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Make Sure Your Marketing is Targeted at the Right Audience



 

 

 

 

 

 

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Brian Whiddon is the Managing Editor of WritersWeekly.com and the Operations Manager at BookLocker.com. An Army vet and former police officer, Brian is the author of Blue Lives Matter: The Heart behind the Badge. He's an avid sailor, having lived and worked aboard his 36-foot sailboat, the “Floggin’ Molly” for 9 years after finding her abandoned in a boat yard and re-building her himself. Now, in northern Georgia, when not working on WritersWeekly and BookLocker, he divides his off-time between hiking, hunting, and farming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Get 10% off "Query Letters That Worked" when you use the code below at checkout!


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“BOOK—HowMaster”



HowMaster: The Writer's Guide to Beautiful Word Crafting




Author Linda M. Gigliotti draws from years of practice as a private
writing tutor in the guidebook that teaches writers how to format visceral
writing that pulls readers into their book. She explains with instruction
and samples of published works how to craft writing that come to life in the reader's mind.





HowMaster is a wise choice for the writer who wants to weave words around the reader’s heart.


Author Linda M. Gigliotti draws from years of practice as a private
writing tutor in the guidebook that teaches writers how to format visceral
writing that pulls readers into their book. She explains with instruction
and samples of published works how to craft writing that come to life in the reader's mind.




Read more here:


http://booklocker.com/books/2304.html



 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK—Self-Syndication”

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK—Re-Borning-Dolls”



How to Reborn a Doll in a Day


Angela Hoy's istructional guide to creating your own reborn doll!

Create your very own adorable reborn baby
in only one day, or craft a cherished keepsake as a gift
for a special child or grandchild!



Learn how to create your own realistic bundle of joy or how to start crafting reborns for profit! Angela Hoy's book will get you started!

Read more here:
http://booklocker.com/books/1670.html



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK–Homeschooling”



The Working Parent's Guide To Homeschooling


Dissatisfaction with public and private schools continues to grow, and with more and more acceptance of homeschoolers at colleges and universities, now is the time to encourage all those who are ready and willing, that they are able and qualified to teach their children, even and especially if they must continue working. The Working Parent’s Guide to Homeschooling answers questions such as, “How can I work and homeschool?” by showing the reader how to find what works for them.



Read more here:
https://booklocker.com/books/7663.html









 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fall 2023 24 Hour Short Story Contest


 

 

 

 

 

 

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“BOOK-Ghostwriter”



So, You Wanna Be a Ghostwriter - How To Make Money Writing Without a Byline


Many freelance writers find it difficult to break into the publishing world. What they don't know, however, is that there's a faster and easier way to see their words in print. It's called ghostwriting, and it's an extremely lucrative, fun, and challenging career.

But how do you get started as a ghostwriter? How do you find new clients who will pay you to write their material? How do you charge? And what kind of contracts do you need to succeed? All these questions and more are answered in So, You Wanna Be a Ghostwriter...How to Make Money Writing Without a Byline.

Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/49.html





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-WritingFast”



Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed


A systematic approach to writing that generates better quality quickly!


Chock full of ideas, tips, techniques and inspiration, this down-to-earth book is easy to read, and even easier to apply. Let author Jeff Bollow take you through a process that brings your ideas to the page faster, more powerfully and easier than ever before.




Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/3695.html





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-TheArtandCraft”



The Art and Craft of Writing and Editing


Writing is a constant dialogue between author and reader.



The craft of writing involves an interchange of emotions between an author and a reader. An author creates a story line, conflict, and characters, gives his characters words to speak, and then hands off these materials to a reader. This process results in a constant dialogue between the mental imagery produced by a reader and that proposed by the author.





Read more here:


https://writersweekly.com/books/6712.html





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“PubPreppers”

  • Do you want to REALLY keep 100% of your royalties?
  • Do you want to REALLY self-publish your book?
  • Do you want direct contracts with the world's largest Print on Demand printer as well as Ingram, the world's largest book distributor, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and any other ebook retailer you choose?

All at a price LOWER than most POD publishers!
http://www.PubPreppers.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-7625STRATEGIES”



7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition


At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.

And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!

Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!



Read more here:


https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html





 

 

 

 

 

 

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“RichardLongBio”

Involved in Internet marketing since 1995 (when it officially became a profession), Richard Hoy advises on, and helps execute, Internet marketing efforts for solopreneurs and clients of digital marketing agencies. His current focus is search engine optimization for books on Amazon and for local businesses on Google.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“BOOK-thereporter”




Named a "Hot New Release" by Amazon, and ranked #7 in the Metaphysical Fiction category less than a week after release!



The Reporter: Part I - Rise and Fall and The Reporter: Part II - Redemption

"A real page turner. I can't wait to read the next installment."
-Debbie Martindale Behrends, The Elburn Herald

Nic Pappas, a reporter with the Palatine Star newspaper, is assigned to cover a cold murder case known as The Brown's Chicken Massacre. Pappas meets, and falls in love with, Mary Jane Santos, who lost her brother, Roland, Jr., in the tragedy, tempting Pappas to violate the ethics of the reporter-source relationship. Believing the only way to end his dilemma is to solve the case, Pappas and Santos make a pledge to catch the killers...

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FREE ADVERTISING!!


DO YOU PAY WRITERS? We'll post your ad for free (provided you pay respectable wages). Send your ad to Angela here: https://writersweekly.com/contact-angela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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https://writersweekly.com/writersweekly-com-writers-guidelines

>>>Read More Success Stories<<<

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ask Angela About Self-Publishing

Angela Hoy is not only publisher of WritersWeekly.com, she's also co-owner of self-publishing services firm BookLocker.com and works directly with each author.

That's right, you work directly with the owner of BookLocker. No revolving customer service reps, no layers of bureaucracy to navigate, and absolutely no outsourcing to low-paying overseas call centers. We don't use call centers or telemarketing at all. You will never be shuffled from one "customer service rep" to another because we don't have any of those.
You will communicate directly with Angela about any needs you have at all, as well as Richard (book marketing advice), Brian (ebooks and technical issues), Ali (print formatting), Gwen (color-interior books) and Todd or Nancy (our awesome cover designers).


Since we are selective about which books we publish, we are able to work with every author one-on-one. In the past 18 years, BookLocker has published more than 9,000 titles.


Angela's been in the print-on-demand and self-publishing business for nearly two decades. She's seen it all, and is a great source of information. To ask her anything click here.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters



I admire any writer who wants to tackle a blind character. But so many writers take up this challenge and FAIL. They research blindness by reading other fiction books, by observing their blind colleagues and acquaintances, and by tying on a blindfold and pretending to be blind themselves.



I understand the challenges your characters face, their triumphs, their hopes and their fears, because I've lived them. I work with people who have varying degrees of blindness every day, so I've seen every challenge, every situation you could imagine.



Let me share my knowledge to improve your writing. You can create blind characters that readers will fall in love with.

~Stephanie Green

 

 

 

 

 

 

“searchasktheexpert”





Recently Answered Questions:



When scammers go after us or their victims, I’m always VERY happy to give them even more exposure on WritersWeekly! Our website has excellent Google rankings because we’ve been in business for so long AND because we provide such informative and quality content.

So, Authors Hike / AuthorsHike.com, this one’s for you!

Hi Angela,

Oh, did I get hell last night. (Your warning post) got their (Authors Hike’s) ire up. I was threatened with everything under the sun. Furthermore, I had paid for a nice, many-paged website. They instantly took it down. The guy who phoned and threatened was:

ALAN WALKER
Senior Business Analyst | Authors Hike
📧 alan.walker@authorshike.com
🌐 www.authorshike.com
📞 (888) 412-0392 Extension – 1039

Hi insists I take it down. I said I had not put it up and would not take it down, especially if it contained the truth. My website was immediately down and he claims all hell will break lose for me. You got a reaction I never could.

Thank you. 


MY RESPONSE

If he calls you again, tell him all correspondence must be in writing. Tell him to email you, and hang up the phone. He probably will then email you. I’d like to see those emails, too.

Thank you soooo much for helping other authors!!! We have very good rankings on Google. LOTS of authors are going to see the post and Authors Hike will probably soon be out of business. Bravo! 🙂

RELATED



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!



Q – 

Angela, I badly need advice. Can you help. See the order for my books attached.

I hired Authors Hike / AuthorsHike.com to promote my books. I’ve published five books. They claim to have 1,105 orders for my book but I haven’t received any money for those.

Authors Hike wants ME to pay $4,420 for them to print the books, and send them to their list. They then say they will ship the books, collect later, and pay me.

Does not sound legitimate?

What do you think?


A – 

It’s a huge and common scam!!!

The BUYER pays for books, not the author!

What Author’s Hike is doing is similar to this scam:

NEW SCAM! “Pay us $26K and we’ll stock 3,500 copies of your book in 150 stores!”

DO NOT SEND THEM ANY MONEY! You’ll never get it back!!

And, for whatever money you have sent them, immediately contact your credit card company, and request they process a chargeback. If they tell you to try to work it out with the company, tell them you got scammed by a foreign entity, and DEMAND they immediately issue the chargeback.

Incidentally, on TrustPilot (there are several bad reviews), an author wrote in saying he’s trying to get $29,000.00 (!!!) back from them. Remember to NEVER trust 5-star reviews on TrustPilot! Anybody can post those, including scammers who are trying to defraud people. Whenever multiple reviews are posting within a few days or each other (or on the exact same day), THEY’RE FAKE!

Virtual offices are available at their “New York City” address. Looks like the same for their “Utah” address. And, their website has many of the hallmark signs of the overseas publishing scam cartel we’ve been exposing. Oh, and they have a book cover from Stephen King on their homepage. They have NEVER worked with him! FRAUD!!!

RELATED



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!










 

DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Consult with an attorney for your specific situation and needs. 

We all know what an editor is. But, what is an “author representative?” That is someone who claims to know the ins and outs of the publishing industry and they offer to guide authors through the book publication process…for a hefty fee, of course.

I have met many reputable and professional author reps. I have also met many who I knew were ripping authors off. They were selling extraneous services that weren’t necessary and some were doing things the authors outright did not want them to do. It’s not uncommon for authors to pay thousands, and then to fire their reps when things go awry. And, do authors really need those services anyway? At BookLocker.com, we hold our authors’ hands through the entire process. They don’t need an “author rep.” Our reputation speaks for itself.

Some freelance editors also sell secondary services, offering to later be the author’s representative. Those editors need to be avoided at all costs!

Did you know that, without a power of attorney, you can’t legally designate someone to complete a contract on your behalf? Some authors don’t know that, and are letting so-called author reps complete their publishing contracts for them. Those contracts are, of course, invalid/unenforceable. BUT, if the contract was completed online (electronically), how would someone know it wasn’t you when the rep used your name, email address, and contact information on the contract?

As we discussed in Episode 16 of the WritersWeekly Podcast, I recently noticed two questionable contracts come across my desk. Yes, I review ALL BookLocker.com contracts just in case I see something odd. It could be something mundane, such as a missing street address, or something more serious. One recent contract listed the author’s editor as the author’s beneficiary. Another author had allowed her “author rep” to complete her contact and the rep had listed herself as the author’s beneficiary.

At BookLocker.com, we have a beneficiary section in our contract for authors. Almost always (99.9% of the time), the beneficiary is a spouse, the author’s children, or other close relative(s). For co-authored books, sometimes the co-author is the beneficiary (I’ve seen it but it’s rare). I had NEVER before seen an editor or author rep listed as the beneficiary!

In the first case, the author didn’t know her editor had made herself the beneficiary. In the other case, the author rep had promised to distribute royalties to the author’s children if she died. I called B.S. on that one!

In EPISODE 16 of the WritersWeekly Podcast, Brian explains that, while lawyers have a fiduciary responsibility to you should you put them in charge of your estate (they can be criminally prosecuted if they do you or your heirs wrong), an editor or author rep has no such responsibility, and they can take that money and run. And, if nobody ever knows that they completed your contract for you (with no power of attorney), they will be able to keep your heirs’ money (and your copyrights) after you die.

Never, EVER let a third party complete a contract on your behalf!

RELATED



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!



Read More "Ask The Expert" Articles

 

 

 

ALERT!!! THE SUMMER, 2025 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS THIS SATURDAY! Only 500 participants are permitted so SIGN UP TODAY if you want to play!


Related websites (yes, they’re all the same company!) mentioned in this post:

  • Pro Writers Network / ProWritersNetwork.com
  • Bluegrass Bound Books / BluegrassBoundBooks.com
  • Crescent Spring Literary / CrescentSpringLiterary.com

An author’s rep contacted me, concerned that the author was about to throw away WAY too much money.

This scammer, impersonating an actual film distribution company, wanted to “pick up” the author’s $18K payment that morning!!! Luckily, his worried rep contacted me.

FROM THE REP:
This morning’s email advised that there are no discounts from the $18,000, and urged him to rush the money to them right away and they’ll kindly pick it up.

This smells to high heaven to me, but you’re the expert. He’s simply not taking my word for it. I can’t help but wonder how any other authors are being hit with the same sort of “we can make a movie out of your book, we just need you to participate in the investment.”

MY RESPONSE:

IT’S A SCAM!!!!!! Please share this with him. They’re impersonating an actual film distribution company!!!

1. They have a feather in their logo. Many of the overseas “publishing” scam cartel websites also have feathers in their logos.

2. I googled their “U.S. address.” Their company doesn’t show up there.

3. Their website is only 9 months old. That is a HUGE red flag!! They’ve only posted to Facebook one time and that was back in 2024.

4. Book-to-movie scams are RAMPANT!! And, that is NOT how it works! Movie producers/production companies pay all of the expenses. The author of the book NEVER pays for anything!!!

5. Per Google:
“Yes, there are reported scams impersonating Focus Features, a film distribution company owned by NBCUniversal. These scams often target authors, writers, and aspiring filmmakers, promising movie deals or book publishing opportunities while demanding upfront payments for services like screenplays, book trailers, or legal fees.”

6. The FAKE Focus Features is on WriterBeware.org’s Impersonation List.

AND, Pro Writers Network / prowritersnetwork.com is in their scam archive.

7. They have the exact same phone number and address as Bluegrass Bound Books / bluegrassboundbooks.com, which also shares many characteristics of the scammers’ websites.

That website is only 8 months old yet they claim to have “98k happy clients.” Total B.S.!!! They have ZERO books on Amazon!

8. They ALSO have the exact same phone number and address as Crescent Spring Literary / crescentspringliterary.com. That website is only 2 months old.

RELATED



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!



ALERT!!! THE SUMMER, 2025 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS ONLY 1 WEEK AWAY! Only 500 participants are permitted so SIGN UP TODAY if you want to play!


An author wrote in who had already sent money to Amazon Writing and Publishers / Amazon Writing & Publishers / AmazonWritingAndPublishers.com.

Here’s what I sent to him: 

1. AmazonWritingAndPublishers.com is not Amazon (you probably already know that). That is trademark infringement.

2. Their website was registered in Iceland. There is a company there known for allowing scammers to register their websites.

3. They have logos on their site for companies they’ve never worked with. The website has the same look/feel as the other scam sites we’ve been exposing. That is fraud.

4. They have “awards” on their website dated years before this company’s website existed. That is also fraud.

5. They have the same “model” on their website that we’ve seen on other websites. Exact same guy (he has his arms crossed). He’s listed next to their “testimonials.”

6. They claim to have 10K+ books on the market. HA HA HA! That’s a lie!

7. The covers I researched on their website are fake (books are not on the market).

8. When using Advanced Search on Amazon, and searching for their name in the “publisher” box, only one book pops up but their name is not the publisher on that listing.

9. Their “U.S. address” appears to be a UPS store.

10. Their description on Trustpilot, which they wrote, has syntax errors:
“We are establishing an story line to your eBook, simply by creating an idea and by chosen the right words.”

We have added them to A List of Publishers and Services That ALL Authors Should AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

You can easily do your own research (it just takes a few minutes!) to determine if a company is a scammer: 

11 Ways to Know If a “Publisher” or Other Service Provider is an Overseas Scammer (You’ll probably only need to check #1 to prove it!)

RELATED



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!



Read More "Ask The Expert" Articles



HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY


Angela Hoy's popular online class is now available in book format!


Remember Your Past
Write It and Publish It
in as little as 12 weeks!



Angela Hoy's book will get you started!



  • Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years
  • Record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook
  • Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography!
  • Also works for biographies and memoirs!

Read more here:
https://booklocker.com/books/4764.html



90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.

We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!

Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!

Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!

Make Sure Your Marketing is Targeted at the Right Audience



ALERT!!! THE SUMMER, 2025 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS ONLY 2 WEEKS AWAY! Only 500 participants are permitted so SIGN UP TODAY if you want to play!


QUESTION SUBMITTED VIA FACEBOOK:

Angela, is there a story you care to tell as to why the pencil sketch portrait instead of a photo? I’ve always wondered.
-C.M.

A –

He was referring to this ad:

May be an image of text that says 'Stop paying so much... Join the BookLocker family! -Family owned in the U.S. -No customer service reps or call centers. You deal directly with us. Fast turnaround 1 month! No upselling of worthless marketing gimmicks"! -Our 26th year! Compare our rates to the "Author Meat Markets" at Writers itersWeekly.com/compare. Weekly.c w Come see us at publishing.BookLocker.com. Or, email Angela directly at angela@booklocker.com. BookLocker ocker Bookl'

MY RESPONSE:

Happy to answer. 🙂 I have been receiving death threats for years because of the criminals we have exposed on WritersWeekly.com. One guy threatened to hire a hit man to “take care of me,” and also threatened to kidnap our children. (By the way, he later sued us for exposing his scam and he lost. The judge threw it out of court.) I’ve also had a few stalkers over the years.

Several years ago, we decided to limit the number of photos of me that appear online so I’d be more difficult to recognize out in public. Good thing we did that because, with the international publishing crime cartel we’ve been exposing over the past several months, the number of death threats has sky-rocketed.

For any scammer reading this: My husband is ex-Army and an ex-cop (and he’s currently head of security at our church), we are locked and loaded (I also carry 24/7), and we have a HUGE dog. Things won’t go well for you if you show up here.

RELATED



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!



 

Q – 

Hi Angela,

Somebody contacted me on Facebook saying he’d created a website for me for “free.” He gave me the link. It was under his domain (i.e. https://[my-name].[his-domain].com). It even had my book cover on it, and an old picture of me that he obviously got from Facebook. 

It looked really professional. When I asked him how I can use it, he told me I’d need to pay him a fee to move it to another host (like GoDaddy). $3500! I can’t afford that but I really like the website. Then, he offered to accept payments, saying he’d transfer it after I made my final payment. He also created a logo for me that looks really neat but that was going to cost me an extra $300. He also wrote a book review and put it on “my” website. But, I knew after reading the review that he never read my book.

Should I start sending him payments? I really like the website he made!

P.C.


A –

Scammers are getting so desperate that they’re doing work up front, unsolicited, and then requiring lots of money if the authors want to use what the scammers created. That is the exact situation you are in. IMMEDIATELY STOP RESPONDING TO HIM!

I recently heard a disturbingly similar story from a woman who liked the pre-designed website so much that, not only did she pay big bucks for it, but the guy also convinced her to move all of her domains to “his” hosting service. He told her that the hosting contract required, by law, that she provide her social security number and banking information.

You can tell where this is going, right? As of today, the victim has spent thousands of dollars trying to simply get her own websites back. The crook keeps asking for more and more money, each time promising this is the “last time,” and giving bogus excuses why it’s going to cost more. And, it’s never going to end.

The scammer not only took her websites hostage, but is now also blackmailing her. Yep! Since she refuses to pay him anything else to get her websites back, now he’s threatening to sell her social security number and banking information on the dark web. Since he’s in Pakistan, there is literally NOTHING she can do about it (except to change bank accounts!). Even if she had the money, he’d never give her websites back to her anyway. She is literally out of business.

What were her mistakes?

1. THE BIG ONE! Responding to a random person who contacted her on social media.

2. Not thoroughly researching everything about that person (it’s not hard!).

3. Sending that person everything he needed to steal her identity. I’m still shaking my head over that!

4. Transferring all of her other websites to someone she clearly had not researched.

Never, ever, EVER respond to people who contact you on social media, or who spam you, or who call you on the phone. THEY ARE ALL CRIMINALS!

You can save a lot of money by simply creating your own website. There are countless websites and videos on how to do that.

RELATED



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!



This weekend, we are recording a new episode of the WritersWeekly Podcast. We are soliciting legal questions from authors and writers about publishing because our special guest will be attorney James M. Walsh.

You can type your questions in the comments box below or you can use our Contact Us link. If your question is chosen, we will only use your first name in the podcast. 🙂

All of the articles below were written by James.

RELATED



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!



Read More "Ask The Expert" Articles

 

 

Q – 

I was contacted by email by (name removed). The company promises to display my book in a famous annual book fair. Don’t know if they are peddling services or are legit or not? 

T.B.


A – 

First, remember that, these days, ANYBODY who contacts you unsolicited (through social media, email, by mail, or on the phone) is a scammer. It is imperative to remember that. If somebody needs to use these methods to promote their own (fake!) services, how can you trust them to promote your book?!

Second, the only people who make money at real book fairs are the companies hosting the fairs, and the companies that claim to get books into those book fairs. These clowns are quoting authors hundreds to thousands of dollars. And, the reality is your book is very likely NOT going to be displayed at all!

One author contacted me recently, saying she paid $1500 to have her book was displayed at a book fair but they never provided her proof that her book was displayed there. They were supposed to send her a photo. They didn’t. In fact, after they received her money, they disappeared. Their emails looked legit! They had stolen a logo from a well-known book fair, and even photos from the previous event. They actually had nothing at all to do with the book fair. They were just part of the overseas crime cartel we’ve been covering.

Another author had a similar experience. However, she DID receive a photo. So, what was the problem? Her book was clearly (and very badly) Photoshopped into a stolen photo. They did such a bad job with it that it was laughable. The book was far larger than books in the actual photograph, it was the only one facing forward, and it was crooked and pixelated. The scammers just pulled up a photo of books on a shelf, and Photoshopped her book’s cover onto it.

Another way they get more money out of authors is they tell the author that they (the scammer) MUST republish the book in order for the book fair to accept the book. They then hoodwink their victims into paying for editing, cover design, interior formatting, a new ISBN, a barcode, etc. However, none of the services are performed and, of course, no books will be displayed at any book fair.

If you think about it really hard, spending hundreds to thousands (or more!) to have perhaps one copy of your book on a table or on a bookshelf at a book fair, surrounded by thousands of other books, is NOT going to get you a return on your investment. Even if they offer to display dozens of copies (that’s a lie, too), even if you did sell that many, you’re still not getting your investment back. Not even close.

RELATED



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!





7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition


At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.

And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!

Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!



Read more here:


https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html





Q –

Hi Angela,

Should I put “a novel” on the cover of my book under the title? 

I have another question. Should I have “by” in front of my name on the front cover of my book?

Thanks!

Olive G.


A – 

1. Unless you truly believe that someone might mistake your novel for being non-fiction, I do not recommend putting “a novel” on the front cover.

The book I’m featuring here appears to be non-fiction but it’s not. It’s actually historical fiction. That’s why the author put “a novel” at the bottom of the cover. By the way, Pawnee Prisoner is BookLocker’s #1 best seller right now! 🙂

Pawnee Prisoner: The Story of Jane Gotcher Crawford by Vivian McCullough

A tale of survival, set in the 1830s, and based on the true story of the daughter of Texas pioneer James Gotcher and widow of Alamo defender Lemuel Crawford.

The book below is clearly a novel so the author did not add “a novel” under the title:

From Texas, With Love by Lewis Allen Lambert

A rags to riches relationship born in west Texas, incubated during the Vietnam War, and culminated in California.

2. I see many self-published authors putting “by” in front of their name on their cover. Do NOT do that. It makes a book look self-published (amateurish). 🙂

RELATED



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!



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Angela Hoy lives on a mountain in North Georgia. She is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the President and CEO of BookLocker.com and AbuzzPress, and the author of 24 books.

Follow Angela: twitter | facebook | linkedin

Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
Learn more here: https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/



 

 

 

 

 

 

“fullangiebio”



Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

AngelaPortrait72dpismall_400x400

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)


See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.


ANGELA ON TWITTER https://twitter.com/AngelaHoy


BOOKLOCKER ON FACEBOOK - Provides links to free excerpts!
https://www.facebook.com/booklockerbooks


ANGELA ON FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/angela.hoy.750


ANGELA ON LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahoy/


Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/



Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Writing Markets We Just Added



Markets Archive





More Freelance Jobs!



Freelance Writing Jobs Archive





 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-HowToRememberWriteAndPublishYourLifeStory



HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY


Angela Hoy's popular online class is now available in book format!


Remember Your Past
Write It and Publish It
in as little as 12 weeks!



Angela Hoy's book will get you started!



  • Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years
  • Record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook
  • Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography!
  • Also works for biographies and memoirs!

Read more here:
https://booklocker.com/books/4764.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-thesimple”



Joel's BookProgram: The Simple Secret To Writing A Non-Fiction Book In 30 Days, At 1 Hour A Day! - SECOND EDITION





If you are a solo professional, having your own book is one of the best investments of time and money you can make, to promote your business and gain more clients. Why?




  • If you are an author, you are an authority--an expert in your field.
  • A book is a tangible credential.
  • Your book can differentiate you from your competition.
  • It's an opportunity to explain your uniqueness, your "special sauce."



Order "The Simple Secret To Writing A Non-Fiction Book In 30 Days, At 1 Hour A Day!" right away. And picture yourself handing your own book to a prospect, in just a short time!



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-fine”



The FINE PRINT of Self-Publishing - Fifth Edition - by Mark Levine



The Fine Print of Self-Publishing has been lauded by many experts as the Consumer Reports of the self-publishing industry. This book has helped thousands of authors choose the right self-publishing company and avoid the ones with unfair contracts or low-quality services.

"If you're considering paying a company to publish your book, don't do anything until you read The Fine Print and consider the alternatives. It will save you a lot of time, money, and heartache." -Dan Poynter, The Self-Publishing Manual

 

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-bookproposals”



BOOK PROPOSALS THAT WORKED! Real Book Proposals That Landed $10K - $100K Publishing Contracts - by Angela Hoy



Peek over the shoulders of highly successful, published authors to see how they landed publishing contracts worth $10,000 to $100,000! An enticing yet professional book proposal is the key!

BONUS! Successful ghostwriter, Anton Marco, shares his secret for landing ghostwriting clients. Don’t miss Anton’s real ghostwriting contract at the end of this book! It provides an example of what he charges and the payment terms he requires from each client.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“90days”



90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy

Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.

We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!

Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor, which makes it fun for creative folks like you!

Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Get Paying Markets for Writers AND A FREE BOOK!



It's FREE!
(We won't sell your address, or spam you.)

After clicking "SUBSCRIBE" above, check your email to confirm your subscription.

Once you click on the link in your email, you'll be taken to a page on our site where you can instantly download your free book.

Yes, it's that easy!

NOTE: If you don't receive our email, please check your spam filters. Please whitelist emails coming from writersweekly@writersweekly.com.

 

 

 

 

 

“BOOK-QueryLetters”





QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments



Peek over the shoulders of highly successful freelance writers to see how they earn thousands per article! The query letter is the key!
In these pages, you'll find real query letters that landed real assignments for national magazines, websites, and corporations.

Also includes:

  • Abbi Perrets' form letter that brings in $30,000-$45,000 annually
  • Sample phone query from Christine Greeley
  • The Six Golden Rules of Queries and Submissions...and How I Broke Them! by Bob Freiday
  • Your Rights As a "Freelancer"
  • and ANGELA HOY'S SECRET for finding ongoing freelance work from companies that have a stable of freelancers, yet never run ads for them!

 

“COLOR TEST”



THIS IS A COLOR TEST

 

“Book – Boyd’s Best Blogs”



The Best of Boyd's Blogs: 87 Solutions to a Life of Better Speaking and Listening






Ever wish you could have your favorite blog in book form? There's nothing like flipping through the pages and reading helpful snippets here and there.

In this book, Steve Boyd gives you that very opportunity. He has intrigued his readers and clients for years with his insightful newsletters and blog posts. This book includes some of his most interesting stories and communication tips, from listening to speaking. As he quotes this Chinese proverb, "From listening comes wisdom and from speaking repentance."

You won't need to repent from your next speech if you use these articles to guide both your preparation and delivery. As an avid reader of his blog said, "These articles are priceless! People need what you have to say."





Steve Boyd's articles on motivation and communication-related topics have appeared
in various publications. His books on public speaking have sold over 30,000 copies.
He is a popular after-dinner speaker and conducts workshops for businesses and associations
whose members want to speak and listen effectively to improve personally and professionally.




Read more here:


https://booklocker.com/books/7171.html

 

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