Why Isn’t That Editor Responding to Me?
You ran a market listing in a recent issue. I emailed the editor and they haven't emailed me back. Why do you run markets from companies like that? You need to remove it! …
Ask The Expert
Can One Software Program Make ‘Device Agnostic’ Ebooks?
I recently read that the author of the Harry Potter series set up her own online store to sell her books direct. She said she is going to make them "device agnostic". I presume she means so they can be read on any e-book reader. Is there one software program you can use that makes your e-book available to all e-book readers? With so many players now in the e-book business, and so many options, some of which are exclusive to a particular company or device, how do I know as I get ready to self-publish what is the best way to go to ensure anyone with an e-reader can easily buy my book and have it work on their device? Do you make ebooks you publish at BookLocker device agnostic? …
Why Hasn’t Amazon Removed My Out-of-Print Book?
I decided to pull my book off the market a few months ago, rename it, and republish it elsewhere (I was not happy with my previous P.O.D. publisher). My previous publisher said they removed the book but it's still on Amazon. How can I make them remove it? I don't want the old version competing with the new. …
Confused About “Likes” vs. “Friends” on Facebook
The confusing thing for me about Facebook 'likes' is that Forbes prefers us to encourage 'friends', which can be done with my personal FB page. I created a writer page (a business one), but it just feels redundant....so I'm still not sure what the importance of it is. …
Absent a Contract, Who Owns the Rights?
I am thinking of publishing an eBook and P.O.D. anthology of my personal blog. I've been writing it for 10 years and it's quite popular. However, for the past three years, some of those posts appeared first on another blog. They paid me for those. Do you know who owns the copyright on the posts? …
Where Can I Find Quality Paying Markets?
I am a new writer, just trying to find someone to publish me that will see the value in my writing and compensate me equally. Can you help? …
Is Sending a Press Release to Regular Folks Spam? YES!
It seems to me there is a fine line between a press release and a promotional item. Wouldn't you say that a press release is generally promoting something? Maybe the definition of "promoting" is the key. Can I send press releases to anyone or only to journalists? …
Help! My Web Designer Registered My Domain Under HIS OWN Name!
Your articles are a never-ending source of information. Thanks for all your hard work. This week I discovered that my web designer seems to have registered my domain name with his name and contact information. A year or two ago, I actually printed out an article you wrote on updating your domain name and making sure you were the owner of record. For the life of me, I can't find the article now. Can you help? …
How Much Should I Charge For A Reprint?
A magazine wants to buy an article I already had published elsewhere. They told me to quote them a price. How much should I charge? …
A Large Canadian Publisher Owes Me Money. What Can I Do?
Throughout my long freelance-writing career, I've used your "deadbeat" suggestions as a template for a demand letter at least three times when companies wouldn't pay me for my work. It worked every time. Well, almost every time. In one case, I was sent partial payment for my work (one-third); then the company went out of business. But I understand that other writers received zero, so even then, the letter worked. But, what recourse do I have if the publisher isn't in the United States? Threatening to report them to the attorney general and other U.S.-based organizations won't work. I ask because a Canadian magazine owes me money. It's part of a pretty large, fairly well-known publishing company with a portfolio of several publications. After I wrote the story to my editor's specifications, she decided she wanted a much longer, more detailed sidebar, which took a ton of additional time and research, but I cheerfully complied and didn't ask for more money for the extra work. She said (in writing) that the pieces were great and she loved them, and I have the emails to prove this. Nearly four months have passed, but I have not received one penny. My editor has been giving me the run-around, telling me that she put a "rush" on my payment (she said this on January 11), and she has sent me a few other emails telling me that she's asked the accounting department to "find" my invoice. Realizing that I wasn't getting anywhere, I contacted the accounting department directly. I asked, "When will I get paid?" I received this beat-around-the-bush response: "Please accept my apology for the delay in replying. It has been quite a difficult start of the week for me. We are working hard at meeting all of our financial obligations..." This sounds to me like there are no immediate plans to write that check. I then wrote a note to the magazine's editor in chief, who has not responded. Do you have suggestions for next steps? …
Can I re-publish/distribute articles I’ve been featured in? No.
At different points in my life, many articles were written about me. I have them all scanned and ready for inclusion in my new book. Is that allowed? …
Help! I Don’t Have An Electronic Version Of My Manuscript!
I want to repubish my out-of-print book but all I have is an old, printed copy of the book. What can I do? …
Where are Paying Markets for Writers Archived?
First, thank you so much for your website. It's proving invaluable as I embark on my journey to full-time freelance writer. I have a question. How do I access the writer's markets archives? You gave details of a pet magazine a couple of weeks ago and I just want to have another look at it. …
Barnes and Noble Wants to Warehouse My Print on Demand Book?
The local Barnes and Noble said I could have a book signing if my status changed from P.O.D. to having copies in B&N warehouses so they could order them. What does that mean? …
Can I Publish Song Lyrics In My Book Without Permission? No.
In my book manuscript I have a some lyrics from (a popular song). I'm thinking approval from publishers is necessary for these items (and possible payment). How does one go about doing that? …
Did This Essay Contest Sponsor Rip Me Off? Probably.
I am a longtime reader of your newsletter and short time freelance writer. I won an essay contest in May. My check was supposedly lost or stolen in the mail and I have still not received payment. I don't want to make waves or any rookie mistakes in my correspondence with them that would create problems for me so early in my career path... …
New and Used Copies of Books on Amazon
Someone recently brought to my attention that on Amazon, there is a listing for people to buy a "new" or "used" copy of a book (that's from a P.O.D. source) for a reduced fee or sometimes an extraordinarily high fee. Do you know where these books come from or where I can learn more about this? …
Book Contests – Good Idea or Not?
I received an email from (an online book contest). It is for recognition. Is this kind of thing normal? The entry fee is $50 at this time. …
Can I Get My Book’s Sales Info. Directly From Ingram? Nope.
I don't think my publisher is reporting all my sales. Can I get this info. directly from Ingram? …
How Often Does My P.O.D. Publisher Get Sales Info. From The Printer?
According to (my P.O.D. publisher), I have NOT sold ANY books - ever. They also claim the printer (which is owned by the distributor) "won't give out those stats." However, I have been contacted by international fans who have purchased both paperbacks and ebooks, so this is mystifying, to put it mildly. …
Who Owns My Cover Design?
My book was published by (one of the largest POD publishers) and I am not happy with their service or prices. They designed my cover but I want to move my book to BookLocker. Can you use the cover they designed? Can they sue me for leaving? …
Should I pay $300 for a press release service? Probably not…
I am contemplating using a service to send out a press release for my book. Seems like it may be a good investment of $300.00. I wanted to get your input on the subject though. What sort of thoughts would you have about press releases in general? …
How Fast Can You Publish My Book?
Can you publish my book immediately? My current POD publisher (one of the largest ones) is trying to get more money out of me for marketing so they are STALLING, and have been stalling for about two months now. I told them I am not giving them ONE CENT MORE!!! …
My Printer Overprinted My Book, Selling at Discount, Not Paying Me!
My printer said they overprinted my books and that they're selling them at half-price. They are paying me no royalties. They did not have my permission to do this. When I asked my printer about this issue, I was told, quite curtly, that there was nothing that could be done, that I had no recourse and "printers selling cheap, brand new books without permission is a simple fact of publishing." I consulted a lawyer on this and other matters and was told that this action was NOT an accepted or legal practice, as far as his research showed. Am I totally out of line assuming that this is NOT acceptable? …
Client Trying to Make My Contract Retroactive?!
I work with a not-for-profit company, writing materials for them such as volunteer handbooks, procedures and policies. I am a contractor, and I submit monthly invoices to them. I did not have a contract until now, and now they are asking me to sign something which includes the lines: "All Copyright in all works, (including those works originating prior to the signing of this contract) procedure, policy, training materials, discovery, invention or process made, designed, drafted or discovered by you whilst engaged by the Organization will be the property of the Company..." I'm not okay with this at all and I've mentioned to the CEO before that these documents are my intellectual property. It wasn't work for hire. They were paying for my time in constructing these materials. Do I have a right to the materials I have already written? I want to keep working with the organization but I feel they're making a huge assumption here. I have also written an extensive groundbreaking document for the organization that I wish to draw on in future works. I'd appreciate any advice you can give, I'm so confused. …
Book Returns and Ingram
My brother in law has a traditional publishing house, small to be sure. He has ceased dealing with Ingram not only because of the discounts they demand, but also because of the mountains of returns he gets months later of books with torn covers, etc. What is your experience? …
National Women’s Mag Owes Me Money!
I have been reading your site for a few months, and I was wondering if this would be appropriate for Whispers and Warnings. I have written four articles for a national women's magazine, one every month or two. The magazine's policy is that writers are paid 60ish days after publication. The first was paid late (in the meantime, I was working on the 4th), and after much haranguing, they finally paid about a month late with excuses about how the financial department was held up due to this or that. Now we're at over 90 days on the second... so I'm detecting a pattern. I never signed a contract (I know, I know...) My emails asking about payment for the second are going largely ignored (my contact keeps saying, "I'll check on it for you!" and then never responds). I've Googled, and I can't find anything from writers with similar experiences... what do you think? Thanks! …
Why Does Hardcover Edition Appear Above Paperback on Some Online Bookstores?
Do you have any suggestions on how we can get the paperback edition of my book to appear first on the Barnes and Noble website? When shoppers look it up, the hardcover comes up first and I think the price is going to scare readers off, especially if they don't know how to navigate to other formats of the book. …
Reminder – More Than One Way to Expose a Deadbeat!
I have written four articles for a national women's magazine, one every month or two. The magazine's policy is that writers are paid 60ish days after publication. The first was paid late (in the meantime, I was working on the 4th) and, after much haranguing, they finally paid about a month late with excuses about how the financial department was held up due to this or that. Now we're at over 90 days on the second... so I'm detecting a pattern. I never signed a contract (I know, I know...). My emails asking about payment for the second are going largely ignored (my contact keeps saying, "I'll check on it for you!" and then never responds). …
My Publisher Owes Me Thousands in Royalties! What Can I Do???
Remember me? I miss you. You are by far the best publisher I've met so far. You answer e-mails, you keep promises, and you pay royalties on time to your writers. My current publisher doesn't do any of that, and that's why I'm contacting you. I plan to enter a complaint into your Whispers and Warnings section, but I want to touch base with you before I do it, and explain. (My other publisher) started off as a dynamic, responsive and very active publisher when she initially persuaded me to sign on. In September 2011 she did the royalty accounting and paid me a big check for the months up to and including May 2011, which covered the first month of my sales surge. I sold over 17,000 e-books on Kindle that May. In June, I sold over 19,500, over 10,000 in July and over 6,000 in August. I don't have exact figures because she never sent me exact figures after May. The problem is that she has not paid me royalties covering the period June 2011 to the present. And, she stopped sending me monthly sales figures around the same time. Also, she stopped answering my e-mails, except for very occasional one- or two-sentence responses that never mentioned royalties. It has now been 14 months without a royalty payment to me. Her other writers I am in touch with have similar problems with her, all centering around a lack of communication, missed deadlines and royalty problems. What else can I do? …