“Being an artist I realize that with one wave of my hand, brush to canvas, I can create. And with a wave of that same hand I can destroy what I created. Ya know what the funny thing is? With a wave of my hand again, I can change it back or totally into something different. I am an artist.”
~ Me, yours truly

Thanks for stopping in. I rarely get a chance to create things for myself lately. Time just slips through my fingers and I wander around trying to find it. This space is for me to share with everyone some wonderfully talented people from all walks of life. It’s not about celebrity or the greatest artist in the world… it’s about the art, creativity, the soul. This is coming from an artist-to-artist view. I am an artist and I think because of that fact understanding where and how the mind of the artist works I can bring out things you wouldn’t get in most interviews or art oriented web magazines. And I do have a bit of a quirky way about me and humor is a big part of that. So I’m sure I’ll always be leaving a part of that on these pages.

So if you don’t mind a little bit of that and a little bit of this and a whole lot of creativity amongst the people who will inhabit these pages with me, I’m really glad you stopped by to share a bit of YOUR “creative soul” with us.

Be sure to checkout the hot spot, “The Interviews”, a must visit area!

• Pamela Detlor (photographer/artist)  December 2009

• Dawn Langstroth (singer/songwriter/painter)  November 2009

by: Karen Cioffi

We all know how difficult it is to break into the business of writing for children. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, it is a tough business and can be overwhelming for those just starting out. While all writing must adhere to certain guidelines, writing for children has additional principles unique to its genre.

To start, the words used in children’s writing must be age appropriate. This may sound easy to do, but it can be a difficult task. There are also certain techniques and tricks used specifically in writing for children, such as the Core of Three, sentence structure, and the timeframe in which the story should occur when writing for young children. In addition, it’s essential to make sure your conflicts, storyline, and point of view are appropriate for the age group you’re writing for.

Along with this, there are general techniques for writing, such as adding sensory details, showing instead of telling, and creating an engaging story that hooks the reader right away, along with great dialogue and correct punctuation.

This is just the beginning though, there is also the business of editing your work, writing a winning query, and following submission guidelines; the list goes on and on.

But, don’t get discouraged, there is help. Here are three basic tools to get you started and guide you down the children’s writing path:

1. Children’s Writer’s WORD BOOK by Alijandra Mogilner is a great resource that provides word lists grouped by grades along with a thesaurus of listed words. This allows you to check a word in question to make sure it is appropriate for the age group you’re writing for. It also provides reading levels for synonyms. It’s a very useful tool and one that I use over and over.

2. Tricks of the Trade: Learn to Write for Children in Just 6 Weeks! e-course by the Children’s Writer’s Coaching Club creator and director, Suzanne Lieurance, is a gem for learning the ins and outs of writing for children. I have just about finished this course and can say with confidence that it’s worth every penny. It’s jammed packed with practical, easy to understand, and detailed information. It answers your questions and provides the necessary tools, tips and advice to guide you from the basics of writing for children (books and freelancing) to queries, submissions, networking and more.

The e-course has 6 individual lessons to get you on the road to writing for children and working toward having your work published. Each lesson has three parts with assignments and additional resources.

The Trick of the Trade e-course also includes a 2 month membership in the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club. With this membership you have the opportunity to have your assignments professionally reviewed and critiqued by Lieurance or another published children’s author on staff at the National Writing for Children Center each week. Lieurance is also including, as a special bonus, 4 additional instructional CDs with tips for freelance writers. With these perks this e-course package is a bargain.

Suzanne Lieurance has created a purposeful ‘writing for children’ road map. This road map eliminates any guess work or doubt – it provides step-by-step guided instructions to get you where you’re heading. Tricks of the Trade: You Can Learn to Write for Children in Just 6 Weeks! is a phenomenal writing navigational tool – it offers top notch writing instruction and guidance.

Find out more about this course at: http://www.dkvwriting4u.com/learn-to-write/

3. The Frugal Editor by award winning author and editor, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, is a useful book for any writing genre, including children’s. It is great resource that guides you through basic editing, to getting the most out of your Word program’s features, to providing samples of queries. The author provides great tips and advice that will have you saying, “Ah, so that’s how it’s done.”

I’ve invested in a number of books, courses and programs in writing and marketing, and know value when I see it; these products have a great deal of value for you as a writer, and they are definitely worth the cost.

I consider these three resources essential tools in my children’s writing tool belt. But, the most important aspect of creating a writing career is to actually begin. Remember, you can’t succeed if you don’t try. It takes that first step to start your journey, and that first step seems to be a huge stumbling block for many of us. Don’t let procrastination or fear stop you from moving forward – start writing today!

About The Author
Karen Cioffi is an author and freelance writer. She is on the team of DKV Writing 4 U (writing services); the creator and manager of VBT – Writers on the Move (group of authors using cross-promotion to increase visibility); a reviewer for BookPleasures.com; and a co-moderator of a children’s writing critique group. She is a member of SCBWI, Linkedin, AWAI, JacketFlap, and a number of other groups and forums.

by: Jennifer Carsen

You’ve pulled all-nighters. You’ve burned the midnight oil. You’ve worked through the wee hours. It’s what lawyers do (as well as law students, though generally more pizza is involved).

But what I’m suggesting is a radical departure from this. I’m suggesting that you carve out time to write in the morning – when the sun is on its way up rather than down, when you’re daisy-fresh rather than dog-tired.

You may be wondering how you can do this, especially considering that you’re bleary-eyed after all those late nights. Daisy-fresh may be the furthest thing from your mind at five a.m., when the only thing you can ponder is whether or not to roll over before you hit the snooze button.

But here’s the thing: Early morning is the only time that’s truly yours. Nothing has blown up in spectacular fashion yet. Nobody’s looking for you, eager for a chat or a favor or help with a particularly loathsome task. It’s just you and your time, before the day gets away from you.

Because the day will get away from you – that much is certain. We’ve all had days that started with the best of intentions and ended in recriminations or even tears. Even good days become a kind of triage in which only the most important, urgent tasks get done. Your writing is important, but it’s not urgent because nobody but you will care if you skip it. The only way to be certain you get it done is to sneak it in early, before you quite know what’s hit you. Then the rest of the day is gravy.

Here are some tips for changing your night-owl ways:

1. Do it gradually. Every morning for one week, set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. The next week, bump it up by an additional 15 minutes. That may not seem like a lot, but you’ll gain an hour over the course of a month in a way that won’t shock your system.
2. Make friends with your TiVo. Do you really need to stay up late to watch Cake Boss, or Top Gun for the zillionth time? Plan your TV watching in advance so you don’t get sucked into something vapid.
3. Don’t rile yourself up before bed. Oftentimes it’s hard to get up in the morning because it’s hard to get to sleep the night before. Avoid too much caffeine late in the day, and also too much booze. (You may think that third glass of wine is your express ticket to Slumbertown, but alcohol actually disrupts your sleep patterns in a big way–you may crash hard initially, but you won’t sleep well.) Also, if you read before bed, stick to fiction; non-fiction tends to stir up your mind rather than winding you down for the day.
4. Just do it. You will not want to get up when the alarm rings 15 minutes early. Do it anyway, without thinking too much about it. Get up. Write. Repeat. After a while, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without that extra time in the a.m.

About The Author

Jennifer Carsen, J.D., is the founder of Big Juicy Life. Her specialty is turning lawyers into writers. Go to http://www.bigjuicylifecoaching.com to download the free report, “6 Myths About Leaving the Law for Writing.”

Article Author: Saladin Montgomery

As in the words of Andreas Feininger, an eminent American photographer, a photographer is like an artist who has the power to control the subject matter of his photography. He has the ability to control space, form, light, texture, speed, etc. The only one thing, on which he doesn’t have control, is the ‘composition’.

Composition is the process in which different elements or parts of an image are brought together to form a significant whole. A good picture cannot just be created with a click of a button, especially, when digital photography has made things easier and there are now a host of photography holidays and photography courses on offer making it even more accessible for everyone! The essence of a picture lies in its perfect composition.

Now, composition is something for which you need to have a different outlook apart from your passion for photography. While the basic rules are taught at the very beginning of a photography course or photography holiday, it is practice that makes a photographer perfect.

However, there are some basic rules of composition following which you can improve your skills as well as your photographs.

1. The Rule of Thirds: If you are on a photography holiday, then keep the Rule of Thirds on the top of the list while taking a photograph. This is the most important rule of composition as far as placing the subject matter of your picture is considered. According to this, a frame is first divided into three horizontal and vertical parts. The subject, when placed at the intersection of these lines, makes the best shot. This rule is also applicable when there is more than one subject. Photographers capturing a landscape can decide how much horizon to focus on with the help of this rule. This makes the picture more focused.
2. Frame: Framing includes the use of natural surroundings to add depth to the subject. This can be anything like a window, doorway, tree, etc. Using this rule can help you to focus on the subject and bring it to light. In certain cases, it is better to use a dark frame so that the subject achieves maximum brightness. For the depth, it is better to use a narrow aperture. Such techniques are frequently used by photographers on nature or wildlife photography holidays.
3. Texture: The texture of the subject photographed generates interest in other’s mind. This rule is important while picturing leaves, rocks or walls. To make the texture stand out, focus should be on the angle of the light. If the light comes from the side, then the creation of shadows in perfect places will highlight the texture more.
4. Lead Lines: At times, straight, curved or parallel lines in a photograph are helpful in grabbing the attention towards a subject. Keep this in mind while photographing a road, stream, river, bridge, etc. The diagonal placement of these objects is preferred over a horizontal appearance.
5. Colour: This is an essential element in photography whether it is digital photography or still photography. Vibrant colours make a picture look alive and a good composition of one or more colours can make a picture stand out.
6. Simplicity: Last but not the least, keep the picture simple, especially, when the subject is in close focus. In such cases, it is advisable to keep the background as simple as possible.

These are the fundamental rules of composition that should be considered while taking a picture. Though the rules of composition are an integral part of all photography courses in London and photography holidays, it is better to have hands on experience on it.

About the author:
Saladin Montgomery sugest some basic rules of composition. A good picture cannot just be created with a click of a button, especially, when digital photography has made things easier and there are now a host of photography holidays and photography courses on offer making it even more accessible for everyone! The essence of a picture lies in its perfect composition.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Article Author: Benicio Brown

Talent relating to the creation of animation is a wonderful gift. The creators of animation love it just as much as the people that watch it. In the past, the most creative pieces were constructed via 2D animation, although now, the revolution of 3D technology has meant that this is both better quality and easier to produce. 3D offers both the realism of real life, contrasting with the technologically advanced implementation of computing technology, making it spectacular for the viewers.

All animation starts with a foundation or base, just like a builder would lay foundations for a house. This allows the animators to develop and build on ideas or concepts that they have produced so far. Once they are happy with the ideas that have been developed, animators can focus on using 3D rendering processes to enable their animations to come to life. The rendering techniques that animators use make a huge difference; they make something good into something amazing.

3D Flash and online 3D illustration have come such a long way over the last 5-6 years or so. Before this time, software resources were available, but at a cost. This meant that if animators wanted to produce a piece then they’d be looking at a huge investment to get software up and running. These days software is cheaper, as well as a lot more capable, which opens many doors for new and experienced animators.

The common misconception is that animation is just something that is used in cartoons, or kids programs. This is simply not true. Anything that has been manipulated via computer technology is classed as animation. This might be building plans made into 3D or even a virtual car design. Animators work in hundreds of industries, not just cartoons!

Where as cartoons were where the 3D animation really took off, there is a new use for it. Businesses throughout the world are showing their professionalism and dominance in their industry by producing ranges of “flash” products or services, making them look special via 3D animation. A typical example these days would be both offline and online marketing companies. These companies use as much outside help to make their company, products or even services look that little bit better. Of course, 3D animation and rendering techniques are exactly what they should be implementing if this is what they want to achieve. Next time you take a look at a marketing company, or even any company trying to sell products, see if their website or brochure catches your eye, and if so, is it because they are implementing 3D animation? Using animation rendering techniques is a way for them not only to make their company look better, but to stand out from the crowd.

Where are 3D animation rendering techniques found elsewhere?

Are you a teacher, or have you been taught? It’s a well known fact that there are a range of ways people take on board new information. The vast majority of students (the topic is irrelevant) respond really well to visual resources such as books, pictures or even computer based visual resources. The internet and computers are so popular these days, that there isn’t actually the need for a teacher. Instead interesting, exciting and educational courses can be put together for use via a computer and then made to be kind to the eye by implementing 3D animation rendering techniques.

Where is the future of 3D animation going?

Like any industry, it is moving extremely fast. A rendering technique used today, might be absolutely useless tomorrow. Software is the key ingredient to producing quality 3D animation. Anyone looking to get into the industry, or already involved will need to have a keen eye for what’s hot and what not, other wise they are likely to be left in the dust. That being said, animation software doesn’t do the work for you, the end product will only be as good as the person behind the computer screen implementing rendering techniques.

To begin with 3D animation was basically operating software. Now, because of the technologically advanced features and processes that can be implemented, it goes much further than that. The more creative and artistic the operator of the software is, the bigger the chance that the end product is going to be something of a masterpiece. The combination of great creativity, experience in the arts industry and the knowledge to operate powerful 3D animation software, using the correct rendering techniques, can create extremely powerful animations.

Article courtesy of http://www.rebusmedia.net/ , 3D animation services including rendering, animation production, 3D design, 3D video, and more.

The artist’s inspiration has been the object of wonder and misconception ever since early Man created the first painted images on the walls of his caves thousands of years ago. In truth, there is nothing mystical about creative thought; the average person uses it in his daily life to solve everyday problems, just as the engineer, scientist and architect employ it in their professions. And to expand the mind’s ability to conjure new ideas can be accomplished by simply learning to break free of restrictive ways of thinking, and by exposure to new and stimulating experiences.

Everyone falls into a mental rut sometimes, where habit takes over. But habit is the enemy of creative thinking! You have to open your mind to new ways of experiencing and perceiving in order to gain fresh ideas. There are many established ways to improve your ability to think creativity. To begin with, you should always strive to avoid time-worn cliches; for the visual artist, this could mean taking a common subject, such as a still-life, and injecting some new element into it that normally wouldn’t be associated with that subject. Consider my painting “Voodoo”, found on my website. Instead of the usual flowers and vase, I have used an African ceremonial mask and a human skull, adding a darker twist to the traditional still-life genre.

Many innovative ideas originate in the subconscious mind. Therefore dreams have often been the source of new ideas for the artist, and for Surrealists such as Salvador Dali they were usually the main source of inspiration. Sometimes the mind can be stimulated simply by drawing or painting in a different location than usual. I often find walking or pacing helps me to think and sort out any confusion in my mind. Trying your hand at other fields of artistic expression, such as writing or music, can give you new perspectives. Literature and film can also be rich sources of ideas. I found that studying poetry helped me to draw more upon the subconscious, and to gain a greater appreciation of the principles that are common to all art forms.

One of the greatest obstacles to creativity is conformity. Don’t allow yourself to be restricted by what is socially or culturally acceptable; society encourages uniformity of thought and attitude–this is the death of creative thought! Follow your own instincts, believe in your own view and perceptions; don’t be afraid to be provocative if that is what your concept demands. Look at my works “The Lady Of Ill Repute” and “The Years”–certainly not everyone’s idea of beauty. But beauty can be found in the truth expressed in these women’s faces and in their lives, like the beauty found in the ruins of a forgotten temple. In these women one sees the scars of past experience and the price that time exacts from the human soul. In short, they tell a good story, something art should always strive to do.

It is a great mistake to think that every idea that you arrive at should be a good one. The creative process is by nature somewhat chaotic–this naturally means that some of your ideas, perhaps most of them, are simply bad. This is fine! Even a bad idea can be of value, as it may lead you to make an unconscious connection that eventually matures into something useful. In fact, sometimes deliberately coming up with a bad concept can open the mind to something better. It’s all a matter of making unconscious associations.

I have come to believe that there is no truly original idea. Everyone builds upon the work of others. Consider Van Gogh’s style: his use of color comes from the Impressionists; the hard outlines and flat forms from Japanese woodcuts; his everyday subject matter from earlier artists like Millet. Perhaps his fluid brushwork is his only personal contribution to his distinctive style. But by blending these different elements he came up with something totally unique and personal. This is an example of combining influences. And there are other approaches, such as modifying, maximizing, minimizing, substituting, rearranging, reversing, exaggerating and separating.

Inspiration is always an uncertain commodity; some people will always have the advantage over the rest of us when it comes to innovative thinking. But everyone can expand their capacity for creative thought by ridding themselves of old ways of thinking, and by exposure to new experiences. However, it isn’t always necessary to be clever; the most important consideration for the artist is to have something to say, and to say it well. I hope that the methods discussed here will help you to do just that.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ – Free Articles Directory

About the Author
The artwork of the author, Charles Griffith, can be found at http://charlesgriffith.tripod.com and he can be contacted at charles_griffith@lycos.com. Charles Griffith’s interest in art began in childhood, and was encouraged by his family. Later, while serving in the U.S. military in Europe, he was inspired by seeing firsthand some of the treasures of European art. Today his art focuses on traditional realism, often with elements of Expressionism and Surrealism.

Author: Kasan Groupe

For over 100 years, Crayola products have given children the chance to color their world with creativity and self expression. The art of childhood is celebrated through innovative, crafty projects that Crayola crayons, markers, and paints can bring to any household, school, or community environment. The Crayola Company has sale offices located in the US, Canada, Australia, and in Mexico employing over 1,100 worldwide.

Since founded by Binney and Smith in 1885, Crayola produces roughly three billion crayons a year, averaging out at about twelve million a day. That is practically enough crayons to circle the entire globe six times. Crayola crayons are varied in several ways. Not only are there 120 official Crayola colors, with 23 shades of red, 20 kinds of greens, 19 shades of blue, 16 types of purples, 15 different oranges, 11 browns, 8 yellows, 2 grays, 2 blacks, and a shade of gold and silver, they each have a very unique name as well. Most of the color names are taken from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Bureau of Standards book that is titled “Color: Universal Language and Dictionary of Names.” Several of the Crayola colors have been named according to traditional artists’ paints as well.

After comparing results from over 25,000 votes taken during the Crayola Color Census in 2000, the majority of Americans favored the color blue out of every color in the Crayola box. In fact, the top ten included six different shades of blue including midnight blue, aquamarine, cerulean, periwinkle, blizzard blue, and denim. Other colors from the top ten included caribbean green, cerise, and purple heat.

Interestingly enough, a study done by Yale University showed that the smell of Crayola Crayons is number eighteen out of the twenty most recognizable smells for American adults. That goes along with coffee, lemon, chocolate, and cinnamon. Crayola not only produces crayons but they also offer products such as colored pencils, modeling clays, coloring books, and artists’ tools such as a crayola easel. Surprisingly enough, Crayola also produced Christmas lights for the 1996-1997 season using the popular colors pink, orange, and blue. Crayola currently has affiliate relationships with other brands such as Silly Putty, the Portfolio Series, and Liquitex.

About the Author:

Get your child a crayola easel and make your next art project funner than ever!
Our authors work as a team that focuses on attention to detail, devotion and an honest degree of aptitude.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Crayola Company, Fun Facts about America’s Favorite Crayon

Author: Dwight Clough

What if I could give you one word that would transform your writing career?

Impossible?

Not at all. It’s not only possible, but when you understand this word and its power, it will forever change how you look at writing. In fact, if you don’t learn this word, you are treating your writing career like a trip to a Vegas casino. Sure, you might win big, but the odds are that you’ll go home disappointed … and broke.

I’m talking about a four letter word that most writers, including most Christian writers completely ignore.

No, it’s not a profanity. Nor is it an obscenity. In fact, it’s not colorful language at all. It’s a plain, ordinary word, a word that you’ve probably spoken in the last ten days without comprehending its significance.

It starts with an “L.”

Can you guess what it is?

Give up?

The word is list.

The right kind of list, in your hands, can transform you from a writer wannabe to a successful author with enough muscle to walk into a major publisher’s office and negotiate a six- or seven-figure advance with smiles all around the table.

But without a list, you’re dead in the water. You can be the best writer since Ernest Hemingway and nobody will give you the time of day.

What do I mean?

I’m talking about a list – a database – of people who know you, respect you, trust you and get value from the message you have to share. I’m talking about a list of people who are ready, willing and able to buy the next book you publish. This means a database of names, email address and whatever other information you can glean so that turning your book into a best seller is like marketing clockwork.

The vast majority of writers are spending way too much time ruminating over their prose and zero time building their list.

If you don’t have a list, start building one now. How do you build a list? That’s the subject of a different article, but, for starters, you need to begin asking yourself some basic marketing questions: What groups of people benefit most from my message? How and why exactly do they benefit? Where do I find these people? How can I engage them in dialogue? What would cause them to want to share their name and contact information with me? How can I responsibly care for that trust and that information?

Give it some thought, because this four letter word is the cornerstone of your writing career.

Dwight Clough
Author / Ghostwriter / Author’s Coach
http://EmpowerGood.com/yourbook
Free information for authors

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1232312_50.html

Author: John Mackinnon

To learn and master painting has never been as easy or as inexpensive. With video technology it is now possible to learn from some of the best instructors the world over. Many of these top notch artists would normally be too busy, too far away or even too expensive for the average student. The availability of video painting lessons has certainly change everything. However, since not every course is necessarily a good one, here are 9 tips for choosing the best ones.

1. Choose Video; without a doubt a painting course needs to be in a video format. But, not just little tiny snippets of short videos to enhance a book but, full blown, start to finish video. This is an intensively visual activity that is best learned while watching an expert go through all of the paces.

2. Good Production Values; The videos need to be well though out with lots of clear close up shots so that there is no confusion about each demonstration.

3. Beginner Through Advanced Lessons; a thorough learn and master painting course will guide a complete novice student through setting up a studio, the equipment and initial supplies. Too many courses leave beginners scrambling for the most basic information. Also, the dvd should allow a more advanced painter to skip around to view only the lessons for which they have the most interest.

4. The Instructor; needs to be a seasoned, highly educated and accomplished artist in their own right. It is equally important that they have a gift for teaching students of all levels. Some gifted artists are just not able to identify where a beginner student is coming from and all too often they will become confused, discouraged and quit unnecessarily.

5. Painting Theory; a complete painting course should not just teach you to mimic the instructor so that you learn to create just one specific painting in one specific style. Instead, the painting course should give you a full understanding of perspective, making an object look three dimensional, why colors look the way they do, tonality and many other fundamental concepts that will set you free to paint anything in a professional manor.

6. Guided Practice Sessions; Its important to actually work on exercises as well as full blown paintings from start to finish right along side the instructor. Sitting on your hands while watching the instructor could give you a false sense of understanding. There is nothing like diving in the pool with a good teacher to learn to swim.

7. Individual Pacing; this is almost automatic with dvd painting courses because you can automatically pause almost any where in mid lesson, work at your own pace, then restart the video where you left off. It is important that the instructor teaches in a way that gives you plenty of logical places to pause for practice, (or to go to the bathroom for that matter).

8. Fun: the instructor must be somewhat playful and encouraging while teaching or you may become bored and not look forward to each lesson. This is also important because fun usually yields a relaxed state of mind that is more creatively focused.

9. Price; expect to pay about $150 to $250 USD for a thorough beginner through advanced painting dvd set. Prices that range from $20 to $50 USD usually teach a limited range of topics.

Without a doubt, video painting course dvds are the most thorough, effective and complete single educational tool to come along since the invention of art. They are often superior to a random live local teacher in terms of cost, convenience, consistency and caliber of instructing. It is, after all, hard to get a live instructor to come to your house at 2:00 in the morning on a night when sleep is impossible and you wish to paint, (they are also impossible to rewind and review).

Having said that, it is still extremely important to get outside feedback on your work from other artists in your community. Ideally, use a dvd course to lay a detailed foundation then add live interaction with other artists and instructors for feedback as you learn and master painting.

About the Author:

John Mackinnon, having grown up in an artistic family, has had a passion for art for nearly 50 years. If you wish to find a good set of video painting course dvds, John has posted a series of detailed reviews and comparison charts to greatly simplify this process for you. Learn which Painting and Drawing lessons are gems and which to avoid before you buy. http://www.MasterPaintingLessons.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Learn and Master Painting: How To Choose The Best Painting Lesson DVDs

Author: Mark Kemp

A lot of con artists have invaded the industry and the literary world is not an exemption. It is important to discern if a literary agency is a scammer or not. New comers and veteran novelists alike can fall prey to literary agency schemes so added precaution and knowledge about the matter is essential. There are specific signs that your literary agency is just a scam so better read on and be informed.

The rule is pretty simple for literary agencies. They only get to make money out of your books, fiction or non-fiction, by selling it to reputable publishers. This rule may seem basic enough but a lot of writers are still falling victim to con artists of the literary world. If your literary agency is asking for additional fee related to reading, evaluation, marketing or retainer’s fee, then you should consider this as a warning sign that something is not right with your agency.

Reading fees are already banned by the Association of Author’s Representatives (the active trade group for literary agents in the United States of America). The same holds true for evaluation fees. If the agent would like to critique your work then he is free to do so but it should come at no cost. If you really want good opinion regarding your work, you should approach a professional editor instead.

Note that not all fees being charged to you by your literary agency are scams. Literary agencies do charge fees that they incur on your behalf for the production and distribution of your work. Chargeable expenses include photocopy expense, stamps and the like. Most reputable agents put these expenses in the contract that writers are required to sign to make the transaction clear for both parties.

One of the indicators that the agency is a reputable one is that they do not ask for a payment even before any work has started. Reputable literary agencies would also provide you with receipts of the copies that the agency said they made and are charging you for. Renegotiate your contract if you think that it will not work for you.

If you want a reputable literary agency, such as the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, to represent you, then do not look for their advertisement in magazines and the internet for chances are, they do not advertise there. You will find their contact details in market books and other resources instead.

About the Author:

For more details, please visit us at http://www.myonlinetalentagent.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Protecting Yourself from Literary Agency Scams