WL Writers’ Literary Agency is actively seeking authors with International (US and non-US) backgrounds. For more information about our submission policies please visit www.wlwritersagency.com
The following was posted on several sites regarding this company:
quote:WL Writers’ Literary Agency Posted by Jim Macdonald at 09:40 AM * 23 comments We’ve mentioned these folks before at Making Light: Take My Logline … Please.
Now convicted conman Robert Fletcher is back with a new name for his old agency. Ann Crispin of Writer Beware has this to say, and adds, “Please feel free to copy and paste this alert wherever writers gather.”
NEW ALERT FROM WRITER BEWARE: Writers’ Literary Agency & Marketing Company (formerly The Literary Agency Group) The Literary Agency Group, a business owned or controlled by Robert M. Fletcher of Boca Raton, Florida, changed its name in February 2007 to Writers’ Literary Agency & Marketing Company (a.k.a. WL Writers’ Literary Agency).
This umbrella group includes or has included the following agencies:
* Christian Literary Agency * New York Literary Agency * Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency, formerly Sydra-Techniques) * WL Children’s Agency (a.k.a. Children’s Literary Agency) * WL Poet’s Agency (a.k.a. Poet’s Literary Agency) * WL Screenplay Agency (a.k.a. The Screenplay Agency) * Writers’ Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)
Since this company began operating in 2001 under the name Sydra-Techniques, Writer Beware has received hundreds of complaints and advisories of fee-charging, editing referrals, and other questionable practices. We’re not aware that the company has a significant track record of commercial book sales under any of its names, despite its claims to the contrary.
Writers who have had trouble with Robert M. Fletcher or any of the above-named companies, and who are or were residents of the state of Florida, please get in touch with Ann Crispin at anncrispin@aol.com (or beware@sfwa.org , if the AOL address bounces), even if you have previously contacted her. Please provide complete contact information.
You can learn far more about WL Writers’ Literary Agency wherever scam-hunters sit around the fire gnawing roast haunch of scammer and telling tales.
quote: WRITER BEWARE'S THUMBS DOWN AGENCY LIST Links checked/Page updated: 3/4/07
Below, in alphabetical order, is a list of the currently active literary agencies about which Writer Beware has received the largest number of complaints over the years, or which, based on documentation we've collected, we consider to pose the most significant hazard for writers. All have two or more of the following abusive practices:
1. Fee-charging--including reading fees, marketing or administrative fees, retainers, processing fees, and other forms of upfront or flat-rate charges that are made as a condition of representation.
2. Paid editing or publishing referrals--including placing clients with vanity publishers, promoting their own paid editing services to clients (a conflict of interest), sending clients/potential clients to an outside editing service that pays kickbacks for referrals. Several of these agencies are no more than fronts for editing services.
3. Conflicts of interest--several agencies are under common ownership with editing services or vanity publishers, which are recommended to clients without disclosing the connection.
4. No or minimal track records--many of these agencies have never made a single sale to a commercial publisher. None has a significant recent track record.
5. Nonstandard author-agent contract terms--including perpetual agency clauses, claiming commissions on clients’ future works even if the agency had no hand in selling them, billing clients for normal business overhead such as travel and entertainment.
6. Unprofessional practices--such as sending form letters or postcards with boxes for editors to check off and return to indicate interest, "bundled" queries (several queries in the same envelope), "blitz" or shotgun submissions (submissions to a dozen or more publishers simultaneously, often without careful targeting), “packaging” a submission with unnecessary extras such as author photos, cover mockups, or sample illustrations.
7. Misrepresentation of skill or experience--including representing themselves as competent to sell manuscripts despite poor or nonexistent track records, lying about sales, and claming placements with vanity publishers as legitimate commercial sales.
While the 20 agencies listed here account for the bulk of the complaints we receive, they're just the tip of the iceberg. Writer Beware has files on nearly 400 questionable agencies, and we learn about a new one every few weeks.
We'll updating the list from time to time, as questionable agencies sometimes change their names, or clone themselves Be sure to check back regularly.
The Abacus Group Literary Agency Allred and Allred Literary Agents Barbara Bauer Literary Agency Benedict Associates (also d/b/a B.A. Literary Agency) Sherwood Broome, Inc. (also d/b/a Stillwater Literary Agency, LLC)
Capital Literary Agency (formerly American Literary Agents of Washington, Inc.; also d/b/a Washington Agency and Washington Literary Agency) Desert Rose Literary Agency Arthur Fleming Associates Finesse Literary Agency (also d/b/a/ Elite Finesse Literary Agency)
Brock Gannon Literary Agency Harris Literary Agency Martin-McLean Literary Associates Mocknick Productions Literary Agency, Inc. B.K. Nelson, Inc. The Robins Agency (Cris Robins) Michele Rooney Literary Agency (also d/b/a Creative Literary Agency, Simply Nonfiction, and Michele Glance Rooney Literary Agency) Southeast Literary Agency Mark Sullivan Associates (also d/b/a New York Editors and Manhattan Literary)
West Coast Literary Associates (also d/b/a California Literary Services) Writers' Literary Agency & Marketing Company (a.k.a. WL Writers' Literary Agency), formerly The Literary Agency Group, which includes the following: -Christian Literary Agency -New York Literary Agency -Stylus Literary Agency (formerly ST Literary Agency, formerly Sydra-Techniques) -WL Children's Agency (a.k.a. Children's Literary Agency) -WL Poet's Agency (a.k.a. Poet's Literary Agency) -WL Screenplay Agency (a.k.a. The Screenplay Agency) -Writers' Literary & Publishing Services Company (the editing arm of the above-mentioned agencies)
If you decide to look into this company, ask them how many books they've sold in the past year. Ask them about charges and fees and "ouside" companies reviewing your work for a fee. Then run in the opposite direction!
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Well, you got secrets and scars you hide Well, you got closets with bones inside Well, that's ok baby, So do I I won't criticize Baby, I'll just share the ride
[This message was edited by rhon831 on 06-05-07 at 05:13 PM.]
Ditto. Avoid all publishing that is solicited online is my recommendation. Good publishers wait for you to come to them - go to a library or English Department if you want a list of reputable companies. Plan around being rejected at least the first three times, but keep trying until they have a 'feel' for your style.
Never send the same items twice, or to different publishers.
Posts: 5612 | Location: Aotearoa (New Zealand) | Registered: 09-22-02
I am looking for agent that is legit for Children's Fiction novel. I tried to email the WL Children's Agency to their email provided on their website and it's coming back fatal error domain name required.
Any suggestions on Real agents with Real agencies seeking authors of childrens', YA fiction?
Thank you
G
Posts: 1 | Location: Chatta TN Hamilton | Registered: 09-13-08
