Angela’s Desk

Tate Publishing Execs Arrested (Finally!) for Embezzlement, Extortion & Racketeering. See Other Lawsuits Filed Against These Jerks! HINT: One was for (alleged) property destruction!

Published on May 11, 2017

Tate Publishing Execs Arrested (Finally!) for Embezzlement, Extortion & Racketeering. See Other Lawsuits Filed Against These Jerks! HINT: One was for (alleged) property destruction!

The publishing industry was rocked (and many authors were ELATED!) last when warrants were issued by Oklahoma Judge Jack McCurdy for the arrests of Richard and Ryan Tate. They've both been charged with nine felony counts of embezzlement, extortion and racketeering each, as well as misdemeanor charges. Who else has sued Tate in the past? HINT! One was for (alleged) property destruction!…

Uh Oh! What are the Employees of Author Solutions Saying Since the Firm was Sold?! (a.k.a. AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, Trafford, etc.)

Published on April 4, 2017

Uh Oh! What are the Employees of Author Solutions Saying Since the Firm was Sold?! (a.k.a. AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Xlibris, Trafford, etc.)

After finding atrocious reviews about Tate Publishing on that site, which gave clear indications from even over a year ago that the company was in trouble, we decided to check out some other publishing service companies, like Author Solutions, which owns AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, WordClay, Balboa Press, and Palibrio. Their imprints also include Archway Publishing, LifeRich Publishing, WestBow Press, Patridge, Booktango. Turns out authors aren't the only ones complaining about Author Solutions.…

Abuzz Press – This Hybrid Publisher Charges No Setup Fees!

Published on February 18, 2017

Abuzz Press – This Hybrid Publisher Charges No Setup Fees!

Abuzz Press is a hybrid publisher - a combination of traditional publishing (authors are not charged any up-front fees, and they earn royalties on each sale) and self-publishing (authors are responsible for their own promotion, which now applies to most traditionally published authors as well). …

Why Are These Books Best Sellers?

Published on January 18, 2017

Why Are These Books Best Sellers?

At BookLocker.com, we have more than 2,000 print books on the market, along with a few thousand ebooks. There are two types of books that appear on the BookLocker.com best seller list... …

2016 BEST OF WRITERSWEEKLY! Make $10K+ Selling Erotica, COMPLAINTS about CreateSpace and Lulu, UPDATED Print on Demand Price Comparison, the 24-HOUR Short Story Contest, Writing & Selling Devotionals, Paying Christian Markets for Writers, and So Much More!

Published on December 14, 2016

2016 BEST OF WRITERSWEEKLY! Make $10K+ Selling Erotica, COMPLAINTS about CreateSpace and Lulu, UPDATED Print on Demand Price Comparison, the 24-HOUR Short Story Contest, Writing & Selling Devotionals, Paying Christian Markets for Writers, and So Much More!

This week, I’m sharing our 20 “most clicked on” articles for 2016. Some of these were published before 2016 but they remain popular, and one (#11) isn't related to writing at all, but describes a very difficult day for our family. Enjoy!…

11 Paying Seasonal Markets For Writers + Holiday Money-Making Tips! by Angela Hoy

Published on November 29, 2016

11 Paying Seasonal Markets For Writers + Holiday Money-Making Tips! by Angela Hoy

While it's too late to sell Christmas articles to magazines, some websites and blogs may still be interested in your seasonal ideas. As you drink a frothy hot chocolate, feel the warmth of the crackling fireplace, and gaze at candles and twinkle lights, grab a small notebook because it's the perfect time of year to create a list of seasonal ideas to pitch to magazines, blogs, websites, and book publishers - all year long!…

“Amazon Won’t Remove My Book! Are They Violating My Copyright?”

Published on October 19, 2016

“Amazon Won’t Remove My Book! Are They Violating My Copyright?”

Anybody with an Ingram account (like the resellers listing it on Amazon) can pick up Ingram's feed, and can list the book for sale on Amazon, or anywhere else, including sites like ebay. By the way, I checked and your book IS for sale on Ebay as well. Many of those resellers have thousands of books for sale and they really don't care if a book is later inactivated. They also don't appear to care about the accuracy of their listings since there are countless errors appearing on Amazon.…

How We Prepare The “Home Office For HURRICANES! By Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com, BookLocker.com, AbuzzBooks.com and PubPreppers.com

Published on October 6, 2016

How We Prepare The “Home Office For HURRICANES! By Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com, BookLocker.com, AbuzzBooks.com and PubPreppers.com

After several notes from concerned authors, we posted an update to the website that details what we do to prepare for hurricanes. It includes info. about our services being located in another state, our four (yes, four!) different ways of accessing the Internet in a crunch, food and water storage, and even an update on what our employee Brian, who works on a boat, does to prepare his "home," and much more.…

What’s The Secret to Ongoing, Consistent BOOK SALES? by Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com & BookLocker.com

Published on September 22, 2016

What’s The Secret to Ongoing, Consistent BOOK SALES? by Angela Hoy, WritersWeekly.com & BookLocker.com

Many authors want to blame the publisher, the printer, the distributor and even retailers for their lack of book sales and some get offended when I'm honest, and tell them it's their lack of promotional activities that has led to decreased or non-existent book sales. Authors get bored with book promotion. Even one week of lower sales can lead to discouragement, spurring many authors to start a new book (or watch puppy videos on YouTube, or share recipes on Facebook, or binge-watch Netflix) instead of promoting the book they already have up for sale.…

World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For September, 2016!

Published on September 8, 2016

World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For September, 2016!

Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we're going to share another installment of our popular column, World’s Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters. Featured below are real quotes from query letters and book proposals submitted to us over the past few weeks.…

CREATESPACE COMPLAINTS (now known as KDP Print) – PART IV

Published on August 31, 2016

CREATESPACE COMPLAINTS (now known as KDP Print) – PART IV

CreateSpace is a mess. The process to get the proof is no problem. Everything was going swell until I ordered 50 copies on the 9th of January and chose expedited shipping. They shipped it standard, then it took 5 days to print the book, then another 5 days to get it to USPS. Then it was sent off, only to be delayed another 2 days. Now it's the 20th and I need it for a book signing on the 23rd and there's no way it's getting from Pennsylvania to Lafayette, Louisiana in 2 days. Hopefully your service will be done correctly.…

Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Summer, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest!

Published on August 27, 2016

Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Summer, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest!

For the past six weeks, we’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Summer, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest. In case you’re not familiar with our quarterly contest, this is how it works. On the date of the contest, at start-time, we send out the topic for that specific contest to all registered entrants, while also posting it on WritersWeekly.com.…

HELP! MY PUBLISHER IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!! How Can I SAVE MY BOOK Without Going Broke?!

Published on August 20, 2016

HELP! MY PUBLISHER IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!! How Can I SAVE MY BOOK Without Going Broke?!

Over the last 2 weeks, we've received reports from authors that another well-known P.O.D. publisher recently kicked the bucket. In their email notice (which used the word "regret," but offered no apologies, nor an explanation), they told authors to pay them ($250 to $300 per author!) if they wanted copies of their production files and an ISBN. That's right. AFTER those authors paid upwards of $1,000, $2,000 or even more to get published, the publisher is trying to drain their wallets further...as they're kicking those authors out the door...…

PART II! THINGS GOT NASTY! – Author With Dementia…Or Victim of Daughter’s Deceit?

Published on August 3, 2016

PART II! THINGS GOT NASTY! – Author With Dementia…Or Victim of Daughter’s Deceit?

...she came out swingin'! She sent me a scathing email, laden with typos (which was odd because she claims to be a "mental health professional" with a PhD), saying that my note to her father forced her to discuss this with her father before she was ready to do so (remember that part for later). She made allegations about her dad being verbally abusive toward his wife. She made some other pretty disturbing accusations about him as well. She said I shouldn't have contacted him without having medical or psychological training (what?!).…

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