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...…
Angela’s Desk
Assuming Your Readers are Stupid is Just Plain…STUPID!
If I had a nickel for all of the authors who have told me they didn't think readers would mind a few typos.…
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...…
Can You REALLY Trust Your Secretary, Webmaster, or Publishing Consultant to “Sign” Your Publishing Agreement? – by Angela Hoy
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...…
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!!…
STOP GLUTTONOUS PURCHASING PRACTICES BY BOOKSTORES! Why ALL Books Should be Non-Returnable!! By Angela Hoy
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... …
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!!!…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For July, 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!!…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Summer, 2020 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Are you ready for a romantic beach-read topic? Or, will it be a something intriguing and suspenseful? Or, will it be something else entirely? You''ll soon find out! SIGN UP TODAY FOR TONS OF FUN!!…
Self-publishing May Be the Last Bastion of Free Speech
He has been shopping a new manuscript to traditional publishers, and said some now have verbiage in their guidelines saying that they won't accept any manuscripts that don't have any...…
55 Dos and Don’ts of Book Selling Has Been Published! – Get Your FREE Copy TODAY!!
As promised two weeks ago, my new book, 55 Dos and Don’ts of Book Selling, has been published! And, current WritersWeekly subscribers get a copy for FREE - just for the asking!…
Copyright Infringement ENTRAPMENT? Yes, it happens!
I can't think of a more creative way to entrap someone for copyright infringement. Well, yes I can but I'm not going to give any mean people reading this any ideas...…
55 Dos and Don’ts of Book Selling – Do You Want a FREE Copy of My New Book? Sure You Do!!
In two weeks, my new book will launch and I am offering a free copy to all of YOU! To add your name to the list...…
OOPS! Author Published Other People’s REAL Phone Numbers In His Novel!
Not only can it make life difficult for someone, but authors could also set themselves up for lawsuits.…