Can I Publish Song Lyrics? No, But, Here’s What You Can Do…
In (my book), I have quoted lyrics from different songs, specifically from "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day. Do I have to get permission from Green Day to put this in there? …
Ask The Expert
Shouldn’t I Get More Pay for More Rights?
I recently started writing a quarterly feature article for a (company's) newsletter, which is in an email and online. Now the coordinator of that newsletter and website is asking if (another division), which is over their department, can edit and use my article within their website, too. Before I answer her, please help me understand about electronic rights. + Is it standard to charge for reuse? I know that in print, you can often charge for reuse. + Is there a guideline for how much that might be? + And since the rights she was purchasing weren't spelled out at the onset, any recommendations to how we should proceed? I want to preserve both of these relationships (I write for the other dept publication as well), but don't want to leave hundreds of dollars on the table when it could add up if they reuse my articles in the future. …
Public Domain…Or Not?
I am working on a manuscript adapting one of Shakespeare's plays for the education market. If I wanted to include Shakespeare's original play, will I be able to do it? The basic play, is in the public domain. I have typed the original play from a collection printed in 1825. Your suggestions are valued and appreciated. …
Are Commercial Writing Courses Legit?
Do you know if this course is legit, or of anyone who has participated in this program? Any news of it, good, bad, or indifferent? I have tried to search the Web, but I don't come up with much--some pro, some con, but no substance to lead me to pursue it or to disregard it.…
How Much Time To Wait For Editor’s Response?
I have magazine publishers/editors ask me for a manuscript after sending a query letter but then they never wrote back to say they wanted it or didn't want it. Should I e-mail them and ask if they got it or wait? And how long should I wait? Are they being rude or am I being anxious? …
Does Self-Publishing Limit Your Chance of a Traditional Contract?
Does publishing my own work with POD prevent a future publisher from working with that particular piece in the future? …
Unsolicited Promotional Email Plan
I received a call from (a certain POD company) today asking me to participate in a promotional email plan for my book. The web address they sent me to look up specifics of the plan is (link removed). What do you think? …
Should I Send My Money to this Go Freelance?
I am a writer that receives your WritersWeekly newsletter. Thank you for being so on top of these fake jobs, and menial rewards for writers. I enjoy reading your comments. I was wondering if you have ever heard of a company called "Go Freelance", which posts jobs for freelancers, as well as other jobs. It's $2.95 a month subscription charge with the supposed option of dropping the subscription at any time. If you have, I would appreciate your response. …
Does Publishing My Own Work With A Pod Publisher Prevent A Traditional Publisher?
Does publishing my own work with a POD publisher prevent a traditional publisher from working with…
I Need My High-Resolution Files From My Pod Publisher!
I've written you before but I still have questions. My first book was published by (another POD publisher) and I'm not quite satisfied with some of the services I received for the price I paid. The experience has left me a little insecure and hesitant to try another publisher. One service they provided that was helpful in promoting the book were postcards and bookmarks. I haven't read anything about your company providing them. Do you? If not, will the individual who'll be designing the cover provide me with something I can take to a copier? …
That “Extra Stuff” POD Publishers Charge You For…
I'm researching POD publishers but I'm confused about all the extras. How important is all that extra stuff they want you to buy? …
Are You Afraid of Ebook Pirates? Don’t Be!
One of the concerns I had about ebook versus printed book is that someone who wants to use my book in a seminar can pay $8.95, print it out, and then make 100 copies to pass out instead of buying 100 books to use in the seminar. Is there any way to prevent that or are we at the mercy of whoever downloads my book? I would rather have someone buy many books instead of just paying a single price and copying. A. …
Can You Copyright a Recipe?
First I want to thank you for all the work you do helping us budding writers. Thank you for including me on your mailing list. I have a question. My family has been after me to write a family cookbook with all their many favorite recipes. Through the years I have clipped recipes here and there. Some are my mother's or grandmother's. I have no idea where they originated from. Of course, I would write it mainly for family, but what if it became a New York Times best seller? (Just kidding.) But, friends or others might want to buy it. How could I ever trace down the original recipe for permission? Some of the recipes I have changed a little. (I thought I made it better.) I have bought cookbooks from local fundraisers and I can't find disclaimers. Could you help me? Thank you so much! Joan We get this question quite a bit so I try to run a ditty on it at least once a year. :) There is actually a special page on the Library of Congress website concerning the copyrighting of recipes. See: https://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl122.html …
Plagiarism Questions
In my book, the protagonist will be a writer. I want to give this character some goofy stories to write about in the book. My questions is, if any of these "stories" are based on, say, urban legend or goofy news reports I've read, is using those stories for ideas considered plagiarism? I would of course NOT copy and paste anything or write anything verbatim, just get the idea from an existing urban legend or goofy news piece I may have read. …
That Never-Ending “Amazon.com Best Seller” Crud
Hi Angela! Following is an email announcement that I received today. (Name removed) has been around for quite some time, and while he has done these special promotions to buy his latest book from Amazon on a designated day, this one is the most elaborate "giveaway" plan. I'm curious what your take is on his methods. …
I Have Marketing Money; Where to Spend?
Hi Angela, I am enjoying your "Online Book Marketing That Works" series, and have gotten so many great tips. In Part V, you focus on free advertising. If a writer did want to invest some money in this type of advertising, can you recommend a few places to do so? I've tried researching this online myself, but there were so many possibilites that I didn't know where to begin. Thanks for your help. Antonia …
Is Soliciting Freelance Work via Email Considered Spam?
Where does one draw the line between spam (unsolicited emails) and queries? Is it possible that if you sent a publication an email query they might report you for spamming and cause some problems for you? Obviously we don't have publishers opt-in for query letters, or is that implied by the fact that they are in the business they are and publish submission guidelines? …
Why are POD royalties so confusing?
One company says they pay 100% royalties while another one brags about their 20% royalties. What is going on? -Bonnie …
Not A Great Deal
Angela: I receive your newsletter and do like your views on the world of publishing. I recently received an email about an incredible way to do vanity publishing. The offer is at the bottom of the "enticement" text. I thought you may want to look at it. (URL removed) All the best, J. …
Want to Write a Unique Cookbook?
I would like to write an ecookbook. What kind of cookbook is good to write or has this been done to death? Tony …
Why Isn’t My Website/Book Popping Up In Search Results?
Angela, your continually excellent and CLEAR, step-by-step Online Marketing articles are fantastic. I was attempting to follow the instructions in today's article, Subtly Promoting Your Book on Major News Sites, when I discovered something disappointing. I just had my website re-designed in regular format instead of flash. And, yes, I'm getting more traffic. BUT, when I type in the categories (such as Shanghai Jews on USA today, or even historical novels on Amazon), my book never comes up. Do you or Richard have any advice for me? Should I add some phrases to my website? Do you think I could learn to change my website myself instead of having to get in touch with (and pay) my designer? …
Selling Movie Rights to a Book
How does one go about selling movie rights to their book? -J I think you'll really like this page: https://www.warrenadler.com/ask-movies.shtml Warren Adler is the author of The War of the Roses and many more books. Ten of his novels have been optioned for film stories. …
Where can I post my synopsis?
Is there a website where authors can post synopsis (what is the plural of synopsis? flying flock of synopsi???)? Thought I'd check with you because you have so many resources at your fingertips, and because you do an awesome job. Rose …
Yes, You Should Absolutely Simultaneously Submit!
Dear Angela, Thank you for taking the time to help. I am still trying to find a market for my first short story. My question is about multiple submissions. I read one author who said everybody does it. Then I read another author who said it's risky because if you are accepted by one editor and have to pull a submission from other editors, the others may be less inclined to accept future submissions. Any suggestions? Steve …
Do NOT Pay Someone to Review Your Book!
I'm continuing to do research on publishing companies and associated problems. I came upon the subject of Kirkus Reviews. I didn't find a reference to them on your website, so I'm asking you about them. Is a Kirkus Review worth anything? From what I understand, the author pays for the review and if he doesn't like it, the review doesn't get posted, but he's still out the money. Even if their review is positive, does it have any value? Thanks for you time. …
How Strict are Word Counts in Articles?
If a publisher wants 1000 words can it be 10 or 20 either way? Getting exactly 1000 or 1500 without going over or under is almost impossible. Or is it? This might seem trivial but I really want to know. Thank you for your time. Connie …
Should I Encrypt My Ebook?
Hi Angela, First, great work on the Writers Weekly site, it's a very valuable resource. I am working on some ideas on e-books. One question I had was, if it is produced in PDF format, how can it be prevented so that one person can't buy it, download it, then send/email to a couple other people, and so on and so on, etc. Is there a way to make it so that the only person who can read it is the person who bought it? Any help/info would be appreciated. Thanks! M. …
Book Rentals?
I found a new website that rents books to people by mail. They have my book listed on their site but my publisher says they never ordered a copy. Do you know what's going on? -M …
I Need a Freelance Illustrator/Artist
Can you send me your list of recommended freelance illustrators? -Melinda …
How To Tell What Font?
My designer has disappeared and I can't figure out what font he used on my cover. Can you help? I found a great resource online for this! You upload an image of the font in question and you get an instant result. See: https://www.myfonts.com/WhatTheFont …