I've gotten excited (probably a bit TOO excited) when I find published errors. If it's a website of a national news organization, I get positively giddy! My heart races, my fingers tingle... …
Unfortunately, many people and organizations have zero interest in acquiring the rights to an author's book after they pass. What can you do to keep your book alive after you're gone?…
For the past six weeks, we’ve spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted…
I've been publishing books for 18 years and I'd like to believe that I've seen it all. But, sure enough, every once in awhile, I see a new zinger. And, when I do, we're very happy to investigate...…
Okay, I admit it. This is a weird topic to write about. And, if it had only happened to one or two authors I've known over the years, I wouldn't be sharing it. But, it's happened to a couple dozen writers I've known. And, it's a very sad scenario. We writers are a funny bunch. Raise your hand if you're more emotional than other folks...…
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). …
If you are a Tate victim and if you choose to send Tate your $50 for the production files, DEMAND they give you the files they used to print the cover and interior, and INSIST...…
Rather than man-up, and respond with an intelligent rebuttal, Infinity took the defiant toddler way out...…
Move to BookLocker for as little as $149! And, get your book back on the market in as little as 2 weeks.…
I get very angry when I see people trying to bully others when it appears they have no legal standing on the issue.…
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... …
The Winter, 2017 Short Story Contest will start at 12:00 p.m. (noon) central time THIS SATURDAY,…
Don't let a place name in a Regional magazine, website, or blog dissuade you from taking a better look. You just might find a new, long-term client.…
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular…
If someone purchases a photo from a reputable stock agency, they are NOT permitted to use that photo in any way they choose.…
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!…
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!…
Over the years, in every case where a sale from a relative was never reported by Ingram or us, it has been the result of the relative fibbing to the author about buying their book so as not to hurt the author’s feelings.…
This week, we're going to discuss the (incorrect) assumptions many authors have about the "holy grails" of traditional publishing.…
Find out why YOU should be self-publishing!…
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular…
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.…
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.…
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.…
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 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.…
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.…
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...…
...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?!).…
We had an uncomfortable situation arise at BookLocker.com this week. Read what happened below and, if you have any input or an opinion about this situation, please share your wisdom in the comments section below.…
GUEST POST FROM BRIAN WHIDDON Brian Whiddon, the new Operations Manager at WritersWeekly.com and BookLocker.com, recently…
Our one-on-one, owner-to-customer service isn't changing. Richard and I will still have direct contact with our WritersWeekly and BookLocker families. But, we are shifting things around a bit. Richard has always performed the majority of the back-end computer work, which can be taught to someone else. He really wants to get more books on the market under his own name. I haven't released a new book in two years myself and I finally realized that I might never release another one if we didn't hire someone to help with some of my activities. For example...accounting. Like many writers, I DETEST accounting and anything even remotely related to math. (Ug! Why didn't I hire someone to do that years ago?!)…
When’s the next 24-Hour Short Story Contest? Find the date RIGHT HERE! During the WritersWeekly.com quarterly…
The Summer, 2016 Short Story Contest will start at 12:00 p.m. (noon) central time THIS SATURDAY, July 9th. Rather than sweating and getting a sunburn, spend the day in the cool air conditioning, and come play with us!…
If I was truly honest, and told them to give up the craft, or to go to back to school (some of these folks literally need to start all over at the Kindergarten level), I would be harassed for eternity. Most people simply can't accept or comprehend the truth and, no matter how reasonable or gentle your message to them is, they will never believe it and they will hate you for delivering it. They may even try to destroy your reputation online through libelous, anonymous posts.…
Oh, if I had a nickel for every time my honest, professional words "hurt" an author's feelings...…
