tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post2327009736785631211..comments2024-03-18T09:09:59.625-04:00Comments on Janet Reid, Literary Agent: Your agent employs a thiefJanet Reidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00615380335938685231noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49299689232692906422018-06-07T01:57:20.117-04:002018-06-07T01:57:20.117-04:00Not sure if my post went through, so...
Is it pos...Not sure if my post went through, so...<br /><br />Is it possible to have a contract that states separate checks for authors and agents?<br /><br />Would an agent and/or publisher view an author who requests this in a negative light?<br /><br />Thank you. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01457174893529215477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-30906296741452907042018-06-05T09:36:39.532-04:002018-06-05T09:36:39.532-04:00I've been thinking about this, and I'm won...I've been thinking about this, and I'm wondering why, in this day and age, authors wouldn't have access to tracking their finances through an app or something. I mean, I know the point of hiring someone is so that you don't have to worry about it, but you should be able to easily access whatever you want, surely? Seems like there should be more transparency.Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03365582623380288038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-36638544732783632712018-06-01T23:06:19.826-04:002018-06-01T23:06:19.826-04:00ACK!! When I said this is a good lesson for writer...ACK!! When I said this is a good lesson for writers to learn, I did NOT mean the writers who are clients of this agency. This is awful for them, betrayed like this by their agency. I meant it's good for non-involved writers to learn second-hand this can happen, so we perhaps won't end up on the wrong side of it some day.<br /><br /><br />KDJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10534864045227102030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-78866226276884839132018-06-01T22:14:18.008-04:002018-06-01T22:14:18.008-04:00An attorney I've known for a very long time wa...<br />An attorney I've known for a very long time was disciplined by our state bar for “failure to supervise office staff” when her office manager stole money from her client trust account. She ended up paying restitution and closing her office. Now she does contract work for other attorneys. She's very good and I've hired her on several projects. But she no longer wants anything to do with a client trust account.<br /><br />Sometimes I receive money in court, either from a client paying their fee bill, or by the opposing side making a payment on a settlement agreement. I ALWAYS take a picture of the payment and text it to my managing partner. When I got back to the office after the first time I did that, he said “why do you do that? I trust you.” I replied “and I want to keep it that way.” Occasionally, court has been really intense and I forget to tender the money once I get back to the office. If a client calls in to confirm the payment during the time I still have it, and I haven't acknowledged it by sending the text/photo, that won't look too good, will it?<br /><br />It takes a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time to build a reputation as someone who's trustworthy, and only a millisecond to ruin it entirely.<br /><br />I hope those authors receive their payments, and the agency recovers and makes policy changes. It's scary how long this went on without anyone saying anything.<br /><br />Dena Pawlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444683810125395220noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-70494150854105886352018-06-01T21:49:24.648-04:002018-06-01T21:49:24.648-04:00Lack of oversight allows this. It's a good les...Lack of oversight allows this. It's a good lesson for writers to learn, especially if they plan to create a company to run their writing business and hire outside help to handle finances. Educate yourself so you know how things <i>should</i> be done, even if you don't want to do those things yourself, and audit your own (financial) books.<br /><br />My career began in international banking, where we had three different -- randomly timed and unannounced -- audit teams to deal with every year: bank auditors (who were the toughest), state auditors, federal auditors. We had to account for literally every single penny. These were federal banks, where being fingerprinted was a condition of employment. There was no theft.<br /><br />Moving from that atmosphere to bookkeeping for smaller, less regulated, companies was a real eye opener. Especially family-run companies. I can't get into details, but various forms of theft occurred. It's not fun to be the one to discover and report it. I'd say the things embezzlers have in common are entitlement, a certainty that they're more clever than everyone else, and opportunity. It's not *necessarily* even about the money, although it often is. If you're an employer, you have a responsibility to eliminate that opportunity.KDJameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10534864045227102030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-6777439571778355382018-06-01T19:30:52.955-04:002018-06-01T19:30:52.955-04:00Steve - Most crime novels I could never write. Th...<b>Steve</b> - Most crime novels I could never write. The here & now mentality is a *little* understandable. The money and power mentality isn't. I do like having enough money to eat and not be stressed. Other than that, what's the use? It doesn't make you happier. <br /><br />If I were to ever write a crime novel, my criminal would covet time. Or avenge cruelty with highly unethical acts. Those things I could really get behind! Uh... I mean, in writing of course.Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-55399776374852433092018-06-01T17:41:03.023-04:002018-06-01T17:41:03.023-04:00Lennon,
What he was thinking was, "That is t...Lennon,<br /><br />What he was thinking was, "That is then, this is now." If you want to write crime, you might want to acquaint yourself with the criminal mentality. There was an interview with John Gotti Jr. on the TV show 80 MINUTES a few years ago. He said members of the Mafia accept that they are going to end up dead or in prison. They don't care. Drunks and drug addicts will tell you the same thing. They want what they want NOW. I used to work at a counseling center where we dealt with a lot of professional moochers. A phrase they used a lot was, "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." They do not believe in sacrificing for the future.<br /><br />As for how they get away with it, Webb got caught because he just could not steal enough money. He also was not connected politically or refused to cut the money with officials who could keep him out of nick.<br /><br />During the 1920s there was a former altar boy named Dion O'Banion in Chicago. He stole enough to retire, but the people who kept him alive did not care about him personally. What they cared about was continuing cash flow from him to them. If he retired the cash stopped and his life stopped as well. So he was trapped. He ordered some bootleg hooch from New York and tried to stiff the wholesaler by arranging a hijacking. Someone from New York showed up to politely ask for payment. When Dion (pronounced "Dean") tried to weasel out, some friends of his showed up at his flower shop and had him kicking daisies. His employees hid in the back of his flower shop and claimed they did not see or hear anything.<br /><br />As for Adele's question how to steal, study the career of "Fast Andy" Fastow, one of the scoundrels in the Enron scandal. It's all written down in books about the crime.<br /><br />You don't have to be a criminal to write crime (although it helps) but you have to know the criminal mind.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-90467109696327392862018-06-01T16:44:03.841-04:002018-06-01T16:44:03.841-04:00My brother-in-law almost lost his business because...My brother-in-law almost lost his business because a well-trusted secretary embezzled the guts out of the company. <br /><br />It's funny, but usually the most trustworthy folks are the ones who <i>insist</i> you double-check their numbers and hire outside auditors. The minute someone gets offended that you should dare question their methods, my warning beacon goes off. "Trust, but verify" is my motto.Elissa Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10727748060605823895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-41841278549459481962018-06-01T14:30:46.065-04:002018-06-01T14:30:46.065-04:00It's a lasting grief to me that I cannot figur...It's a lasting grief to me that I cannot figure out how you go about embezzling money. I feel so stupid. Everybody else seems to be able to do it. I took accounting at university and I've worked in accounting departments, but I still can't figure it out. So sad.<br /><br />If you go to the very small town where my sister lives in the summer, people will take you for a walk past a certain house, explaining in hushed tones that that is the house - the very house - where the bank teller lived. The one who embezzled two million dollars from the bank. They will stand in the dusty street and contemplate the house for a while, before moving you on. The crime took place in the early 1970s, the woman did her time and moved away and I think she's dead anyway, but still you have to go look at the house.<br /><br />So - the guy they've let out on bail? He's already paying for his crime. His family will pay for a long, long time.Adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08790958029798438793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10491924935602942852018-06-01T13:13:30.518-04:002018-06-01T13:13:30.518-04:00Thank you very much, all and EVERYONE, for explain...Thank you very much, all and EVERYONE, for explaining to me what the phrase/saying "cooking the books" means!<br /><br />Now I am assured I don't misunderstand the article Janet linked to today's post.<br /><br />Of course, Boyfriend could also explain, I'd assume, HOWEVER he's not always around when we have different things to do (and no, we do not have two phones to send text messages, we still only share one for 'economy reason' at the moment ;) ), and I was really keen to understand for sure what this was about.<br /><br />So, thank you so much again 😀💜.<br /><br />I don't understand either how this guy can be out for 200k. Seems like peanuts compared to the the millions he stole!One Of Us Has To Gohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00286506993128699826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-72149980740380741592018-06-01T12:59:50.688-04:002018-06-01T12:59:50.688-04:00This is so upsetting Most writers make little eno...This is so upsetting Most writers make little enough and to have this ass-clown stealing from them.... not good. <br /><br />And such a big agency. I hope the agency is able to recover for the writers what was stolen. And I wish they could get it all back from the thief but sounds like this joker already wasted all he stole. Geez. E.M. Goldsmithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18387494005655553037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-5149851366347791852018-06-01T12:43:32.223-04:002018-06-01T12:43:32.223-04:002Ns - "piss off a writer at your own peril. A...<b>2Ns</b> - "piss off a writer at your own peril. A pen is a mighty weapon." Ha ha! Love that. Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-14641001962822306452018-06-01T12:39:13.675-04:002018-06-01T12:39:13.675-04:00This always makes me wonder what that person was t...This always makes me wonder what that person was thinking. In this day and age, how can you expect to NOT get caught doing something like that? And why in the world would you consider any amount of money worth twenty years of your life??<br /><br />Ugh I just don't get people's motivations sometimes. But yes, I see the point as it relates to us. Know how to monitor your own money! Lennon Farishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03570629350169504234noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-49724906142387595272018-06-01T12:38:12.296-04:002018-06-01T12:38:12.296-04:00When I first saw this, I mis-read and thought you ...When I first saw this, I mis-read and thought you said your BLOG went cold.<br /><br />OF COURSE the agency has a problem with thieves. Every business I ever worked in had at least one thief, and usually several. I am not surprised that agencies have trouble with thievery. I am surprised that anyone would be surprised. These people get together off site and laugh at their victims.<br /><br />There is an old saying in the business world: "I had the money and he had the experience, and a year later he had the money and I had the experience."<br /><br />Interesting that Philip Roth may have been a victim and that he died shortly after the thief was arrested. (His death was reported on CBS News.)<br /><br />I guess I must be self-righteous because I cannot stand to be around them. I just cut off communication with one recently, not least because he wanted to make me one of his victims. They get an enormous amount of pleasure out of that.<br /><br />There is no room to repeat them here, but I have read numerous stories of six figure thievery in the publshing industry.<br /><br />Re the auditing clause in contracts, could someone explain how agencies that recover large amounts of money from publishers stay in business.<br /><br />Katie,<br /><br />"Cooking books" refers to dishonest accounting practices, not to novels. In the business world, "cooking the books" is called "creative accounting." Sign up for an accounting class and they will teach you how to do it. It is too coplex to explain here.<br />Steve Stubbshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13421775912951050610noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-10887290378514014592018-06-01T12:29:42.714-04:002018-06-01T12:29:42.714-04:00Bone chilling. Best to keep eyes and ears open, as...Bone chilling. Best to keep eyes and ears open, as <b>Craig</b> said.<br /><br />Whenever I hear about embezzlement, it reminds me of one story I heard in library school. My professor talked about how the books were cooked without her knowledge at one of the libraries she directed. Someone in the audience said, "Oh, no!" and without skipping a beat, the professor said, "<i>Yes,</i> Mr. Bill..."<br /><br />Karen McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02640324898284007337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-51874905132009419872018-06-01T11:50:56.471-04:002018-06-01T11:50:56.471-04:00I wonder how many first chapters were written this...I wonder how many first chapters were written this week with crooked agents as the protagonists?<br />Fortunately the mass of agents are honest. Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08941043145591116608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-4351579635427845012018-06-01T11:49:31.952-04:002018-06-01T11:49:31.952-04:00There is an old saw out there about locks are for ...There is an old saw out there about locks are for keeping honest people honest.<br /><br />I think that fits here. Keep you eyes open and head clear when it comes to money. Too many will take advantage if no one is looking over their shoulder. If you have an agent that says to call her accountant, run. Find one that cares for your money too.<br /><br />Half of my travels are to make sure this isn't happening to me, so I have been there before.Craig Fhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07157301156577795781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-21475970160786820992018-06-01T11:19:06.050-04:002018-06-01T11:19:06.050-04:00Yikes!Yikes!Cecilia Ortiz Lunahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00336485056322219624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-68947765945348646672018-06-01T11:07:08.172-04:002018-06-01T11:07:08.172-04:00Gigi, Click on the words "in the Post" i...<b>Gigi</b>, Click on the words "in the Post" in the first sentence. Melanie Sue Bowleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11820711791019410116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-18914930527476589192018-06-01T11:04:52.390-04:002018-06-01T11:04:52.390-04:00Gigi the link is "In the Post" in Janet&...Gigi the link is "In the Post" in Janet's first line. Mouse over it.Julie Weathershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13725236516593676381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-26631488925416959842018-06-01T10:56:30.030-04:002018-06-01T10:56:30.030-04:00Will someone link to the article in question? I ca...Will someone link to the article in question? I can't find it. Gigihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09199129765216390246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-22833413804687050322018-06-01T10:50:00.361-04:002018-06-01T10:50:00.361-04:00So I refreshed a half-dozen times to make sure no-...So I refreshed a half-dozen times to make sure no-one else had answered OneOfUs's question. And as soon as I post my response, EVERYONE answers before me!!<br /><br />Conspiracy, I tell ya... *hmff*...Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-64667966650118523332018-06-01T10:48:39.714-04:002018-06-01T10:48:39.714-04:00OneOfUs: "Cooking the books" means pract...<b>OneOfUs</b>: "Cooking the books" means practicing some dodgy accounting where the accountant willfully misrepresents the company's finances in order to either a) help the business avoid paying money owed (e.g., taxes), or b) give themselves a cut of the business's money (i.e., steal) but in such a way that the theft is not obvious.Colin Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03292997431935215499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-56809412874783197372018-06-01T10:48:02.571-04:002018-06-01T10:48:02.571-04:00One Of Us Has To Go,
Cooking the books simplified...One Of Us Has To Go,<br /><br />Cooking the books simplified: The practice of lying and cheating in any record of bookkeeping or financial data to steal/keep/divert other people’s money for yourself. <br /><br />The books involved include any used for recording incoming/outgoing funds, such as spreadsheets and financial records. For example, the money that came in (in whatever form) to this publisher for payment to the writers ( their advances/royalties etc…) wasn’t actually paid to said writer but instead diverted/moved elsewhere, into the account of the person in charge of handling these funds. <br /><br />This may not be the best explanation, but I’m still on my first cup of coffee.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13695039170128660973noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17040756.post-77312961718512869322018-06-01T10:46:21.161-04:002018-06-01T10:46:21.161-04:00This stuff really hacks me off. This guy should no...This stuff really hacks me off. This guy should not be out on bail. Normally I would not freeze assets before conviction, but since he confessed, like someone said, freeze the assets and start liquidating them.<br /><br /><b>One of Us</b>, "Cooking the books" refers to manipulating the accounting numbers (accounting was once done in physical ledgers, which were books) so that everything looks legit to everyone else, even though it's not. It can be used to embezzle or to cover up a failing business, among other things.<br />It can also make the numbers look bad when they're actually good, if you want to hurt a business (sheer meanness, revenge, etc.)Miles O'Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15566986720292847069noreply@blogger.com