Beware The Scammers
Ok, I came across this today when I was checking a link that had led someone to my site. And I *have* to comment. Please, please please, for the love of all that is holy, avoid this kind of stuff like the plague.
Rob Parnell is launching his ‘writing romance for profit’ workshop this week. It would be a total waste of time. This guy has no idea what he’s talking about. Just reading the first line of his site, there were like, ten things that were totally wrong. He’s a scammer, and a moron and I sincerely hope that no one gives him their money.
First off, he says you can get published and have $15,000 dollars in 2-3 months!! Really *looks around* *checks bank balance* er…nope. Not there. Maybe if I were with a more prestigious publisher?? Oh…wait.
First off, as many of my regular readers know it took me 20mos to go from slush to published. A small press publisher will have shorter waits, but that’s small press and NOT going to net you 15K.
Every line of this guy’s spiel shows how LITTLE he knows about the genre of romance, and the publishing world in general.
He has testimonials from one (ONE) person who is published based off of his ‘class’. (though he claims his students have sold to Harlequin, Silhouette and Harper Collins…oh, had to LOL that he clearly doesn’t realize the connection between HMB and Silhouette…yeah, he’s a real insider) Oh, and his published author is published with Publish American, an author mill and another wonderful scam.
What? They’re selective!! Seriously. Not just anyone can get a book with them. Yeah, uh huh, check THIS out…quality is their middle name. Clearly.
So please, beware the scammers. If you want to find out how to write romance, join RWA, check out the online community at eharlequin. But don’t give your money to jokers like this.
Comments
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Oh dear Maisey. I really like Rob Parnell. He’s helped me heaps with my writing! Maybe in this instance he just has it wrong, be i think he is genuinely honest. I personally don’t beleive i’d be published after only 2-3 months and have 15k after doing his course. My friend did his course and gave me all the notes and i learned heaps!
I don’t think he is doing it to scam you.
🙂
Yeah, he’s not doing it to scam anyone. I’m off now to buy that book for $37 and make THOUSANDS in a few months’ time. More fool those who try to do it the old-fashioned way, by learning their craft by reading and writing romance over a number of years, then submitting absolutely free to the best publishers.
Simple is as simple does, to quote Forrest Gump.
By the way, you are perfectly right to bring people’s attention to this. We get these ‘get published’ adverts all the time in poetry. They are legal, but almost never helpful for those genuinely wishing to become writers. Novices desperate to get published and not particularly clued-up about the industry they’re trying to enter will fall for such ‘get rich quick’ scams, and maybe even believe they are being helped.
It’s very sad, but important to flag up that the best way to get into writing is to follow the usual channels.
I think I’m with Jane on this. I’ve never done any writing courses or anything like that. In fact, the first one I did was this year at WriterU and it was VERY helpful. But I think that was just a case of right course at the right time for where I was at with my writing.
The best way to improve your writing is by writing. And reading as much as you can.
I just feel that he’s off on this, big time. Kerrin, I can’t vouch for his actual program, but none of what he has in that advert is real or helpful in any way. And he is GUARANTEEING it. I also found an advert of his for general fiction, and he said he ‘busts the myth’ that writing takes ‘dedication, hard work and talent’ also, google searching the people in his testimonials, none of them are successful authors, and one, listed as a literary agent, is actually the owner of a POD publisher, which is another common scam. A ‘literary agent’ who gets authors deals, and then the author finds out it’s with a vanity press the agent is affiliated with.
Again, I can’t vouch for the material in his course, but I was quite put off by the promises he’s making and his absolute disregard and what seems to be a disrespect for romance and writing in general. He said in the video that writing romance isn’t literary and it’s not rocket science. Well, fine, point taken. It’s not. But that’s awfully condescending.
In fact, I’m quite tempted to take his list of course sections and write my own blog series, because it just seems to me he doesn’t actually know very much about the genre.
Definitely didn’t intend to cause out and out controversy or hurt anyone’s feelings, but I do feel that there are free sources that could provide a lot of this information. I’m curious to see what writer beware thinks of him.
That second link just made me laugh and laugh and laugh. Bad blurb. Very bad blurb. Have you done any courses Maisey? I’m wondering how necessary they are.
P.S. Thanks for your help 🙂 The twenty foot statue of you is going up on my front lawn.
I did three terms of creative writing in college that were a fantastic exercise in how not to write and how to be a pompous snob. 🙂 I haven’t done any other courses. But, I’m sure they would be helpful if they were the right ones! My CPs have all taken some great courses, and I’ve been fortunate enough to glean info from them. So they’re not strictly necessary I wouldn’t think. I’m not even an RWA member. (something I need to fix!)
Oh yeah, and the blurb. OMGsh.
Interesting link – lol!! But what I have to comment on was your comment about doing creative writing at college 🙂 SOOOOOOO relate to that! I did a degree in Creative Writing and only learnt that I didn’t want to write ‘supposed literary fiction.’ I learnt more after a few months of being a member of RWA Aus than I did in three years at uni!
Arrrghhh!! College writing! Egads! Now, I’m certain some people have had good experiences, so I’m not knocking it in the general sense. Only my personal experience. And yours too, Rach. LOL. But my, oh my. I remember my teacher talking about this symbolism I had in my MS, because it was dark out and I had this one porch light which really brought ‘the light into the darkness.’
And I just wanted to shout: there’s a porch light because that house has a porch light!! And it’s on because it’s dark outside!! GAHHHH!!!
I have to say I find this line very interesting: “(It’s also common ‘insider’ knowledge that around a fifth of romance authors are in fact men – who use female pseudonyms.)”
20% of romance writers are men?
Too funny re the porch light! But I can just imagine it cos I’ve BEEN THERE!
I’ve taught creative writing at university level, and at the Arvon Foundation here in Britain, and there’s a huge difference between someone tutoring a course telling you how or what to write, or what NOT to write — and actually becoming a published writer with deadlines and proofs and a career trajectory.
As was said above, it can be deeply narcissistic stuff on these writing courses – classes full of pretentious, navel-gazing students, and tutors who would probably much rather be writing than teaching, but either need the money or aren’t actually published themselves, but have done an MA or postgrad course in Creative Writing and have gone straight on to teach.
What’s really useful on most long-term writing courses is meeting people in the business and hearing what they have to say, i.e. real agents, editors, publishers, other genuine writers. The rest is smoke and mirrors.
And you can meet some of those people by joining the RWA in the US or RNA in the UK or whatever org. is run where you are, or even by going online to romance blogs and forums. No need to pay for an expensive book or dubious writing course!
Uh, yeah, Abbi, I can’t disprove that stat for sure, but I’ve only encountered on male romance novelist and he uses his real name. So…I question that for sure.
Jane, that’s exactly it. I actually liked my teacher because she was just SO out there with it. So sincere and very nice, but, yeah…she wouldn’t understand commercial if it bit her on the butt I don’t think.
I remember it was front page news here a few years ago when she finally got her book (which she’d been working on for YEARS, a spy novel, eek!) published. Then, when I got The Call I was searching for her to contact her and couldn’t find any info on her anywhere. Her book was only for sale through xlibris on their site.
And I have NOT been in the local paper…bwahahaha…no one here knows. 🙂 I have been avoiding teh local medias…(as if they would care much!)
So what did you say the number of your local paper was?
I see a full, front page picture of you. BAM! You’d love it!
I feel much better about my useless degree now. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have finished at all if someone was trying to symbolize my porch light :P. Did you keep a straight face?
I managed to. But my goodness! And at the time, I was trying to write YA Christian Fiction, and my teacher kept wanting me to make the Christian characters be these fanatics. Make it extreme!! Make them these super crazy archetypes of what wacky religious people are! And I kindly ignored that. 🙂
But, now I’m thinking I need to work a brightly lit porch light into my WIP…SNORT.
Hi Maisey –
I’m a successful professional copywriter rather than a fiction writer, so I can’t really comment on Rob’s abilities/experience/worth as a course-giver in the romance genre. I did read his book Easy Cash Writing, however. Not the best I’ve read, not the worst, but it had some new ideas.
But I do have to say that most writers (fiction or non-fiction) should, on principle, be wary of all these writing/publishing courses sprouting up all over the place. For most people, they’re simply an unnecessary expense. You don’t need them. I’ve actually encountered $600 freelance writing courses offered by people who have only been writers themselves for 6 months! Everybody thinks they’re an instant expert just because their bank balance has finally broken even – it’s scary.
I make enough money as The Jet-setting Copywriter (everyone needs a pseudonym) to only have to work 7-8 months of each year. I spent the rest travelling the globe. And I never took a writing course of any kind. I’ve written four successful non-fiction books, too.
I’m not for a moment saying that all writing course are a waste of time. Some are brilliant. You just have to be careful, though.
Appreciate your post!
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