LIST OF TOPICS (And Winners) FROM PAST FALL 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTESTS! Get Inspired! By Angela Hoy
Are you thinking about participating in the 24-hour short story contest, but don't know what to expect? Here's how it works... …
Angela’s Desk
Topic, Common Themes, And Winners Of The Writersweekly.com Summer, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest! By Angela Hoy
For the past six weeks, we've spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Summer, 2014 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. Entrants must be registered before the contest begins and there is a limit of 500 participants per contest. Entrants then have 24 hours to write and submit their stories via email. The stories "must deal with the topic in some way to qualify" and they must not exceed the pre-assigned word count, which is announced with the topic. 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. …
How To Lose A Publishing Deal AND A TV Show? Lie On Your Contract! By Angela Hoy
Here's the problem. When the author signed our contract, he didn't tell us somebody else owned 10% of his rights. Thus, he lied when he completed our contract, stating he owned all rights to his work... …
TIRED OF PEDDLING THAT OLD MANUSCRIPT? You Might Be Able To Sell It Outright! By Angela Hoy
There's an outfit online that's sending out emails, trying to get authors to "give away" the rights to their book manuscripts. They claim they're a charity. Pshaw!!! Don't give it away your hard work for free! That would be ludicrous... …
Bigots Need Not Apply! 9 Offensive Ways To Lose A Publishing Contract By Angela Hoy
This is a an example of the types of emails we occasionally receive from authors. They're greatly abbreviated, of course. This type of offensive correspondence can, of course, result in a breakdown of negotiations, or not receiving a contract offer at all. And, just because you've already been offered a publishing contract doesn't mean you can't lose it through bad behavior... …
Is Your Book Description Killing Sales? By Angela Hoy
It happened again today. I asked an author for a short description of her book for Ingram, the world's largest book distributor, which sends an automated feed to the online and physical bookstores. The feed is used to create book listings on sites like Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and other stores. The author responded right away. This was last line of her description - Read on as justice is served and police take down the vicious killer. Yep. She gave away the ending. Who wants to buy a book if you already know what's going to happen? Giving away the ending will definitely hurt future book sales! …
SELF-PUBLISHING CONTRACT FINE PRINT EXPOSED: Who Can Keep Selling Your Book For A YEAR After Termination? By Angela Hoy
Good news! You just landed a traditional contract for your self-published book! Better news!! Your current self-publishing service (a POD publisher) has a 30-day termination clause. That's good because the traditional publisher offering you a nice advance isn't going to want to wait for you to get out of another contract. Some traditional publishers require proof that an author's book is no longer under contract elsewhere, and no longer for sale. In fact, if you can't provide that proof, they may rescind their offer, and offer that contract to a competing author instead. Guess what? If you're an Xlibris, AuthorHouse, or Trafford author, terminating your book isn't as simple as their "30-day" contract termination clause may appear... …
29 Reasons Your Books Aren’t Selling By Angela Hoy
You're depressed. You're confused. You're thinking about giving up writing altogether. Why? Because the only people who have bought your book are your mom and your Aunt Bertha. With more than a million books published each year now (most of those self-published), there is lots of competition. However, many authors earn enough in book sales to feed their families. How do they do it? Some of this may be hard to hear (I mean read) but, if you clicked on this article, you're obviously seeking the truth. So, here it is... …
Why Sweat Outside When You Can Write In The Air Conditioning?! Only 10 Days Left To Register For The Summer 24-Hour Short Story Contest!! By Angela Hoy
The Summer, 2014 Short Story Contest will start at 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Saturday, July 19th. Rather than sweating and getting a sunburn, spend the day in the cool air conditioning, and come play with us... …
Is Your Book Difficult to Find on Amazon? This Might Be Why. By Richard Hoy
Have you recently published a book, but can't find it by searching for the title on Amazon.com? Amazon, for obvious reasons, does not share with anyone the algorithm they use to calculate search results. But you can make some educated guesses... …
Can’t Afford An Editor? Try These Four Fun Steps For A Much Cleaner Manuscript! By Angela Hoy
Don't have the money for a professional editor? Here's a method guaranteed to help you find errors. …
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Spring, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest! By Angela Hoy
For the past six weeks, we've spent every spare moment judging the hundreds of entries submitted for the WritersWeekly Spring, 2014 24-Hour Short Story Contest... …
Are You Blacklisting Yourself with Your Online Behavior? By Angela Hoy
After 15 years of publishing an ezine for writers, and publishing more than 6,000 print and electronic books for authors, I'd like to say I've pretty much seen it all but, unfortunately, I know I haven't. Occasionally, authors and writers make mistakes, BIG mistakes, that can result in getting blacklisted by a publication or book publisher, meaning that firm will not work with that individual on anything at all in the future, no matter what. Here are some things you should be careful about when doing business with others... …
POD SECRETS REVEALED: How Much Do Some POD Publishers Profit from Ingram’s “Channel Distribution” Fees? Plenty! By Angela Hoy
POD Publishers that use Ingram's printing division to print their books incur an annual fee, which is charged by Ingram for each title/ISBN. Ingram calls this their "Catalog Fee." It provides: "Access to our worldwide distribution channels (the largest portfolio of wholesalers, distributors and booksellers worldwide)." Basically, this means they send out an automated feed to bookstores that includes all the available titles. It typically costs publishers $12 per year to keep a book in Ingram's system... …
POD SECRETS REVEALED! – “100% Royalties?!” Don’t Be Fooled! By Angela Hoy
Most authors assume, when they read "35% royalties" or "50 royalties," that they'll be getting that percentage of the list price of the book each time a copy sells. And, with many POD publishers, that is the case. But, some have confusing clauses in their contracts that state the percentage is actually based on the publisher's net income... …
More World’s Worst Book Proposals And Query Letters
Today, I'm going to share another installment of our popular column, World's Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters. Yes, we can learn from others' mistakes! Featured are real quotes from query letters (no book proposals today) submitted to us over the past few months. …
14 Tips To Give Yourself A Leg Up In Writing Contests! By Angela Hoy
The next quarterly 24-Hour Short Story Contest is right around the corner! Despite the fact that our guidelines have a list of hints for writers, many either don't read it, or ignore it. After more than a decade of hosting and judging quarterly writing contests, we're sharing some hints on how to get a leg up on the other contestants... …
FAST and FREE Book Publication PLUS Distribution? Yes!!
We take the initial financial risk and you agree to take the reins on book promotion. …
PROLIFIC AUTHORS! Which Publisher Gives the BEST DEAL to Authors of Two or More Titles? By Angela Hoy
You're an author with two or more manuscripts ready to go (or books you want to re-publish), and several more in the works. After you go through a publisher's process the first time, the second time is naturally easier, for both you and for the publisher. You know what to expect, and what they expect, and the publishing process goes much more smoothly. Shouldn't you be rewarded for this by receiving a deep discount on setup fees for your second and subsequent books? Yes, you should! Which P.O.D. publisher offers deep discounts to "returning authors?" …
NEED YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED ASAP? Who’s the Fastest/Least Expensive? Price Comparison of Expedited P.O.D. Publishing Services
Uh oh! You've been invited to speak at a conference in four weeks and they're going to sell your print book to attendees. What do you do?! Most POD publishers don't offer a rush or expedited print publishing service but a few do. Who gives the best deal? And, more importantly, will you get your books on time?! …
P.O.D. SECRETS REVEALED: “Free” P.O.D. Services Can Be Very Expensive!
Tempted to sign up with one of those P.O.D. publishers that are claiming to be FREE? You'll first need design experience so you can layout a professional book interior, and create a professional cover. In addition, if you really want to get your book published for "free", in some cases you can forget about having an ISBN (which online and brick and mortar bookstores as well as libraries require), forget about being distributed by Ingram, the world's largest book distributor, which distributes book listings to online and physical bookstores across the globe, and forget about a lot of other things as well, including a print proof to check before your book goes to market... …
P.O.D. SECRETS REVEALED: Does Your P.O.D. Publisher’s Homepage Tell Everyone You Paid to Have Your Book Published?
Your book is finally on the market. You're printing business cards, updating your website, and sending out press releases. You know you'll get higher royalties when someone buys your book from your publisher's website so you send people there. But, wait! What does your publisher's homepage tell your readers about your book? …
Do Book Review Services/Publications Pay Some Reviewers Less Than Minimum Wage?
I've always said you should NEVER PAY a book reviewer to review your book. Here is further proof that this is a horrible practice... …
WHO ARE THE REAL STARVING WRITERS? Book Reviewers!
This week, I want to share a query letter l I received... …
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Winter, 2014 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 Winter, 2014 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. Entrants must be registered before the contest begins and there is a limit of 500 participants per contest. Entrants then have 24 hours to write and submit their stories via email. The stories "must deal with the topic in some way to qualify" and they must not exceed the pre-assigned word count, which is announced with the topic. 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. …
Don’t Waste Your Time on Pipe Dreams! Do REAL Writing Work for REAL Money! By Angela Hoy
A writer contacted me last week, pitching an article on how freelancers can become successful playwrights or screenwriters. Now, I've been in this business long enough to know that profitable freelance playwriting and screenwriting is about as common as becoming a highly paid actor... …
Trying To “Trick” Editors Can (And Will) Backfire
When you were a teenager, did you ever have friends who tried to trick their parents? Perhaps your girlfriend told her mother things like: "Don't you remember, Mom? You said we could stay out an hour late tonight!" "But, Mom, you told me just last week that I could use your credit card at the mall!" "Mother, you promised to pay me $10 for babysitting, not $8!" Of course, these mothers probably thought they were developing early dementia. I didn't fall for those shenanigans from our kids. (At least, I don't think I did!) Unfortunately, some people still use similar tactics in the business world... …
P.O.D. SECRETS REVEALED: Firm Quotes And Facts May Be Hard To Come By!
Wow! That nice P.O.D. publishing house representative wants to hear "more about your book!" Is it finished yet? Did you need to have it edited? Are you going to included pictures? What's your target market? Do you think that "nice" P.O.D. publishing house rep really gives a hoot about your book? Don't fool yourself... …
More World’s Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters
Today, I'm going to share another installment of our popular column, World's Worst Book Proposals and Query Letters. Yes, we can learn from others' mistakes! Featured below are real quotes from book proposals and query letters submitted to us over the past few months. …
Links to Past 24-Hour Short Story Contest Winners!
This week, I'm sharing links to winning stories from the last 3 years of WritersWeekly Quarterly 24-Hour Short Story Contest, along with each topic... …
HOW TO COMPILE AND PUBLISH AN ANTHOLOGY – PART III – EDITING, FORMATTING & PUBLISHING – Angela Hoy
I have published a few non-fiction anthologies over the years and they have all been successful, both from a research and publishing standpoint in the beginning, and a sales standpoint later. There is a right and wrong way to collect and publish stories contributed by others. In Part I of this series, we discussed how much to pay contributors, what rights to request, and what steps to take before you start soliciting stories. In Part II, we discussed the contract (and included a sample), how to find writers/contributors, what not to do, tracking contributors, email introductions, acceptance and rejection form letters (including samples), ordering contributions by email, and contributor payments. Today, we're going to discuss editing, formatting and publishing your anthology... …
P.O.D. SECRETS REVEALED: FEEDING ON YOUR VANITY – OR IGNORANCE – HOT AIR ON PUBLISHERS’ WEBSITES IS INSULTING! – Angela Hoy
I have always been offended by over-the-top marketing verbiage. Saying something is a "good deal" is one thing but trying to tell me a product or service is going to "make my dreams come true" is insulting to an individual's intelligence. I always wonder how people can fall for so much of the garbage being shoved our way by marketing executives these days... …
P.O.D. SECRETS REVEALED: PUBLISHERS PROFITING FROM AUTHOR ERRORS! – Angela Hoy
At BookLocker.com, whenever I notice a mistake in a book, I alert the author. If I notice a few, I will send them a list. These errors can range from the occasional misuse of a word (their vs. there, for example), or a formatting inconsistency (Chapter 1, Chapter Two, etc.), to something like the author's misuse of the term Prologue at the end of the book (should be Epilogue). Since we send the formatted file back to the author for any final changes, they have the opportunity to make any corrections at no extra charge at that point in the process. Alerting the author when we notice an error helps them avoid future reader complaints and, of course, bad book reviews. Here's a dirty secret you won't hear anyone talking about among P.O.D. publishers. Some of them see mistakes, and purposely allow them to remain in the book... …
WORLD’S WORST QUERY LETTERS
Today, I'm going to share snippets from some of the worst query letters we've received over the past couple of months. Yes, we can learn from others' mistakes! Featured below are real quotes from query letters submitted to WritersWeekly.com... …
Authors Beware! “Gifting” Your Kindle E-Books May BACKFIRE! By Angela Hoy
I received an email from an author last week asking why he never received his "royalties" for a Kindle "gift" ebook he bought for someone. It was his own book and he had documentation proving he'd purchased the ebook version from Amazon. I checked Amazon's reports and they didn't show the sale for that month. I wrote to Amazon and the author was not happy with their response... …
NEW PRINT ON DEMAND (P.O.D.) PRICE COMPARISON!
We have completed our annual update of the P.O.D. Publisher Price Comparison Chart. …