How do you know the difference between someone who can help you with your writing and a person who has minimal skills and ethical standards?

This question comes up frequently because writers, who want to be published or produced, look for experts to assist them with these goals. Unfortunately the writing world is filled with charlatans and con artists.

One good source for doing research on a book coach, agent, publisher, or anyone else associated with the writing and marketing process is Writers Beware. This is the public forum of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. The website is http://www.sfwa.org/beware/. So before you start writing those checks to people who say they will make your writing dreams come true, this is a good place to start checking them out.

Remember, life is your page.