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...…
Angela’s Desk
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???…
Yes, We’re Weird! And, That’s Why We’re Still in Business!!
I was always a weird (um, naughty) kid. I never aligned myself with social norms. I recognized when something was ridiculous, even if "everyone else" was doing it. I would do things differently, despite the fact that...…
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..."…
OUR READERS HAVE SPOKEN: Dumbing Down Children’s Books is a VERY BAD IDEA!!
I asked you guys and gals to weigh in with your opinions on this topic and we received more comments than any other article we've published this year!…
SEEKING YOUR INPUT: Dumbing Down Children’s Books – A Good Idea or Not?
the vocabulary was extremely advanced for a picture book. Now, I don't have a problem with that but...…
Copyright Infringement or Plagiarism…or BOTH?
Entire sections of the book contained information taken from websites but no websites or writers were given credit. So, is this copyright infringement or plagiarism? In this case...…
Two Reasons Why Some of Your Readers are NOT Allowed to Post Reviews on Amazon!
As we all know, positive reviews mean better exposure on Amazon! However, did you know that some people aren't allowed to leave reviews on Amazon?…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Fall, 2020 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
As with every Fall contest, you can expect some colored leaves, some chilly air, and maybe something creepy....or not! You''ll soon find out! We are super excited about this topic!! …
We Told Them NOT to Write about THIS…So They Wrote About THAT! Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com SUMMER, 2020 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
She's on her way back to the car with popcorn, candy, and a soda when all the lights go out at the drive-in. Then, the screen lights back up with... YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THE WINNING STORIES!!…
MORE COMPLAINTS about AuthorHouse!
Holy Moly! There are some FURIOUS authors posting complaints online about AuthorHouse and their parent company, Author Solutions!…
COMPLAINTS about Outskirts Press / OutskirtsPress.com
We compete directly with Outskirts Press. When we reject a manuscript, we never refer those authors to Outskirts Press.…
MORE COMPLAINTS about Fast Pencil / Infinity Publishing. And, now they have a website called Opyrus!
When you don't have the time or money to pay your authors' royalties...yet you DO have the time and money to create a new website... SHAME ON FASTPENCIL / INFINITY PUBLISHING!…
How to Instantly Lose Your Entire Website? Buy Website Design/Hosting Services from a Crappy Publisher!
Dog Ear Publishing author lost his publisher AND the website HE paid for!…
How to Turn Your Customer Testimonials into Marketing Memes! – by Angela Hoy
Potential readers and clients trust REAL customer reviews more than marketing verbiage written by the person or company selling that product or service!…
MORE COMPLAINTS about Lulu.com! WHAT the HECK is going on over there?!
Holy moly! Lulu's authors are ANGRY!!!…
