Despite a backache and my failed attempt to rid the bathroom of that endless pile of dirty laundry, I was actually in a pretty good mood this morning. I’ve been pretty cranky lately, which is the end result of dealing with too many jerks (rude people online), deadbeats (those publishers appearing in our Whispers and Warnings forum), and freaks (One guy keeps threatening to show up on our doorstep if we don’t remove his warning. We had to get our attorney involved because we think he’s a psychopath.). One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to not let people get me down. I figure if I meditate enough and practice my new form of exercise, yoga, at least once a week or so (I have a phobia about exercising in front of other people), I will be able to be a calmer, more peaceful person. However, a fax I received this morning blew my New Year’s Resolution right out of the water.
An author, who is having a representative work with us on his behalf, sent me a fax asking for preferential treatment. Well, we treat everybody the same, regardless of who they are. (We discourage prima donnas from publishing with us because they’re usually jerks.) I won’t go into details, but here’s just one of his statements that blew my top. He said, “I believe your company can make a lot of money from me, because I have a lot of money.”
Is it just me, or is that the most insulting thing you’ve read today? Do people really let other people who have money talk to them that way? Do wealthy people really expect everybody to bow down and provide special treatment as a way of begging for their greenback scraps? How ludicrous is that?!
I sent a scathing fax back to him telling him that I was grossly offended by his statements and that we don’t work with “jerks.” I told him we’d be happy to refund his setup fees and he’s welcome to give his money to one of our competitors.
Within minutes of my cooling-off period, I received an email from an advertiser who was being just a bit too coy and vague about his product. He apparently publishes adult-related materials and needs writers. However, his description was so hazy that I couldn’t really understand exactly what he does, what his company publishes, or how much he pays writers. And, he wanted to pay to run an ad in WritersWeekly. We have a tough screening process for ads on WritersWeekly.com. We don’t allow just anybody to scam our readers with crappy products and services.
I asked him to clarify what his website was (because he’d refused to answer my question about it). His response was this: “Either talk quotes for the ad or let me speak to another person about this. What is the deal here?”
And my response was this: “I am the owner of WritersWeekly.com. I am trying to determine if your service is legitimate and a good deal for our readers. But, since you’re threatening to go over my head (there is nobody higher), take your business elsewhere. I only work with nice people and your money isn’t wanted here.”
You should never feel you have to compromise your happiness (or your morals!) for the almighty dollar. It just isn’t worth it. If people really want to work with you, and you establish boundaries of propriety, even the jerks will remember their manners. If they don’t, tell them to take their money (and attitude!) to one of your competitors.
RELATED:
- OUCH! Some So-Called “Authors” Should NOT Be Writing Books!
- HOW TO DEAL WITH “JERKS” ONLINE: Behind the Scenes at the “Home Office”…on a Bad Day
- Well, Excuuuuuse Me for Trying to Protect You From a Lawsuit!
- Are You Blacklisting Yourself with Your Online Behavior?
- When Authors Are Jerks: Using Insults And Profanity To Manipulate Does Not Work!
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy
BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks
ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750
ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/
Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE