Buckle up.
By Allison K Williams
I know an editor who is a liar and a thief. Or rather, I know of one. Several years ago, a writer got in touch to say, Can you warn people about this editor? I am afraid to speak.
I tracked down others who, the grapevine told me, had also suffered. Writers had hired this editor for manuscript evaluations, book coaching, ghostwriting, proposal help, or paid to attend workshops. The services were not delivered, or were delivered poorly, or were delivered in circumstances that made them impossible to receive while staying professional and focused. The editor was busy, the editor was sick, the editor would get back to them soon, the editor’s wifi was down. They had paid thousands of dollars. They had been asked to pay by PayPal Friends and Family, or by check, so there was no recourse to a credit card’s chargeback-for-fraud policy.
Every one of them was afraid.
Every writer feared being “blacklisted” in publishing. They feared their book would be rejected if the editor told colleagues and friends that the writer had been difficult, that the writer had demanded money returned or services to be rendered. They feared being sued for defamation if they spoke, which the editor threatened, many times.
Let us, for a moment, contemplate this editor’s call to a lawyer.
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Hi, Lawyer? I need you to sue a writer for defamation. I want to make sure they never work in this town again.
What are they saying about you?
They’re telling people I kept their $30,000 and didn’t write their book proposal.
Did you write the book proposal?
No.
Did you keep their money?
Yes.
Does the author have significant fame that would lead to others taking them seriously?
They aren’t actually published yet. I still haven’t written the proposal.
Can you show specifically who they chased away who otherwise would have paid you?
Nah, editing is a word-of-mouth business, and clients who wouldn’t come back say it’s because I didn’t return their manuscript and kept their money.
Editor, you know I love being your attorney and can’t wait to do your bidding, but if I take that into court the judge will laugh so hard, he’ll never golf with me again. Plus, my fees will cost you a minimum of $10K. Let’s just let it go.
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Let us contemplate the publishing world. Can you think of anyone—any author, any editor you can even actually name, any literary agent whose word is so widely respected and feared that they could stop you or anyone else from publishing your book?
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Hello, Publisher? I know I’m a freelancer and you and I don’t share office space or an employer but we’re friends on Facebook and if Jim Smith ever sends you a manuscript you should reject it because he’s talking trash about me.
What’s Jim saying?
That I took his money but the workshop was a disorganized mess where I favored some writers and ignored others.
Thanks? I’ve never heard of Jim Smith and I have no idea how you’d ever know if he submitted work to me. I certainly won’t remember his name among the 50 manuscripts I’ve been sent this week alone, or the 50 manuscripts I’ll have been sent the week Jim actually sends his in, at some unspecified future time.
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Even Oprah can’t “blacklist” a writer. She revealed James Frey as a liar on national TV, after The Smoking Gun revealed him as a liar on the internet, before he was sued for being a liar and Random House had to give refunds. Since then, Frey’s had a three-book deal, a bestselling novel, a media production company (revealed to be taking shameless advantage of contracted young writers; still publishing) and a movie deal with DreamWorks.
I have myself committed editing sins. I’m pretty sure my second professional edit turned a man off writing ever again. This year, I refunded a writer their entire payment because we had a misunderstanding about what the job entailed. (She still got to keep the edit she didn’t like; the whole process took four weeks.) I have been shamefully late returning feedback, sometimes more than two months late, and every day I’m late, my guilt makes me try to do even better so my actual work might bring forgiveness. I am not perfect at my job. But I’m also not misguided enough to think my word has power to widely damage a writer’s reputation.
There are other fears.
Authors fear revealing their embarrassment at being taken advantage of. Their shame for trusting someone who took one of their most precious creations and treated it—and them—as unworthy of the paid-for time and attention.
Because of this fear and shame, I’ve spoken by email and phone with more than ten people—some connected, some distant from each other—who were ripped off by the same editor but don’t want to go public. I’ve spoken with a reporter— one who broke the Anna March editing rip-off story —who meant to write about this editor, too, but couldn’t, because no-one who had been defrauded would go on the record.
What I have is hearsay.
I can’t contact the editor and ask, “Some people I can’t name and whose specific complaints I can’t repeat said you ripped them off, would you like to share your side?” I have promised I would not name names, and fairness and honesty means not naming anyone. And yes, the whisper network will slowly warn some other writers, but even more writers will have no idea, no recourse, and yet more fear and shame.
What I can tell you is this:
Don’t ever pay a new service provider with a non-refundable method. You need PayPal (NOT Friends and Family), Venmo Business, or a credit card on your side. Professional editors build payment fees into the cost of doing business.
Don’t hire for a big job—ghostwriting, full manuscript edit, six months of coaching—until you’re happy with a little job. Pay for a sample edit, one meeting, one chapter. It’s still not a guarantee, but it helps you know the service is capable of being delivered well. Build relationships and trust.
Don’t hire for a big job without a reference. Editors proud of their work can provide names. You can also ask publicly in your writers’ Facebook group; people will likely warn you privately.
Don’t ever pay in advance, in full; it’s common for editors to need your final payment before returning the manuscript (that’s what protects them from getting stiffed) but it’s “I’m done and will send your edit as soon as you pay the last 30-50%” not “pay in full in advance.”
Save emails. Make notes of phone calls, record Zooms. 99% of the time, you’ll be able to delete them all when your service is delivered.
Don’t believe anyone who says they’ll sue you for defamation if what you would tell is true. It’s hard to sue, it’s hard to win, and the truth is an ultimate defense. “I’ll sue you!” is the desperate cry of someone whose only remaining defense is intimidation.
Don’t believe the publishing world is so small, so insular, so credulous, that we’re ready to passionately despise and refuse to work with (let alone remember!) someone we have not yet heard of.
Don’t stay silent. If you’re ashamed to speak publicly, tell as many friends as you can. It’s not “gossip” to say calmly, “I’m disappointed because I paid $X to receive Y service by Z date, and the editor repeatedly put me off and then threatened to sue me if I told other writers.”
And if this story sounds horrifyingly familiar, get in touch. I’d love to hear your story—or help you if you’d like to speak out.
You could certainly help someone else.
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Allison K Williams is Brevity’s Social Media Editor. She’ll be co-teaching a 5-day virtual memoir intensive Sept 10-14 with Dinty W. Moore, and believe me, you’ll get what you paid for and more. More info/register now.
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