Writer’s Digest | FrogenYozurt.Com - Literature & Entertainment

How I (Almost) Got A Book Deal Through Sex, Lies, And Deceit

On August 5, 2011, in American Male Prostitute, Wilfried F. Voss, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, Writing Update, by Wilfried F. Voss

Let me explain to those not familiar with the publishing business, a writers’ magazine cannot exist without the vast number of delusional writers who will never have the slightest chance of ever being published. In order to have your book published, you need to be talented and, as I was told from day one, the vast majority of our subscribers weren’t.

Music and Writing

On March 10, 2011, in Ariel Ceylan, Blogging, Children's Literature, Entertainment, It's all about music..., WordPress Tips, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, Writing Tips, Young Adult Literature, by Ariel Ceylan

Writing is an art, agreed? I find that it is not impossible for arts to inspire arts. So music can inspire one’s writing. When developing characters and getting “in the mood” for your writing, I find that it’s a great idea to listen to music. Music creates moods in two minutes (give or take a [...]

Query Letters . . . and Bad Breath

On January 14, 2011, in Guest Writers, Lorelei Bell, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Lorelei Bell

You know how it is. You spend hours honing those query letters. You wonder if the first line of the letter is strong, weak, or if it even matters. You have no idea if you should keep the line about your hobbies, or not. You wonder what the magic words are to make an agent jump out of their seat and ask you to see the whole manuscript.

The best and worst online communities for writers and bloggers

On September 20, 2010, in Annabelle Charbit, Blogging, Guest Writers, Professional Blogging, Tips & Tricks, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by AnnabelleRC

As a writer or blogger, you might join a community to network, to promote yourself, to learn, to share information, or to even make a spot of money on the side.

If any of these are your motivation, then, after sniffing extensively around the internet at the expense of my time and sanity, here are my experiences of the best and worst on line communities out there …

The Most Difficult Marketing Task In The Business World

On June 2, 2010, in Marketing, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

Imagine an overpriced product with no obvious value to the consumer and a brand name with zero reputation in the market. Add to this situation a mere hundred-thousand-plus competitors of whom most damage the product’s reputation with their amateurish marketing campaigns. And by the way, your annual marketing budget cannot exceed a few hundred Dollars.

The Truth About Demand Studios

On March 15, 2010, in Blogging, Scammers, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

These days, more than ever, many people are looking into alternative ways to make money, and they are all lured into believing that a computer with a high-speed Internet connection plus a website can do just that. And YES, you can! Start a business a la Demand Studios, and you can make millions!

Writology – The Silent Religion

On March 12, 2010, in American Male Prostitute, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

Today’s writing and publishing world is shrugging off the old “exclusive-club” mentality, but it is, by any means, not a friendly place for an aspiring writer. As a matter of fact, the industry has turned into a shark tank. When I refer to “the industry” I mean, among other businesses, the traditional publishers, most of who are struggling these days, but they are not the actual problem. The “shark tank” is dominated by new startups in the industry, mostly vanity publishers, who produce significant profit without delivering the results they promise. It seems that scammers possess a much keener business sense than the traditional publishing businesses, and they are taking the better part of a multi-million Dollar business.

Forum Sharks And Semi-Gods

On February 11, 2010, in Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

Most of us aspiring writers sign up for Online forums, either to pitch new ideas and wait for feedback, or to ask for advice, but foremost to “build a platform.” “Building a platform” is based on a very basic principle: If nobody knows you, nobody will buy your books.

A New Religious Movement: Writology

On January 13, 2010, in American Male Prostitute, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

I just received the latest issue of my favorite most useless magazine, Writer’s Digest. Why I still receive it, I don’t know; I don’t keep track when my subscription ends, and it will hopefully end some time soon. It took me an annoying five minutes to page through the magazine to find there was nothing in there that would even remotely interest me.

The Truth About Publishing With Outskirts Press

On October 19, 2009, in American Male Prostitute, Writer's Digest, Writing & Publishing, by Wilfried F. Voss

Publishing with Outskirts Press, in my very personal opinion, is a loose-loose situation. Initially, you, the author, pay substantial fees to Outskirts Press to have your book published. Then you have no choice but to set a high sales price per book, which limits your chances for success substantially. In order to make any profit you need to set the sales price above printing costs plus the Outskirts Press sales fee. Let’s assume you spent about $1,000 with Outskirts Press (You can easily end up much higher than that). Let’s further assume your sales price includes a mere $2.00 profit for you, the author. In order to reach a return of investment you need to sell 500 copies. This may sound easy, but, yet again, it is impossible with a price tag of $19.95 for a children’s book.