Topic Alone Does Not Determine Book Sales!
Do you publish many titles - fiction or non-fiction - by African American authors? Or books of interest to an African American audience? Has there been much success with these? …
Ask The Expert
Should I Quit My Job? NO!!!
I am still considering the book but unfortunately I am wracked with fear. I can't live off my savings and can't afford the health insurance to allow me to quit my depressing job where the morale is at ground zero. I am making some extra cash as a freelancer but am losing my creative spunk. In addition, I have developed a myriad of health issues. MY MD told me yesterday to retire, but I help support a handicapped relative. At this point, I just don't know where to turn. …
Should I Pay for a Digital Book Review? NO!!!
I recently heard from "Foreword Digital Reviews" that our book won't be reviewed by ForeWord Magazine since they only have space for a few book reviews...but that there's plenty of room at Foreword Digital Reviews on-line. Their fee for writing and posting the review is $99.00. What are your thoughts on this? …
The Elephant in the Room – When Publishers Don’t Admit Having Money Problems
For years, I've been dealing with the editor of a pub. who has always paid me. Sometimes, she needs to be politely "reminded", but things have worked out in pretty timely fashion. In Nov., she published my work and I got paid. In December, the trouble started. She published my article for her Dec. issue, and even emailed me telling me around Dec. 13 that the issues/payment were being sent, which is actually early for her, as she usually pays late in the month. I got nothing from her, and didn't get any email replies over Christmastime. Right after New Years, she emailed me saying it would be taken care of. Nothing, and she didn't respond to my emails after about a week of waiting. I called her on January 12. She was nice and again said she would take care of the payment. Nothing again. I called her again on January 20, and she took my call and acted "surprised" that I've gotten nothing yet, claiming to have sent it Priority Mail, and again said she'd take care of it last week... …
Screenplay vs. Novel?
I have a screenplay I wrote a few years ago that may have some market value. Do you have a position one way or another on publishing screenplays? …
Amazon is Once Again Selling “New” Copies of My Out-of-Print Book?
I terminated my contract with my POD publisher a couple of years ago. This week, Amazon once again has my book listed as available, meaning somebody can buy it directly from Amazon (not one of their resellers). What is going on? …
Aren’t Copyrights and LCCNs Free? No and Yes.
My publisher wants to charge me extra to register my copyright and to obtain a Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). Aren't those free? …
“An Anthology Used My Story Without Permission. What do I do???”
I saw your post on the WritersWeekly board and I see that you were able to help other writers in a similar situation. Yesterday, I became aware that a publisher used a short story in their anthology without my knowledge or consent. …
Should I Hire This Outfit to Promote My Book?
Just a question. I am getting a lot of email from (an online marketing firm) regarding book fairs, library shows, putting my book in front of appropriate people through magazines, and access to overseas rights. What is your opinion of these avenues of marketing? …
Should I Bid for Writing Work Online?
Can you tell me anything about (a new freelancer's bid-for-work site)? (Another bid site)'s fees are adding up to way more than I'm happy about so I'm trying to find some other freelance writing job sites. Tried yet another one, and they do have a free level, but you can't bid on any decent jobs unless you pay for the higher levels (sneaky!). I also tried (another bid-for-work site) and it's sickening how little the clients there are offering. Plus, every time I was on that site I got flooded with spam. …
Should I Pay to Have My Book Reviewed? NO!!!
I received an e-mail from Get Book Reviews.com suggesting I go with them to receive a book review. Do you know anything about them and if so what? Any advice? …
Are Publishers’ Marketing Packages Really Worth It?
Angela, I'm ready to publish my book now. But, I believe I need a LOT! of help marketing it. I am not at all good on the computer.I don't know where to get a computer email list of potential buyers, or how to go about comtacting them if I did. Are the marketing packages these other self publishing companies offer really working? …
How Fast Do Ingram and Apple Pay Publishers?
How long does it take Ingram to pay POD publishers? My friend bought my book from Amazon last month and it's still not showing up in my earnings. And, how fast is Apple paying publishers for their iBookstore sales? …
Content Mills – Still Not a Great Deal for Writers!
What do you think about Demand Studios? …
HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE FOR REPRINTS?
How much should I charge as a reprint rate? I received $175.00 from the original zine for each published article, so is a reprint rate a certain percentage of what I had received originally? …
Marketing to Bookstores – Still a Waste of Time?
I have been repeatedly frustrated that I cannot get books on big box or independent bookstore shelves. My book is "up" on many of the store websites for online sales (including many of the top independent booksellers), BUT I still can't get the actual book in front of potential readers. I have a big radio interview coming up and I have no place to direct people (other than my publisher's and other websites) to go buy a copy. I can't even wiggle into the University bookstores and I can't help feeling a bit embarrassed about it. …
Deadbeat Warning Signs
Angela answered this week's reader question in her feature article today. …
Can I Use Artwork on My Cover Without a Contract?
I purchased artwork for my book cover. Nothing was agreed between myself and the cover designer. Do I own the rights to the artwork so I can use it to publish my book? Do I need to ask for permission from the artist? …
Can I Reject an Offer My Literary Agent Receives?
What is the best website to locate an Agent? …
Should I Create My Own Email Marketing List? NO!
I had an exchange with an author this week about email marketing... …
Don’t Get Cutesy With Book Titles
I'd like to play with the words in my title, using Whole instead of Hole. Even though it will be grammatically incorrect, it implies a double meaning to readers. I am afraid if people try to order it they will not know what to type in, or may misspell the real title. What should I do? …
Can You (or Should You?!) Sell Your Self-Published Book to a Traditional Publisher?
A writer friend told me a story and I'd like your take on it. She said she was told by a prominent publisher that her book had merit, but they didn't have room for it and suggested that she self-publish the book to see how it does. If it sells well, then they would reconsider it as long as she was taking all the risks first. She lives in the UK and maybe that's how they do business, but this seems wrong. Is this what publishers are doing now, expecting the writer to take the risk before contracting a book? Just curious.. …
Can Your Put My Ebook in the Apple iBookstore? Yes!
Hi Angela, I want my ebook listed in Apple's iBookstore but the ePub file conversion and submission process looks really confusing. Is anyone offering a service to help people with the process? Janet …
Get Quality Writing Jobs…the Old Fashioned Way!
After reading your articles about content mills, I am now left wondering what place is suggested to get started in freelance writing. Writing sites give a lot of info., pro and con, but........what is the answer? What places are the best? …
Should I Hire These Guys? No!!!
I got a call from an online company selling website optimization. The caller promised first page advertising for my books on 100 plus search engines...for a fee, of course. I didn't bite. What's the story on these companies? …
How to Research Trademarks
We decided on a title for our book but there is another book from 1994 (with the same main title). One of the co-authors thought we would have a problem with copyright infringement. I thought we would only have a problem if we used the exact same title of another published book. Do you think our title would be okay? …
Plagiarism…or Work-for-Hire?
Does using a writer's work in a work-for-hire project mean the person or company who hires the writer can claim it as "original"? What rights can writers/researchers of articles claim? What can the buyer of those articles rightfully claim about the writer's work? Are the pitfalls the same for a ghostwriter who writes a celebrity book? …
Should Writers Rewrite Punctuation Rules? NO!!!
THE PROBLEM: I recently exchanged a few emails with a young author. It was difficult to read her emails because every single word started with a capital letter. I finally got a bit frustrated because reading her emails made my eyes water. I wrote: "May I ask why your email program capitalizes every word of your email?" HER EXPLANATION: "The Capitalization Of Every Word Is My Doing. It's Something I Have Been Doing Since I Started Typing (September I'll Be 26).I Must Confess... My Mother Told Me Not To Write A 'Business' Letter In My Fashion But I Believe Each Word Is Just As Important As The Next..." …
Don’t Do Any Book Or Cover Design Until After You Sign With A Publisher
I hired a designer to create my cover and to format the interior of my book. She just finished. What are your specs?…
Can I Use One Publishing Company’s Templates at Another?
I published my book with a company that offers "templates" for formatting an author's book and cover. Can I just send you those files for you to print from? …