Author: G ARTHUR WOODS
Date:   04-11-02 06:59

Dear Mr. Jenkins:

I was rereading your Warning article posted on Writers Net. I just wanted you to know that you helped someone.

My first novel is coming out this spring, though with a smaller publishing house. Still, I was happy to see it sell. While looking for an agent last year I came across reading fees, post reading fees, agents who want several hundred dollars to represent, and those who charge for every pen and paper clip in the office. I turned them all down. One agent wanted $3000 to edit my manuscript. I asked him to return it.

Yesterday, Cynthia Sterling of the Lee Shore Agency tried to pump me for an editing fee of $9500. I asked for my manuscript back. She also charges reading fees, but they waived it because of my first novel. There is a resubmission fee if I would like to edit the book myself and get back with her. They also charge for fax paper, pens and other materials.

I clipped you article from Writers net and mailed it to some fellow authors.

G. ARTHUR WOODS.

Author: A.C. Crispin
Date:   04-11-02 12:06

Cynthia Sterling is the most successful "agent" and "publisher" OF HER KIND (guess what kind?)in America.

I realize this is depressing news, but she continues to snare naive writers every day.

-Ann C. Crispin
Writer Beware
www.sfwa.org/beware

Author: Marti
Date:   04-11-02 14:43

Hi Ann,

Doesn't she advertise in Writer's Digest? I thought they culled their magazine for this type of "agent." Why do they cull the agent guide and not the pages of the magazine?

Marti

Author: GWOODS
Date:   04-11-02 15:27

Cynthia Sterling is NOT the most successful in America. Far from it. And for that matter she makes her money mostly from naive writers who fall for her scams.

An agent only takes 10 to 15%. Cynthia Sterling Wanted me to pay $9500 to edit my book. It is the publisher who edits the book, and they do not charge the writer for it.

She had me on the phone and was trying to tell me what was wrong with my book but she kept getting details wrong. She had never read it.

Avoid Cynthia Sterling. She over charges for things that are free.

Author: GWOODS
Date:   04-11-02 15:30

WAIT...I JUST REPEATED MYSELF.....(sorry)

Author: Gary Kessler
Date:   04-11-02 15:35

GW: Ann wasn't disagreeing with anything you said; her references to Sterling as an agent and publisher were in the quotes of irony. She was saying that Sterling's "success" was in scamming people bigtime. Which is what you said as well.

Author: Ralph Van Doren
Date:   04-11-02 17:43

Marti: Writer's Digest does not screen their agent listings in their annual guide. They simply send out a questionaire to a number of agents and they can put down whatever they want. More than once, agents that have been listed as "non-fee charging" in that guide have turned out to be fee chargers.

Author: Maggie
Date:   04-11-02 17:46

NINE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS?????????

Geez Louise!

Author: Alex O'Malley
Date:   04-11-02 17:55

Omigosh! There has to be a different word than scamming when this much money is involved! Cynthia Sterling truly is in a league by herself.

Author: Brian -- Cali
Date:   04-11-02 18:04

Y'all are getting jipped. She only charged me $9,400.00. Plus she threw in some authentic Mexican jumping beans!

Author: Nathan
Date:   04-11-02 18:11

over NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS??? Surely you jest.

Why, I would happily edit your book for a mere five thousand. And I'll read your tea leaves, too.....after you smoke them. Some of these scams are just amazing.

Author: nic.h
Date:   04-11-02 20:27

My main question here, given the severity of this particular scam (and its frequency), is: Is this legal? I know it's immoral, unethical, and ruthless, but why isn't it illegal? Or is it? Why don't these organisations have to reveal upfront fees? And what would the trade practices (or industry watchdog equivalent) group in America consider to be illegal in this industry if Cynthia Sterling's little enterprise isn't? What exactly are fair trading laws about if not preventing the likes of Ms. Sterling from succeeding?

Am I being really naive here, or is there a problem with the system?

Just a few questions for you all to ponder...

nic.h

Author: Nathan
Date:   04-11-02 20:41

Nic-I agree there seems to be a problem with legality here, but if the scammers aren't actually lying and will edit the manuscript to whatever idiotic extent they feel like, and the writer is dumb enough to pay thousands of dollars for it, with no one twisting his arm, what can you say? Now if they take your money and don't do whatever they promised, edit, contact publishers (which I can do myself, guaranteeing no results and so can they), or help you to rewrite it, then the hapless and somewhat dull-witted writer might have a case. But if it's all voluntary and the scammer does whatever they promised for the money paid, I say the writer has been measured, hammered and screwed....and the scammer is probbaly within the "letter" of the law if not the "spirit" of it.

Author: Gary Kessler
Date:   04-11-02 20:59

Nathan's right Nic. Anyone who builds this money cow will be sure to have a contract and to do whatever the contract says they'll do (to the letter of the smaller print and mangled wording in the contract). If an scammer says "I'll edit your laundry list for $9,500," and the hapless dude says "Hokey Doke" and signs on the dotted line, tain't nothing illegal about that. And what's the motto of publishing? Something about "There's one born every minute," isn't it?

That's what I so love about moving back to the States after living so many years abroad. The scams now look so transparent to me; U.S. citizens seem so used to being solicited day and night, up and down, and trained to worship at that ole entreprenurial spirit altar that they just don't seem to be able to see the scam sometimes.

Author: nic.h
Date:   04-12-02 01:04

Well, at least I don't feel like I'm missing something here. I'm not the only one who thinks it should be illegal - at least where a company declares that they don't charge upfront fees in their advertising (or even free publicity directories like Writers Marketplace/Jeff Herman et al.) and then, goes ahead and charges fees. That's false adverstising isn't it?

Anyway, luckily I have never fallen for any of this crap. I am immediately suspicious of anyone who wants to publish me (whether because of experience in the industry or my own appalling artisitic self-esteem) and check out anyone and everyone to the best of my ability before any correspondence even begins.

I guess, at the end of the day, if more people checked and double-checked, these bastards would be far less profitable wouldn't they? All we can do is spread the word...

nic.h

Author: A.C. Crispin
Date:   04-12-02 11:14

Mr. Woods, I'm sorry you didn't understand my earlier post, and thought I was actually recommending Cynthia Sterling.

Let me be perfectly clear, here.

1. Lee Shore Literary Agency has no verifiable sales to advance and royalty paying publishers. Their income is derived from charging fees to writers. Writer Beware has a file on his "agency" two inches thick, full of complaints from writers who feel they've been defrauded.

2. Lee Shore tries hard to get "clients" to pay them upfront for a variety of services. "Evaluation fees," "Editing," "Book Doctoring," etc. As you have seen, they charge an arm and a leg for these dubious "services."

3. In addition to owning Lee Shore Literary Agency, Cynthia Sterling also owns Sterling House Publishers, a vanity press. Writer Beware has received many complaints about this press producing inferior work, and not honoring contract terms. Ms. Sterling deals with other subsidy publishers, too, such as the infamous Press-Tige, owned by scammer Kelly O'Donnell/Martha Ivery.

4. Lee Shore Literary Agency often "sells" its clients' work to Sterling House for large amounts of money. Being both an agent and a publisher is a conflict of interest, and the writer is the one who pays.

I noted on the Publish America board that you said you were thinking of getting your work edited elsewhere, then going with Lee Shore as your agent. Since they have no verified sales, and no professional relationship with legitimate publishers, I can't imagine why you would consider doing this.

I believe that this time I have been very clear. I wish you good luck.

-Ann C. Crispin
Writer Beware
www.sfwa.org/beware

Author: Wendy Duncan
Date:   04-14-02 07:33

But, gee whiz, Wally! She said I was the Next Big Thing to hit the literary scene! And Grandma doesn't really need that hip replacement anyway. It's only $9,500.

It's not so amazing that she could scam a person out of $9,500...what's amazing to me is that she could scam TWO people. My dearly departed Daddy always said: There's no such thing as a free lunch...and people who go to sit at that table will come away unable to afford the first installment on one.

Always skeptical when ANYONE asks for a piece of her 'pie',
Wendy D.

Author: G ARTHUR WOODS
Date:   04-15-02 06:22

That was a great posting Crispin. I might just print it out. I will at least pass it on to others.

I found The Lee Shore Agency on line and at first they looked good, but as they reviewed my book I reviewed them and was shocked at what I found. Everything you said is true. Still, I listend to what Cynthia Shore had to say. I just wanted to hear if from her own mouth. How much of a &$#@ rip off artist can one be? How can Cynthia Sterling sleep at night?


Books like Writers guide no longer carry Fee Charging agents. Too may of them simply collect fees and never ever try to sell the writers work to a publisher. Fee charging agents have been blackballed from the industry. You can read all about it in writers guide.

If you agents mentions fees, tell them NO, and walk away.

Author: G ARTHUR WOODS
Date:   04-15-02 06:26

PS.
I have no intention of letting my work go to an outside editor. The PUBLISHER edits a novel.

Author: Don T
Date:   05-03-03 17:05

I spent a solid hour on the Phone with Cynthia. Her staf had evaluated my manuscript and she personally wnated to speak to me with her evaluation.

Writers beware, she is one heck of a scam artist.

Don

Author: Carol Rzadkiewicz
Date:   09-02-03 23:46

I am curious about whether or not anyone knows anything about Publish America. Is it an bonafide publishing house? Has anyone dealt with the company?

Author: Glenn Woods
Date:   09-03-03 08:08

Hello Carol,

My first novel was published through PA. My second one is being published through a good mid sized publishing house.

I would not have found that second publishing house, if I had not been able to get my foot in the door of the very competitive world of publishing.

If your work is good, but you have been rejected by every agent and publisher out there, go on line and submit to PA. They are NOT self publishing. They are small, they are Publish On Demand. They are a chance for an unpublished writer to get published.

They are an honest company: They let you know, up front, that you will be on your own when your book comes out. If the book is to sell, you must sell it. If it is to be in stores, it is up to you. Your book will be listed on Amazon and other book sellers sites, they do that for you.

You will not get an advance, since they are publish on demand, your book is only printed as ordered, but they do offer royalties, and they do pay on time, as promised.

PA is a good foot in the door for those who are trying to get that foot in the door.

E-mail me if you have questions.

Glenn Woods

Author: kurt alex gross
Date:   09-16-03 13:49

Does anyone out there know anything about or had experiences with Publish America, good or bad? If so, please don't hesitate to email me with the info. Thanx.

Author: D.S. Ford
Date:   09-16-03 19:06

Cynthia Sterling sent me a listing of her "recent titles sold" with the most recent sale in 2001. It is now September of 2003. She wrote at the bottom of the list, "for latest sales visit our website" (www.leeshoreagency.com) I visited the Web site and found no listings for 2002 and 2003. I sent the Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau 14 pages of complaints about Cynthia Sterling, her literary agency the Lee Shore Agency, Ltd. and her "publishing company" SterlingHouse Publisher, Inc. which I found on the Internet. They sent copies of the complaints to her. Then they sent me a copy of her response which indicates she will refer the matter to her attorney. I later called the Better Business Bureau and found that the one complaint which had been made against her in the past three years (mine) had been resolved. Don't let Cynthia Sterling's membership in the Better Business Bureau fool you. They are well aware of the complaints about Cynthia Sterling on the Internet, but are not interested in warning the public about her. The Blue Book Evaluation which is part of the full evaluation the Lee Shore Agency charges $195 for is not filled with essays as would be assumed by anyone who has been to college. There will be X's in boxes rating how your manuscript performs in a listing of categories and general written comments at the bottom of each page. I tried to get the Better Business Bureau to prove that my 390 page manuscript had not been read in its entirety by anyone at the Lee Shore Agency by providing a simple quiz with three questions that anyone who had read the entire manuscript would be able to answer. I followed up with two more letters, but never heard back from the Better Business Bureau. There is another $95 resubmission fee for a reevaluation, which I would not consider paying after reading about Cynthia Sterling's reputation on the Internet. There are only 16 books on the list of Recent Titles Sold which goes back as far as 1997. With all the legitimate agents who do not charge evaluation fees and don't try to get the author to pay the agent for editing and have a listing of recent books sold which includes books sold in 2002 and 2003, there is no need to do business with Cynthia Sterling.

Author: Cynthia Sterling
Date:   10-02-03 22:15

I am not a crook! Just because there are bars in front of my 'vacation condo.' does not mean all you weenies are right. I help people. I help them lose their money. I help them lose their self image. I have to charge a lot because I eat at least 5,000 Oreos a day. Sheesh! You people act like that man who was hiding in my toilet syping on me.

Splatfully Yours
Cindy Poo

Author: Glenn Woods
Date:   10-03-03 05:41

OH, that's funny.
And how true. What do you want to be that she does not get it, and sees nothing wrong with what she does. Last I heard she was under investigation. I wonder what has happened.

Author: Concerned
Date:   10-16-03 17:48

Has SterlingHouse had any success or is it just hype?

Do they market some books traditionally or is everything they do simply part of the vanity press?

Any first hand knowledge out there?

Author: D.S. Ford
Date:   10-18-03 17:31

Cynthia Sterling's Email on 10-2-03 takes a quote from a speech made by Richard Nixon during Watergate. At least she'll admit to taking people's money and spending it on a vacation condo. I have found no words of praise for Cynthia Sterling on the Internet except on her own Web Site. The only reason she has to charge a lot of money is because she makes most of it from unpublished writers who never publish with real publishers. You know the kind I mean. The ones who actually pay royalties to the author without charging anything up front. The last lie I heard her tell after an hour and forty minutes on the phone with Cynthia was "We don't do business with subsidy publishers." As the owner of SterlingHouse Publisher, Inc. which is itself a subsidy publisher, Cynthia not only does business with subsidy publishers, she is a subsidy publisher. There is clearly a conflict of interest here. Cynthia Sterling's business practices are a shame to the Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau which she is a member of. Everyone she has ever ripped off should contact them immediately and Sterling's reputation with them will no longer be so sterling. By the way, Cynthia, "splatfully" is not a word. You've either invented one or you spell as well as your attorney. You both missed out by not studying ethics. But I don't think you would understand the concept. You'd better get back to work. Your next victim is just a phone call away. And with any luck, they don't know how to use a computer and think the Better Business Bureau is a public service organization.

Author: Pat Niner
Date:   01-08-04 09:52

Someone mentioned Cynthia's e-mail on 10-02-03. What is that? Is it posted somewhere I can read, or can the text be sent to me? I love reading her propoganda.

Author: D.S. Ford
Date:   01-09-04 19:47

Pat Niner,
I mentioned Cynthia Sterling's Email on 10-2-03 in my Email on 10-18-03. It's right here on the Writers Net Discussion Forum. I found it satisfying provoking such a foul response from Ms. Sterling. Her "I am not a crook" quote I can still hear Richard Nixon saying during Watergate. Instead of just reading Cynthia's propaganda, try contacting the Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau about her dishonest and unethical business practices. I'm the only one who ever did and they resolved the complaint, though she never paid a refund or proved that anyone at the Lee Shore Agency even read my entire 390-page manuscript. Don't expect them to feel any pity for Cynthia's victims. On the contrary, by allowing someone who takes advantage of unpublished authors the way she does to be a member of the Pittsburgh Better Business Bureau, they are tarnishing their own reputation. If everyone else complained too, they may decide she doesn't deserve to be one of their members. Call operator assistance in Pittsburgh, PA to get the number. Then call the Better Business Bureau in Pittsburgh for the address to send your complaint. It's not likely they will ever make Cynthia pay refunds, but if they get several complaints of a similar nature, they may one day come to their senses and decide that Cynthia Sterling does not deserve to be a member of the Better Business Bureau.

Author: Pat Niner
Date:   01-10-04 09:43

Oh. *raises an eyebrow*