SCAM ALERT: No, Netflix did NOT just email you about turning your book into a movie!
"I just received this email and wanted to run it by you? If it's legit, that's great and I'm in!"…
Ask The Expert
Another Reason Authors Must Own and Control Their Own Websites? CANCEL CULTURE!
If you let any other person or company host your website, they have the power to "cancel" you if they don't like something in your book, something you wrote online, or even some of your social media posts. You may think you're safe from this garbage right now but you never know which way the politically correct tide is going to move in the future...…
“I’m 15 years old. Can I still write for you?”
"I've read your writer's guidelines and I'd love to send you some article ideas. However, I don't know if you have an age limit..."…
INSULTING! “Can you send me a free critique of my short story/article/poem/book manuscript?”
I admit I get a bit miffed that so many people assume that I will drop everything, and spend several minutes to several hours reading their work, and giving them a list of things that are good and not good, and details about how they can improve their writing. Some of them are downright rude...…
Angela Shares a Brutally Honest Review of an Author’s Book Description on Amazon
"Your publisher, an author meat market, CLEARLY doesn't care about their own reputation...nor yours."…
Email From “Major Movie Studio” Didn’t Fool THIS Author!
"Thought you might like to see an email I received yesterday regarding my book. They even asked for the PDF! I've never heard of these guys before, and..."…
“Can I re-publish a deceased relative’s book that’s been out of print for decades?”
"My husband’s great grandfather wrote an amazing regional book decades ago. It is no longer in print. I’ve tried to contact the publisher, (name removed), but I can’t find any information..."…
“Amazon has the wrong author on my book’s page!”
"I've already had a couple of people tell me they bought his books instead of mine..."…
“Should I publish one very large book or three smaller ones?”
"I am finishing up a novel that has three distinct parts. Each part is as long as a book..."…
“Am I supposed to collect sales tax when selling my books directly to readers in my state AND others?”
In talking to many independent authors, there is a growing awareness of the penalties of not collecting Sales Tax. In several states, if you exceed the tax threshold, you must register and file financial documents with the tax authorities of those states...…
“Should I post my business videos to YouTube or to my own website?”
"Should I my how-to videos on my own website or should I use YouTube. I know YouTube gets a lot more traffic than I ever will..."…
What Does ‘sic’ Mean and When Should You Use It?
"My book contains speeches by others that have grammatical errors. What do I do?"…
“Is my book being trolled on Amazon by someone I know?”
If an author has any enemies (or suspected enemies), I recommend he or she remove those people from their social media friends' lists, as well as their email lists long before marketing of a new book begins...…
“Should I pay my publisher almost $3,000 to make my book returnable?”
My publisher told me they have a commitment for 500 printed books by "a large bookstore company" but, to close that deal, I have to buy the insurance. A business friend told me that sounds bogus...…
“Should my website’s URL be my name or my book’s title?”
"What do you recommend for authors when they are creating a..."…
“If an editor buys first rights, but never publishes my article, what then?”
"If they accept the article, but never print it, can it be sold to another publication?"…
“What are the benefits of going with a hybrid publisher?”
Ah, "hybrid." Such a cool sounding word, right? But...…
“She’s my friend so she won’t sue me for what I wrote about her, right???”
What still always shocks me is when authors assume that someone who is their friend today will still be their friend tomorrow. We've heard of family members suing authors for what was written, even when names were changed...…
“Should I get rid of the paperback edition of my book since the hardcover makes more money?”
"If I get rid of the paperback, people will buy the hardcover one instead and my profits will increase, right?"…
“Can I publish a book of baseball cards?”
"I'm helping a friend assemble a baseball book and he wants to include photos of Topps Baseball cards..."…
How to Waste Months of Your Life Writing a Book You CAN’T PUBLISH!
"I recently retrieved my dusty copy of (the author's) original synopsis and first chapters I produced and decided I wanted to continue to make it into book. I have tried to contact the originator by letter and email..."…
“Can I sue an author who gives their book the same title as mine?”
"Another author published a book in 2015 that has the exactly same title as my book, which was published in 2010."…
“A literary agency wants to represent my 12-year-old self-published book. Legit or not?”
"Because I hear so many horror stories about companies like this agency scamming authors (and yes, they approached me first!), I’m..."…
“What do illustrators need to know before starting work for an author?”
"I currently have an illustrator for my book. Do the illustrations have to be in a specific format for publishing?"…
Can Amazon Steal Authors’ Books, and Republish Them?
"If Amazon can blatantly rip off a vendor's hard-line design, what's to stop them from hijacking an author's book?"…
“I won’t earn a profit on my book so I can use other authors’ works under fair use copyright law, right?”
To be completely honest, questions like this always make me cringe. By contacting me today, this author may have avoided a lawsuit, or two, or a few...…
“A publisher wants $4,000 to market my book to OTHER publishers?!”
"I need your advice on a proposal just sent to me by an agency..."…
A VERY Expensive Anthology Scam Targeting Writers
Authors must pay more than $1,000 to be included. It costs even more if the author wants his or her name on the cover...…
“I created characters for my book from images I found online. Was that copyright infringement?”
"I realized later that maybe I was not supposed to do that. I tried for find the original artists to ask permission but..."…
“Can I publish somebody else’s old journal/diary?”
"I am in possession of a journal that was published in the 1940's. Is something like this publishable?"…
