Frustrated, and with my eyes at the crossing pint, I grabbed my tablet, and turned on Netflix. On occasion, I enjoy listening to documentaries and movies when I'm doing boring tasks. And, I found one humdinger of a documentary!!…
Don't even WORK with a publisher who upsells authors on these kinds of (bleep)...…
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! …
"It is not my intent to soft soap you but I have learned that you have a habit of telling the truth as you see it so please tell me..."…
Will the setting be a sunny beach, a cool lake, or perhaps a fun summer camp? Or, none of the above? How about some fireflies, melted ice cream, or a summer romance? Or...maybe not! Perhaps some suspense, some humor, some mystery, or something else? You’ll soon find out!…
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! …
When you lie to a business associate, a neighbor, family member, or anyone in the adult world, real life consequences can ensue...…
While we'd all like to think we're immune to online scams, sometimes our excitement about a large book order can cloud our common sense. …
A small snippet of what’s to follow: "Do yourself a solid and don't use Lulu publishing." "I've spent in the thousands and can't get ANY help!" "I would never buy from Lulu.com again." "Customer Service is a nightmare." "Do not use Lulu publishing." "Worst experience ever."…
After you get past the shock and anger of your book sales instantly vanishing into thin air, what can you do to get that book back on the market ASAP?…
Offering something for nothing is a really dumb business model. While working with a "free" company may seem tempting to some authors, these firms typically go belly-up pretty quickly. And, some end up ripping their former authors off for years after the firm's demise...while holding those authors' books hostage.…
We received the following FAKE copyright infringement accusation this week via email...…
If you own a professional writing or editing company, or if you're a freelance journalist or book author, or if your company serves writers, or if you're simply in business at all, there are 10 customer service blunders that can be fatal to your reputation and, ultimately, your bottom line. …
While most publishers are respectable and provide us with accurate information, some, usually the small or new ones, are so desperate for publicity that they lie on their questionnaires...…
Read advice from a librarian about the common mistakes new authors make when approaching libraries. …
After shimmying his way up the tree, Tommy called out, "Oh my gosh! You guys won't believe this!"…
Here at WritersWeekly and Booklocker, we honor those who answered the call of their country…
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! …
Whether you like social media influencers or not (I do not), the allure of their numbers of followers has not been ignored by marketing firms...…
Something that really gets my goat is when people pretend to be stupid in order to take advantage of me in some way. After being in business for 23 years, I've seen my share of Faux Ignoramuses...…
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...…
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!…
Sadly, some authors will fall for this type of scam. Why in the WORLD would any author pay $500 for THAT?…
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! …
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...…
Before you think that, by being white, I've never been a "victim" myself, read this...…
Author Andy was so excited! His new book was finished and he'd just approved his print galley. It was time to start selling books! His publishing company put his book up for sale on their website and sent him the URL where he could send people who wanted to purchase his book. Andy didn't have his own website or blog, but he didn't think that would be a problem. Unfortunately, it was, on several fronts. And, while Andy and the other authors below are fictitious, the scenarios are based on real complaints we've received from authors over the years. In every case, had the author had their own website or blog, he or she would have lost few, if any, sales. …
A wedding ring? A mysterious map?? A severed finger???…
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...…
Aside from the copyright infringement implications, I have a moral problem with this as well...…
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...…
Sales of print books are still higher than sales of ebooks. …
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...…
An author recently asked his webmaster to complete a publishing contract on his behalf (which was, of course, not legally binding). What the author learned later, however, was quite disturbing...…
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!!…
Bookstores have a long history of ordering too many books, and then returning them for credit or a refund, often damaged, bent, and/or dirty, and at the expense of the publisher (or self-published author). At other times, the books are simply destroyed (or sold to a big salvage bookstore), again, at the expense of the publisher or self-published author. Bookstores, like other retailers, should be financially responsible for their own sales forecasts. Period. I just can't find anything in the "returns" equation where the publisher or author should be financially responsible for a bookstore's poor estimation of sales... …
