Published by the Meridian Press editorial desk · 6 min read
About money
Who pays whom, for what, and when? A literary agent should be paid by commission on sales, not by reading or submission fees. A services company should give a written scope and price before work begins.
About rights
Which rights are you granting, for how long, and how do they come back? You should keep your copyright in every arrangement.
About results
Nobody can honestly guarantee sales, reviews, rankings or a publishing deal. Ask instead what exactly will be done, by whom, and how progress will be reported.
About identity
Check that the company's address, email domain and staff names match what appears on its own website. Contact the company through its published details before replying to an unsolicited message using its name.