Would you like to share YOUR Author Backstory with our readers? Read the details at the bottom of RIGHT HERE.
I am the author of 23 books and the publisher of more than 10,000 print and electronic titles (through my company, BookLocker.com). I am also the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, one of the oldest and most respected writing websites online.
Most of my books are non-fiction and, of those, most are about writing and publishing. I owe the success of my writing and publishing career to two teachers: Mrs. Martin (10th Grade English) and Mrs. Collins (High School Journalism). Sadly, Mrs. Martin passed a few years ago but Mrs. Collins is still kickin’ and we’re friends on Facebook. She has enjoyed watching me and my business grow and she knows I give her credit for that.
I had always enjoyed writing and my first creative pieces were pre-Al Yankovic song parodies. I would rewrite Christmas carols with original, funny lyrics. My old, dear friend, Grazia, still laughs about the Christmas song I wrote about her family. Last year, I wrote one for WritersWeekly, which you can sing along with here:
https://writersweekly.com/news-from-the-home-office/buoy-bells-silver-bells-parody
In high school, I created a “personality quiz” of sorts for my 10th grade English class. The entire class answered a list of questions I’d written down and I then meticulously wrote detailed “facts” about their personalities based on their answers. One of the questions was: You’re walking through a forest and you find a cup on the ground. Describe that cup.” Whether they described a coffee cup, an old chalice, a broken glass, or many other varieties, I was able to describe something about each person’s personality based on their description.
I got extra credit for doing that and it was a LOT of fun! And, most of the kids were kind of freaked out by how closely I described them. I was no dummy. I’d read enough horoscopes in the Houston Chronicle (which I devoured every morning during childhood) to know how to make any description apply to any human being.
In that same 10th grade class, I was supposed to write a book report on an assigned title. I can’t remember what book it was but it was definitely one I did NOT want to read (probably Shakespeare!). I wrote my book report, and turned it in. Mrs. Martin gave it back to me with this written at the top: “A+ Good B.S.!”
And, that was the PRECISE moment when I knew I wanted to be a professional writer. But, how did I become a good writer? Well, that was thanks to Mrs. Collins, my journalism teacher. She gave extra credit if we found typos in printed materials. It became an obsessive game for me. I would read magazines cover to cover (Reader’s Digest was my favorite), and newspapers, cut out the items with typos, and turn them in. I had so much extra credit that I didn’t need to do any of the regular assignments. But, I did because I LOVED that class. My poor parents had to deal with newspapers and magazine pages with gaping holes in them.
After a short stint in college (I didn’t graduate because I got pregnant), I got regular office jobs but I was always doing something creative on the side, from making personalized coloring books for grandparents (featuring black and white photos of their grandchildren in a binder, wrapped up with a box of crayons), to typing term papers for college students who didn’t own computers, to writing and publishing my own booklets through the local copy shop, to creating a small website for writers. I even got into re-borning dolls and wrote a book about that!
After having three kids, and going through a nasty divorce (yes, I wrote a book for divorcing women, too!), I lost my job. I was literally destitute and I had to start making money FAST. My little freelance writing website, which was just a hobby at that point, quickly ballooned into the successful business it is today. Yes, once I was forced to work on my “hobby” full time, it became a thriving business and it has taken care of my family very well ever since. My book, How to Write, Publish and Sell Ebooks, earned more than $700 the first day I had it up for sale. I later wrote a book, Query Letters That Worked, which earned $1900 in the first 48 hours!
People often ask me when I’m going to retire. I honestly don’t think I can. I love writing. I LOVE creating. It’s in my blood. Why in the world would I sit on a boring beach somewhere for days on end when I could be living in a land far, far away, creating characters, and bringing them to life for me and my readers? That’s what retirement will be for me. Writing whatever I want, whenever I want.
But, for now, I am very happy helping other authors bring their books to life, getting them on the market, and then teaching them how to SELL those books. 🙂
How do authors get their ideas for books? And, at what point in their lives did these creative individuals decide they wanted to be authors?? READ MORE BOOK BACKSTORIES AND AUTHOR BACKSTORIES RIGHT HERE!
DO YOU HAVE AN AUTHOR OR BOOK BACKSTORY TO SHARE? Please read our guidelines RIGHT HERE.
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
QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments
Peek over the shoulders of highly successful freelance writers to see how they earn thousands per article! The query letter is the key!
In these pages, you'll find real query letters that landed real assignments for national magazines, websites, and corporations.
Also includes:
- Abbi Perrets' form letter that brings in $30,000-$45,000 annually
- Sample phone query from Christine Greeley
- The Six Golden Rules of Queries and Submissions...and How I Broke Them! by Bob Freiday
- Your Rights As a "Freelancer"
- and ANGELA HOY'S SECRET for finding ongoing freelance work from companies that have a stable of freelancers, yet never run ads for them!
HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY
Angela Hoy's popular online class is now available in book format!
Remember Your Past
Write It and Publish It
in as little as 12 weeks!
Angela Hoy's book will get you started!
- Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years
- Record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook
- Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography!
- Also works for biographies and memoirs!
Read more here:
https://booklocker.com/books/4764.html
