The WritersWeekly Podcast

In our 10th episode, Angela Hoy tells us the interesting circumstances that led to the creation of WritersWeekly.com, how she later created a successful book publishing business, and about the oftentimes stressful (but sometimes funny) personal and professional struggles she had along the way. 

We learn how WritersWeekly.com went from being almost a side hobby to make a little extra money, to a means of survival during hard times, to a proven marketing tool, as well as a FREE source of help for writers and authors everywhere!

Did you know that BookLocker.com started out as a small, ebook-only online bookstore that Angela acquired after one of her ebooks instantly became that website’s #1 best seller? BookLocker.com has since published more than 16K print and electronic titles! Hear how the company grew, and listen to the challenges of running an online business while traveling across America in an RV for years. 

Angela has endured dire financial times, sleepless nights, corporate bullies, stressful legal battles, and even threats against her family and life! And, she raised 5 kids (and then some) throughout it all. 

This is truly an amazing story of endurance, courage, and a strong will to succeed.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In this episode, Angela and Brian go over general points of advice on how to win short story contests, with a narrower focus on best methods to win the WritersWeekly 24 Hour Short Story Contest.

First, in the "News From the Home Office" segment, listen to a run-in Brian had during a fishing trip. What would you do?

Then, Angela and Brian explain how best to plan your short story for a writing contest. What are common mistakes people make? What are the most common themes that emerge when we review hundreds of stories that get turned in for each contest? Avoid these, and YOUR story can stand out above the rest.

Finally, listen to the 1st and 2nd place winning stories from the Spring 2025 24-Hour Short Story Contest, read by Brian, complete with background music and sound effects.

If you love a good short story, you won't want to miss this episode!

www.24hourshortstorycontest.com

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Have you ever wondered what goes into getting a book published? Do you have a manuscript that you're holding onto because you're afraid of not knowing what to expect? How can you make sure someone won't take advantage of you? How long should the process take?

In this episode, Angela and Brian go through the book publishing process from start to finish. From submitting your manuscript, to formatting and editing, cover design, copyright, printer feeds - all the way to dropping the first copy onto your doorstep - we cover it all.

If the publishing process mystifies (or terrifies) you, then THIS is the episode you need to hear!

Bonus Content: Hear about Randy the Rooster's unfortunate demise and what Angela and Brian are currently up to in our "News From The Home Office" segment.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In this episode, Angela and Brian cannonball back into the cesspool of online scammers who target authors and writers. Joining them is James M. Walsh, Esq. James is an attorney from Pennsylvania, and has been assisting in the research to uncover how foreign criminals are scheming to steal your money. He also has an interesting story of his own.

We expose just how bold and brazen these thieves are, and how far they will go to convince you to hand over your hard-earned cash. There is even a whole class of weasels who will offer to “help” you AFTER you've been scammed…in an attempt to steal even MORE of your money. 

Don't get caught in these scammers' traps! Learn what you need to know to steer clear of the schemes. Every writer and author needs to know what to look out for. You can't miss this episode!

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In this episode, we have a special guest.

Clayton Jones is a professional writer, editor, ghostwriter, and a college professor who teaches English and writing at the University of Tennessee.  He will be joining us to explore the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the writing world.

IS there a role for AI in professional writing? How are people currently using it? What are the ethical and unethical ways for AI to be used?

We discuss what we've seen from authors and writers as publishers ourselves, and Clayton gives us insight on AI's place in the education world. Is AI just a cheater's shortcut? Is it a helpful tool? A hindrance? 

We will also be looking at some ways AI has been used that have gotten people into some pretty big trouble, along with a study that sheds some light on AI's effects on student learning.

Join us for a lively discussion on Artificial Intelligence and its influence on ALL aspects of creative thought and production.

You can hire Clayton for writing and editing services at https://southwindliterary.com

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Angela and Brian explore the potential liabilities and pitfalls of publishing "tell-all" memoirs. 

Many people want to publish accounts of their lives, recounting experiences that negatively affected their lives, and exposing people who "wronged" them. Unfortunately, such declarations have opened many an author up to civil litigation, initiated by the very people they criticize in their memoirs. Even if the claims in one's life accounts are true, they can still lead to a legal nightmare for the person who publishes such accusations.

Our hosts list several ways someone can find themselves in legal jeopardy. They review steps you can take when writing your memoirs to mitigate the risk of getting sued for libel or defamation, and list several examples or authors who have found themselves in legal battles over the claims they made in their autobiographies about other people. You may be surprised at just how little ammunition someone needs to come after you in court.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

Query Letters and Book Proposals are very important tools for those who want to earn money from their writing. If you aren't landing as many contracts and book deals as you'd like, it may be because your "pitching" isn't as polished as it could be. 

Angela and Brian lay out how query letters and book proposals work, explain what publishers and editors are looking for, and how they should be written.

You'll hear examples of what to do in your writing pitches and, more importantly, what NOT to do.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In this episode, Angela and Brian do a deep dive into the non-profit organization known as "NaNoWriMo" (National Novel Writing Month), and their recent announcement that they would be shutting down. 

Did financial mismanagement bring about their demise? Or was it a failure to address alleged accusations that a child groomer was on their forum? Could it have been their stance on AI being used in writing that caused a rebellion among its faithful disciples? Or, did the organization simply "WOKE" itself into irrelevancy?

We look at where the organization's money went, NaNoWriMo's core culture, controversies between the organization and its followers, and how it responded (or didn't respond) to concerns about its online forums. 

Join us as we explore why a benevolent and praiseworthy movement seems to have turned into a huge, mismanaged social experiment that collapsed under its own weight.

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In this second part to our scam episode, Angela and Brian discuss steps the WritersWeekly team have been taking to combat the prolific rise in international publishing scams, and specific steps YOU can take to make sure that a 'publishing company' you may be looking into isn't a scam operation. 

Also, something odd happened during the recording of this episode. Listen carefully around the 14 min 5 second point. What do you think you hear? We'll be telling the whole story on Thursday in the "From The Home Office" column of WritersWeekly.com!

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com

In our first episode, Angela and Brian tackle the astronomical rise in scams that target writers and authors. These criminals from outside the US are using professional looking websites, social media, and direct messaging to lure people in with the promise of writing related services at bargain-basement prices. But look out! Once they have your money, you're not getting it back - or any of the promised services. 

These scammers are claiming to offer book publishing, ghost-writing services, editing, website and SEO services, cover design, interior formatting ... the list goes on and on. 

In this pilot episode, Angela and Brian discuss:

• The scope of the problem
• Stories from victims they have personally communicated with
• What tactics these criminals are using to steal your money
• The efforts the WritersWeekly team have been making to fight this problem
• How Facebook is involved, (and, in our opinion, complicit) in the problem
• Signs you can look for to know if a "publisher" is actually a scam artist
• Things you can do to protect yourself

This podcast episode might very well save you from losing THOUSANDS of dollars!

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Learn more at https://www.WritersWeekly.com