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...…
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, I’m 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.…
Their cheapest publishing package is more than $1,000. If they can convince an author to split one book into three, that author will then pay $3,000 instead of $1,000! Of course, that salesperson will triple their commission as well.…
For the past six weeks, we've spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Spring, 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.…
We were recently contacted by an author who was unhappy with BookBaby, and wanted to move his book to BookLocker. But, after sending us his files, and discussing formatting, etc., he asked about how to terminate his contract with BookBaby. I told him to read his BookBaby contract, find the termination clause, and follow the instructions there. He found his contract, read it, and wrote me back, not at all happy with what he discovered...…
What is an Author Mill? The term was originally coined by Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware. It described publishers that focus on quantity, not quality. However, she limited the term to describing "publishers" that didn't charge authors up-front fees, but that still published anything and everything, quickly pushing large volumes of sub-standard books onto the market. Unfortunately, many authors later learned that this type of publishing isn't really "free" at all. …
Playing on an author's vanity is one of the most common marketing ploys used in the publishing services industry. From promises of wealth and fame to ridiculous "your book can be a movie!" promotions, there is seemingly nothing these clowns won't do to dig deeper into their authors' pockets. …
I received the following question from an author last week: Why would any author buy copies of their book instead of referring people to Amazon or another store? His email went on to say that he knows we don't usually recommend book signings at bookstores and he was curious why an author would need copies for any reason other than a bookstore signing. …
I'm absolutely buried after taking four days off to go on a cruise...that ended up having horrid wifi capabilities. Luckily, my friend, attorney Harvey Randall, sent me this goody to share...…
Picture this. You see an ad from a large publishing house. They're seeking an author for a new book and the ad looks like it was written just for you! You have a good feelin' about this one! You respond to the ad and are thrilled to hear from the project's editor just a few days later. However, before they can discuss the project further, they want you to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Well, you think, okay... …
Have you ever been to a business conference or workshop and received a bag of goodies as you walked in the door? Have you ever won a door prize at one of these conferences or workshops? Wouldn't it be great to be able to market your book to people attending a conference that complements your books topic...even if you're not there? …
Here is our annually updated POD Price Comparison!…
UPDATED: 04/15/2016 SUMMARY (see details about each firm below) BookLocker: $675 (Deduct $200 if submitting your…
Saturday (tomorrow), at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central Time, the topic of the WritersWeekly Spring, 2016 24-Hour Short Story Contest will be sent out via email to all registered participants, as well as posted to the WritersWeekly.com website...…
At the last book fair I attended, there were countless lonely authors sitting behind tables, offering to autograph their books...…
Oh, yes! We know you're excited!! Today, I'm going to share another installment of our popular column, World's Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters.…
After reading the entries for each contest, we can see how difficult it is to come up with a unique plot when working with an assigned topic. But, inevitably, a few writers do manage to successfully break away from the pack...…
Last week, on a publisher's list, someone wrote in asking about NovelRank.com. He wanted to know if their numbers only came from Amazon, or if they counted third party sellers as well. He said NovelRank was reporting more sales than his printer. That was not at all surprising!…
It happened again this week. And, unfortunately, it happens ALL the time. Conference organizers/coordinators and their employees (and even bookstores!) drop the ball. After hiring you (or charging you!) to appear at their event, and after promising to order dozens or even hundreds of your books for their attendees, they fail to do so. The author, after making plans to attend, to present, or just to sell, and perhaps even after buying a plane ticket, and reserving a rental car and hotel room, is stuck at a table (or in front of a podium) with no books for their eager, book-buying audience.…
Send us a quick note, and GET A FREE ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO THE WRITE MARKETS REPORT for participating in our Self-publishing/Print on Demand Author Survey.…
When I see the words "free publishing guide," I think somebody is going to send me a free ebook that is an actual, factual, non-biased guide about the publishing industry, and/or the publishing process. I don't think, "Wow, I'm just going to get a big, boring advertisement in exchange for all my contact information!"…
I am SO fed up! And, I fully expect this article to get slammed by the faint of heart, the political correctness police, and anybody else who can't accept a good, honest rant! …
This Saturday, at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Central Time, the topic of the WritersWeekly Winter, 2016 24-Hour…
Ah, Author Solutions has been sold once again. It reminds me of a rickety boat. One guy buys it and realizes it has a hole or two so he doesn't want it anymore. So, he polishes it up and sells it to another guy, who does the same thing. Each owner may get more or less than they originally paid but, in the end, each subsequent owner is likely happy to be rid of it.…
Authors who see these incorrect sales numbers on Amazon.com naturally assume those numbers are real, and even underestimated. And, where's the first place they're likely to send a complaint? To their publisher!…
