Cautions for Would-Be Novelists

First off, why is it that whenever you go search for advice on the web about getting published, it's all from 1999 (including the horrid color schemes that were so popular on the web then; thank goodness there are no autoplay MIDIs to go along with the colors)?

Still, though, the advice is decent, if you filter out the old stuff (e.g. not knowing what word processor you're using...seriously?).  So here are some resources and other bits of advice I found about not getting scammed when you start looking to get published.

• Sharks in the Water: Old Publishing Scams for the New Millennium
• Preditors and Editors
• Beware of Fake Awards

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have fallen for any of this.  I'm not that desperate to get published yet.  I'm satisfied, at this point, to continue to write and to improve my craft, to submit to publishers and/or agents myself.  Sure, being published is a goal, but I won't die if it doesn't happen tomorrow, or next month, or even next year.

Still, if someone feels the need to post this advice, some people must've fallen for it.  So click the links, and make sure you're not one of the vulnerable.