Brian Whiddon is the Managing Editor of WritersWeekly.com and the Operations Manager at BookLocker.com. Brian is an Army vet and former police officer, and spent several years chained to a desk, commuting Tampa's congested roadways, working in corporate management and training, while writing in his spare time. He is now an author, blogger, and NRA-certified firearms instructor. Brian lives and works aboard his 36-foot sailboat, the “Floggin’ Molly” in St. Petersburg, Florida. He calls her his "rescue boat" that he found abandoned in a boat yard and rebuilt himself - fulfilling a dream he had to one day live aboard. Brian no longer commutes, and has donated all his business slacks, collared shirts, and ties to Goodwill. You can follow Brian on Facebook.
How Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
“BANNER-Tate-300×300”
“BANNER-Tate-600×205”
“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.
Practical resource outlining the self-syndication process, step-by-step. Packed with detailed information and useful tips for writers looking to gain readership, name recognition, publication and self-syndication for their column or articles.
It's A Dirty Job...Writing Porn For Fun And Profit! Includes Paying Markets!
Fact is, writing porn is fun! It's also one of the easier markets to crack and make money at while you're still honing your skills. "It's A Dirty Job..." is one of the only resources that can teach you everything you need to know to create your stories and target your markets.
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.
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.
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.
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape - SECOND EDITION
Completely revised edition of the ground-breaking travel writing book that provides a road map to success in the digital age. It dives headlong into the entrepreneurial world of blogging and digital books, while still acknowledging the real money to be made in declining print forms.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from more than 100 successful travel writers and bloggers, this is the definitive guide to creating success instead of waiting for permission. Written by a veteran, award-winning writer with two decades of experience as a book author, online publisher, freelancer, and blogger.
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 worldís largest book distributor, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and any other ebook retailer you choose?
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!
Richard Hoy (now retired) was involved in Internet marketing dating back to 1995, when it officially became a profession. His career included developing and executing online promotional strategies for a number of companies, being moderator of the first professional community on the Internet dedicated to the subject of online advertising, and creating as well as editing the first compendium on the subject of email marketing. He and his wife, Angela Hoy, launched BookLocker.com back in 1999, which has now published more than 10,000 titles. BookLocker's headquarters are located in St. Petersburg, Florida. While Richard is still available for Internet marketing consulting, he is also pursuing his second passion as a wine and spirits expert.
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!
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Just ask.
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.)
"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...
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:
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.
“expiredjoblinks”
Some or all of these links to writing job have expired. See the latest writing jobs by clicking here.
Ask Angela About Print On Demand and Self-Publishing
Angela is the Publisher of WritersWeekly.com and co-owner of the POD firm 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."
Got questions? Ask Angela about Print On Demand and Self-publishing.
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.)
Follow BookLocker on Facebook to keep track of self-publishing news and marketing resources.
“BOOK-33worstmistakes”
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.
“My publisher is trying to get me to pay to attend a Hollywood pitch festival, saying my book can be discovered by a producer, and be made into a movie. It’s tempting but it’s also very expensive. I’d have to go into debt putting that on my credit card. Are these things really worth it?
– RJ
A –
I was contacted recently by an author who did attend one of these. He was initially impressed and excited because “so many” publishers had authors in attendance. He went on to list the publishers.
He also said the publisher had received some requests for free copies of his book to send to some people who’d attended, who’d allegedly expressed an interest in his book. Of course, the author had the pay the publisher for those copies. He said the only thing that bothered him was that the authors were not provided with info. about the movie companies that were allegedly involved. He had no idea who he was talking to, nor if they were really with a movie company at all. He was highly suspicious of the secrecy involved.
I had to tell him that, unfortunately, all of the so-called “publishers” he’d listed are owned by the same company.
I then sent him the link to this article, which is disturbing, to say the least:
EXCERPT: “A few weeks after Manny Fonseca arrived in Los Angeles in the early part of this decade, having left his native Michigan with the hope of becoming a Hollywood writer or executive, the then 30-year-old was at a party when a producer asked if he’d “like to make a hundred bucks.” Sure, he replied. What would he have to do? The answer was to show up the next day at a “pitch fest,” one of dozens of such gatherings each year in which hopefuls pay hundreds of dollars to serve up their story ideas to agents and executives who, in theory, will buy them if they’re good.”
Think about it. The publisher makes money by charging authors to attend the event. And, then they make money when the authors need to buy copies to send out to “interested parties” for free. My recommendation? Avoid going into debt. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than you do selling movie rights to your book through one of these events.
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!
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!
It's A Dirty Job...Writing Porn For Fun And Profit! Includes Paying Markets!
Fact is, writing porn is fun! It's also one of the easier markets to crack and make money at while you're still honing your skills. "It's A Dirty Job..." is one of the only resources that can teach you everything you need to know to create your stories and target your markets.
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.
My brother hit the big time in the 80’s as a singer in a band he formed called (removed). I have an urge to write a book about my experiences with the band and touring with them as well. Basically through my eyes etc. What do ya think?
A –
While you may have a great story to tell, and you may be tempted to give some behind-the-scenes stories about that famous band, before you begin, I urge you to read these articles:
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!
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape - SECOND EDITION
Completely revised edition of the ground-breaking travel writing book that provides a road map to success in the digital age. It dives headlong into the entrepreneurial world of blogging and digital books, while still acknowledging the real money to be made in declining print forms.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from more than 100 successful travel writers and bloggers, this is the definitive guide to creating success instead of waiting for permission. Written by a veteran, award-winning writer with two decades of experience as a book author, online publisher, freelancer, and blogger.
Q – I keep seeing authors posting really neat videos on Facebook promoting their books. Where can I get some made for my book, too? I don’t mean book trailers on YouTube. I am talking about those videos that catch someone’s attention, but only need to hold their attention for a few seconds.
Jeremy S.
A – We use these types of videos and they are VERY effective. The site we use is really fast (you create the videos yourself – with music!) and you can test them out for free. The price is very reasonable, especially considering all the clicks we’re getting from our promotional videos! We post them to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
HINT: Choose the square video option (not the wide one) for posting to Instagram. The wide ones get cut off.
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 lives on a 52' Irwin Center Cockpit Ketch (sailboat) with her family and pets. Keep up with her family's adventurous liveaboard lifestyle at GotNoTanLines.com
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.)
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!
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.
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!
I just graduated and I love to write. I’m also pretty good at it, according to my professors. I’m thinking about putting myself out there, and launching a freelance writing service. Can you tell me about some common mistakes writers make when first starting out? I’d like to avoid them if I can. Thanks!
J.C.
A –
This is an easy one. 🙂
7 FATAL MISTAKES MADE BY NEW FREELANCE WRITERS
1. A HORRIBLE WEBSITE…OR NO WEBSITE AT ALL
With the number of website design services and website templates available, there is no excuse for anyone, even a newbie, to have an unprofessional, amateur website. If you need ideas, look at websites created by professional writers to see their designs, and the options they offer prospective clients. Here are four clean, easy-to-navigate websites created by freelance writers:
All writers need clips but writing for free to get those clips is not advised. Most editors can easily figure out if a site doesn’t pay writers (and, hence, didn’t pay you). Why should they have to pay you when you’re working for someone else for free? And, frankly, those sites contain a lot of really awful writing. Don’t devalue your growing brand by writing for free, nor by associating with those types of companies. Remember, those articles will probably be online for years, if not decades – with your name featured right there at the top. Writing for free also devalues our entire industry.
If you need writing samples to show prospective clients, a better idea is to write high-quality, insightful, error-free articles, and post them to your website. Offer those links to editors to showcase your writing talents.
3. INAPPROPRIATE OR DOWNRIGHT BAD QUERIES
Don’t make the mistake of failing to research a market before approaching them. Lots of authors send out mass queries that are on topics not covered by a particular publication. Those writers are usually blacklisted and their future emails are automatically routed to spam. Sending out inappropriate queries is a waste of your and every editor’s time.
Also, your query should be correctly formatted, and should not contain any spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors. That’s right. ZERO mistakes! Any mistake at all in a query, no matter how small, will tell the editor your future articles will have errors as well. No editor wants to hire a writer whose work will need extensive editing. Editors are busy enough. Sending out queries with errors is a sure-fire way to receive immediate rejections, or no responses at all.
4. PITCHING IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN COVERED AD-NAUSEAM
You wouldn’t believe how many queries I receive on topics we have covered in the past, as well as queries about very basic topic that have already been over-covered by industry publications. Using a site’s search box can help you easily discover if they have already published an article about a particular topic. Pitching an idea that was recently covered by a particular publication, or that is already over-covered in a particular industry, or failing to pitch a new twist on an old idea is a sure sign you haven’t researched the publication…or that publication’s industry in general.
5. OBVIOUS ERRORS IN YOUR FINISHED ARTICLES
When writing your article, if you are in doubt about grammar or punctuation, or how to word or spell a common phrase, Google it. You can almost always find the answer online. It’s rare these days to find a question that hasn’t been answered. You wouldn’t believe how often new writers misspell common words, like lightening (when they mean lightning). And, of course, always utilize your word processing program’s spell- and grammar-checker.
6. CONSIDERING DEADLINES OPTIONAL
Never, EVER miss a deadline. Instead, submit EVERY story you write BEFORE the deadline. When the editor gives you a deadline, set your own deadline two days prior to that. Get it done even earlier if your workload permits. Editors are far more willing to give additional work to writers who
over-perform.
7. GETTING PERSONAL
Don’t treat an editor like he or she is your new best friend. After they respond to you, don’t send them emails of a personal nature. They don’t have time to read about the barbecue you attended last weekend, or the meal you ate at IHOP last night. One writer recently shared with me his very liberal drinking habits. He thought it was funny. I think he needs A.A. Unless they ask you personal questions, or they mention something personal about themselves that you can relate to, keep your conversation strictly business.
If you follow all of these rules, your writing career has a FAR greater chance of being a success. Most folks who think they’re writers don’t do these simple things and they ultimately fail. Putting in a little more effort can help ensure your success in this industry.
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.
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.
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.
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape - SECOND EDITION
Completely revised edition of the ground-breaking travel writing book that provides a road map to success in the digital age. It dives headlong into the entrepreneurial world of blogging and digital books, while still acknowledging the real money to be made in declining print forms.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from more than 100 successful travel writers and bloggers, this is the definitive guide to creating success instead of waiting for permission. Written by a veteran, award-winning writer with two decades of experience as a book author, online publisher, freelancer, and blogger.
angela i keep sending out queries to magazines but nobody response to me and i dont know why can u look at me emails and tell me whats wrong
A –
I receive countless queries every single day that look like this one. They contain:
1. No (or little) punctuation
2. No capitalization
3. Misspelled words and bad grammar
I don’t know how any writer can claim to be a serious writer when presenting their “work” in this way. Many young people use texting shorthand in their query letters. Lots of folks, regardless of age, have the same errors as those appearing above, too.
To be completely honest, when I see a query like this, I instantly envision all of the edits I will need to do on the article. No matter how good the idea is, I really don’t have the time to correct dozens or hundreds of errors in an article written by someone like this. It appears this email was sent from a cell phone.
The answer is very simple. Use correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. If you do, editors who are interested in your article ideas will respond.
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
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!
I hope you can help me. I spent a year writing a pretty graphic erotic novel. I always envisioned a cover photo of a woman with red lipstick and a black hat casting a shadow over her eyes. I found a photo just like that on a stock agency website. However, my publisher won’t let me use it. He said it violates the stock photo agency’s guidelines for use. What can I do?
P.V.
A –
I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Please consult with an attorney for your specific legal questions. Every author’s book and situation is unique.
Your question is one I’ve seen many times before. By the time many authors are finished writing their book, they have a good idea of how they want the cover to look. And, with millions of photos for sale online, an author can find almost anything they’re looking for.
The problem is many models don’t want their face associated with erotica, or anything else that some may find offensive.
Imagine purchasing a stock photo online of a pretty girl in overalls sitting on a tractor for your book, Sexy Farm Girls Gone Wild. Now, imagine the letter you’ll receive later from a law firm telling you the model is a nice, church-going conservative girl from the south who would never associate herself with such a book. That lawsuit could bankrupt you.
Imagine a cover designer looking for a photo of a 20-something girl for a non-fiction book about prostitution. And, only after the lawsuit threat arrives does the author discover the model was actually 16 at the time the photo was taken.
Now, imagine there is an innocent photo of your face for sale on a stock photo agency website and you later find your photo on the glossy cover of a book about the STD epidemic in America, U.S.-based Nazis, dog fighting, or any other controversial or disturbing topic. Of course, most people are going to believe you are one of the people portrayed in the book. You’d be calling your lawyer right away, too!
Stock photos agencies have contract clauses in place that prevent real models’ faces from being used on anything that might portray that model in a negative light.
Here are a few things you can do:
1. Don’t use the model’s face on your book cover.
2. Fuzz out the face and any other identifying characteristics so that even the model won’t recognize him or herself. One author I know removed identifying tattoos from a model on the cover of his erotic novel, and changed the color of her clothing.
3. Hire a model who will sign an iron-clad contract permitting his or her face to be used on your book.
4. Purchase artwork for your cover instead of a photograph.
It's A Dirty Job...Writing Porn For Fun And Profit! Includes Paying Markets!
Fact is, writing porn is fun! It's also one of the easier markets to crack and make money at while you're still honing your skills. "It's A Dirty Job..." is one of the only resources that can teach you everything you need to know to create your stories and target your markets.
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.
Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed
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I have two books published by Publish America and they are out of business. I am currently rewriting both books with different titles and a few minor changes. I plan to self-publish the new books. Who at Amazon can I contact to have the original books removed?
Also, BookLocker has a Disgruntled Author Publishing Package for authors who are unhappy with their current publisher, or who are the victims of a defunct firm.
I want to include some words from the old song by Shirley Ellis in a short story I’m ready to publish as part of a collection. I’ve emailed ASCAP, and Sony, who owns the publishing rights, for permission and no one has gotten back to me in the past four weeks. Any advice on next steps?
Thanks.
PAB
A –
All you can do is ping them again (and maybe again). It’s not unusual for large copyright holders to take forever to respond to requests. And, it’s likely they’ll charge you several hundred dollars or more to use the lyrics.
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.
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.
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!
I am about to publish my memoirs. There is some content in the book that some friends and family members may not want to see about themselves in print. I don’t want to upset anyone so I wrote the book under a pseudonym.
But, I think I need to register the copyright under my real name, right? And then, don’t I need to put my real name on the copyright page?
All of this is very confusing. Please help.
M.B.
A –
If you feel you may receive personal and potentially even legal reprisals from friends and family members over the content of your memoirs, you should definitely NOT put your real name in or on the book, nor on any copyright documentation. I think we all know how well (ahem) the federal government does when protecting our identities and personal information.
Another thing to consider is that the Library of Congress will also ask for your address. So, if something goes awry in the government database (which is a question of when, not if), someone searching for your pseudonym could find your home or mailing address, put two and two together, and figure out who really wrote your book.
For authors writing under a pseudonym, WritersWeekly’s Copyright Registration Service ($99) submits all the relevant information to the Library of Congress under the author’s pseudonym, including a copy of the book, but we use OUR address. When the copyright certificate arrives here, we then mail it to the author. This way, the author’s address is never in the government database associated with that book. Other authors can request we do this for them as well, including those who are writing under their real name on a controversial topic but who don’t want their address in the government databases in case a loony reader threatens them.
For authors not using a pseudonym, and who don’t mind their address being in the database, we use their address and the copyright certificate is sent directly from the Library of Congress to them.
All authors, of course, retain all rights to their books.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS TOPIC? PLEASE SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW! 🙂
"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...
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape - SECOND EDITION
Completely revised edition of the ground-breaking travel writing book that provides a road map to success in the digital age. It dives headlong into the entrepreneurial world of blogging and digital books, while still acknowledging the real money to be made in declining print forms.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from more than 100 successful travel writers and bloggers, this is the definitive guide to creating success instead of waiting for permission. Written by a veteran, award-winning writer with two decades of experience as a book author, online publisher, freelancer, and blogger.
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.
I hope all is well with y’all in sunny and wet Florida!
My wife received a call today from a gentleman associated with (name of radio show removed). I googled him and he seems legit. They want me to call in, and discuss my books with them. Have you heard of anything like this being of benefit to any of your friends or authors? I’ve always been leery of these types of things…
Sincerely,
Chris
A –
I’ve never heard of the show so I can’t tell you if they will or will not offer you any significant exposure. Unfortunately, these types of phone calls are usually telemarketers trying to get authors to pay to be interviewed on a show. They lure you in with false praise and promises, and then they hit you with bill. Sadly, many authors fall of this scheme. Since anyone with a computer and a microphone can have their own online “radio” show now, I would exercise extreme caution.
HAVE YOU, TOO, BE CONTACTED BY A RADIO SHOW? PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW.
HAVE A WRITING- OR PUBLISHING-RELATED QUESTION FOR ANGELA? SHE’D LOVE TO HELP! Contact her RIGHT HERE.
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.
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!
Have a question for Angela (writing/publishing) or Richard (marketing)? Contact us here.
“shortangiebio”
Angela Hoy lives on a 52' Irwin Center Cockpit Ketch (sailboat) with her family and pets. She is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, BookLocker.com, and AbuzzPress, and the author of 19 books. Keep up with her family's adventurous liveaboard lifestyle at GotNoTanLines.com.
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 lives on a 52' Irwin Center Cockpit Ketch (sailboat) with her family and pets. Keep up with her family's adventurous liveaboard lifestyle at GotNoTanLines.com
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.)
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!
“SocialMedia”
“EmailSignup”
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(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!
Brian Whiddon is the Managing Editor of WritersWeekly.com and the Operations Manager at BookLocker.com. Brian is an Army vet and former police officer, and spent several years chained to a desk, commuting Tampa's congested roadways, working in corporate management and training, while writing in his spare time. He is now an author, blogger, and NRA-certified firearms instructor. Brian lives and works aboard his 36-foot sailboat, the “Floggin’ Molly” in St. Petersburg, Florida. He calls her his "rescue boat" that he found abandoned in a boat yard and rebuilt himself - fulfilling a dream he had to one day live aboard. Brian no longer commutes, and has donated all his business slacks, collared shirts, and ties to Goodwill. You can follow Brian on Facebook.
