There’s No Place Like Home…
We sustained yet ANOTHER blow-out last week on our way back to Maine.
When Authors Are Jerks…By Angela Hoy
Since we own an ebook and POD company, we work with quite a few authors. While most are as pleasant as can be, we do run into the occasional jerk. I thought I’d give you all a chuckle (or a roll of the eyes) this week.
Kudos
Hope your return trip was safe and uneventful.
You are such a hero to continue to provide WritersWeekly. I am truly amazed at your tenacious desire to help aspiring writers. There are so many other websites that simply provide a blog/forum and nothing else.
However, after reading about Janet Kay & Associates, again, I must say the field of writing continues to resemble a badly managed lottery, with more scams per square inch than probably any other single category or endeavour. Yet you soldier on. I am sure there are many others in your “literary family” who use your site to pursue your goals and never think to thank you for such reliable entertainment and insignt into the world of writing and publishing.
In my case, as noted before, I have abandoned all interest in becoming a published author (would rather spend my money more easily on a lottery ticket). BUT I have been presented with a wonderful education into the industry. I learned a good deal about contracts and protecting publishing rights; learned how to spot a scam more quickly and accurately, and learned to be a better literary critic (which extends into film as well). And all for the price of an email address.
Keep up the good work. and thank you again for what you do.
Cheers,
Freddy
Blogging Into Book Markets By Richard Hoy
At a conference in New York City two years back (the first formal conference ever on the subject of blogging), panelists at a roundtable discussion were asked the inevitable question: “What is a blog?” A huge argument ensued because no one could agree on a single definition.
While even the experts can’t agree on what a blog is, everyone agrees that blogs are fueling something significant.
I Don’t Always Get to Write What I Want, But…By Kate Wicker
When I graduated with a journalism degree in 2000, I thought literary writing was the only thing worth doing. I wanted my writing to enlighten, to touch people deeply and maybe even to change the world one word at a time. I was also in my early twenties, so of course I knew absolutely everything. Now several years later I know otherwise.
Whispers and Warnings For October 26th
This Week:
- You can see a list of sites that book-editing.com accuse of copyright infringment at the bottom of
this page: https://www.book-editing.com/
- Earthlink.net – Loses lawsuit brought by bank which tested the 1996 Telecommunications Act that said an Internet
provider can’t be “treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.”
- Movie rights to Encyclopedia Brown appear to be in limbo, despite efforts to land contracts
- Publisher Raymond Pryke, owner of the Hesperia Resorter and Valleywide Newspapers – ordered to pay $3 million for
libel.
- Dayton Daily News – judge dismisses defamation lawsuit against this paper
- The Spokesman-Review – Spokane, WA, mayor Jim West threatens to sue the paper for invasion of privacy.
What? Another Hurricane?!
We had a wonderful time visiting Richard’s family in Corpus Christi, Texas and the heat wasn’t as oppressive as we’d feared. We stayed at a nice campground on the beach there and we had lots of family time and even a day of shopping, which the children particularly enjoyed. Ali even got her very first set of silk wrap nails while we were there. I can’t type with long fingernails, so I just had a manicure.
Readers Respond To Janet Kay & Associates’ Ridiculous Plea Bargain
I was appalled by your article on Janet Kay & Associates and the plea agreement. Another appalling thing that I would like to bring to everyone’s attention are the words “deferred adjudication” in the district attorney’s e-mail.
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Like you I’m appalled at how easily this woman and her cohorts got off. But my question is who is going to be watching them to make sure they don’t just set up shop and start this all over again?
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I read your recent posting on the Janet Kay fraud, and I’m not at all surprised that the victims ended up getting a raw deal. I spent 5 years years being an advocate for a group of investors who were victims of a massive investor fraud ( $8 million total) in Texas, and about the same thing happened.
How to Land Lucrative Sub-contract Work By L. L. Star
hanks, WritersWeekly readers, for your great response to my article, No More Rejection Slips: Sub-Contract Article Assignments, published by WritersWeekly.com on August 3rd. Public relations agencies and creative design shops can provide a steady stream of lucrative article assignments to freelance writers — often over months or even years. Most of these assignments are writing marketing or employee newsletters which are typically published on a monthly or quarterly basis. Many writers asked exactly how they could get such work. Here’s how to find such opportunities and successfully sell your writing and professional skills to public relation agencies and creative design shops — even if you don’t have previous business communications, public relations or copywriting experience.
What Exactly Is A Vanity Press?
I have a question… I recently finished a fantasy novel and I am in the midst of looking for an agent and a publisher. I received an offer from a publisher, but the details are that I need to pay $1500 first, and according to the contract, the onus of marketing is on me (they do cover art, editing, printing, and I think I get 100 books). They’ll do SOME marketing but it reads that most of it is my responsibility. One friend says this is a vanity press. I’ve contacted a couple of authors who have been printed with this publisher and both of them raved, very positive. It’s the $1500 part that bothers me and how many books it takes to make that back.