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Written By Just Plain Folks Mentor Harriet Schock JPFolks Mentor Page
A scam I've seen over and over is the letter that comes from someone who gets the writer's name and information from the copyright office and writes. A good rule of thumb is that if the person writing is going to put the writer's song on a compilation cd and is asking for money (with the exception of the Film Music Network, which is totally above board), then it's usually a scam. Any letter that asks for money from a writer is suspect, when the writer did not contact that person first. For instance, if a writer is asking for a critique or advice, then he will often be charged. But if he receives a letter out of the blue with surprisingly good news leading to a payment, then it's suspect. There used to be one on white paper with red ink from some company with "Hollywood" in the name. I was on the mailing list, but I think they took me off when I tried to contact them by phone. If there's a phone number, call it and see what they say. That's a pretty good test, too. Most scam artists won't have a working phone number, only an address, which is actually a P.O. box. They've now moved into cyberspace. So before you pay to have your songs put on the web, research that also.
Website: www.harrietschock.com