The WritersWeekly Podcast

·       Who is the best-known author of all time who wrote his “books” in prison?  ·       Which author landed a traditional publishing contract for her prison memoir, and ended up selling more than 1 million copies? Hint: Her book was turned into a very popular and Emmy award winning TV series.   ·       Which prison-penning author got out early because a famous author, Norman Mailer, thought he...

·       Which publisher sued Amazon, leading to a $300K settlement?  ·       A scammer sued WritersWeekly after getting exposed. Guess who won that lawsuit?  ·       Which Holocaust denier sued Penguin Books, and what stupid thing did he do that resulted in him losing in court?  ·       Which psychologist sued Doubleday and an author after information about his nude therapy appeared in a novel?  ·...

Despite the topic, Brian and Angela ended up in stitches while recording this episode!   Is the pen truly deadlier than the sword?  Well, these authors didn't use pens or swords to commit their crimes - but they certainly proved deadly!  Which best-selling author committed murder at age 15??  Which recently deceased author is now suspected of being a serial killer? And, you won’t believe the...

·       How has AI directly contributed to suicides (by children and adults)? We share specific and extremely disturbing true stories about these victims in this episode. ·       How has AI also contributed to murders, false arrests (we share true stories about innocent people who spent MONTHS in jail!), the development of missiles by terrorists, and the attempted creation of bioweapons?  ·       ...

Which famous author sold 32 million copies, but is now $1.2B in debt?  Which self-published author sold more than 100,000 copies in six months?  Which author self-published a short story and ended up landing a TV series deal?  Which cookbook was originally self-published, and later became one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time?  Which BookLocker.com author has earned hundreds of thousands in...

Which major publisher recently offered a contract to a hateful outspoken anti-Semite? Why did a specific author and friend of ours refuse to be interviewed for this episode? Which book - written by a 19-year-old activist - is blamed for actions taken by domestic terrorists, which led to many deaths?  Which book appeared to be written by a man, but was not? And, how did it lead to the deaths of thr...

Here's the episode that a LOT of you have been asking for! Angela and Brian welcome Marsh Rose to the WritersWeekly Podcast. Marsh is a professional psychotherapist based in California.  In this episode, we wade deep into what makes some scam victims tick! Are some personality types more susceptible to being scammed than others? What causes some people to move forward with a business deal whe...

The fun continues with Stacey and Troy as we head off into the weeds and talk about all kinds of stuff related to writing and publishing! Stacey Smekofske and Troy Lambert are popular and respected writing and publishing professionals who also host the "Pros Talking Prose" podcast. Stacey and Troy join Angela and Brian to discuss how even intelligent and seasoned authors and writers can...

This week, we have two guests onboard, and the conversation takes many turns, with PLENTY OF LAUGHS!    Stacey Smekofske and Troy Lambert are popular and respected writing and publishing professionals who also host the "Pros Talking Prose" podcast. Stacey and Troy join Angela and Brian to discuss how even intelligent and seasoned authors and writers can still wind up getting scammed by t...

ALERT! One of the most disturbing articles we found (from one of the players in this travesty) has already been removed from the Internet. However, we located it on the Wayback Machine! We include a link to that under this episode at WritersWeekly.com/podcast (episode 51).    We've reported in the past on AI companies "scraping" the internet and absorbing ebooks for training their A...

Our favorite professor, editor, and book marketer, Clayton Jones, joins us again for this episode! He is a HOOT!!! In the “News from the Home Office” part at the beginning of the episode, we describe how Bigfoot has returned to our mountaintop neighborhood. THIS IS NOT A JOKE! Angela was a complete non-believer until she saw one two and a half years ago. They stayed for six months (lots of neighbo...

Have you ever found yourself in the following situation? Someone comes to you to ask your opinion about some decision they are trying to make. Maybe it's dating or marriage advice. Maybe it's something about their career. Perhaps it has to do with some large purchase they want to make.  You give them excellent advice based on your expertise, along with facts and logic; not emotion. Then,...

Music: "Light Rays" used with permission from Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters. https://theboxmasters.com/store     Do you remember the movie based on the Stephen King novel "Misery?" An author is stalked and captured by an obsessed fan. She proceeds to torture him while still professing her admiration of his works. “I’m your number one fan!” Although most stalkers don&apo...

We decided to have a silly episode. Clayton Jones and Brian go head to head to see who knows more about little factoids in the literary world.  How many of Angela's questions can YOU answer?  Join us for fun, laughs, and some interesting information you may have never hear before as we play the Weird & Fun Book & Author Trivia Game. Text us directly and tell us what you think of this...

Guest: Gary Sturgis, The International Bestselling Author of Surviving Grief – 365 Days a Year In this episode, we continue our interview with BookLocker.com's international bestselling author Gary Sturgis! Do you have a book on the market that's not accumulating the sales you'd like to see? It's likely due to your marketing strategy, and how you communicate with potential read...

Guest: Gary Sturgis, The International Bestselling Author of Surviving Grief - 365 Days a Year  Do you have a book on the market that's not accumulating the sales you'd like to see? It's likely due to your marketing strategy, and how you communicate with potential readers online.   In the next two episodes, Angela and Brian welcome back Gary Sturgis, BookLocker's best-selling a...

You've heard us say it over and over again: DO NOT PAY FOR BOOK REVIEWS!  So, what is an author supposed to do? Wait around, hoping for readers who might decide to take the time to review their book? Beg people on social media for positive write-ups? Ask their family and friends to post reviews on Amazon? (DON’T DO THE LATTER! You could get banned from Amazon for doing that! We explain why in...

Approximately 90% of banned Amazon KDP accounts are never reinstated!   We were recently contacted by yet ANOTHER terminated Amazon KDP author. His unpaid royalties are $38K (!!!), and there is NOTHING he can do to get his account back (he’s tried!), nor to get his $38K. He can’t even access his files, nor see his past sales reports. He’s completely and permanently LOCKED OUT of his Amazon KDP acc...

In this episode, Professor Clayton Jones joins us again! Being an English Professor at the University of Tennessee, a professional editor, AND a professional book marketer, he’s seen it ALL! And, so has Angela, who has been in the business for 28 years! While Clayton discusses authors who have behaved badly when working with him, the examples Angela shares are from folks who contacted her through...

Could that very active fellow Facebook author group member really be a SCAMMER? Chances are pretty high THEY ARE!   Publishing scammers have infiltrated Facebook’s author groups to perform DATA MINING! What’s the problem, you ask? All they have is your Facebook profile link. So, what’s the big deal?   Nope, that’s not ALL they have! They start with your profile, and within minutes, they likely kno...

In Episode 10 of the WritersWeekly Podcast (one of our most popular ones!), you heard the story of how Angela Hoy started WritersWeekly.com as a young, single mother, with MANY challenges along the way. Those included skipping meals early on to ensure her children were well-fed (her ex wasn’t paying court-ordered child support), and later suing Amazon.com for federal anti-trust violations, and win...

In this episode, Angela and Brian share real stories about lawsuits that were filed against authors, and how those proceedings affected them financially…and otherwise. So many authors feel that, even if they get sued, they might win…so, no problem, right? WRONG! In the U.S., unless a case is declared frivolous by a judge, you might never get back all the money you spent defending yourself.  Anothe...

If you hate scammers, you're gonna LOVE this episode! Angela actually convinced this scammer to write an ARTICLE telling all about how he fools people into thinking he is a book marketer/freelance writer based in the USA, and convinces them to pay him for his "services." What's best is that he have all the messages and emails between Angela and this scammer, in which he reveals...

In this episode, Angela and Brian go over the latest “services” that international scammers have dreamed up to suck authors’ bank accounts dry. They will even tell you that not buying some of these services could land you in jail! Don’t be taken in by these fraudsters! No longer is it simply offering “full publishing services” for rock-bottom, unbelievable prices (the “publisher” then disappears w...

Traditional publishing? Self-publishing? Hybrid publishing? What's best for YOUR book? Is your manuscript even ready for publication? Who can help you determine that, ensuring a polished manuscript, and the best possible chance for future sales? The good news is, there is no need to walk the publishing path alone! In this episode, Angela and Brian explore the benefits of hiring an Author Coac...