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YADS is a word that should guide all authors. In fact, it does but many authors simply see it as an easy route instead of a terrible way for money to leave the authors' hands. So what does it mean?
Put simply, YADS stands for Yet Another Display Site. In other words, it's an idea that has been put forth numerous times over the past decade or longer on the Internet as a method for avoiding the need to obtain a literary agent. The principle idea is this: the author pays a fee to the display site while furnishing either a full or partial copy of the author's manuscript. A small portion of that manuscript is then posted on the display site with the idea being that a literary agent or publisher will be surfing the Internet, stumble across the display site, see all the wonderful writing, and stop to read.
While this has actually happened at least once in the past five years, it's largely a fantasy. This is because most agents and publishers already receive enough material in the mail that they don't have any need to go searching for material.
In fact, your odds are actually worse than if you submit query letters to agents. Besides, it's very unlikely that any legitimate agents would have heard of the site unless it spammed them. Then how likely would it be that any of those legitimate agents would take the time out of their busy days to actually visit the site, especially after it spammed them? A clueless agent might. So might a scam agent. However, do you want to go from a site that charges you into the hands of a clueless or scam agent who will only waste your time and possibly burn up any legitimate chances with real publishers?
Regrettably, the same arguments hold true for publishers. They're already receiving more manuscripts than they can publish without seeking more from a display site. And if they're spammed, do you really think they'll want to deal with that site? But you will hear from publishers... vanity publishers, that is. They'll want to publish your book for a price, but you're the one who'll have to pay it.
So, though it seems like a way to target your books at all of the agents and publishers in one easy shot, it's your back that the target is being drawn upon for scammers and clueless agents and vanity publishers to take aim at.
Opposing viewpoints are welcome.