Shows / The WritersWeekly Podcast
The WritersWeekly Podcast
From the creators of WritersWeekly.com, the WritersWeekly Podcast delves into everything involving professional writing. WritersWeekly.com has been helping and informing writers and authors for over 25 years. We cover book publishing, article writing, getting writing gigs, paying markets, writing technology, etc.
Episodes
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 60 – Did You Know BookLocker is Haunted? This is NOT a joke! Our SUPER SCARY 2026 Halloween Episode with Horror Expert Rickey Pittman!
· Did you know that BookLocker and Angela and Brian’s house is HAUNTED? It’s absolutely true! · What has Brian REPEATEDLY seen in the house? · What’s the name…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 59: Authors Who Wrote Bestselling Books WHILE IN PRISON!
· 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…
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Episode 58: Publishers Who Have Been Sued, and Some of the Lawsuits Were INSANE!
· Which publisher sued Amazon, leading to a $300K settlement? · A scammer sued WritersWeekly after getting exposed. Guess who won that lawsuit? · Which…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
EPISODE 57: Deadly Pens: Authors Who Committed MURDER!!!
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 56 - We Asked AI How It Was Going to Wipe Out Mankind…and It TOLD US!!
· How has AI directly contributed to suicides (by children and adults)? We share specific and extremely disturbing true stories about these victims in this…
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Episode 55 - BESTSELLERS That were Self Published (That YOU will Recognize)
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…
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Episode 54 - Do YOU Think These Controversial Books Should Have Been Published?
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…
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Episode 53 - The Psychology of Scam Victims with Psychotherapist Marsh Rose - DON'T MISS THIS ONE!!!
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…
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Episode 52 (PT 2)- 4 Industry Professionals Discuss Scams, Author Egos, and AI
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…
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Episode 52 - 4 Industry Professionals Discuss Scams, Author Egos, and AI (PT 1)
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…
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EPISODE 51: AI ABOMINATION! AI Companies are Buying Millions of Rare Books, Scanning Them, and Then SHREDDING THEM!!!
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…
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EPISODE 50: Real Stories of Authors Who Saved Thousands After Contacting WritersWeekly About Potential Publishing Scams
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…
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Episode 49: Authors Who Argued with Us Before, During, and After Getting Scammed
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…
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Episode 48: Misery: Real Authors Who Have Been Stalked
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…
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Episode 47 - The WritersWeekly Weird & Fun Book & Author Trivia Game
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…
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EPISODE 46: How to Earn Thousands Per Month in Book Royalties - PART 2 of 2
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…
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EPISODE 45: How to Earn Thousands Per Month in Book Royalties
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…
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Episode 44: How to Get Free Book Reviews from Popular Reviewers Who Have THOUSANDS of Followers!
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…
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EPISODE 43: 16 Possible Reasons Why Amazon KDP Permanently Closed Your Account (but they won’t tell YOU why!)
Approximately 90% of banned Amazon KDP accounts are never reinstated! We were recently contacted by yet ANOTHER terminated Amazon KDP author. His unpaid…
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Episode 42 - Stupid Author Tricks!!
In this episode, Professor Clayton Jones joins us again! Being an English Professor at the University of Tennessee, a professional editor, AND a professional…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
EPISODE 41: Dangers Lurking in PLAIN SIGHT on Facebook Author Groups! DON’T BE THE NEXT VICTIM!
Could that very active fellow Facebook author group member really be a SCAMMER? Chances are pretty high THEY ARE! Publishing scammers have infiltrated…
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Episode 40: From 14-Year-Old Runaway, to Cop, to the Managing Editor of WritersWeekly.com. GRAPHIC WARNING AT 1 HOUR, 3 MINUTES! (1:03)
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…
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Episode 39 - Authors Who Had to Pay THOUSANDS After Being Sued
In this episode, Angela and Brian share real stories about lawsuits that were filed against authors, and how those proceedings affected them financially…and…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 38: We Scambaited a Nigerian Scammer and HILARITY ENSUED!!!
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 37: BEWARE! Fake "Services" Offered to Authors by Scammers
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…
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Episode 36 - "Why is Getting My Book Published So Scary?" Don't go it alone!!
Traditional publishing? Self-publishing? Hybrid publishing? What's best for YOUR book? Is your manuscript even ready for publication? Who can help you…
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Episode 35: Prolific Author of 18 Books, Rickey Pittman, Shares His Secrets about Writing AND Book Selling!
In this episode, we are joined by BookLocker.com author, Rickey Pittman, The Bard of the South! Rickey is an author, musician, storyteller, historian, and…
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EPISODE 34: When Fake 1-Star “Book Reviews” Are Actually Character Assassinations of Authors
Have YOU, too, received a bad book review that was all about you and not about your book at all? JOIN THE CLUB! In this episode, we share several real examples…
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Episode 33 - Tough 91-Year-Old Author of 5 Books Refuses to Bow to Scammer's Extortion Attempts!
In this week's episode, Brian and Angela welcome friendly and feisty Bob Wahl to the podcast! Bob is 91 years young, and is the author of five books. He…
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Episode 32 - Walkthrough: Our Scam-Detection Process Explained Step by Step
Could this publisher be a scammer??? We keep receiving emails asking this exact question DOZENS of times every week. Now, in this Episode, using the examples…
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Episode 31: Another Brave Publishing Scam Victim Shares Her Story After Losing $18K
Michaele Aldophe had a heart-wrenching but also hopeful and faith-filled story to tell the world. As a 14-year-old migrant from Haiti, Michaele (Mickka) was…
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Episode 30: We Saved This Author from a $50,000 “FOX Entertainment” and “WGA” SCAM!
It was all coming together. His five-book series were going to become a movie! A "literary agent" had reached out to him via email just last month. Then, in…
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Episode 29: AWKWARD! When Friends and Family Lie About Having Bought Your Book
We've heard it a thousand times: "I KNOW my mother (father, sister, brother, Uncle Cletus, Aunt Ethel, etc.) bought my book! Where are my royalties?!" And, a…
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Episode 28 - I was a Teacher - and a CIA Spy. Interview with author Linda Allison
Please excuse the audio quality on this episode. You can hear and understand the conversation perfectly, but we had a technical glitch with the microphones. As…
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Episode 27: YAHOO BOYS - These Nigerian Scammers Are Now Coming After OUR CHILDREN!! (Part 2 - VICTIMS' STORIES!)
THIS IS PART 2. DON'T MISS PART 1! Please share the links to these episodes with your friends and family members. MORE IMPORTANTLY, listen to these episodes…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
Episode 26: EXPOSED!!! Facebook KNOWINGLY Earns BILLIONS from Scam Ads
Facebook owner, Meta, projected $16B in revenues from SCAM ads – and it was POLICY. Reuters conducted an investigation covering 5 years’ worth of confidential…
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Episode 25 - YAHOO BOYS - Nigerian Scammers with Worldwide Reach (Part 1)
They started the original "Nigerian Prince" email scam, but have expanded into so much more! Join Angela and Brian as we slog through the grimy slums of…
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Episode 24: AI Generated SCAM Emails - Don't be Fooled!!
Sorry about Brian's voice on this episode. He was in the preliminary phase of COVID, and now he's totally laid up and miserable. In this episode, we discuss a…
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Episode 23: Jimmy Kimmel and the 1st Amendment - What is the TRUTH?
THEY VIOLATED THE FIRST AMENDMENT! That’s what we’re hearing about the suspension of the Jimmy Kimmel Live show from ABC’s lineup. Did they, in fact, violate…
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Episode 22: Amazon KDP Continues to Terminate Innocent Authors’ Accounts, and KEEP THEIR UNPAID ROYALTIES!
Amazon KDP. Do you, like many other authors, believe that, for the best chance at sales, you need to use Amazon's KDP book publishing program? That's NOT true…
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Episode 21: $20K Publishing Scam Victim Shares Her Own Story
She spoke to them on the phone. They sounded like publishing experts! They knew all the lingo! But, one year and $20,000 later, she discovered that they had…
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Episode 20: The Doomsday Book of Medicine - Dr. Ralph (Doc) La Guardia
Today, more than ever before, society is dependent on a fragile electrical grid, a vulnerable supply chain, and a delicate medical system to survive. All of…
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EPISODE 19: Traditional vs. Hybrid vs. Self-Publishing - WHAT TO EXPECT!
*What disappointing truths shock authors today when they land a traditional publishing contract? Things aren't like they used to be! *What does the term…
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Episode 18: Audiobook Production - Would you rather pay $199 or $4,000???
Did you know that there is a whole generation of people who simply will not read books? But, they do LISTEN to books! Audio storytelling is a booming medium!…
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E17: Former White House Usher, Chris Emery, Spills HILARIOUS Secrets!
Why do Chris Emery’s books sell so well? Because, he is not only warm and friendly to everyone, but he’s also HILARIOUS! If you want to crack up, don’t miss…
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E16 - When an Author Dies, the Vultures Arise!
Think your family members will play nice once you kick the bucket? THINK AGAIN! TRUE STORY: A BookLocker author who earned more than $200K in royalties died…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
EPISODE 15: How Choosing the RIGHT or WRONG Editor Can Make or Break Your Book Sales
In this episode, Professional Editor and Book Marketer Clayton Jones joins Angela and Brian to discuss what authors need to know when vetting and hiring a…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E14 - Real Stories from Publishing Scam Victims
In this episode, Angela and Brian review emails they have received from authors who lost anywhere from thousands, to tens of thousands of dollars, after…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E13 - How to Be a Prolific AND Award Winning Writer - featuring author Thomas Berry
This week, Angela and Brian interview the author of SEVEN books, two of which have received literary awards. Thomas Berry is a history enthusiast and has used…
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E12 - Publishing Legal Questions from YOU - Answered by an Attorney
Back from a bout of COVID, Angela and Brian sit down to tackle legal questions from our listeners and readers with the help of James Walsh, Esq. James is an…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E11- BookLocker's Best Selling Author Spills His Book Marketing Secrets!
In this episode, Angela and Brian discuss book marketing with author Gary Sturgis, who is BookLocker's #1 best-selling author. In 2014, Gary suffered a…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E10 - How a Single Mom Built a Successful Publishing Company…With Many Personal and Professional Challenges Along the Way!
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…
The WritersWeekly PodcastE9 - How to Win Writing Contests (and winners of the latest 24 Hour Short Story Contest)
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E8 - How Does The Book Publishing Process Work?
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…
The WritersWeekly PodcastE7 - Nine New and Nasty Scams Targeting Authors
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E6 - How AI (Artificial Intelligence) is Getting Writers, Students, and Even LAWYERS into Trouble!
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…
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E5 - Memoirs and Lawsuits
Angela and Brian explore the potential liabilities and pitfalls of publishing "tell-all" memoirs. Many people want to publish accounts of their lives…
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E4 - Demystifying Query Letters and Book Proposals
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E3 - The Collapse of NaNoWriMo: What Went Wrong?
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…
- The WritersWeekly Podcast
E2 - "In Just $299" - Publishing SCAMS You Need To Avoid!! Part 2
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…