LISTEN: Apple | Spotify | iHeart | YouTube | More Episodes!

 

In this episode, Professor Clayton Jones joins us again! Being an English Professor at the University of Tennessee, a professional editor, AND a professional book marketer, he’s seen it ALL! And, so has Angela, who has been in the business for 28 years!

While Clayton discusses authors who have behaved badly when working with him, the examples Angela shares are from folks who contacted her through WritersWeekly.com, asking for advice. Of course, we haven’t used any names in this episode…except for the celebrity authors who got caught doing stupid stuff!!

Here’s just a tidbit of what we have for you in this episode (and there’s a LOT more!):

The author who got scammed three separate times after Angela WARNED HIM THREE SEPARATE TIMES!

Famous authors who got caught using AI, and even left AI prompts in their books!!! One of the authors was accused of using AI in his anti-AI book!!

Authors who got VERY upset after they couldn’t land a traditional publishing contract…because their mother told them their book was the best one ever written. We’ve received the same comment from authors who didn’t win writing contests. “My mom says my story was better than the winning stories!”

The author who got scammed for thousands, and then asked Angela for advice on how to hide what happened from his wife.

Authors who libel others in their books, and state, “I don’t care if I get sued!”

The co-authors who provided zero proof of severe allegations they made against many individuals and businesses. Some authors, who clearly don’t have attorneys, believe that publishing the book alone will be “proof enough.”

Authors who committed copyright infringement under the false (but common!) belief that “everything on the Internet is free!”

Parasite Book Marketers! Yes, that’s a real thing, and it’s very low-class!! DON’T DO IT!

Authors who don’t read the fine print, and who are allowing AI programs (like Grammarly) to “train” their systems.

Authors who are beating the pro-AI drum, and using AI to write their books, while not realizing they themselves can get sued for copyright infringement someday.

AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Let’s be honest. There are things that work in the publishing industry – and things that do NOT work in the publishing industry.

Today we reveal ideas, attitudes, habits, and actions we have seen that inevitably tank authors’ chances for success (and that can lead to not only embarrassment, but also litigation). We weigh these behaviors against the realities that exists in the publishing and writing worlds.

There are two approaches you can take with this episode:

Some authors who have done some of the things we discuss might be insulted and offended by what we say. However, we’re using real examples and humor because, if we don’t laugh about these situations, we might just cry! Some of the stories are actually not funny at all. They are simply sad. We don’t laugh at those.

If you want to learn from others’ mistakes, listen to and learn from two experts in the field, and apply the “Don’t do this” lessons that they offer from their vast experience in watching bad ideas and actions fail time and again.

This episode will teach you what NOT to do if you want a smooth, efficient, and non-embarrassing book publishing experience.

Do you think you might be the victim of a publishing scam? CONTACT ANGELA AND BRIAN.

If you need legal assistance at a very affordable rate, contact JAMES M. WALSH, ESQ. 

---

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• BookLocker’s Publishing Packages
• WritersWeekly’s Quarterly 24-Hour Short Story Contest
• Book Trailers!
• Professor Clayton Jones’s Services: Professional Editing, Author/Book Coach services, Ghostwriting, and Book Marketing Services, Editorial Reviews, and TikTok Trailers – These are only $50, and they are VERY popular!
• “Why won’t Amazon let my relatives post (fake!) reviews about my new book?”
• Write your book BEFORE you promote it! How Pre-Release Book Publicity Can Actually HURT your Book Sales!
• HUH?!?! Author Admits Getting Scammed for $8K, But THEN Tries to Convince ME the Scammer is Real???
• Want to Get Sued? Write About Your Ex!
• Did Your Lawyer Say, “You Can’t Be Sued?” BEWARE!
• The $1M book-to-movie scam! COMPLAINTS about PageTurner Press and Media / pageturner.us
• AUTHOR ALMOST LOST $50K!! We Saved an Author from a FAKE “Fox” Movie Deal, Which is Connected to a Known Publishing Scammer!
• No, CBS Studios Did NOT Just Offer You a Movie Deal for Your Book!
• Anthropic: Was YOUR Book Pirated by This AI Company? You Might Get $3K!
• AWKWARD! When Friends and Family Lie About Having Bought Your Book
• Dear Authors: Please Stop Posting Your Book on My Social Media Pages Without Asking First – by Gary Sturgis – Bestselling Author of: SURVIVING GRIEF – 365 Days A Year
• DON’T BE DUMB! The Biggest Mistakes Writers, Authors, and Others Make
• EPISODE 6: How AI (Artificial Intelligence) is Getting Writers, Students, and Even LAWYERS into Trouble!
• See the AI prompt that was left in an authors book!
• Authors’ Safe Harbor – The SAFE Group on Facebook for Authors!
• All Episodes of The WritersWeekly Podcast

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?

Angela is not only the publisher of WritersWeekly.com. She is President & CEO of BookLocker.com,
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.

ASK ANGELA!