POD SECRETS REVEALED: Hot Air on Some POD Publishers’ Websites By Angela Hoy, co-owner of BookLocker
Here are a few examples of what we believe is "hot air" on some POD publishers' websites. Of course, this is our opinion. You can form your own. …
Angela’s Desk
OUCH! Some POD Publishers Raising Book Prices TOO HIGH!
Last week, we talked about FORCED MARRIAGE: When POD Publishers Take Your Money AND Your Rights. This week, I'm going to discuss a disturbing trend among POD publishers. The list prices of some POD publishers' books are going up - and fast. Some of these prices are so high that authors know potential readers will not buy their books. Authors should not spend hundreds to thousands to publish a book that will ultimately be priced beyond what the market will bear! …
FORCED MARRIAGE: When POD Publishers Take Your Money AND Your Rights By Angela Hoy, Publisher, BookLocker.com and WritersWeekly.com
A year ago, I published POD SECRETS REVEALED: You Pay...But THEY Own the Rights, an article exposing how many POD publishers charge authors for services, but then claim the rights to the materials the author paid them to create. Let's face it. If an author pays hundreds to thousands to a company, and then can't get copies of their production files to use elsewhere, how in the world can that author afford to move their book to another publisher if they're unhappy? …
Author Sues Amazon/BookSurge Alleging Copyright Infringement
Author Thomas Rey Benjey filed a lawsuit against Amazon/BookSurge alleging copyright infringement. …
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com Fall 2008 24-Hour Short Story Contest! By Angela Hoy
After the Summer contest, I posted a missive about the common themes in entries submitted for the Summer 24-Hour Short Story Contest. We received lots of positive feedback so I'm doing it again this quarter. …
It Takes Longer to Get a Customer Than to Lose One! and When Your Competitor Screws Up, YOU Can Win! By Angela Hoy
Several months ago, we started offering a "disgruntled author's special" to authors who aren't happy with their current POD publisher. If they move their book to BookLocker, they only have to pay $99 in setup fees, which is the same special we give to all returning authors (meaning authors only pay $99 setup fees on their second and subsequent books published through BookLocker). Why do we do this? …
Will Publishers in the United Kingdom Be the Next to Receive the Amazon/BookSurge Ultimatum?
Think you're safe from the Amazon/BookSurge ultimatum because you're in the United Kingdom? Think again. You might be next! Amazon has launched a POD service in the U.K. While they say "We are offering titles that are being produced by other print on demand providers" - they don't say they'll continue to do so. Read more HERE. …
More World’s Worst Book Proposals
This week I'm going to share another installment of our popular column, World's Worst Book Proposals. Yes, we can learn from others' mistakes! Featured below are real quotes from book proposals submitted to me over the past year. …
Hidden Pricing + Upselling Book Doctoring Services + Hidden/No Online Bookstore = A POD Publisher to AVOID! By Angela Hoy
Sometimes I read stuff online that makes my blood boil. I'm serious. My face gets red and my heart starts pounding because I get SO MAD! …
You Want ME to Write for FREE?! Ha Ha Ha!!! By Angela Hoy
While I see lots of "employment" ads each week asking writers to write for free, I can count on one hand how many people have approached me directly, asking ME to write for free over the past decade...because most people know how I feel about writing for free. Last week, I ran a link to a video showing Harlan Ellison talking about how insulting it is to ask a writer to write for free. So, I was shocked when the owner of a writing blog wrote to me this week, asking me to write for her...for free. I'm going to share our exchange with you below but I'll paraphrase her emails since she refused to give me permission to publish them. …
AVOIDING AMAZON – Websites with Free Shipping…and Free Print Catalogs!
In the past several years, I've done the majority of my Christmas shopping online at Amazon.com. Since we boycotted and sued Amazon after they tried to force us to pay them to print our books, I've been scurrying around online, trying to figure out where I can send my Christmas business this year. …
Bowker Isn’t Happy with Angela’s ISBN Article
After running last week's article, Who REALLY Controls That ISBN You Bought? Probably Not You!, I received the following email from Andy Weissberg at R.R. Bowker... …
Who REALLY Controls That ISBN You Bought? Probably Not You! By Angela Hoy
Last week, I received an email from a guy claiming to be the head of Bowker, the ISBN agency. Whoa! Why was the "head" of Bowker contacting me? The email implied we were doing something wrong... …
Common Themes in Our Latest 24-Hour Short Story Competition By Angela Hoy
I've been making notes about common themes that are emerging in the entries for our Summer 2008 24-Hour Short Story Contest. I thought I'd share these with you today so you can see how difficult it is for some writers to come up with completely original variations of a common theme. …
Aaarghh! I Wish I’d Googled That Deadbeat’s Name! By Angela Hoy
Through WritersWeekly Whispers and Warnings, we publicize deadbeats, scams targeting writers, and even lowly spammers (who also target writers). The names of these jerks pop right up on google, through our Whispers and Warnings posts, and also through other websites, like ripoffreport.com. They are ripe for the picking by any writer willing to take the time to google a potential client's name. Sadly, I hear from writers all the time who type a varying version of this: "Aaarghh! I wish I'd googled that deadbeat's name before working for/with him/her!" …
Some POD Publishers: “Buy a Manuscript Evaluation So We Can Upsell You on Our Editing Services!”
Last week, I received an email from an author who was perturbed that we didn't offer something similar to what he received via email (spam!) from another POD publisher. What was it? A $199 manuscript evaluation. If you paid and then decided to use that POD publisher later, you could deduct $199 from your setup fees. They could (probably do!) then upsell you on their expensive editing services that their manuscript evaluation very likely will say you need. Now, come on. Do you really think they're going to tell you your manuscript is perfect? No way... …
Red Flags in Freelance Help Wanted Ads By Angela Hoy
Each week, when researching job links to distribute through WritersWeekly, I see specific red flags in some job ads. This week, I'll share some with you. …
Surprise! Imperative “Extras” Not Included in POD Publishing Packages: Services You’d Assume Are Included with Some POD Publishing Packages…But Are Not
Many authors sign up with a self-publishing/POD company, innocently expecting to pay a certain price...only to discover they'd need to pay more for services you'd expect would be included in every basic package. Here are some not-so-humorous examples... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part XI: Online Radio Interviews: The Power of Instant Listening!
This week, we're going to pitch ourselves as interview sources to online radio shows. …
How Much Should You Spend To Publish Your Book?
Lots of authors are turned on by the bells and whistles offered by some of the POD publishers. They seem to think if they just buy this, that, or the other, their book will be a success. Before they know it, they've spent several hundred to several thousand dollars... …
How Many Bookmarks And Personalized Pencils Make A Best Seller? None!!
Yesterday, after work, while flipping through the mail, you find a postcard from Author Anne. It's a pretty postcard. It shows her book cover on one side, and has a brief description of the book on the other. But, you receive marketing postcards everyday...and you can't pick up the book and thumb through it. You're not online right now so you can't click to read more about the book. You leave it on the counter and forget about it. Later, you use it to push some crumbs into the sink and then you throw it away. …
Lessons From a Writing Contest Judge By Angela Hoy
A couple of years ago, I published this article - My Time to Whine: When A Contest Sponsor Gets FED UP! It primarily described how the actions of some writing contest entrants can make somebody want to stop hosting a popular contest completely. Today, I'm going to give you some hints on how to stand out in the crowd during your next writing contest. …
BookLocker Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Amazon.com By Angela Hoy
This article appeared in Monday's Special Edition of WritersWeekly.com. You may reprint this article or quote from it at your discretion. You can read/post comments here: https://antitrust.booklocker.com BookLocker.com has filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon.com in response to Amazon's recent attempts to force all publishers using Print on Demand (POD) technology to pay Amazon to print their books. …
Don’t Invite a Lawsuit with Your Memoir By Angela Hoy
We recently received an angry email from a woman who claimed her father's book, which we published, constituted a violation of her privacy... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part X: Pitch Yourself as an “Expert” or Interview Source to News Services/Syndicates
This article was ready to publish a month ago when we exposed the Amazon/Booksurge Ultimatum. While we're, of course, still publishing updates about Amazon/Booksurge, I'm VERY happy that we're able to get back to book selling this week! …
Bounty Leads to PODdy Mouth’s Demise
Well, if it looks like a competitor, and acts like a competitor, and smells like a competitor... …
Blogger PODdy Mouth Posts False Statements, Violates Copyright Law, Refuses to Correct Numerous Published Errors/Inaccuracies
$500 Reward Offered for Information Leading to the REAL Identity of PODdy Mouth Imagine being contacted by one of your customers one day and being alerted to a blogger who is posting false statements and insults about you and many of your competitors on a continuing basis. Furthermore, the blogger is writing under a fake name...which previously belonged to someone else in the industry - a respected person - who had recently retired. To add insult to injury, when you approach this blogger to correct some of the numerous errors in their blog, they post more false statements about you, attack you personally, call you names like "ugly" and "self-masturbatory", and then blacklist you so you can no longer post comments in your own defense...all the while continuing to post false statements and refusing to correct the previously published inaccuracies. This situation is occurring right now. Read the entire story on Preditors & Editors HERE. ~~~~ REWARD!!! If you are the first to tell us the real identity of PODdy Mouth (not the original POD-dy Mouth, but the one mentioned above), and can provide verifiable proof of his/her identity, we will send you $500. We will, of course, respect your identity, but you must tell us who you really are because PODdy Mouth may very well try to trick us into implicating someone else. Please spread the word. If you know who PODdy Mouth is (or even if you want to weigh in with a guess for fun), contact: angela - at - writersweekly.com If you or your business has had a similar unfortunate experience with PODdy Mouth, we'd like to hear about that as well. Three industry executives, when recently asked on separate occasions who they think PODdy Mouth is, all immediately gave the EXACT same answer... …
It’s Getting HOT IN HERE! Amazon Under Fire in the U.S. and Abroad
Since WritersWeekly broke the Amazon Ultimatum Story two weeks ago, news has traveled quickly across the globe and it didn't take long for everyone, including book buyers, authors, publishers, and writing organizations, to weigh in against Amazon's actions... …
IT’S NOT OVER! Amazon Tells Publishers, Pay Us To Print Your Books…Or Else
Tuesday, April 1st, was the rumored deadline Amazon.com gave to some POD publishers to sign an agreement allowing their printing division, BookSurge, to print each publisher's book to be sold through Amazon, or risk having their "buy" buttons turned off on the Amazon.com website... …
Amazon.com Telling POD Publishers – Let BookSurge Print Your Books, or Else…
Some Print on Demand (POD) publishers are privately screaming "Monopoly!" while others are seething with rage over startling phone conversations they're having with Amazon/BookSurge representatives. Why isn't anybody talking about it openly? Because they're afraid - very, very afraid... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part IX: Free Listings in Ebookstores and Ebook Directories
This week, we're going to list our ebook for sale at some ebookstores and also take advantage of a few free ebook directories... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part VIII: Subtly Promoting Your Book on Major News Sites
This week, we're going to subtly promote our book(s) while posting comments on major news sites. I don't know about you but I love reading Letters to the Editor in newspapers and magazines. The letters section is one of the first places I look when I'm reading a periodical. The great news is, in increasing numbers, newspapers, magazines, and other news websites are allowing readers to post comments about articles, often instantly, on their websites, directly under each article. You can find a list of the nation's 100 largest newspapers right here... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part VII: Subtly Promoting Your Book on Other People’s Blogs
In case you're a newbie, a blog is a regularly-updated personal journal that is posted online. Special software enables bloggers to post their comments instantly online. No HTML! Yea! Blogs have exploded in recent years because they make publishing online so easy and because they are usually of a more personal nature than professional websites. Blogs seem to attract the voyeur in all of us... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part VI: Subtly Marketing Your Book to Online Discussion Groups
This week, we're going to meet some new groups of people while subtly marketing our book. I'm quite a social butterfly online and participating in online discussion groups is something I'd do for fun... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part V: Free Advertising For You / Free Content For Them By Angela Hoy
This week, we're gonna drum up some free advertising in ezines, blogs, websites and maybe even some magazines. If you can't/won't spend money to place ads in magazines, ezines, blogs and websites, you might still be able to get them to mention your book. How? By offering them free content to publish. Remember the book excerpts we formatted during Week II? Well, let's see if we can get those published in some periodicals that are already serving your book's target audience... …
ONLINE BOOK MARKETING THAT WORKS – Part IV: Cozying Up to Sites With a Good Google Ranking
This week, we're going to expand our online marketing reach. We're going to cozy up to websites, zines and blogs that have good Google rankings! …