering process is to see if you actually read them <grin>. Why the long emails? I spend my time doing two basic tasks, 1) managing submissions and evaluations, and 2) answering questions. If I can answer your question BEFORE you ask it, then the entire process will proceed much more efficiently. As a corollary to that, if you want long-winded, personalized emails where we dicuss politics, the weather, and how your day went, you will probably not enjoy our process. If you are as busy as we are, and you pride yourself on operating efficiently (it is a business after all), then you will enjoy how efficiently we focus on the point, and that is, whether we can work together based on your writing and attitude.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL HAVE A MUCH MORE PERSONALIZED INTERACTION WITH OUR AGENTS IF YOU PASS THE EVALUATION PROCESS. This is the biggest complaint that we get and I wish I could spend oodles of time with each of you. I just can't. Sometimes it's like drinking from a firehose over here. (And I always hate it when I really like someone and my team disagrees).
So, please rest assured that there will be plenty of personal interaction
with your agent but not with me.


Typical Frequently Asked Questions
=============================
Q) Do you return manuscripts?
A) Sorry for the inconvenience however, WE DO NOT RETURN MANUSCRIPTS or MATERIALS due to the volume of submissions we receive. Please do not send us anything that you can't replace easily.

Q) Would you prefer me to email or mail my manuscript?
A) WE MUCH PREFER EMAILED MANUSCRIPTS.

Q) How should I attach my manuscript?
A) PLEASE DO NOT PASTE YOUR MANUSCRIPT INTO THE BODY OF THE EMAIL. Please send it to us as an attachment, otherwise it hangs up the mail system. If you can't create an attachment, please get a friend to help you do so. I think we have every software program known to man (except Mac). However everything works easier if you have a .pdf, .rtf, or .doc filetype. We also support Word Perfect and MS Works.

Q) Is my manuscript safe with you?
A) Your materials are safe within our company. If you are uncomfortable sending your entire manuscript, please only send 3-5 chapters. If we do not end up working together we will destroy and delete any copies of your work that we have. Furthermore the idea of people stealing someone's work is a bit of 'urban legend'. It really doesn't happen.

Q) How long does this review take?
A) About 7-10 days. We're faster than most other agencies.

Q) Why is there no phone number? I want to talk to someone...
A) Quite frankly, we are deluged with submissions. It is our policy to
provide a contact number later in the process, assuming we would like to proceed with you. If you would like to talk with someone for the
reassurance of hearing a voice, just email me and I'll connect you to the proper party.

Q) Where are you located?
A) In today's connected world, our physical location is meaningless. We maintain executive suites on Madison Aveneue in New York, NY where we receive mail and meet with buyers. Other than that, we travel extensively and we have the good fortune to live in Florida, North Carolina, and California depending on the time of year. Sometimes we think that we live
in airports.

Q) Why aren't you in the Yellow Pages? I can't find you listed anywhere?
A) We use toll free phone numbers and cell phones. Those simply aren't in any phone directories.Yellow Pages are 'old technology', and they cost money. The Internet is a much better forrm of advertising. We haven't been in Yellow pages for 10 years. Buyers certainly don't go to the Yellow Pages to find authors <grin>, just nervous authors go there.

Q) Are you a member of AAR, BBB, Alphabet Soup...?
A) We have chosen to belong to industry associations where the buyers are, such as the Publishers Marketing Association (PMA) through our parent company, The Literary Agency Group. We spend our money going to the big book tradeshows in the US, England, and Germany. BBB, AAR, and other organizations of that type mainly exist for nervous writers, and frankly, we have too many applicants already, so we choose not to spend time and money on those organizations. I hope that helps you understand why we belong to associations that help us sell your work, not organizations that help us recruit more writers. We prefer that you judge us on the professionalism of our communications and not whether we belong to an organization. In other words, we ask that you judge us based on our interactions together, and that you can make up your own mind based on our professionalism and courtesy not
whether we belong to some organization.

Q) Tell me more about your company.
A) We are bigger than a small agency and smaller than a large agency. We just sold our 3rd and 4th book deals and we are confident of more success later this year. We market to the larger and medium sized publishers and producers. (fyi: most agencies only have 1 or 2 deals every couple of years, if that.). We've been around the block enough to have people that love us, and people that hate us. We will never ask you for money, so that's one way to judge for yourself. Our commitment to you is that we believe that we should get paid only if we sell your work. Your commitment to us is that you will do what it takes to make sure your manuscript is the best it can be and that it meets or exceeds industry quality standards.

Q) You're not a vanity publisher or a self-publisher are you?
A) No we're NOT A VANITY OR SELF-publisher in any way, shape or form. We DO NOT sell to vanity or self-publishers. Our mission is to sell your work to TRADITIONAL publishers who will pay you (and us). And, that's how we get paid. If we sell your work to a publisher, then and only then do we get paid (usually 10% which is the industry standard for Literary Agencies).

Q) What are you looking for during your evaluation?
A) We mainly look for COMMERCIAL VIABILITY in the work coupled with good solid writing skills. "Is it something that will sell?" is of paramount
importance to us. (We ARE NOT scrutinizing every word, spelling, and grammar usage. There's plenty of time later for that.) We believe that great writers are made, not born at least 99% of the time. But if a work doesn't have commercial potential, then we want to let you know as quickly as possible. Being willing to grow talent, we believe in the old adage, "luck is when opportunity meets preparation and hard work".

Q) How can you evaluate work so quickly?
A) Our mission in the Acquisitions Department is clear. We answer 3
questions:

1. Will the subject matter sell? Is it commercially viable?
2. Is the writing good enough, or would it be good enough
with some degree of assistance?
3. Did you as the evaluator like the work and would you
believe in it if you were selling it?

If we get the "3 yes" designation then you pass. The next item we look for in our filtering process is your willingness to listen or whether you are a prima donna who wants it 'their way'. We will very quickly wash out a great writer with a bad attitude. Life's too short for drama and overly demanding writers.

Q) What if you find errors or problems with my manuscript? Should I spend time revising now, or later?
A) We receive very few 'ready-to-go' manuscripts. We believe we are unique in that we are willing to work with our authors along the way. Most manuscripts that we receive need some level of polishing before we can submit them to buyers. Some need very little polishing. Some need a lot. Over the years, we've learned that it is worth our time and effort to do what it takes to develop new talent. We've learned that incubating new talent makes good business sense.

Q) My manuscript isn't finished....
A) As long as there is enough finished to determine your skills as a writer we are willing to look at your work. As mentioned previously, we take a long term view and we are willing to develop talent.

Q) Who are some of the authors you represent? Why aren't they on your website?
A) Every time we've placed the names of our writers, our agents, or our
sales on the website, they are deluged with very wierd emails from some very wierd people, so we just don't post them anymore. We'd rather lose a new author applicant, than an existing client or buyer.

We are proud to represent a very diverse group of authors. Our roster of authors includes authors with the following occupations:

* Doctors
* Lawyers
* Entrepreneurs
* Journalists
* Professors and teachers from universities, high-schools, and elementary schools
* Coaches
* Accountants and bankers
* Advertising Executives
* Stay at home moms... students, etc.

Here are just a few bios:

1. The author was born in Baltimore, Maryland and is a Professor at a major university. She is an author and editor of 16 books and 12 proceedings and monographs. She has written 50 chapters and 100 papers, and given more than 150 presentations nationwide. She has graduate degrees in Music, Science, and Education. She and her husband are now living in the British Virgin Islands, where her time is spent sailing and writing. She has published scientific articles and written more than a hundred concert reviews as a freelance music critic.

2. The author is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh, and of Canada, and a Member of the American Societies of Hematology, Clinical Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the International Society for Cellular Therapy. For the year 2004-5 he was a scientific advisor to the Cancer Vaccine Consortium. He was a past recipient of the Elmore Research Scholarship of the University of Cambridge.

3. The author has also won numerous awards honoring him as one of the top sportscasters in the country. He has been richly honored as a professional speaker as well, thrilling audiences with his career highlights and inspiring messages. He has a rich history of being on the air in radio and TV for a quarter of a century, working in major markets such as Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Cincinnati and now Dallas. Before settling in Dallas, he lived in London doing on-air work for both the BBC and ESPN.

4. This author started singing professionally with the singing group The
Montells in her early teens. They later signed with Golden Crest Records & then went to Atlantic Recording Studio were they recorded, Under The Broad Walk with The Drifters & Gee Baby. In 1997 she was elected into The International Poetry Hall Of Fame with her Award winning Poem. She appeared at The Crossroads Theater in 1998.

5. The author is a retired veterinarian living in Bethlehem, South Africa.
He was in rural private practice in various towns before settling down in
Bethlehem where he practiced for 35 years. For ten years or more he had a monthly column in Veterinary News. He also was the script-writer for the SuperSport TV series The ABC of Golf.

We DO NOT give out names or contact information except to qualified buyers. (If you'll think about it, if you were one of our authors, you'd feel the same way. There are a lot of wierdos on the Internet. Sometimes we think that there is a higher incidence of psychosis among writers than any other occupation.)


Q) Is this an automated email? Is there a real person out there?
A) Yes, and yes, and yes... We personally review each query form that we receive for sentence structure, basic spelling and grammar, and whether the story idea/synopsis sounds interesting. This tells us which manuscripts we would like to receive. Then, yes, we do use a form to provide these FAQs. Can you imagine typing this time and time again? We pride ourselves on using technology to be as efficient as possible. This allows us to work with authors from anywhere in the world. By automating certain elements of our communications we can spend more thoughtful time on your questions that are specific to you and
your situation.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you again for your time in reading to the end of this email. I hope
that you have a better feeling for our company and our acquisitions process.

I look forward to receiving your materials. And please pardon one more
request.

IF YOU EMAIL YOUR MATERIALS TO US WE WILL ALWAYS NOTIFY YOU WITHIN 2-3 DAYS OF RECEIPT. Please refrain from asking "did you get it?" for at least 3 business days. If you haven't been notified of receipt within 3 days, then by all means resend it (don't ask, just resend it to the email address above. If it won't go through, just 'reply' to this email and attach your manuscript.)

IF YOU SNAIL MAIL (POST) YOUR MATERIALS TO US, PLEASE ALLOW UP TO 2 WEEKS FOR NOTIFICATION OF RECEIPT. Why? It has to be forwarded to a special evaluator that handles 'paper'. And remember, we cannot return materials, so no need for a SASE. If you mail us anything, please be sure it has your email on it.

Whew! Thanks again and we look forward to hearing from you and looking at your work.

Best regards,
Sherry Fine - VP of Acquisitions
We Grow Talent"
 

DaveKuzminski

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Hmmm, if I remember correctly, Gee Baby is a song. Baby Gee is an artist. Seems like they can't get their biographical data correct, either.
 

James D. Macdonald

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DaveKuzminski said:
Hmmm, if I remember correctly, Gee Baby is a song. Baby Gee is an artist. Seems like they can't get their biographical data correct, either.

The song is probably "Gee Baby, What About You" which was covered by The Montells (the Long Island girl-band from the early sixties, not to be confused with the better known The Montells, an all-male band).

The Drifters recorded "Under the Boardwalk" (not "Broad Walk") in 1964, but no female vocalists are credited. It's possible that this person sang backup.

The paragraph is clumsily written. I think the LAG folks were trying to say:

"They signed with Golden Crest Records and recorded "Gee Baby" and "Under The Boardwalk" at Atlantic Recording Studio."

(Please note also that LAG meant "where" not "were" in ...Atlantic Recording Studio were they recorded....)
 

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Sherry says "There are a lot of weirdos on the internet these days." "Our writers are deluged with very weird E-mails from some very weird people."

I don't know maybe it's just me but it sounds as though Sherry is giving us her (or his) Bio.
 

majiklmoon

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LAKOTA said:
Sherry says "There are a lot of weirdos on the internet these days." "Our writers are deluged with very weird E-mails from some very weird people."

I don't know maybe it's just me but it sounds as though Sherry is giving us her (or his) Bio.


bahahahahahahaha
 

Emmanuelle

Glad you brought the subject

Hello everyone
I am glad you brought the subject
for I got emails from this company who "accepted" to represent me
but two thinks shocked me
the first paragraph I thought was insulting any snippiness she has the right to fire a person on the spot ! what kind of relationship is this ?
Does it mean that if you disagree they just dump you ? and
second you have to pay 70 to 90 dollars to get a critique from them. They shouldn't be any more fees they say but who knows right ? I never heard of such practices.
I do feel there is something fishy
It's a blessing to see some other people that can relate
thanks to all
E


We like to work with pleasant people in a professional manner.
----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
-

We are absolutely committed to a professional relationship and professional
communications; as you may have noticed, we have included that as one of our
top four signature items. We sincerely ask that you take the same
professional attitude in our communications as well. If we make a mistake,
or if you don't like the way we do things, you DO NOT have permission to
flame me or anyone in the company. People describe me as 'laid back - with
attitude'. Any snippiness on your part and I have the full support of my
management to fire you on the spot, and I will, and it's irrevocable. I'm
sorry for the hard line, but we've been around the block enough to try and
get rid of the bad apples as early in the process as we can. We very much
look forward to a great relationship, over the long term. Thank you for
understanding; we hope you feel the same way. Life's just too short for mean
people or drama.[This sounds rather adolescent. I'd cut that last line]




B) At some time and some place, we have to trust each other. We believe that
this is where it has to start. Your risk is $70-$90. Our risk is that our
internal cost of our time with you at our hourly rate is easily greater than
that amount. (And you never pay us for that time, we don't charge any fees
as we've mentioned earlier). So, we'll spend the time to work with you if
you'll do your part to make sure your work is the best it can be. Unless the
critique points out the need for substantial rework, there shouldn't be any
more fees. That's why we require an independent 3rd party for the critique.
This protects YOU from an unscrupulous agent, and it protects US from
egocentric writers.
 

James D. Macdonald

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Has the fun gone out of doing a line-by-line on Bobby Fletcher's drivel? It has not!

We like to work with pleasant people in a professional manner.
----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------
-

So do we all.
We are absolutely committed to a professional relationship and professional
communications; as you may have noticed, we have included that as one of our
top four signature items.

And no time like the present to start, eh?

We sincerely ask that you take the same
professional attitude in our communications as well.

As in "Don't laugh out loud at our ridiculous assertions"? Or "Don't ask us what we've sold"?


If we make a mistake,
or if you don't like the way we do things, you DO NOT have permission to
flame me or anyone in the company.

I don't recall asking your permission, Bobby. Incidentally -- who's in the company besides you and your pseudonyms?


People describe me as 'laid back - with
attitude'.

Actually, people describe you as an "ex-con" and a "scammer."

Any snippiness on your part and I have the full support of my
management to fire you on the spot,

"Snippiness" meaning asking "what have you sold, ever, to anyone?" Note: Agents cannot fire writers. Writers do not work for agents -- it's the other way around. Writers can -- and do -- fire agents.

This does illuminate what Bobby meant when he said, way back when:

"The negative comments on the web are from 1) people we didn't accept, 2) people we fired, 3) people that don't understand the real ins and outs of running a Literary Agency that will even work with brand new, unpublished authors."
At the time I thought that "people we fired" meant agents who had worked in his agency who he had let go. Now I see he meant "authors who asked questions." I hadn't even considered "people we fired" might mean "authors we'd formerly represented" because -- that's turning the world on its head.

and I will, and it's irrevocable.

For which you should thank your lucky stars. (Actually, if you want them to take you on again, just resubmit the same material from a different email address. They don't read what you submit; you'll get a brand-new acceptance.)

I'm
sorry for the hard line, but we've been around the block enough to try and
get rid of the bad apples as early in the process as we can.

"Bad apples" being those writers who expect agents who act like agents, who know what agents do, who have the slightest modicum of savvy.


We very much
look forward to a great relationship, over the long term.

As long as your checkbook holds out.


Thank you for
understanding;

Bobby, you're slipping! The line is "seeking to understand," isn't it?


we hope you feel the same way.

Oh, I do. I do.

Life's just too short for mean
people or drama.

It's also too short to waste time on seeing whether a leopard has changed his spots.


B) At some time and some place, we have to trust each other.

And if that line doesn't convince you you're in a bunco game, nothing will.

We believe that
this is where it has to start.

They don't have time to waste on people who aren't going to pay ... and pay.

Your risk is $70-$90.

Not risk: Payment. Loss.


Our risk is that our
internal cost of our time with you at our hourly rate is easily greater than
that amount.

It costs that much to have an autoresponder send a form letter?

Incidentally, agents don't get paid by the hour. They don't have an "hourly rate."


(And you never pay us for that time, we don't charge any fees
as we've mentioned earlier).

No one, ever, anywhere, pays an agent for his or her time. Agents get a percentage of the sale, and they make exactly the same on a deal that they make in five minutes as they do on a deal that takes them five months. (And Bobby doesn't charge any fees -- he just sends you over to another company that's just him with a different email address that does charge fees.)


So, we'll spend the time to work with you if
you'll do your part to make sure your work is the best it can be.

I already did, Chuckles, before I sent it out.
Unless the
critique points out the need for substantial rework, there shouldn't be any
more fees.

But the critique will point out the need for substantial rework, and there will be more fees. Payable to another company ... that just happens to be Fletcher at a different email address.

That's why we require an independent 3rd party for the critique.

From an independent company that we happen to own. Notice that no legitimate agency requires this.

This protects YOU from an unscrupulous agent, and it protects US from
egocentric writers.

This is total nonsense. Think about it. How can paying money to someone protect anyone from an unscrupulous agent? And how can your paying money protect an agent from an egocentric writer? And why would an agent be interested in being protected from writers at all?

There are too many things wrong with that sentence for me to parse them all. It's twisted in a Bizarro World way.

See also: The Literary Agency Group Tentacles thread.

By the way, Bobby, what have you sold? Ever? To anyone?
 
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delbois

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A short note simply to thank all those who have posted warnings about CLA. I was invited to submit my manuscript for "polishing". That seemed unusual to me so I began the due diligence I should have made in the first place and found this site. Needless to say I declined any further contact with them. What puzzles me, though, is why, with all the information now available, other sites still allow them to advertise! I spent my business life in the advertising business and at the first sniff of anything untoward the relevant copy committe would block any ads from a company with so much comment against them. Have thing changed that much?
 

James D. Macdonald

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Many of those ads are provided by Google -- the site doesn't pick them, they're automatically generated from keywords. The ads may change from moment to moment. The site owner doesn't explicitly choose them.

Many site owners are unaware that ads from certain URLs can be blocked. I would recommend writing to site owners when you see ads from any of The Literary Agency Group's spawn to inform them that they're providing advertising to a scammer and that that scammer can be blocked from their site.

(I'm convinced that one of the reasons Fletcher created all the different sub-agencies of his original Sydra Techniques is to have more presence in Google Ads.)

Individuals can report ads to Google here: http://www.google.com/contact/rate_advertiser.html
 

delbois

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Yes, well in that case someone should tell Google the facts of life! They shouldn't be exempt from properly controlling their ads.
 

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The question then becomes whether anyone carrying ads for scams could be reported to the authorities as involved in frauds as well? Perhaps in a co-conspirator fashion? If the media can be convinced that they're helping scams by accepting ads from them and could be liable, then perhaps they might be willing to cut off those businesses and thus strike a serious blow at the scams.
 

delbois

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That does raise an interesting point. In the UK there are a number of checks and balances to ensure that ads conform to an industry and governmental standard. Each group of media has it's own copy control committee, they are overseen and controlled by The Advertising Standards Committee. TV and others have their own controls. Over and above all this the media themselves will editoriallly turn the spotlight on any advertisers they suspect to be less than honest. The International Advertising Association, of which I was once a member, has always been a strong supporter of trustworthy advertising and been very active in trying to spread the ethic of "Good practice" throughout the world of advertising. There are also a number of schemes organised and run by the media that re-imburse their readers or viewers in the event of their becoming a victim of scammers by responding to one of their ads that turns out to be a scam. I would bet that there is some redress at law against a medium that knowingly ran ads that were known to be scams. That's why I posted my original comment. Finally I must say that in the 30 years I was working in the media business in the UK I never heard of any medium deliberately carrying an ad they knew to be fraudulent.
 

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Reposting:
06-06-2006, 09:40 AM
crobinator
Board fanatic

Quote:
Originally Posted by Melisande
I wrote to Peter Parente about CLA, expressing my doubts. This is his reply to me. It didn't make me any wiser.

"I prefer not to comment on them. If I say anything good then the chatroom warriors try to turn me into the bad guy. I am already on the predators and editors list(which only means something in their world) because those morons have a problem with CLA, yet all my authors praise what I do. An agent should only make money when they make you money. If you think you need referrals to certain services then do, if not don t. I m sorry but the headaches of that soap opera have me walking away and focusing on my work.

Thanks,

Pete
Opportunities come from knocking on doors until they open! "
That is probably the most intelligent piece of materials he's come up with. Hoorah.
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06-06-2006, 03:00 PM
Evaine
Esteemed New Member

I found out about them from the UK magazine Writer's Forum, and I've emailed them with a complaint. In my case it wasn't the adverts that hooked me, but an article recommending the Children's Literary Agency.
I've told them I wont be buying their magazine again.
Fortunately, I found this site before I got too far in.
06-06-2006, 03:11 PM
Roger J Carlson
Absolute Cow Pie
Mod Squad Member

Quote:
Originally Posted by crobinator
That is probably the most intelligent piece of materials he's come up with. Hoorah.
But this is what disturbs me about Peter Parente:

"I am already on the predators and editors list (which only means something in their world) because those morons have a problem with CLA, yet all my authors praise what I do."

All his authors? Is he an agent too? Did he see Children's Literary Agency and say, "Hey, I could do that too."?

I can't find him on P&E either. Does he go under a different name? This is all very confusing.
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--Roger J. Carlson
06-14-2006, 05:50 AM
LucyEllenH
One of the Locals

Quote:
Originally Posted by delbois
Yes, well in that case someone should tell Google the facts of life! They shouldn't be exempt from properly controlling their ads.
Oh, please! Just trying to find a 24-hour pharmacy on Google included half a dozen sidebar ads on getting narcotics and other controlled substances without a prescription! Google is just in it for the money, as is just about every other advertiser on the net.
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Lucy
06-16-2006, 04:54 AM
delbois
Esteemed New Member

Lucy.
I am well aware that all isn't as it should be. Improper ads do appear on Google and other sites too, and of course they are in it for the money...so are all other media. My point, that I clearly didn't make very well, is that no medium should be allowed to knowingly publish ads, or anything else, that seeks to mislead or cheat the readers or viewers of that medium. What's so special about Google and the other sites that they should be exempt from such controls?
delbois
06-16-2006, 01:26 PM
Richard
13th Triskaidekaphobe

Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger J Carlson
I can't find him on P&E either. Does he go under a different name? This is all very confusing.
It's called Tree of Life Publishing. http://www.treeoflifepublishing.com.

Quote:
Tree Of Life Publishing has been able to create a model for their authors to successfully make a career doing what they set out to do, be an author for a living. We have seen the model for success pertain to several genres with the key ingredients being a top quality product, a motivated author, and a publisher that is author friendly. Created and proven by self- published author Peter Parente the elementary school tour model is the foundation for author success in our company today.
Self-published is pretty much the key phrase in that, I feel.
__________________
i have a website. it's very blue indeed.
06-19-2006, 12:02 PM
James D. Macdonald
Dawnolite Sparklecow
Absolute Sage

Ann Crispin recently posted this in another thread:

Quote:
Originally Posted by AC Crispin
IMPORTANT! Have you had a PROBLEM with The Literary Group???

If so, Writer Beware wants to hear from you!

Please go to Writer Beware's blog and read the most recent posts there, and then write to me, Anncrispin. My email address is:

[email protected]

If you get a bounce (Aol can be wonky) send your letter to Writer Beware, at [email protected], to my attention.

Now is your chance to DO SOMETHING.

Let me hear from you, please! Read the blog entries, then write to me!

www.accrispin.blogspot.com

Thanks!

-Ann C. Crispin
Chair, Writer Beware
www.writerbeware.com
__________________
06-25-2006, 01:27 PM
jeannie anderson
Esteemed New Member

Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 1
re childrens literary agency

i got scammed too recently it wasnt until after my money was sent through on the 1st june that i found the writers beware pages on the internet ive asked for my £77 sterling back but they say they never got it thechildrens literary agency are nothing but low down dirty rotten thieving (i think you ll excuse me for my anger)
i paid the international money tranfer costs also i just want my money back all of it ive the reciept to say it was sent
i sacraficed to get my writting so called critiqued and they deny getting payment they should be struck off all agent reference pages as well as all the other fraudsters
its just so unfair theyre allowed to get away with so much of peoples hard earned cash
 

nunchuckgirl

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I just want to take a moment to say thank you to everyone for all of your posts about this agency. I had just received an email from CLA stating their interest in my project and was strongly considering sending them a manuscript. I'm glad I didn't waste the time. It's a lesson learned for me. By the way, picking apart their grammar was a hilarious and nice touch. Well done.
 

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I got the same thing. Offered me a contract right away. It's a SCAM!!!! I feel lucky, she didn't get my money. I checked The Childrens Literary Agency out on Preditors & Editors. Out of the hundreds of publishers, she was in the TOP 20 WORST!!! Ditch her. I sent her an e-mail and told her to destroy my ms. Do the same or better yet don't send her anything.
Lavendar
 

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Childrens Literary Agency

I too thought I got lucky getting a contract so quick. It's a SCAM!!! I was lucky, she didn't get my money. I checked her out on Preditors & Editors. Of all the hundreds of publishers, she was in the TOP 20 WORST!!! I did send in a ms, and when I found out about her I e-mailed her and told her that I checked her out and to destroy my story. If you sent her any thing do the same or if you haven't DON'T!!! A legitimat publisher will not offer you a contract so soon. Go with a known publisher and good luck.
 

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Jami
I have all the e-mails that I got from Ms/Mr. Fine. I will gladly send them to who ever wants to preuse them.
 

Lavendar

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Me thinks if it sounds too good to be true, then it most certainly is. My, my, haven't we had and interesting life! Private Investigator, Investment Banker, Successful Author, War Hero!!!! Too bad Mr. Peepers didn't use his spell check on his post. Maybe reading wasn't on his agenda. Let's keep up the good work on discrediting CLA. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. A con is a con!!!
 

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Amen George D. MacDonald. Tell it like it is. Is Georgina Sherry Fine or is Sherry Fine Georgina and/or how many others? They wanted me to send them $70 to $90 for a critique of my work. Thank god I found P&E before I sent them any money. Apparently that wouldn't be the first or last fee from what I've read on the boards. I sent an e-mail telling Sherry that I had looked her up on P&E and she was in the top 20 worst and that she should be ashamed of herself, which obviously she will never be, and find a legitimate way to make a living. Lot of good that done, huh! I also told her to destroy the ms I sent her via e-mail. I didn't hear from her again (surprise, surprise) but I saved all her e-mails to me. I didn't know how wide spread she/he/they were. They're making tons of money! I'm sorry for the ones who got taken. She is more detrimental than just making us angry and taking our money. How many dreams has she destroyed by her actions. How many gave up after Georgina/Sherry/??? gave them a negative on their work and they didn't know about P&E or this site or one like it? But I hope they find one. I hope none gave up, but we all know how fragile the ego is. ST and LCA should be on this and every other message board each and every day. I have learned so much just by reading these boards. Keep the word going around about this scum scam. You did a fine job George and we thank you.
 
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nunchuckgirl

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Lavendar said:
Me thinks if it sounds too good to be true, then it most certainly is. My, my, haven't we had and interesting life! Private Investigator, Investment Banker, Successful Author, War Hero!!!! Too bad Mr. Peepers didn't use his spell check on his post. Maybe reading wasn't on his agenda. Let's keep up the good work on discrediting CLA. I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. A con is a con!!!


Lavendar,

Let me just LOL uncontrolably for a few minutes. I thought the exact same thing, as I'm sure everyone did. This guy has to be the most pompous, self-important ******* on the the face of the planet. Good riddens and many hearty chuckles at this pathetic and pretentious looser.
 

Annamichelle

Just wanted to say a big thank you. I was going to sign with CLA but decided to do some investigating first as internal alarm bells were ringing. I am really glad I came across your web site.