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 sfter 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.
How Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
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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.
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 world's 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!
Involved in Internet marketing since 1995 (when it officially became a profession), Richard Hoy is now focusing his years of online marketing expertise on using Facebook advertising to promote books.
His new company, Boost A Book, offers simple, affordable, and effective book promotion packages that make tapping into the full power of online marketing effortless for authors. Find out more at BoostABook.com.
Need an online marketing question answered? Contact him by clicking here.
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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!
"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.
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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.
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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.
I found a book designer online, and paid her to do my cover and my manuscript. All the design is done and I’m now looking for a publisher. I just heard from my designer that she might need to re-do the files if my publisher’s specifications are different, and she’ll charge me to do that. Now I’m wondering why she didn’t tell me that before the work was started, and finished! How can I find a publisher whose specifications match my files as they are right now?
S.A.
A –
Authors should never let anyone format/design their files until they know who the publisher will be. (And, most publishers offers those services anyway as part of their publishing packages.) Each publisher will have specs that must be followed.
If your files aren’t designed to those specs, you’ll need to pay your designer all over again to re-do the work. Some designers actually scam authors in this way. They know the author doesn’t have a publisher or specs yet…but they convince the author to let them go ahead and do the work, knowing they’ll get paid double in the end.
I do not recommend trying to hunt and peck around the Internet to find a publisher whose specs match your files. That would be a huge waste of time, and may even be an impossible task. It’s a better idea to simply let your publisher design your files.
If a designer designs files without a printer’s specs, and then wants more money to re-do the work later, it’s possible that person purposely formatted those files at a size (or in a way) that no publisher would be able to work with.
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!
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!
My late husband had a book published by Publish America, America Star Books, or whoever else they became. I have heard they are out of business? Do you know if it is true? I would like to get it republished but am unsure how to go about it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A –
First, let me say I’m not an attorney and this isn’t legal advice. Please consult with an attorney for any legal questions.
It was reported that PublishAmerica (a.k.a. America Star Books) went belly-up in 2017. After countless complaints were posted online about them not paying authors’ royalties, and by ceasing operations, they violated clauses in their own contracts.
Therefore, I feel perfectly comfortable telling authors to go ahead and have their books published elsewhere. The company never filed for bankruptcy and, at this point, it is doubtful they ever will. I heard a wild rumor that the owners left the country. Of course, I can’t prove that.
For the books that are still for sale on Amazon, who’s getting those payments? It’s unlikely Amazon is just holding onto that money. Of course, Amazon won’t tell anyone what’s going on with a specific publisher’s account.
Interestingly, the PublishAmerica.com website is still in operation. It has very old material on it. However, on the homepage, in 2019 (two years after they went out of business!), someone posted a discount for authors who might want to buy some CBD oil.
As of today, that CBD website link is still operational. Notice you can get 10% off if you use the PA10 discount code. I wonder if that means the previous owners of Publish America are getting referral fees from them? Hmmm…
I did some more digging. According to LinkedIn, it looks like that CBD company is owned by this guy:
He looked a bit too perfect in that picture so I searched for the image in Google and, guess what? You guessed it! It’s a model’s photo that’s found in many places on the Internet. Or, do you think this guy used to be a model for eyeglasses? I highly doubt it!
If you can’t post your own danged photo online in your advertising, guy, don’t post any photo at all. Sheesh.
Anyway, back to the PublishAmerica website…
There are some broken links on the site but it makes it appear, to a newbie anyway, that they’re still in business. They are NOT.
The America Star Books website is empty and the URL is for sale. However, nobody would be dumb enough to pay $400 to be even remotely associated with the past reputation of that firm!
In 2020, a federal lien was placed on (or was attempted to be placed on) America Star Books and Victor Cretella for $17,120.26.
To see many, MANY more lawsuits against the firm, CLICK HERE. NOTE: Once you pull them up, you can click on the links to the left of all of the cases to get more info. (but not much).
Once there, click on the “company” button on that page, right above the first search box.
For your first search, type: Publish America
For your second search: type America Star Books
It’s no wonder they went out of business. How can you possible run a company when you have so many legal action going on???
Next, click on the “Person” button and search for –
Last name: Cretella
First name: Victor
And –
Last name: Clopper
First name: Lawrence
Note that those “person” searches will pull up some unassociated cases.
As you’ve probably already guessed, you will not be able to get your husband’s files from the company since you will not be able to contact the owners of that company.
If you have your husband’s manuscript in electronic format, you can have it republished. If you only have a copy of the printed book, you can either retype it into a word processing program, or you can hire someone to do that for you RIGHT HERE.
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’m considering writing to publishers to see if they are interested in my already self-published book.
Should I be asking them if they are interested in publishing or re-publishing the book? I know they will be asking for sales figures, etc., but I just wanted to use the correct verbiage.
Many thanks,
G.G.
A –
The correct term is re-publish but I recommend asking them if they’re interested in publishing an updated version of the book. And, let them know you’ll, of course, take the first one off the market.
A traditional publisher is much more apt to purchase the rights to a self-published book if it has sold several thousand copies in the past. And, if it’s an updated version of the book, all the better.
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.
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 Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
This isn’t really a Q&A but it’s something I’m very upset about.
An author submitted a manuscript. I was paging down and, near the end, there was a picture of a dying elderly woman. Her shirt or gown was wide open and her breasts were on prominent display. I got sick to my stomach. Despite the fact that the woman is now deceased, I was humiliated for her.
My mom told the story of going to the death bed of a relative who was dying at his home. The very elderly man was literally breathing is last breath. He was naked and his body was not covered despite the fact that he was surrounded by people who came to tell him goodbye. My mother was very disturbed by that. That man deserved respect.
I volunteered at a nursing home when I was in high school. I remember walking into a woman’s room (the door was wide open). She was completely nude on her bedsheets and a nurse was sitting on the side of the woman’s bed, and running her hand over the woman’s leg. I couldn’t tell if it was a loving gesture or a downright creepy one. Anyone walking by that door could see that completely nude woman. She deserved respect.
A woman I used to know had a father who was a very proud man. When he died, his daughter posted a picture of him on Facebook. His head was cocked back and his mouth was wide open and the picture was downright horrific. Why post it on Facebook? For attention, obviously. I was so embarrassed for that proud man even though he was already deceased.
Why do so many people think that dying or dead people deserve no modesty and no respect? I just don’t get it.
I told the author we would not publish that picture, and I told him why. He ended up Photoshopping a shirt onto that poor woman.
I would appreciate your comments on this topic. The comments box is below.
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!
My mom wrote 3 books, all of which were about my children, and published them through Tate Publishing and the royalties were to go to my children to buy them a home and she passed away. I’m trying to see what to do and amazon is still selling books?? Please help.
– R.S.
A –
Hi Rachel,
Unfortunately, you will need to start all over in the publishing process. We can help you do that through BookLocker.com and you’ll qualify for our disgruntled author special.
If you have not obtained your production files from Tate Publishing by now, you will not be able to get those files.
If Amazon is still selling copies, I recommend filing a copyright infringement complaint. However, it’s very important to READ THIS first.
How Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
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!
My publisher pays my royalties through PayPal, which I like because I get paid fast. I also occasionally get paid for articles through that website.
My question is, will I be getting a 1099 from my publisher and magazine editors each year, or will PayPal be reporting my income to the taxing authorities?
Also, PayPal occasionally charges me a fee to receive money, but not always. Why is that?
A –
Since the post office is now slower than ever (and since so much mail gets lost), PayPal is a very convenient way to pay people. Folks get their money instantly (in most cases), and most people already have a PayPal account. Also, if a company is not keeping their authors’ or writers’ tax information in a database, they are far less appetizing to hackers.
NEW TAX REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS YEAR
The United States and other countries are cracking down on payment reporting. You may have seen in the news that, in the U.S., the feds want every bank to report any individual who has had more than $600 in transactions in a given year. While that legislation is still in the works, they have officially changed their reporting requirements for PayPal and other payment processors. That went into effect on 1/1/22.
Your payments are business transactions. PayPal is required to report business transactions on any business earning $600 or more in a calendar year (The previous threshold for PayPal was $20K or 200 transactions in a year.)
PAYPAL TEMPORARILY HOLDS ONTO SOME USERS’ FUNDS
If you do not typically received business transactions through your PayPal account, or if you receive a larger payment than usual, they may put a payment on hold because it’s considered “unusual activity” for your account. That is for your and their security. We receive credit for PayPal payments instantly when people send us money but we’ve been accepting those types of transactions for many years. Thus, PayPal knows we’re a legitimate “business,” and that nobody has hacked our account.
The first reason on the link directly above says: “The payment you received may be considered unusual for your selling pattern.”
Once PayPal determines that your account is on the up and up, they should no longer make you wait to access your funds.
PAYPAL’S FEES
When somebody sends money to “pay for a product or service,” PayPal will charge the recipient a fee. When somebody sends a payment via PayPal’s friends and family method, they do not charge the recipient a fee (and, they do not report those transactions to tax authorities). However, they may charge the sender a fee, especially if that money is being sent to an account in another country.
Don’t ask your publisher or an editor to send you a business payment via the friends and family method for article writing or book sales. Doing so can get you both into trouble with PayPal AND with the tax authorities. It is very unprofessional to ask someone to commit tax fraud, and doing so can harm your reputation with your publisher and/or magazine editors.
As a PayPal business customer (writing is a business, after all), per your agreement with that company, they charge fees to receive payments that are for business transactions. Many companies accept the fees as a reasonable cost of doing business since the site makes making and receiving payments so fast and convenient.
We used to mail checks to writers who wrote articles for us, and to authors for royalties. After the post office failed to deliver numerous checks over the years, and after one of our checks was stolen and “washed” in another country, and after countless writers and authors “lost” their checks (and asked for replacements), and after countless others simply never deposited their checks (making my accounting each year-end a nightmare), we switched to PayPal and we’ve never regretted it.
And, while I’ve seen online that some people have reported their PayPal accounts have been hacked, that is rare. To help prevent that, use a completely unique password for your PayPal account, and make it a good one. with lots of differing capital and lower-case letters, and characters (i.e. *, $, #, &, etc.).
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 already finished my book series. Should I publish them all at once, or one at a time?
A –
If you’ve finished writing and editing all of them, yes, I recommend publishing them all at once. People hate to have to wait for another book in a series and, if the next book in a series comes out months (or even years) later, you won’t be able to contact all of the previous buyers.
If you publish all the books at once, you can put ads for all of the other books in the series in the back of each book. That way, everybody reading the books will know about the rest of the series, and can immediately purchase those.
Even better, if you are advertising the series, and if all of the books are already available, many people will go ahead and buy the entire series so they won’t have to wait after finishing the first book.
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!
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 recently received the following statement in an email from an author:
“I recently paid a company called Ghostwriting Proficiency to edit (my book) but to my dismay, they could not speak or write proper English.”
I had never heard of that company so I checked them out. This is what I learned:
A simple review of their website reveals poor writing skills. It certainly appears the text was not written by a native English speaker. And, I think any ghostwriter or ghostwriting firm would provide perfect writing on their website as an example of their offerings. But, they do not.
Examples:
“The journey from a writer to becoming an author gets that more easy with ghostwritingproficiency.com.”
“We then assign you a Writer and ensure your comfortability with both the Ghostwriter as well as the Editor.”
“With Ghostwriting Proficiency services from expert ghostwriters and professional book editors; days of becoming a published author are closer than ever before.”
“Welcome aspiring writers, scholars and mentors, if you are on the hunt to getting published, you’ve reached your destination.”
“Next come the ghostwriters responsible to pen your book in your voice. Your book will be assigned to a dedicated writer who will focus just on your book for the entirety of the project and thus gives you 101% on paper.”
I’ll stop there but there’s plenty more on their website.
Now, check out the “team” photos on their website. Those people look darned near perfect, huh? There’s a reason for that! Right click to save those people’s images, and then upload those to Google’s image search option. You’ll find that the images are from stock photo agencies. In other words, those images may be of real people but those folks are models. They don’t work for that “ghostwriting” company. Don’t worry. You don’t have to do the Google search because I already did it for you! 🙂
Let’s start with Joseph Prichard‘s photo. You can see him there on the right in the photo above. Except, that’s not really him. It is fake. He’s a real guy but he is not Joseph Pritchard and he doesn’t work for GhostWritingProficiency.com. How do I know? Because, he’s on this stock photo site:
And, on Quora.com, a guy named Paul Pedigo is using that photo as himself. In another Quora post, his name is Taylor Wilkinson because somebody else liked the photo enough to want to look like that guy (online at least), too. Who wouldn’t?
And, there’s more!
Think that’s a coincidence? (I’m sure you don’t.) Well, check out the lovely Miriam M. Snyder.
Did you know she’s not only a writer (she’s not!), but also a model for dentist offices? You can see why. After all, she does have very nice teeth!
Lastly, let’s check out Robert D. Hillhouse.
Handsome fellow, right? That’s why he’s a MODEL!
Buyer beware! Thoroughly research every firm you plan to hire online. If the employees or contractors all look like models, THEY PROBABLY ARE!
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 Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
I need clarification on photo release forms. Do I need one for a picture in which faces are so distant or blurred that they are unrecognizable? What if you can see only 1/4 of the person’s face?
What if the people in the photo have their back to the camera? Do I need their permission? What about people in other countries?
A –
DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Please consult with your attorney for any and all legal questions.
That said….
Different countries have different laws about people appearing in photographs. You would need to check the laws for countries where your foreign photos were taken.
In the U.S., if a photo is taken on public property, you don’t need permission to publish that photo, even if people are in it. People in public have no expectation of privacy. That’s why you see, for example, news footage of crowds of people in public places. Of course, journalists and publishers did not obtain permission from those people.
If a photo is taken on private property, people do have an expectation of privacy. So, for example, if your buddy was at a party at your house, and you took a picture of him kissing a woman other than his wife, or skinny dipping, or doing shots (or worse!), you can’t publish any pictures without his written permission.
If someone is in the background, and not quite in focus, I recommend blurring the face more in a graphics program just to be safe. If they are completely blurry, and if you are confident that nobody will ever recognize that person, then it would probably be okay to publish his or her picture.
HOWEVER, what if you took a picture of a girl wearing a pink jumpsuit at your party? And, let’s assume her face is pretty blurry but she was the ONLY person at your party wearing a pink jumpsuit. Somebody else who attended your party might recognize her, tell a friend, etc., etc. And, what if she’d skipped work to come to your party and her boss found out and she got fired? The possibilities, of course, are endless here.
With all that in mind, I recommend:
Only publishing pictures taken on public property.
For private property photos, obtain permission from everyone in the photo.
If you can’t, crop them out of the photo or blur the background so much that you can’t even tell a person was there.
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!
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 am writing a non-fiction book about (topic removed). I am using lots of quotes from other books. Since I’m not doing this to make money, I don’t need permission to quote from other books, right? I am sure I won’t be making a profit with my book because I’m going to give away copies.
A –
Regardless if you want to profit from the book or not, permission must still be obtained for anything that goes beyond the scope of “fair use.”
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!
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.
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.)
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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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.
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