Letters To The Editor For March 3rd
This week:
- Quality, Original Markets For Writers
- Heck, Yeah, I’m Mad! Is That A Problem?!
My Experience Of Traditional vs. Self Publishing By Mel Menzies
Traditional publishing versus self-publishing is a big issue. I have experience with both. My first book was taken up by a mainstream publisher in 1983 and was swiftly followed by others. Within ten years I was “head-hunted” by Hodder and was commissioned to write several books. One of these, The Last Mountain, became a Sunday Times No. 4 bestseller.
Be Alert for Lurking Opportunities By Gloria Griepenstroh
Success in life is often about timing. Being in the right place at the right time, or filling a precise need, can shift your life where you least expect.
Heck, Yeah, I’m Mad! Is That a Problem?!
Sometimes, I receive emails that just don’t make any sense to me. For example, occasionally people write to me under false names, sending false allegations about one company or another, or feeding me a completely false news story. Of course, I investigate these before I publish them and it’s not too hard to figure out if somebody has fed me outright lies about one outfit or another. Perhaps it wouldn’t be such a stretch to think some people have tried to get me to publish lies just so they can smear my name later for doing so. Let’s face it, after a decade of WritersWeekly Whispers and Warnings, I now have more enemies than I can count…or even remember.
Then there are the emails from people claiming to be long-time readers, who insult me for just plain doing my job – protecting them from industry scum. This week, I’ll share one of those with you (edited and consolidated – we exchanged a couple of emails). After receiving this email, I felt like I’d been hit over the head with a purse after trying to help a little old lady cross the street.
Letters To The Editor For February 24th
This Week:
- EBOOK PRICE-FIXING: Who Gets Hurt in the End?
- STILL THINKS EBOOKS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE
Kindle: Amazon’s Shooting Itself in the Foot By Charles W Orton
In October 2002, Jim Wier, CEO of the Snapper lawn mower company, paid a visit to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. Wal-Mart had been selling Snapper lawn mowers for three years, so Wier’s reason for making the trek to Big Box Mecca wasn’t to put on the usual dog-and-pony show that so many manufacturers reduce themselves to in an attempt to get the world’s largest retailer to carry their products. His purpose was the exact opposite: Although his contract with Wal-Mart was worth tens of millions of dollars, he wanted to tell a Wal-Mart vice-president in person that Snapper would no longer sell its product through Wal-Mart.
Should I Get Permission to Fictionalize a Real Business or Person?
In the book I’m writing now, part of the story takes place in a real restaurant. I not only mention the restaurant by name but I name the owners as well. I asked for their permission, but should I get it in writing?
Success Stories For February 24th
Success Story will return next week.
Do you have a success story you’d like to share with our readers? We pay $40 on acceptance – non-exclusive electronic rights only. Success stories average around 300 words. Our guidelines are HERE.
Day 19 – Kite Flying!
I noticed during lunch that Richard looked a bit red. He’d been in the direct sunlight when he was working outside the RV. He’s not supposed to be in the sun between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. because it can cause him to get vasculitis, which can then last for months, and necessitate Prednisone. Think of it as a sun allergy. We kinda forgot about the 10 to 3 rule because, in Bangor during the winter, we’re not outside this time of year anyway.
The boys wanted to fly their kites in the afternoon after lunch but…
Read more HERE.
This week’s Maxism:
“I like the sound of my kiss. It’s like a squeaking sound!”
Hugs to all!
Angela
P.S. QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments – Want to read real query letters that landed these contracts? Woman’s Day – $2,800; Redbook – $3,500; Ladies Home Journal – $3,000; DiscoveryHealth.com – $2,000; Lifetime Magazine – $3,000; Life Extension Magazine – $6,480; Natural Remedies – $11,300; and many more! See: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/1409.html
BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K – $100K Publishing Contracts – Want to read real book proposals that landed these contracts? Simon and Schuster – $100,000; Berkeley Books – $25,000; Osborne-McGraw-Hill – $19,500; Random House $15,000; and many more! See a complete list here: https://www.writersweekly.com/books/3332.html
EBOOK PRICE-FIXING: Who Gets Hurt in the End? By Angela Hoy, Publisher, BookLocker
price fixing (n.) – the establishing of prices at a determined level, either by a government or by mutual consent among producers or sellers of a commodity.
(dictionary.com)
If everybody agrees to list and sell ebooks for $9.99 (or at any other “determined level”), that’s price-fixing, plain and simple. When prices are fixed, who gets hurt in the end? Everybody…except the one mandating the price, of course…