Timothy Goodwin

It is becoming very difficult to know who to trust in the publishing game. The Literary Writer’s Agency professed that they wished to represent my work “Darkness Within”. After doing a little research, I found some mud was slung in their direction. Because I like to give all people the benefit of the doubt, I gave LWA the opportunity to tell “their side” of the story. The correspondence went like this:

From: Timothy Goodwin [mailto:orion005@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2009 12:47 PM
To: manuscript@wlwritersagency.com
Subject: A question of ethics

It’s unfortunate that in this day and age there are people who are scammers, and who feed off the hopes and dreams of others. I would like to believe that your company is not a scam, as I have been burned in the past, and things like scams waste my time and money, and get me no closer to publication than I already am. Therefore, I am submitting the document below—which is obviously presented by person/s that strongly believe your company is a scam.

Because I would like to believe otherwise, I would ask that you take the time to explain to me the reason for this declaration in this document. Furthermore, I would like you to provide me with a list of authors that have been published through your efforts and professionalism.

I present this request in a neutral light; as I said previously, I look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship to all parties involved following publication of my work. However, I do have to protect my interests as well. So the sooner that you provide me with a list of authors that have benifitted from your expertise, the sooner we can get this nasty business of the possibility of scams out of the way.

Sincerely,
Timothy Goodwin

WARNING

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.

WLA responded to the letter in this manner:

RE: A question of ethics‏
From: Manuscript WB (manuscript@wlwritersagency.com)

Sent: Fri 5/08/09 1:51 PM
To: ‘Timothy Goodwin’ (orion005@hotmail.com)
Thank you for requesting more information about all that information you found on the web. Recently, we were interviewed by a very known web-writer, and this is the text of the interview. I think you will find it interesting, to say the least.
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The Naked Truth Interview: Is WL and AEG a Scam?

Copyright 2008-2009. This interview may be reproduced only in its entirety.
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DG decides to see what is really going on with the merger between one of most vocally discussed and denounced literary agency and publisher companies on the internet, the WL Literary Agency Group, and AEG Strategic & Eloquent Publishing.

The two companies have recently announced a merger and DG has decided to “dig for dirt”. What is really behind this company? Is it the scam everyone says it is? Why all the flack? DG decides to see for herself what all the commotion is about.

Note: For reference, The company press release is at http://www.aegpublishinggroup.com/aeg_pressrelease.html .

But we didn’t want to go with the ‘party line”, we wanted to get deeper, as we suggest that most writers do.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

DG: OK, let’s get right to the point, there’s an elephant in the room and I’m going to go ahead and shoot it: I have seen and read some very, very derogatory online forums regarding your companies, both past and present. As a writer and a voracious reader, my first knee-jerk reaction was to be worried about the integrity of your publishing companies and how you treat writers. “Where’s the beef? What’s the problem? Why are you so hated by so many?

AEG: The short answer is that we don’t fit anybody’s mold. We’re different, and we’re already bigger than the industry pundits know what to do with. In the last 6 months, we’ve published over 250 authors and we’re selling 1500 books a week for them. We expect to sell over 150,000 books for our authors next year, and a million books by 2010 if we keep growing at this pace. We are also one of the few companies already doing joint ventures into China and Australia for our authors.

We have venture capitalists approaching us and we are ‘squeaky clean” from an accounting and legal perspective and we are also considering going public. Believe me, if there was anything to anyone’s allegations it would have been a deal killer by now. Any real business-person can look at those numbers above and realize that our company must be legit, because you don’t grow that big as ‘scammers’.


Also, we employ about 50 people now from all over the world, and those employees certainly wouldn’t work for a scam company either.

In short, those sites like Writers Beware and Preditors & Editors, are run by ‘minor league writers’. We’re in the big leagues and frankly, we scare the shit out of them. The people that run those sites don’t have the time, or the inclination to do an interview like this. They are like old, and tired, and worn-out horses that have been around too long and like the old ‘Mikie” they hate everything that is different But if anyone wants to believe them, that’s fine, we don’t have time to waste as we are building a very, very global business with real “writer-business-people” that are committed to their careers. Our clients don’t sit around reading whiner sites, that’s for sure.

We have sales to China, a joint venture going into Australia, and we’re delivering on our promises.



DG: Do I detect a bit of frustration?

AEG: Of course, it’s like the old kindergarten game, where you sit in a circle, whisper into the person’s ear next to yours, and the end result is so far removed from the original statement, that it is very, very frustrating. I will give our detractors a bit of credit though, they have caused us to toughen up, and succeed in spite of their crap. As the old saying goes, “that which does not kill me makes me stronger”, and believe me, we are so lean and mean right now, that we are approaching unstoppable, and frankly their opinions no longer matter to our business. And don’t tell them this, but they are actually helping us at this point . . . They are free advertising, as most rational authors can’t believe what they are now saying, and the authors come to us to ‘see for themselves”.

We don’t work with authors that won’t spend the money it takes to improve and that has served us well. The industry is realizing that the fastest way to separate the good from the bad, is how much time and energy the author has spent developing their craft. That’s what we want. We won’t stomach or tolerate “something for nothing” people, and that attitude has perhaps become misconstrued.



DG: That all sounds nice, but really, why all the negative press?

AEG: We have really tried to listen to the marketplace and we have made certain adjustments to the way we do business, however, we are very clear about one thing, we only want committed authors with edited, or reviewed work. That means that we only want authors that have been edited, or are willing to get help and assistance. So, what happens is this, we say, “your work needs help”, and immediately we are jumped on. Why authors think that they get the world for free is beyond me. We can make EVERY author a better author, and we do, it just costs some money, and this is a business, so we’re used to investing in our business, why wouldn’t a writer invest in theirs?

We have tried to dialog with P&E, Writers Beware, SFWA, etc. Unfortunately, those people are so backward-minded and stuck, that they really didn’t listen, so we now ignore them and we just keep chugging. Frankly, and I don’t want to be mean about it, but we think some of our authors make more in one month than that crowd has made in their in their entire writing career. We suggest that authors make up their own mind, and not rely on anyone else when forming their opinion, especially minor-leaguers.



DG: Ok, I can understand that you tell authors that they must improve, and I agree with how important that is, but what about the fact that you refer them to your own company?


R: That “own company” that you are referring to is now the second largest editing and services company in the world, second only to Scribendi. Frankly, the editing companies that we used to refer to were very ‘mom and pop” and couldn’t do the work and handle our volume. So in order to keep prices down, and turnaround quick, we built our own company. Also, the press release about the two companies working together has been on the web for years now. We don’t hide the fact that the companies are working hand in hand. They have to be to handle the kind of growth and volume that we have created. In short, it’s a big business, we’re global, and it works well for the author, and for us. Frankly, we can do editing faster and cheaper than any editing company in the world. Hell, we might buy Scribendi next year.

Here is the press release. http://www.aegpublishinggroup.com/aeg_pressrelease.html We are very proud of the business model we have put together.


DG: Here’s another issue . . . why have you changed names so many times?

AEG: It’s marketing my dear. Have you ever noticed how many domain names the Children’s Writing Institute uses? We spend a lot of time on Google pay-per-click for our authors, and we’ve seen at least six names for them, for sure, that go back to their site or a clone of their site. I’m sure you are aware of search engine optimization. The simple truth is that as Google has changed it’s algorithms, we have changed our domain names so that we get better positioning. It’s that simple. Also, as partners and principals have come and gone, new companies, with new stock allocations have been formed. That’s part and parcel of a small business.

And, we are very proud of this, we are starting the wheels in motion to setup a stock ownership plan for our employees and even our authors. We’ll probably undergo another name change at that time . . . that’s how it works for rapidly growing businesses.


DG: C’mon . . . if there’s smoke, there has to be fire, what about all this stuff about criminal backgrounds, investigations, etc.?


AEG: We have less than 1% complaint rate. They really have nothing better to do, so they report us, and write about us, blah, blah, blah…it’s become laughable. And the information is wrong. It’s identity theft with a twist. Let’s say that I decided to “get you” for one reason or another. It’s simple really. All I have to do is google search “your name – criminal records” and I will get plenty of hits, of your name, in all kinds of criminal situations. Then all I do is copy and paste that info into 3-4 sites, anonymously, and you’re screwed. I guarantee it. You’ll never live it down and never clean it up. Believe me, we’ve tried. Also, we’ve been investigated up and down, and nothing had ever come of it. The fact is that these days any disgruntled person can file a complaint with the authorities. Furthermore, we’ve cooperated fully with anyone that has asked and our business model has held up.

We do what we say, we tell the author up front what to expect, we never over-promise, and we deliver.
We have a real business that helps authors that are willing to help themselves that’s why all this stuff about investigations and backgrounds, etc. is such misinformation.



DG: Here’s another one, why do you even advertise? I thought agencies didn’t need to advertise?

AEG: We still have requests from publishers that we can’t fill. We still find great books to publish every day because of our advertising. Early on we learned that more is better. Our business strategy since day one, is to have ‘depth off the bench’. And that strategy is paying off. Why do you think the agency is so valuable to the publisher? Frankly, we think the agency has provided over 100 authors “ready to go” to the publisher. Those authors are now making money and receiving royalty checks. Those authors will be part of the 100,000 – 1 MM books we’ll be selling in the medium term future.



DG: Over 100 authors published? Prove it . . And did the agency take a commission since you merged? Isn’t that ‘double dipping”?


R: No commission was taken by the agency. Period. Guaranteed. The authors were told up front about the merger. And if you want to see the books we’ve published, please visit www.AEGauthorsEdge.com . (It’s over 400 authors published now).



DG: Well, I admit to being glad that I dug a little deeper, I can see both sides of the story, and it is tough to break into any industry. Is there anything you wish to say in conclusion?


R: We truly feel sorry for the author that is trying to make a decision about how to proceed with their writing career. Our best advice is to trust yourself and dive in. Sometimes analysis = paralysis. You can’t win if you don’t play, so we say, “get out there, get bloody, improve, take your lumps, learn, learn, learn” and as Winston Churchill said, “never, never give up”.

All of our contracts have ‘easy out’ clauses, so if we don’t perform, you can fire us. By the same token, if the author won’t perform, we can, and will fire them. This is a business and we are here to stay, and play, for the long term, and make profits for our authors, our employees, and our shareholders.

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DG: Ok writers out there, you have it. I am not endorsing anyone, but I do think that everyone deserves a chance to be heard. Frankly, my personal opinion is that those sites have gone too far, and are doing a dis-service for writers and this company. Perhaps these guys made mistakes in the past, but I have a hard time arguing with 250 published authors and 1500 books a week being sold within 6 months of operations. (I looked at the royalty reports).

At the end of the day, DG says: Make up your own mind.

Now….
Normally, the initials DG might seem a little innocuous to some, but to those who know what they stand for, they know that they belong to the ONE and ONLY Deleriousgirl…

And…according to DG, WLA misrepresented her. DG’s account of WLA is thusly:

Hi the very real DG here. I was an employee of AEG Publishing for around two months before I was ripped off by this Robert person (at this point I have doubts that that’s even his real name). I DID NOT write the interview that he is STILL apparently sending out with MY email address still attached to it (what a dumbass). I did write an interview with this Robert person, but it was very very different from THIS ONE as I had no idea of most of this stuff in this interview.

And another warning to anybody answering any ads for marketing/writing/editing jobs from this company: THEY ONLY WANT TO USE YOU FOR FREE WORK and will string you along with promises of a rosy future “when the economy picks back up” among OTHER blather. The truth of the matter is that this Robert person apparently has around 200 company email addresses and he PRETENDS to be different editors, PR people, and marketers to make people think he has a REAL company going.

My story is this: On Dec. 15th I had a horrible death in my immediate family (my brother) and had to travel to a town about 400 miles away to take care of all that. At this point Robert was about 3 weeks behind in my pay, yet he was sending me daily and sometimes HOURLY emails of more stuff he wanted me to do. I even continued to answer author emails and concerns while trying to plan (and pay for) my dead sibling’s funeral. I called and emailed Robert DAILY, telling him that I NEEDED the money he owed me, I had to buy food for a wake, clothes for my dead brother to be buried in, flowers, all kinds of unexpected expenses. Which I told him about. NO RESPONSE. This rocks on for over a month. NO PAY. He didn’t even have the BALLS to call or even send an email telling me ANYTHING, but one day I tried to log onto the co. software program and was locked out.

So, the moral of this little story is: I don’t care how broke you are, how much he offers you, or how he tries to put a good face on this bunch of company names that he goes by. . . DON’T DO IT. My personal assessment is just this: NO INTEGRITY AND NO BALLS.

To be continued in To Be or not to Be III