When I was 17 and a few months away from graduating HS in 1970, our family lived in public housing projects in Chester, PA. While watching an episode of “The Flying Nun” one night, I was intrigued by the closing credits that were dedicated to one of the writers who had passed away. Right then and there I prayed, and asked God if he wouldn’t mind making me a writer one day.
Moments later, I felt inspired to write my own episode. Using an old Royal Typewriter (with a few bent keys), I created eight pages of what I thought was “great material.” However, when I showed it to my English teacher at the Catholic HS I was attending, he told me it was “the worst piece of crap” (he used a different word) that he had ever read and that I should consider a career as a ditch digger.”
Right then and there I vowed that, one day, I would see my name on multiple covers of books and that I would travel the country, inspiring and teaching other people to follow their dream of writing. A few months later I enlisted in the Navy.
Fast forward through seven years of collecting rejection slips and I finally sold my first magazine article! I had arrived!!! With no college degree, but lots of clips, I could not get a job as a “real writer” so I drifted from being a payroll clerk at the Dupont Company (seven years) to a few part time jobs after I left there to pursue my writing dream.
A few years later, I found myself working as a Development Director in charge of fundraising and public relations at a local nonprofit agency. It was the best of both worlds, allowing me to use my gift of creative communication to write grant and fundraising letters, and to create special events. For example, I tried to set the Guinness Book of World Records by having the largest number of people dance the twist with Chubby Checker!
After seven years at one agency, I took another Development Director job at an agency closer to my home. I raised a boatload of money for them in the first 15 months or so and they rewarded me by laying me off.
As I sat home, licking my wounds, wondering where I was going to find another full-time job, etc., I remember watching the Oprah show one afternoon. She was going through the phase of the show where she would have self-help experts come on and tell people, “If you want it, make it happen, etc.”
I finally had my “light bulb moment!”
Why was I wasting my time looking for yet another full-time job when, by this time, I had tons of clips (The Washington Post, among others)? Thankfully, the Internet was still in the early stages and I started reaching out to editors online.
As of this date, I have written and sold 34 books to traditional publishers, and have worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. My byline has appeared in major publications all across the U.S., and I have written articles for over 200 Websites.
And I’m not done yet…
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John Riddle is a freelance writer, author, and ghostwriter from Bear, Delaware. His byline has appeared in major newspapers, magazines, websites and trade journals all across the country. He is the author of 34 books, including a few health and medical titles, and has worked as a ghostwriter on numerous projects. John is also the Founder of I Love To Write Day, a grassroots campaign he launched in 2002 to have people of all ages practice writing every November 15. Last year over 25,000 schools all across the United States held special I Love To Write Day events and activities. He is a frequent speaker at both Christian and secular writing conferences, and recently appeared at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can obtain a quote for John’s ghostwriting services here: https://marketplace.writersweekly.com/ghostwriters
Have a Freelance Success Story to share? We pay $40 on acceptance, non-exclusive electronic rights only. Success stories run around 300 words but we're very flexible. Our guidelines are here:
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Recently Answered Questions:
A reader sent this link to me last week from Fortune Magazine:
As with many things online and in the news now, headlines do not always accurately represent the article written underneath. The article provides lots of confusing numbers (if you’re not familiar with how the ebook/library process works), accuses publishers of charging libraries way more for ebooks than everybody else, and more.
Something didn’t smell quite right when I first started reading.
Then, I did the math.
The article states:
“Like many libraries, West Haven has been grappling with the soaring costs of e-books and audiobooks. The digital titles often come with a price tag that’s far higher than what consumers pay. While one hardcover copy of Cook’s latest novel costs the library $18, it costs $55 to lease a digital copy – a price that can’t be haggled with publishers.
“And for that, the e-book expires after a limited time, usually after one or two years, or after 26 check outs, whichever comes first.”
Gosh, that sure makes the publishers look greedy, doesn’t it? But, whip out your calculator, and dig in like I did.
If they pay $55 for 26 copies of the ebook, that means they’re only paying $2.11 per copy. That is more than fair! This article seems to imply that libraries should only have to buy one copy, and then be able to loan it to as many people as they want. I do have a problem with that because I don’t necessarily trust the software or security offered by some libraries. What’s to stop someone from sending a copy of that ebook to others? Furthermore, giving libraries the ability to share one copy of an ebook with as many people as they want, in perpetuity, is not fair to publishers or authors.
And this part:
“While e-books purchased by consumers can last into perpetuity, libraries need to renew their leased e-material.”
Right! That’s because, when a consumer buys an ebook, it’s for that one consumer. It’s not for dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people to read!
When a library orders a print copy of a book, they can only loan that book to one person at a time. If there is high demand, that library is likely to purchase multiple copies. Sure, they can loan that book out for years but, as with all books, demand will decrease over time and the book will eventually be sold at a library sale, or discarded. The publisher and author have earned a fair royalty for the sale of each copy of the print book purchased by that library.
With ebooks, the royalties are FAR smaller. While an author might earn a few dollars for the sale of each copy of his/her print book, they might only earn a few cents for the ebook. So, how is it fair if a library can loan out an ebook to as many people as it wants (including multiple people at one time) after only buying the license for one copy?
Furthermore, the article states:
“Librarians in several states have been pushing for legislation to rein in the costs and restrictions on electronic material…”
That legislation would conflict with copyright law. The United States is a capitalist, market economy country. Business owners should be able to charge whatever they want for a product, and to put security measures into place to prevent the theft of intellectual property.
If the information in this article is correct, that means some libraries are trying to get a lot of something for almost nothing AND that they want to the government to pass legislation so they can get what they want. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
Oh, and this gem from the article:
“Imagine if a playground was built at a school with tax dollars, only to be taken down after two years of use,” librarian Colleen Bailie said at a recent public hearing.
A playground costs THOUSANDS of dollars! Not $2.11! What a RIDICULOUS statement!!!
And this one as well:
But Julie Holden, assistant library director for the Cranston Public Library in Rhode Island, said, “Taxpayers who fund our public libraries deserve better. Way better,” she said.
Actually, Julie, AUTHORS deserve better. When you start stripping authors of their royalties for “the greater good,” authors will stop writing good books. Then, you’ll only be able to offer “taxpayers” old good books, or crappy new ones. Oh, and I don’t see anything in your quote where you’ve offered to give up some of YOUR income for the greater good.
And, here is the smartest quote in the article!
“They (libraries) do have a funding problem, but the answer is not to take it out of the pockets of authors and destroy the rights of creators and pass unconstitutional legislation,” said Shelley Husband, senior vice president of government affairs at the Association of American Publishers, noting how more people than ever can access e-material that might otherwise have been purchased from booksellers.
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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Q –
Dear Ms. Angela,
Thank you for taking the time to speak with my grandson regarding my nonpayment of my books (by Infinity Publishing). Growing up in Mississippi, I called Infinity Publishing a lot of times trying to get my money owed to me, but they never sent it. Each time I called they’d say someone will call you and we’ll send your money owed to you, but they never did. Can you please send me the Infinity Publishing and Fast Pencil address? Thank you in advance for doing so. My books are on the web, and I don’t receive any money from any of these online publishers. How can I get my books deleted from the websites?
-B
A –
We started warning authors about Infinity Publishing (later merged with Fast Pencil) as far back as 2017. We published another warning in 2020. After years of authors complaining about non-payment of royalties and more, Infinity Publishing/Fast Pencil finally decided to stop publishing books in late 2023. I’m sure all of the complaints posted about them online over the years contributed to their demise. HOWEVER, they are still doing business (a different type) under the name Opyrus.
Paying authors’ royalties isn’t that hard. When the customer, distributor, or retailer pays you, you put that money into a specific bank account to hold those funds. You then collect monthly reports from each payer, credit your authors’ accounts, and send them their payments. At BookLocker, we pay by the fifth business day of the month. It’s such an easy process that we often pay our authors early. For example, this month, we paid our authors’ royalties on the second business day of the month. Again, it is not a difficult process!
If, however, a publisher is spending their authors’ royalties on their own expenses, well, that would explain why they aren’t paying their authors, wouldn’t it?!
I recommend reporting them to their state’s attorney general. The online form is HERE. At least one author who contacted us was able to get his production files after threatening to do that. However, Infinity Publishing / Fast Pencil has been charging some authors for those, which is horrible because the authors already paid them to produce those files. You would think that, after what they’ve done to their authors, they’d simply send those files to each author for free. But, after all of the complaints I’ve read about them over the years, I’m not surprised by their most recent conduct.
The company could have also simply transferred their authors and files to another publisher to avoid all the problems they’re having now. In fact, they can still do that but I don’t think they will because, in my opinion, they took the easy way out, and figured out how to get even more money from their authors in the process.
Here is their address:
Fastpencil, Inc.
517 Boston Post Rd
Sudbury, MA 01776-7600
Since they no longer have the right to sell your books, I also recommend submitting a copyright infringement complaint to Amazon. Important advice on how to do that is HERE.
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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An author forwarded an email he received from Brilliant Books Literary / BrilliantBooksLiterary.com. Like many of these types of solicitations, the email makes it look like they actually read the authors book (offering praise). I seriously doubt that is the case. BrilliantBooksLiterary.com wanted to showcase the author’s book at a large book festival. The author wanted to know if it was a good deal.
1. The email did not quote a price but it offered 40% off. Uh huh.
2. Their website is a pain. The box to subscribe kept popping up over and over again and I had a hard time viewing anything after clicking on the links at the top of the page.
3. I gave up trying to get any info. from the website itself, and moved on over to Google instead.
4. BrilliantBooksLiterary.com has an F Rating on bbb.org. Don’t miss the one-star reviews and the complaints. I can’t imagine anyone reading those hiring Brilliant Books Literary to do anything.
5. Check out this image posted by Writer Beware.
I always tell authors to avoid book fairs. Rather than repeat myself, read these:
- “Should I pay $750 to have my book displayed at a large book fair?” NO!!!
- Book Fairs – Worth The Effort?
- Should I Pay Money to Display My Book at Book Fairs?
- Company Selling Book Fair Appearances Spammed Me. Should I Send Them Money?
- “My book hit the market and I’m now being bombarded with sales calls and spam…from another publisher!!”
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy
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Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!
Q –
Angela,
My wife is working on a Christmas novel and we would like to know when you think we should publish it. We assume that early in October would be best.
Thanks,
David
Some people start their Christmas shopping in September so I recommend sending the final manuscript to BookLocker no later than the first week of August. That will give us time to get the formatting/design finished, and get the book on the market in time for the Christmas shopping season. We usually get a book to market within a month. 🙂
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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Q –
Hi Angela,
I have a Facebook account that I use to solicit business for my services. I’d like to turn my informational posts (they’re like articles) into a book but I’m not sure how to do that. Any advice?
-K.K.
A –
Lots of people are deciding to do this, especially if they’ve been giving away free advice to their potential customers on their social media accounts and/or blog posts.
Here’s what to do:
1. Copy and paste all of the posts you want in your book into one MSWord file (or another word processing or text program).
2. Organize them in the order you want them to appear in the book. For example, you can organize them by subject (or similar subjects), and put different sections in your book. Each “post” can then be a chapter in your book.
2. Submit the file for consideration at BookLocker.com. I’d love to see it! 🙂
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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Q –
Angela, I wanted you to let me know what you think about the email below that I recently received.
-L.
Dear (name removed),
My name is (name removed). Congratulations on getting a recommendation on your book from our Book Scouts.
Book Title: (removed)
We have made a preliminary endorsement of your book to our partners in different industries. Bookstores, Traditional Publishers, and Movie Producers, and a handful of them showed high interest in your book. Our main objective is to bridge the gap and build a possible partnership with decision-makers in these industries.
Also, we want to share some exciting news with you. One of our talented authors has recently received a promising offer from a film production company for the adaptation of their book and one author to be acquired by local bookstores in the USA based on the (name removed)…..
A –
Blah blah blah. It goes on to list a film deal, a bookstore placement, etc., etc. – All difficult to verify but it’s the same garbage I’ve seen from so many companies before.
The person sending the email included this:
Much Respect,
Best regards,
Clearly it’s a copy and paste spam.
Other red flags:
The email had a U.S. address but Writer Beware states they are in the Philippines.
They are emailing and calling authors all over. There are many reports of them doing this online. If they MUST resort to spam and telemarketing, they are NOT a real literary agency.
There are no prices on their website. That’s always a HUGE red flag.
Their website claims they want to get you a traditional contract…yet they sell book publishing services.
There are many more red flags as well and we have exposed this firm’s actions in WritersWeekly previously.
And, simply Googling the name of the firm brings up numerous complaints.
REMEMBER, IF ANY “LITERARY AGENT” CONTACTS YOU VIA EMAIL OR BY PHONE, IT’S A SCAM! Real literary agents are too busy going through their slush piles than to go hunting for victims online.
The reason I’m not revealing the name of this particular company is because authors need to be aware of EVERY company that contacts them in this manner.
DON’T FORGET! This Saturday is the Winter, 2024 24-Hour Short Story Contest! Read past topics and sign up RIGHT HERE!
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HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
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Q –
Hi, Angela,
I hope your Holiday was splendid and blessed. Thanks for any help you gave in getting my third mystery out there.
Question: today I received an email addressed to my pseudonym from (someone who owns a book review website). She claims she reviews new books, has been doing this for years, and has increased the sales of new authors. She has a fairly impressive website with lots of books and synopses…including (best selling books).
She has invited me to reply and ask any question about her business. Her English was good. Do you know about her? Is she legit? Or should I reply and ask some questions?
A –
I checked out her website. She definitely charges for reviews. She’s not offering free services.
I doubt she has much reach. If she’s reviewed best sellers, she probably did it for free (didn’t even tell the author or publisher) to make her site look more legitimate.
The fact that she spammed you trying to get business says a lot, too. NEVER do business with spammers. They are desperate and that’s a huge red sign.
To get legitimate reviews to use in your marketing materials, read this:
How To EASILY Get Awesome and Honest Book Reviews That REALLY Carry Weight With Readers!
Do YOU think this was a book review scam? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below! 🙂
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Angela,
I am sorry that I keep hitting you with this garbage, but you are the only resource I have that I trust. Authors Tranquility Press wants me to pay $7,500.00 to Harper’s Magazine for an ad for my book. According to Aime St. Johnson, the Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s is Jenna Sommers. According to Harper’s website, the Editor-in-Chief is Tracy Grant.
Any comments?
-A.L.
The author shared a copy of an email from a woman allegedly named Aime St. Johnson who was using a europe.com email address. She cc’d Rachel Hayes (rachel.hayes@authorstranquilitypress.com) on the email. We found Rachel on LinkedIn. She is in the Philippines. Author’s Tranquility Press claims they are in Atlanta, Georgia.
I removed Rachel’s photo from this screenshot for copyright reasons:
The pdf file forwarded to the author by Aime St Johnson was addressed to:
Aime St Johnson
Position: Literary Agent
Representing: Authors Tranquility Press
Notice the missing apostrophe in the company’s name. I seriously doubt that Aime St Johnson (if that’s even a real person) is a legitimate literary agent. The pdf file had Harper Collins logo on it.
The sender of the email tried to get the author to purchase a $7,500 (!!!) ad in Harper’s Magazine. She wrote, “This is an opportunity to have your book featured in the prestigious Harper’s Magazine prior to its acquisition by Harper’s Group.”
She further claimed that Harper’s Group was unable to provide funding upfront because they’re about to get acquired. She then said they would reimburse the author once the contract is finalized.
That is TOTAL B.S.!
The pdf implies that the ad for Harper’s Magazine needs to be purchased before an official contract to publish the book will be offered. They will then (4-6 months later) offer the author an advance of $45,000. Except…we all know that was never going to happen. They were just trying to bait the author into paying $7,500. And, I seriously doubt an ad would have ever appeared even after he paid the “literary agent” $7,500.
The pdf file is electronically signed by Jenna Sommers, Editor in Chief. However, nobody with that name appears on the masthead of Harper’s Magazine. That name also does not appear anywhere on the Harper Collins “team” page.
And, Harper’s Magazine isn’t even owned by Harper Collins!
“In 1962, Harper & Brothers merged with Row, Peterson & Company, becoming Harper & Row (now HarperCollins). In 1965, the magazine was separately incorporated, and became a division of the Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company, owned by the Cowles Media Company.“
-Source: Wikipedia
Here’s my response to the author:
Look at this:
https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/fraudalert
“We have received reports that individuals impersonating HarperCollins staff or claiming to be literary agents are targeting authors with false book acquisition offers. These individuals request that the author pay them or provide sensitive financial information in exchange for literary services or to facilitate a publishing agreement. Their emails sometimes include letters purporting to bear HarperCollins’ logos, imprint names, and staff signatures.”
MacMillan Publishers specifically lists Author’s Tranquility Press on their fraud alert page!
Please be aware that Macmillan does not work with or have any relationship with the following:
- Author’s Tranquility Press
- Brilliant Books Literary
- Literary Press Agency
- PageTurner Press & Media
- Spark Literary
- Stellar Publishing
- Tyler Literary
- Tyler Literature
- Word Talk Press
- Writers Press LLC
- Writers Press Publishing House
This list is not exhaustive.
And, read complaints about Author’s Tranquility Press on BBB.org:
And, read reviews of Author’s Tranquility Press on BBB.org.
There are other complaints posted about them online as well.
On their own website, this box pops up:
While we know it’s tempting to believe emails and actual pdf files with logos, typed dollar signs, and lots of zeroes, in today’s online scammer climate, in all likelihood, all of those offers are fake.
If you have been the victim of this type of crime, or if you are contacted by this company, or another one pretending to be a legitimate publisher, immediately report them to their state’s attorney general. Most of those sites have online complaint forms. Unfortunately, many of these firms are located overseas. The only recourse against them is to spread the word far and wide online so other authors won’t fall victim to these crimes.
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- Scammers Trying to Trick Publishers Into Handing Over Their Authors’ Production Files, Royalty Info., and much more!!
- AND MORE!!!
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
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ATTN: Owners of defunct Infinity Publishing and FastPencil, and the currently operational Opyrus.com. SHAME ON YOU for leaving your authors in a lurch like this! You could have VERY EASILY transferred those authors and files to another publisher. You could have even tried to sell or give away that part of your business to another, more responsible firm. Instead, you just gave your authors one month to get their files and you deserted them. You still have Internet access and you still own another website. How hard is it to simply reply to emails from authors who need their files? It’s NOT! We strongly recommend ALL authors and writers avoid your other business, Opyrus.com.
At WritersWeekly, we first start alerting authors to complaints about Infinity Publishing / Fast Pencil back in 2017. I wish more authors had read those complaints before crawling into bed with that company.
We received two new emails from Infinity Publishing / FastPencil victims this week:
EMAIL #1
I just today learned that Infinity Publishing/Fastpencil is no longer in business. I have spent the last couple of days leaving messages on various answering machines with no calls returned. I did not receive any communication in October 2023 or earlier from those people regarding going out of business. I am currently revising (updating my book) and need the files and cover in order to do the update. Do you know of any way I can contact someone to get my files?
EMAIL #2
OUR RESPONSE TO BOTH AUTHORS:
I recommend sending them a certified letter and threatening to contact their state’s attorney general if they don’t give you your files.
They ARE still in business. They just aren’t publishing books anymore. This is their website: https://opyrus.com
Whether you get your files or not, we’ll be happy to help you republish your book at BookLocker. And, we will give you our disgruntled author discounted price. You can contact me directly RIGHT HERE.
RELATED
- HORRIBLE! Infinity Publishing / FastPencil is CEASING Book Publishing & Is CHARGING TERMINATED AUTHORS for Their Book Files! – 10 2023
- EXTREME AUTHOR ALERT: Infinity Publishing/Fast Pencil is CEASING BOOK PUBLISHING OPERATIONS! Here Are 3 Things Their Authors MUST Do RIGHT NOW! – 10 2023
- MORE COMPLAINTS about Fast Pencil / Infinity Publishing. And, now they have a website called Opyrus!
- Complaints about FastPencil / Infinity Publishing!
- Infinity Publishing Tries to Insult Us on Twitter, Then Immediately Blocks Us
- Complaints about specific publishers
- BookLocker’s Publishing Packages and Prices
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
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Q –
Angela,
I’m sorry that I missed your sale last week. If I sign up at BookLocker today, can you still get my book on the market by Christmas?
Linda R.
A –
Many authors who want their book published by Christmas start contacting us in August. We usually get a book to market within a month. Those books are published in September and buyers have plenty of time to order and receive those copies for Christmas presents.
We have a two-week expedited publishing option that costs more. That means two weeks after you send your final file to us. Let’s say you respond very quickly to all of our communications. It’s possible that we’d have your print galley (the first printed, bound copy of your book) in your hands before Christmas. However, since it’s the printer’s busiest time of the year, they have a backlog so any additional copies you order probably would not arrive on time. You can order more than one print galley (those are printed quickly, and shipped 2nd day air) but they are very expensive ($50 each).
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- “Can you publish my book, and get me copies by Christmas, which is NEXT WEEK?”
HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.
Great piece and great encouragement as always to keep the writer’s nose to the grindstone. Consistent message from one of the best freelance-process “coach”es in the biz.
Nice inspirational piece, John! Good for you, for keeping on. I’m wondering if the 200 websites you have written for all paid for your work, or if you wrote for some of them gratis?