Brutal Honesty, Because You Asked! Why YOUR Book Isn’t Selling – by Angela Hoy
"It is not my intent to soft soap you but I have learned that you have a habit of telling the truth as you see it so please tell me..."…
Angela’s Desk
If You Want Your Book Published in Time for Christmas Sales, You Need to Act Now! It’s Easy!! Here’s How!!! – by Angela Hoy
The back to school/fall-is-coming advertisements spur authors to want to get their new books on the market ASAP to take advantage of the impending holiday shopping season. I'm currently being reminded that I will be getting little sleep from now until Christmas week...…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What Will the Summer, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Will the setting be a sunny beach, a cool lake, or perhaps a fun summer camp? Or, none of the above? How about some fireflies, melted ice cream, or a summer romance? Or...maybe not! Perhaps some suspense, some humor, some mystery, or something else? You’ll soon find out!…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For July, 2021!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals. We've been savings these for a few weeks now so there are a LOT to entertain you! …
DISRUPTIVE AND DUMB: Do NOT Lie to Your Publisher About ANYTHING!
When you lie to a business associate, a neighbor, family member, or anyone in the adult world, real life consequences can ensue...…
And, MORE Complaints About Lulu Press!
A small snippet of what’s to follow: "Do yourself a solid and don't use Lulu publishing." "I've spent in the thousands and can't get ANY help!" "I would never buy from Lulu.com again." "Customer Service is a nightmare." "Do not use Lulu publishing." "Worst experience ever."…
Why “Free” Publishing Services Can Quickly Go Belly Up, and How They Can Keep Screwing Authors Years Later
Offering something for nothing is a really dumb business model. While working with a "free" company may seem tempting to some authors, these firms typically go belly-up pretty quickly. And, some end up ripping their former authors off for years after the firm's demise...while holding those authors' books hostage.…
If You Receive a Copyright Infringement Notice by Email, Do NOT Click on the Link!!
We received the following FAKE copyright infringement accusation this week via email...…
What in the WORLD Did Tommy See in the TREE?! Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Spring, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
After shimmying his way up the tree, Tommy called out, "Oh my gosh! You guys won't believe this!"…
We Honor our Fallen Heroes
Here at WritersWeekly and Booklocker, we honor those who answered the call of their country…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For May, 2021!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals. We've been savings these for a few weeks now so there are a LOT to entertain you! …
How to Get Social Media Influencers to Promote Your Book
Whether you like social media influencers or not (I do not), the allure of their numbers of followers has not been ignored by marketing firms...…
Is Your Client Feigning Ignorance? Don’t Be a Dummy!!
Something that really gets my goat is when people pretend to be stupid in order to take advantage of me in some way. After being in business for 23 years, I've seen my share of Faux Ignoramuses...…
Should You Pay to Appear on a Podcast?
I was very interested in one podcast series but the narrator's voice had a twangy tone that reminded me of a screechingly bad note on my guitar...…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What Will the Spring, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Will the topic feature include some suspense, some humor, some mystery, or something else? You'll soon find out! We are super excited about this topic!! Grab a fresh cup of coffee, open a window, turn on your laptop, crack your knuckles, and get those creative juices flowing!…
Are Authors REALLY This Desperate for Eyeballs?!
Sadly, some authors will fall for this type of scam. Why in the WORLD would any author pay $500 for THAT?…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For March, 2021!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals. We've been savings these for a few weeks now so there are a LOT to entertain you! …
Should Writers/Journalists Let Facebook Host Their Websites and Newsletters? No. Here’s Why.
You can bet that the minute you post something that Facebook (or any of your readers for that matter) doesn't like, you're going to...…
I Need Your Help Understanding This Cancel Culture Thing (WARNING: Contains “offensive” material not suitable for minors)
Before you think that, by being white, I've never been a "victim" myself, read this...…
2021 Self-Publishing Price Comparison!
Considering self-publishing? Check out this price comparison featuring 17 of the most popular Print on Demand publishing service providers! …
WHAT in the WORLD is in THAT BOX?! Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Winter, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
A wedding ring? A mysterious map?? A severed finger???…
Posting “Read-Aloud” of Children’s Books on YouTube – Good Idea or Not?
Aside from the copyright infringement implications, I have a moral problem with this as well...…
Assuming Your Readers are Stupid is Just Plain…STUPID!
Oh, if I had a nickel for all of the authors over the years who have told me they didn't think their readers would mind a few typos in their books...…
Despite Covid, Print Books Still Outsold Ebooks in 2020
Sales of print books are still higher than sales of ebooks. …
Another Reason to Buy Print Books: Amazon Can’t Take Them Away From You!
While I won't get into the politics of it all (Heaven knows we're all drowning in that stuff right now), this all serves as an important reminder that what we buy electronically may not always belong to us...…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Winter, 2021 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
As with every Winter contest, you can expect some chill (brrrr!) and maybe some thrill! Or, maybe some suspense, some humor, some mystery? You'll soon find out! We are super excited about this topic!!…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For December, 2020!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals.…
Should You Use Booksniffer to Promote Your Book?
Read what the Alliance of Independent Authors has to say about Booksniffer. …
Amazon is Screwing Over Authors and Publishers ONCE AGAIN!
Why in the world would Amazon let people who'd completely used and benefitted from a product "return" it for a full refund? I know why!…
How to Find Software if You Don’t Want to Pay a Monthly Fee (BONUS: And, My Secret for Finding High-Demand Products During a Pandemic)
When Microsoft, Adobe, and other firms starting offering their software in download-only format, and for a monthly or annual fee, I got really, REALLY mad!…
Submittable – Good for Writers…or Not?
Is Submittable a good deal for writers? We don't think so. Here why...…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For November, 2020!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals!…
Tax Refunds of Tate Publishing’s Owners Will Be “Intercepted” by the Oklahoma Attorney General
PLUS: The Oklahoma Attorney General's files about Tate Publishing have "mysteriously" vanished in the past week! Why?!…
HOLD ONTO YOUR HALLOWEEN MASKS, FOLKS!!! Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com FALL, 2020 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
It's our FAVORITE contest of the year and you do NOT want to miss the top three winning stories! Are you scared? You should be!! ;)…
9 Reasons NOT to Use BookBaby to Publish Your Book
We were recently contacted by an author who wants to move his book from BookBaby to BookLocker. He says it takes them too long to print and ship a book. We took a look at their current "terms of service" and this is what we found...…
ATTN: NEW AUTHORS – “Pre-sales” Only Work for iPhones and Stephen King
One author wrote to me this week saying her book was ready but that she wanted to "hold" the book until December 1st to get more people interested in it. I told her, "That type of product hype only works for iPhones and celebrity authors like Stephen King..."…
