World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For November, 2019!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column. Get ready to chuckle!…
Angela’s Desk
We Told Them NOT to Write about THIS…So They Wrote About THAT! Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com FALL, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
Children catching falling sugar maple leaves, a cold, dangerous river, a protective mother...and a toothless man with a dripping red shirt... You're going to LOVE the winning stories for the Fall 24-Hour Short Story Contest! DO NOT MISS THE FIRST PLACE WINNER! IT'S AWESOME!!…
SHAME!! Dog Ear Publishing Accused of Not Paying Royalties and Not Responding to Authors….but IS STILL BILLING THEIR AUTHORS’ ANNUAL FEES?!
It's one thing to not be paying your authors' royalties but it's QUITE ANOTHER to have the balls to actually...…
COMPLAINTS about Amazon KDP’s Shipping Delays – Why does it take 3 weeks to get a book from Amazon?!
I belong to a private discussion list comprised of publishers. We all share advice, as well as our frustrations about Amazon, of course. One exchange last week shared the fact that KDP (Amazon's print on demand publishing division) is having shipping delays of as long as three weeks...…
NICE TRY, FELLA! The FUNNIEST Fake Book Proposal We’ve Ever Seen!
Sometimes competitors and others test BookLocker.com to see if we really do screen manuscripts that we're considering for publication. Yes, we absolutely do! We rejected the poetry book written by the dog of an author. That was memorable. There was the...…
From “Professional” Writer to Whiny Internet Troll (or, How to Get an Editor to Shelve Your Work Even After They’ve Paid for It!) – by Brian Whiddon
This month, we encountered someone who easily qualifies for our "World's Worst Queries" articles. Her actions give us great examples of what NOT to do as a freelance writer. …
Wouldn’t You LOVE to Get Paid to Write for WritersWeekly? We’ve added a new column!
We are stirring things up here at WritersWeekly! Whoo hoo!! 1. The Success Story column has…
IS THIS EVEN LEGAL?! Amazon is Giving Their Main “Buy Buttons” to Book Depository, Which AMAZON Owns AND They Are Inflating Those Book Prices!
Have you recently noticed that Amazon has raised the price of your book significantly and have you noticed that the name "Book Depository" appears underneath that price? Most authors see that, and think Amazon gave their main buy button to another company. But...…
“My book is on Amazon so it MUST be selling, right?” NOPE! Here’s why…
Just because a book is on Amazon does NOT mean it will sell. Here's why...…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Fall, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Why mow the lawn, or run boring weekend errands, when you can HAVE FUN WRITING WITH US?! Click here to read the topics from the last eight fall contests! Grab a fresh cup of coffee, put on your comfy sweats, turn on your laptop, crack your knuckles, and get those creative juices flowing! We can't wait to see where YOUR imagination takes us!!…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com SUMMER, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
A wife sitting next to her husband by the water, sun spots in her eyes, sees a sexy silhouette approaching, and says, "Not again..." No, he's NOT cheating on her (because we advised participants to NOT write about the first thing that popped into their minds). Read the top three winning stories! They're awesome!! …
Dog Ear Publishing Complaints and an Update
We've been alerting authors about Dog Ear Publishing since May. The excuses posted by the owner of Dog Ear Publishing on the BBB website were, in our opinion, downright absurd...…
Want Your Book Published BEFORE the Holiday Shopping Season? HURRY! Some people have ALREADY STARTED buying their gifts!
As we all know, books are a very popular holiday gift idea! Don't you want as many people as possible to unwrap YOUR book on the morning of December 25th? What do you need to do TODAY to make that happen? …
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For August, 2019!
Oh, yes! We know you’re excited!! Today, we’re going to share another installment of our popular column. Get ready to chuckle!…
What is a Publishing Ponzi Scheme? And, How Can YOU Avoid Becoming a Victim?
Every month, Publisher Pete is receiving a big, fat payment from his distributor for sales of his authors' books. Now, remember, like Bernie Madoff, Publisher Pete is DESPERATE! He swears he'll pay it all back later. But, for now, rather than sending his authors their royalties, he...…
WHAT ARE THEY REALLY HIDING? One HUGE Red Flag to Watch Out For When Choosing a Publisher!
Some firms claim to "pay half" of the author's publishing fees...but are they really doing that? Three thousand dollars is MORE than enough to pay to publish a book. So, this firm's claim that they would also be paying an additional $3,000 out of their pocket was a bunch of you-know-what.…
SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP! How to Handle Bad Book Reviews
A ding dong at Amazon told an author publishers can remove reviews.…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Summer, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Click here to read the topics from the last eight summer contests! It's HOT! It's HUMID! Get out of the heat! Grab a fresh cup of (iced) coffee, put on your comfy shorts, crank up the ceiling fan, turn on your laptop, crack your knuckles, and get those creative juices flowing!…
From Abusive Swimming Lessons for Children to a Dog’s Collapsed Trachea? Why it’s important to personalize your business writing on occasion!
How to attract readers who wouldn't have found you on Google otherwise!…
LOOK WHAT I DO WHEN NOBODY’S LOOKING! Sneaking Around Behind Authors’ Backs to Make THEM Look GREAT!
Sometimes, you just gotta help stubborn people without them knowing.…
COMPLAINTS about Dreamspinner Press
Read what the author's friend had already found...and what we found. …
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For June, 2019!
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.…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com SPRING, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
A violent storm, a blast of cold air, and a furious attempt at escape... Where would YOUR imagination take this topic? …
Well-known Book Publicity Firm Refuses to Provide Book Sales Numbers!
I was spammed by a well-known book publicity firm last week so I took that opportunity to ask them a very simple question. All authors who are considering paying a marketing firm upwards of $1,000 or more should ask the same question...…
COMPLAINTS about Dog Ear Publishing – WOW…
From unanswered emails and phone calls, to non-payment of royalties, to the inability to even order copies, the allegations against Dog Ear Publishing are mounting. Yet, their website is still operating, and soliciting new authors!…
Should You Rewrite Your Entire Book Just Because One So-Called Literary Agent Says You Should?
I vehemently disagree with the agent that a book won't sell simply because it's a memoir.…
DEATH OR ILLNESS OF PUBLISHER? Yet Another Reason to Avoid Publishing Your Book with A Very Small or New Company
I was contacted by another author last week who was in a big bind. His published book was no longer available because: 1. His first publisher got sick and closed up shop; and 2. His second publisher died...…
Karen Wasted a Year Writing a Book She CAN’T Publish
Don't be Karen! Research publishing laws BEFORE writing that book!…
World’s Worst Query Letters and Book Proposals For April, 2019!
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. Pull up a chair and prepare for some belly laughs!…
LAST CHANCE! THIS SATURDAY!! What will the Spring, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest Topic Be?!?!
Has your yucky, brown snow melted? Are beautiful flowers budding in your yard? Can you believe Easter is FINALLY almost here??? But...all may not be as bright and sunny as it seems! You'll find out what we mean when you see the contest topic in your in-box (and on the WritersWeekly website) this Saturday! Grab a fresh cup of coffee, open a window to enjoy the fresh spring air, turn on your laptop, crack your knuckles, and get those creative juices flowing! WE CAN'T *WAIT* TO SEE WHERE YOUR IMAGINATION TAKES US!…
When Charging a Pain in the (Bleep) Client More Money…is More Than Justified
From Chatty Charles to Indecisive Ian, which clients are you justified in charging more for your services? …
4 Questions to Answer Before Writing “Scathing” Exposés About People
A writer asks, "Can I get sued for writing scathing articles on televangelists?"…
Ebook Sales Continue Their Downward Spiral – Is Anyone Really Surprised?
One major problem with ebooks is the difficulty in giving them away as gifts. Books have long been a beloved gift, both for the gift giver and the recipient. Amazon is the #1 seller of ebooks (of course). If an author (or anyone) "gifts" an ebook to someone (a friend or relative, or even a book reviewer), that person can use that "gift' to purchase whatever they want on Amazon...…
LIES, GUILT, AND COERCION – Dirty Tricks One Publisher Tried When This Author GOT SMART!
These emails were exchanged after the author told the publisher there would be a delay in her signing up...…
Topic, Common Themes, and Winners of the WritersWeekly.com WINTER, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
A boy shivering wanders through a snowy forest after his father told him to take care of his mother and sister. Will he make it back home with food from the traps? Where did our Winter, 2019 contest participants take us??? You won't want to miss the top three winners!…
25 Ways to Create a Publishing Company That WILL GO OUT OF BUSINESS! (And, You Just Might Go to Jail, Too!) by Snarky Angela Hoy
Theft, owner narcissism, employee and author abuse, blatant stupidity, and so much more! Here are textbook examples of why publishing companies fail. …