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, an avid sailor, and NRA-certified firearms instructor. Brian lived and worked aboard his 36-foot sailboat, the “Floggin’ Molly” for 9 years 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. 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?
“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!
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.
“booklockerbannerGetPublished300x250”]
“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.
“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.
I just received this email and wanted to run it by you if it’s legit or no? If legit that’s great and I’m in! Lol
A.M.
A –
I reviewed the email you forwarded to me.
SCAM WARNING SIGNS
1. I tried to go to the website and my browser says:
Website status: Suspicious This site looks a little risky to us, so we flagged it just in case. Make sure you trust this site if you choose to proceed. Better safe than sorry! info-icon Phishing
2. There are numerous grammatical errors in the email (meaning it was very likely written by someone in another country). It was definitely NOT written by anyone at Netflix.
3. If Netflix was actually interested in your book, they would not send you such a generic letter. And, the scammer said they are considering “3 books” to try to make you think you might have to compete with the others. They do this to create a sense of urgency for their victims. Rest assured that hundreds, if not thousands, of authors received the exact same email – NOT three.
4.“Any unsolicited emails or calls from the writer/author will not be entertained by Netflix.”
They don’t want you to contact Netflix directly because they know that then you’ll find out it’s a scam.
5. The email has a confidentiality clause, which is absurd. They’re basically saying if you tell anyone about the email, you won’t get the deal. Total B.S.
6. If you contact them, they’ll probably woo you for awhile, trick you into thinking it’s actually going to happen, name some celebrities that they’ve “signed” to be in the movie/series, and then pressure you into paying them thousands and thousands of dollars for their scam “service.”
7. There is nothing on Netflix’s corporate website that uses the name of the Netflix division used in the email.
I’m glad you contacted me. You just saved yourself a small fortune. These scammers charge tens of thousands and more while promising hopeful authors fame and fortune. Of course, those authors instead end up broke…and broken-hearted.
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!
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.
Your book tells authors they must have their own website, and lists a variety of reasons. I want to do everything I can to make my book sell except I do NOT want to create a website. It looks very hard and then I’d have to keep up with it and make updates and I don’t want to.
Other than the “changing links” thing you talk about in your book, are there any other big reasons I should invest the time and money to have my own website?
J.C.
A –
I could provide 50 reasons if I had all day to write about this but, unfortunately, I don’t. Yes, the book 90+ Days of Promoting Your Book Online gives advice on scenarios that would make you wish you’d had your own website all along. They include:
1. You need to have your own website where you can publish your own writing, feature your own marketing content, correspond with readers, collect email addresses for your newsletter or blog, and more. This is true whether you are self-published or traditionally published. But, your website can just be a one-page store front for your books and/or your writing services as well. More on that below.
2. Paying your publisher to create and host a website for you makes you vulnerable to losing your entire website if the publisher goes belly-up. When Dog Ear Publishing went out of business, and its owner abandoned his authors, that was just one of the devastating effects.
3. You must have a website with your own website address (“URL” or Uniform Resource Locator) that you own and control. It doesn’t matter whether your website is only one page or several. You must have one. That ensures you will never lose control of YOUR website. Do NOT use anything like yourname.verybigISPcompany.com. It must be yourname.com or yourbooktitle.com or anything you want…as long as YOU own and control it. Period.
4. The most important reason to have your own website is so you can point readers to that URL in ALL of your marketing materials. Why? Imagine your publisher going out of business after you’d spent 5, 10, or more years directing people to the publisher’s website to buy your book. Or, maybe you included an Amazon link in all of those marketing activities. When the publisher goes out of business, all of those links disappear. Anyone happening upon your articles, social media posts, blog posts, interviews, and anything at all posted about your books in the past would not be able to buy your book.
5. And, there’s one more reason to have your own website rather than paying someone else to do it. CANCEL CULTURE. If you let any other person or company host your website, they have the power to “cancel” you if they don’t like something in your book, something you wrote online, or even some of your social media posts.
You may think you’re safe from this garbage right now but you never know which way the politically correct tide is going to move in the future. YouTube “cancels” videos and channels all the time. If you create videos to promote yourself or your book, you should post them to your own website, and direct people there. Use YouTube as a secondary method of video promotion. You might pick up some extra business from people who stumble upon your videos there. But, don’t list YouTube links in your marketing materials and activities. Only send people to your own website to see your videos.
Creating and maintaining a website is not difficult these days. It doesn’t have to be super fancy, or have any bells and whistles. It can simply be a one-page website that features your book’s cover, the description, perhaps and excerpt, and links where people can buy the book.
If those links change in the future, you simply need to change the links on YOUR website. All of the previous posts, articles, etc. appearing online will still be pointing to your website so people will still be able to easily buy your book with the updated links on YOUR website.
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!
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
How Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
I’m 15 years old. I’ve read your writer’s guidelines and I’d love to send you some article ideas. However, I don’t know if you have an age limit. I’ve been rejected by some magazines because of my age. Would you be willing to work with me if you like any of my article ideas?
Thank you,
M.B.
A –
The fact that you actually read our writer’s guidelines already puts you far ahead of the pack! You would not BELIEVE how many queries we receive on a daily basis from people who have not read our guidelines. I can also see that you have good writing, capitalization, and punctuation skills and that you are very professional. All of this means that you will probably go far in this profession. Great job!
In the United States, minors (anyone under the age of 18) can’t execute a contract. So, your parent or legal guardian would need to agree to our terms if we like any of your ideas. It’s a simple email contract. Be very wary of magazines and websites who try to convince you to write for free just because you’re not yet 18. We pay ALL of our writers, regardless of age.
Thank you for taking the time to check with us about any age limits. I very much look forward to receiving your future queries!
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!
The Art and Craft of Writing and Editing
Writing is a constant dialogue between author and reader.
The craft of writing involves an interchange of emotions between an author and a reader. An author creates a story line, conflict, and characters, gives his characters words to speak, and then hands off these materials to a reader. This process results in a constant dialogue between the mental imagery produced by a reader and that proposed by the author.
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.
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.
THE FALL, 2021 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST IS THIS WEEKEND!! Our fall contest is the most popular one each year.Only 500 participants permitted so DON’T DELAY IF YOU WANT TO PLAY!!
I often received unsolicited articles, short stories, poems, marketing materials, website text, back cover text (for books), and even entire book manuscripts that aren’t being submitted to us for publication. They are sent by writers who are looking for someone to critique their work…FOR FREE.
While it would be awesome if I had infinite hours to give people free services like that, I simply do NOT. I’m too busy running a business, homeschooling our youngest child, and living the rest of my life (laundry, cooking, appointments, church work, gardening, etc.).
I admit I get a bit miffed that so many people assume that I will drop everything, and spend several minutes to several hours reading their work, and giving them a list of things that are good and not good, and details about how they can improve their writing. Some of them are downright rude. They don’t ask. They TELL me to read their work, and send them feedback. They act like they’re doing me a favor by asking me to work for them for free.
That would be like me taking my overflowing laundry basket to my neighbor, dropping it on her porch, ringing the doorbell, and demanding she do it for me. Pretty insulting and ridiculous, right?
When I received these requests, I tell them they should join a writing group online. There are countless ones available. And, writers can often find a local group online as well.
Some people respond, telling me they don’t want amateur writers reading their work. They claim dumb things like that they won’t get a good critique, that someone in the writing group might steal their idea or their work, etc. Some respond by demanding that I do what they originally asked. And, that’s when I stop responding to them.
If you want an honest review of your writing:
1. Do NOT ask your mother!
2. Do NOT ask any other close friend or relative!
3. Join a local writing group (you can Google “writing group” or “writer’s group” and your town or county).
or
4. Join a writing group online. There are TONS of them with their own websites and there are even more congregating on Facebook and other social media sites.
If you do that, don’t step right in, and demand people critique your work. First, contribute to the group through posts, and by critiquing other writers’ work. Only after you’ve been around awhile, and have proven your commitment to the group, should you ask them for help.
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!
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.
THE FALL, 2021 24-HOUR SHORT STORY CONTEST WILL BE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2021! Our fall contest is the most popular one each year. Only 500 participants permitted so DON’T DELAY IF YOU WANT TO PLAY!!
Q –
Angela,
I get less than $50 per year for royalties. I know my book is selling because people tell me how good it is. I think my publisher is ripping me off. How can I find out?
– BG
A –
I’m going to be completely honest with you so you should probably sit down before you read this. Remember…you asked.
I found your book on Amazon. It’s doubtful your publisher is ripping you off. It’s far more likely that your friends and family are lying to you about buying your book.
Here’s why:
1. Your cover design is really, really bad. It is extremely simplistic and unprofessional.
2. Your book description on Amazon is full of grammatical and punctuation errors. The description is so bad that I can’t even understand what your book is about.
3. I clicked on the “inside the book” option on Amazon and the very first paragraph (a short one) has 9 errors in it.
Anyone reading the description or excerpt will not want to buy the book. Authors should always hire a professional editor.
Your book was published by one of the author meat markets so it’s not surprising that they put your book on the market as-is. They don’t care about putting bad books up for sale and they don’t care if any copies sell or not because they’ve already fleeced the author for thousands up-front. And, they clearly don’t care about their own reputation…nor yours.
I recommend pulling your book from the market, having it professionally edited, renaming it, and having a new (professional) cover designed. If you are serious about becoming an author, you need to completely disassociate yourself from the first edition. Heck, I would even write under a pseudonym from now on because the old description and excerpt from your first book will be searchable online probably for eternity. Yes, that’s how bad it is.
Any author who contacts me should expect honesty. I’m not here to soothe egos. I’m here to help authors sell more books.
90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy
Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.
We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts
and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!
Online book promotion is not only simple but, if you have a step-by-step, day-to-day marketing plan (this book!), it can also be a very artistic endeavor,
which makes it fun for creative folks like you!
Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!
Make Sure Your Marketing is Targeted at the Right Audience
Thought you might like to see an email I received yesterday regarding my book. They even asked for the PDF! I’ve never heard of these guys before, and have never ever solicited any such project. The email came to my work email. This is a scam, isn’t it? I don’t want my book made into a movie!
Best wishes. P.
A –
Hi Priscilla,
I read the email. It contained:
Fluff to stoke an author’s ego
A statement saying your book has passed the “initial screening” (Total B.S.!)
Lots of professional sounding drivel about landing a movie deal with a studio (and it named a real studio)
A request for your manuscript
A request that you sign a confidentiality agreement (so you wouldn’t be able to tell people you were scammed later!)
And more garbage…
Yes, it’s absolutely a scam. They have not screened your book. They don’t care what your book is about, nor if it’s good or very bad. They are only concerned about how many authors they can trick into paying them thousand of dollars for their services, which are complete garbage.
I can’t BELIEVE they put a confidentiality clause in the email. HA HA HA! You can tell anyone you want about this crap.
Oh, and the email address for that big-name movie studio is fake. I recommend forwarding the email to the actual studio so they’ll know their name is being used for this scam.
The guy who emailed you has a real email address (different from the movie studio). I checked out their website. They’re a publisher. They were going to try to convince you to pay them (thousands!) to republish your book. They were going to tell you that your book needed to be better, look better, etc. in order for them to present it to the studio.
In the end, authors who fall for these scams lose their original publishing contracts (these scam outfits claim exclusive rights), end up with a different (and crappy) version of their book and, of course, NO MOVIE DEAL. Those authors also end up with thousands less in their bank accounts.
Firms like this find new books on Amazon, search for the authors online, find their email addresses and/or websites, and spam them with this garbage.
I’m glad you figured out it was a scam!! Lots of authors do not. 🙁
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!
DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Always consult with an attorney for your legal needs.
Q –
Hello,
My husband’s great grandfather wrote an amazing regional book. It is a very sought after book in (our state) and we only have one copy in our family. It is no longer in print. I’ve tried to contact the publisher, (name removed), but I can’t find any information. I’ve spoke to some bookstores who would love to have it back in circulation but I don’t know where to begin and if it’s even possible. Any advice?
A –
This is always a sticky situation. Books published long ago, that are no longer in print, may or may not be available for republishing by the author or his/her heirs. If it was a traditional contract, and if the book was published decades ago, there was probably a point when the rights reverted back to your husband’s great grandfather, or his heirs if he had passed by that time.
I looked for that publishing house online for you as well. Aside from mentions of it on the copyright pages of some books published long ago, and an old Facebook page (from 2013) that has no posts at all, I can’t find anything, either. It appears they are completely out of business and there appears to be no way to contact anyone who was associated with that company. I also can’t find any mention of the business being sold. And, as you stated, the book has long been out of print.
If I was in your shoes, I’d go ahead and republish the book, provided none of your husband’s relatives contest your and his plans to do so. Copyrights are considered part of a person’s assets when they die. Get your husband’s relatives’ approval first in writing, and have them waive any rights to the book. If it sells well, someone may become jealous and greedy, and cause problems for you in the future.
If you only have a printed copy of the book, you will need to have the manuscript typed into a word processing program like MSWord. If you need help with that, CLICK HERE.
While the manuscript likely belongs to the heirs, the original publisher probably retained rights to the cover. I recommend having an entirely new and unique cover designed so you can’t be accused of violating the original publisher’s copyrights for that.
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.
So, on my Amazon page there is another author with my same name. At the bottom, after all the info. about my book, is his picture with his books for sale. How can I get Amazon to fix this? I’ve already had a couple of people tell me they bought his books instead of mine.
Thanks for you help.
L.
A –
I looked at your book page on Amazon. Sure enough, toward the bottom is some other guy’s picture. When you click on him, you end up at his Author Central page on Amazon. And, guess what? Amazon is showing that your book was written by that guy!
With all of Amazon’s high-tech gurus and whatnot, you’d THINK their system would know that some humans actually have identical names!
Amazon will only fix an author mis-identification if the complaining author has an Author Central account in their system. It’s free and it’s easy to set up. However, Amazon will probably also start sending you marketing messages. Just filter those into your sp*m folder.
Once you set up your Author Central account, you can contact Amazon through through that portal, and tell them to stop giving that other dude credit for your book.
Another option is to contact that author, and ask him to ask Amazon to stop putting your book on his page, and to stop putting his face on your book page.
How Many Copies Of Your Book Would You Have To Sell In Order To Break Even?
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 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.
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’m not certain how you feel about dispensing free advice, but I need an experienced opinion. I am finishing up a novel that has three distinct parts. Each part is as long as a book.
Is it better from a marketing standpoint to publish the book as a single work, or break it up as a trilogy?
Many thanks and God bless!
J.
A –
I recommend breaking it up. You can price the first book lower to promote the other two books. It’s always better to have three products to sell instead of one.
Also, authors of multiple books are considered more professional, and new readers might be more willing to take a gamble on a new author if that author has multiple books under his/her belt.
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.)
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 not a CPA and this is not tax advice. Please consult with your CPA or a tax professional for advice on your specific needs.
Q –
Angela,
In talking to many independent authors, there is a growing awareness of the penalties of not collecting Sales Tax. In several states, if you exceed the tax threshold, you must register and file financial documents with the tax authorities of those states.
It is extremely difficult to stop filing reports later, even if sales slow down or stop completely. If you do not collect and file, there are very significant tax penalties and fines that far exceed any revenue the book sales may have produced.
Who is responsible for reporting and paying those taxes to avoid the penalties and fines?
– M
A –
The company (or person) selling the product is responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax…in some instances. Things have changed quite a bit in the sales tax realm. After many years of the Internet enabling tax-free purchases, states started getting antsy. Then, federal law was passed permitting states to jump their borders when collecting sales tax.
“Economic Nexus legislation generally requires an out-of-state retailer to collect and remit sales tax once the retailer meets a set level of sales transactions or gross receipts activity (a threshold) within the state. No physical presence is required.” – SalesTaxInstitute.com
In other words, many states now require persons and companies located out of state to collect and remit sales tax if the product is shipped to someone in that taxing state. However, most of those states have sales thresholds that must first be met before you’re required to start collecting and remitting sales tax for that state. For example, if you’re an independent author shipping a book to California, you’d need to have generated $500K in sales to CA residents before you’d hit the threshold. But, other states have lower thresholds. Some have thresholds based on the number of transactions. Other states use a combination of sales and transaction thresholds. I.E. $100K in sales or 200 transactions.
You ARE required to collect and remit sales tax in your own state for books sold in and shipped to addresses in your state, and there are no thresholds for those.
If you don’t want to deal with all of that, refer your buyers to your publisher’s website, or Amazon, or elsewhere.
If someone buys a taxable product, and is not charged sales tax on that item, they are supposed to report and pay “use tax” on that purchase to their own state. However, most people do not do that. That’s why so many states have enacted these new sales tax laws.
If you want to see a chart detailing different states’ sales tax requirements, and their thresholds, the best resource for that is RIGHT HERE.
If you have questions about collecting and remitting sales tax in your state, go to the department of revenue website for your state, and then find the sales tax link. There’s a handy list of those websites RIGHT HERE.
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!
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.
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!
Have a question for Angela (writing/publishing) or Richard (marketing)? Contact us here.
“shortangiebio”
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”
It's FREE!
(We won't sell your address, or spam you.)
After clicking "SUBSCRIBE" above, check your email to confirm your subscription.
Once you click on the link in your email, you'll be taken to a page on our site where you can instantly download your free book.
Yes, it's that easy!
NOTE: If you don't receive our email, please check your spam filters. Please whitelist emails coming from writersweekly@writersweekly.com.
“BOOK-QueryLetters”
QUERY LETTERS THAT WORKED! Real Queries That Landed $2K+ Writing Assignments
Peek over the shoulders of highly successful freelance writers to see how they earn thousands per article! The query letter is the key!
In these pages, you'll find real query letters that landed real assignments for national magazines, websites, and corporations.
Also includes:
Abbi Perrets' form letter that brings in $30,000-$45,000 annually
Sample phone query from Christine Greeley
The Six Golden Rules of Queries and Submissions...and How I Broke Them! by Bob Freiday
Your Rights As a "Freelancer"
and ANGELA HOY'S SECRET for finding ongoing freelance work from companies that have a stable of freelancers, yet never run ads for them!
“COLOR TEST”
THIS IS A COLOR TEST
“Book – Boyd’s Best Blogs”
The Best of Boyd's Blogs: 87 Solutions to a Life of Better Speaking and Listening
Ever wish you could have your favorite blog in book form? There's nothing like flipping through the pages and reading helpful snippets here and there.
In this book, Steve Boyd gives you that very opportunity. He has intrigued his readers and clients for years with his insightful newsletters and blog posts. This book includes some of his most interesting stories and communication tips, from listening to speaking. As he quotes this Chinese proverb, "From listening comes wisdom and from speaking repentance."
You won't need to repent from your next speech if you use these articles to guide both your preparation and delivery. As an avid reader of his blog said, "These articles are priceless! People need what you have to say."
Steve Boyd's articles on motivation and communication-related topics have appeared
in various publications. His books on public speaking have sold over 30,000 copies.
He is a popular after-dinner speaker and conducts workshops for businesses and associations
whose members want to speak and listen effectively to improve personally and professionally.
