[Submission Service] WordHustler, LLC

[Old Hack]

Last night I had the pleasure to have this posted as a comment to my blog, in response to a post I'd made about the Writer's Market guide:



I completely agree with this post. I used to buy the Writer's Market, but was tired of how expensive and outdated it quickly became. My partner and I started a writing website called WordHustler.com that has over 3,500 FREE literary markets. Not only that, we're the first website to take care of the WHOLE process of writing, more than just giving you market listings. WordHustler allows you to upload projects and then we print and ship them for you. Our markets and membership are FREE.

We love what the Writer's Market has done for writers so far, we just want to take it to the next level. WordHustler encourages members to comment on markets and if any doubts about credibility are raised, we review and will remove the market if necessary.

WordHustler saves you time so you can do what you're supposed to be doing: WRITING.

Please take a look and good luck writing! http://www.WordHustler.com

Best,
Anne Walls
WordHustler Co-Founder



Several other bloggers have had similar comments.

I'm a little rushed right now, so don't have time to have a proper look around, but thought it was worth throwing this open for everyone to consider. I'll be back later to add my opinion.

 

[BenPanced]

Submission service. You're paying more for the things you should be doing yourself. I think this service has been brought up before, but I'm not sure.

 

[veinglory]

It is interesting the put free in capitals, but the service has rather hefty fees (being a member is free, actually using the membership costs money). If they are willing to finesse that issue, well....

p.s. not to mention: comment spam = not classy

 

[Old Hack]

I searched for the name before I posted, and came up with nothing--but sorry if this is a duplicate.

Comment spam = not a good way to sell yourself, your service, or anything, no matter how good that service is. And this isn't a good service. To be effective, queries need to be personalised and targetted. Querying this way is not going to get good results, and is pretty much pointless. I'd not use it.

 

[CaoPaux]

Comment spamming aside, the "reply cards" they mention would be a concern (never give 'em an easy way to say no).

Flipping though the first few pages of agents, pubs, etc., doesn't find any glaring red-flaggers, although a few are marginal (e.g., Goering).

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

Why would you want to be a writer if you can't be bothered with the details of being a writer?

Personally, all the things that service does are the things that make me FEEL like I'm a writer. Actual writing is only a part of it all.

 

[Old Hack]

As far as I could see, it's still up to the writer to choose the places to submit to on WordHustler: all they then do is print out the pre-downloaded work, stick it in an envelope, and mail it out.

And to be honest, that's not really the most tricky part of submitting, is it?

 

[Shadow_Ferret]

No. It's not tricky at all. But I get a feeling of satisfaction everytime I drop that envelope off at the Post Office.

 

[Old Hack]

Aha!

You were right, Mr Panced. This has been discussed here before, but over in the Round Table. Here's a link to that discussion.

We didn't like it much over there, either.

 

[AnneAtWordHustler]

Hiya AWers

Hi All-

Anne from WordHustler here. Just wanted to drop in to let you know I've been keeping up with this thread and am available for any questions you may have. It's a bummer that it seems WordHustler is not for some of you but hey, different strokes, right?

Since John and I are both writers, we know how hard getting work out can be. We started WordHustler as a service to hard-working writers everywhere. This is why our markets are and always will be free. So even if you aren't planning on using us for your physical market submissions, please feel free to scoot around the site and check out our ever-growing market pages.

Also, if you'd like to read what writers who have used us are saying, please check out our client testimonials at the top of our home page (http://www.WordHustler.com). To see more testimonials, feel free to click on the "Testimonials" link on the homepage.

Thanks so much for checking us out and good luck writing!

Best,
Anne Walls
Writer/WordHustler.com Co-Founder

 

[Bartholomew]

They hustle words. Poor words. This makes Bart sad.

BART SMASH!

 

[Susan Gable]

Since John and I are both writers, we know how hard getting work out can be.

Anne, I'm sorry, I don't understand that. Can you elaborate? How is getting one's work out hard? And how do you solve that problem?

I mean, getting the work out there isn't that hard, IMHO. Find some markets. Write the cover letter. Address the envelope. Stamp the envelope. Put it in the mail. (These days you don't even have to drive to the post office. Or if you do, you can go when the post office counter is closed and use an automated machine to help you mail out your submissions.)

Am I missing the hard part? I must be, because I don't see it.

Susan G., the befuddled

 

[AnneAtWordHustler]

Susan (and all)-

What I mean when I say "getting your work out is hard" is not the procedure of sending one thing out, it's the time and financial cost of sending many things out on a constant basis. Many successful writers ascribe to the notion of having at least 10 submissions out at all time. The steps you listed above, if done frequently, end up costing you financially and, more importantly, time-wise. Many of our clients are working day jobs while they try to break into writing and don't have lots of spare time.

With WordHustler, your market choosing is quicker and more organized, your carefully-composed cover letters are professional and ready to go, and all you have to do is press "Send" to submit a batch of organized, flawless submissions to markets you've hand-picked. No envelopes, no stamps, no Automated Post Office machinery. And we're not talking about blasting the same query letters out all over the place. Our system makes it easy to create specific query letters that you hand-tailor to each market.

Our tracking capabilities are also effective and clear. Each project is assigned a project number so if months later, you get a SASE back with a little scrap of paper from the market you submitted to, the project # on the SASE reminds you what project it was, when you sent it, and who you sent it to. You can updated your tracking easily and confidently.

We're sort of like Netflix for writers. You can drive to the video store, pick out the movie (if it's in stock), stand in line, pay for it, watch it at home, and drive back to the video store. Or you can just order it online, have it sent to you, and avoid all the hassle.

Basically, WordHustler makes the whole process of submitting work easier. It may not be for you, and that's fine, but people have really sparked to us since we save them time. Time they can now spend writing.

Thanks for your question!

Best,
Anne Walls
Writer/WordHustler Co-Founder

 

[Old Hack]

Susan (and all)-

What I mean when I say "getting your work out is hard" is not the procedure of sending one thing out, it's the time and financial cost of sending many things out on a constant basis.

Well, Anne, if you read the thread that I linked to you'll see Gillhoughly's breakdown of costs involved and see that it's cheaper to do the sending out yourself. So WordHustler won't save writers any money, it'll cost them more in the long run. The time element is still there: writers still need to research and select their markets, and that's where the bulk of the time involved in submissions goes.

For queries to be effective they need to be personalised, and with WordHustler they won't be. So I'm still not convinced.

And I find your comment-spam to be somewhat tacky, and not at all appropriate. Although you were happy to use my blog to attempt to publicise your service, you've not revisited my blog and answered my questions: and I've noticed that you spend a lot of time advertising your site in this way, via other people's blogs. What other marketing methods do you have?

 

[AnneAtWordHustler]

For queries to be effective they need to be personalised, and with WordHustler they won't be. So I'm still not convinced.

I'm happy to answer your questions, but if you're not going to read my responses and do the proper research before posting, our dialogue will never work. As I wrote above, each and every submission sent through WordHustler is personalized and targeted. Composing a query letter on WordHustler is the same as composing it on your word processor. The letter is addressed to the correct editor/agent at the correct market. It has all of your contact info on it. The SASE is cleanly printed with your return address. The only difference is that we print and send it for you. And as far as the pricing debate goes, our prices have dropped since Gillhoughly did the break-down several months ago. Query letters are now only $0.99.

And Jane, my apologies for not re-visiting your blog. On it, you directed me over to AW to respond so that's what I'm doing. I'm more than happy to answer questions but don't see any outstanding ones on your blog.

We've been getting the word out about our service like everyone else does: via utilizing existing contacts we've accumulated from years of working in the literary world and Hollywood. We've been on the receiving end of many queries and submissions, so we know what works. We've also been meeting more publishers, editors, and agents at large writing events, as well as advertising on many writing websites.

It is a shame that you consider my comment spam, since it was heartfelt and aimed to help. I am not on AW or any blogs to argue or cast accusations around, just to spread the word like everyone else does when they, for example, link to their blog or books at the bottom of their signature.

WordHustler makes its usefulness apparent when it is used, not speculated about. This is why we offer everyone their first submission free so they can try our system out. I'm happy to answer any more specific questions about our services.

Have a great Friday!

Best,
Anne Walls
Writer/WordHustler.com Co-Founder

 

[BenPanced]

Would it be possible to see a sample of one of your queries?

 

[AnneAtWordHustler]

Sure. All you have to do is go here: http://www.wordhustler.com/home/lettercomposer
which is one of the pages of our website tour (please note: this is a fictional cover letter for tour purposes only). We also just introduced a signature tool which just allows you to personalize your letter even more. If you want to log in and create your own, you'll get the full effect. Thanks for asking!

Best,
Anne

 

[victoriastrauss]

Another consideration: no matter how well-intentioned the website, it's likely to include some less-than-desirable agents in its listings. For instance, when I searched the first five pages of WordHustler's agent listings, selecting for Novels, I found amateur, unqualified, or sale-less agents listed on pages 1, 3, and 4.

WordHustler is definitely not unique in this. But as with ANY online agent or publisher listing, you can't just assume the agent or publisher is reputable. Most will be. Some won't be. More research is always a good idea.

- Victoria

 

[Old Hack]

I've just received an email from WordHustler, which is quoted below. Strange how Anne claims to have only just discovered my blog, and yet she dropped some comment-spam into it last year.

Hi Jane-


I recently found your blog and have fallen completely in love with it. I wanted to drop you a line to tell you about my company and see if it was something you were interested in mentioning on your blog, since we, like you, are dedicated to helping writers demystify the publishing industry.


My company, WordHustler (http://www.WordHustler.com), is the world's first online submission management platform for writers. My partner John Singleton and I are two writers who grew tired of the traditional method of submitting work to publications, literary agents, publishers, writing contests and more, so we invented a way to do it better and more cost-effectively. Writers upload their manuscripts to their free WordHustler accounts, select markets from our free database of 4,500 agents, publishers, contests, and publications, then we take care of all the physical printing and shipping of manuscripts for them. Coming in 2010 we are launching a Digital Submission System to handle email submissions as well.


Something that really may mean something to your blog readers is the fact that we solve the hassles related to International Shipping and postage. WordHustler even offers a Virtual Office service, where we receive your physical correspondence from markets (SASEs, etc), then scan and email the results to you.


Over 5,000 writers from all over the world have already used us to submit their work, saving themselves time so they can do what they're supposed to be doing: WRITING. Our goal is to make the submission process easier and more organized for writers AND the markets who receive their work. In fact, Bnet.com called us "The Match.com for the publishing industry."


I'd love to chat more with you about WordHustler and hope it's something that interests you and your readers. We've also got a blog with lots of interviews with writers, agents, editors, etc as well as tips on writing query letters, etc that you can find here: http://wordhustlerink.wordhustler.com/


Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope to speak with you soon!


Best,
Anne


Anne Walls
Founder | Creative Director
WordHustler.com - One Click to Destiny
http://www.wordhustler.com

I notice that she suggests I might like to discuss WordHustler on my blog. Do you know what? I think I might. Give me a few days to sharpen my pencils.

 

[CaoPaux]

 

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

Get out the lawnchairs folks, and settle in methinks. Old Hack's blog entry about this is sure to be interesting to watch if nothing else.

Honestly, this service sounds a bit like a contradiction; tailor made queries for a market? If you're tailoring your queries for each agent you send to, why the heck would you need WordHustler for? It really sounds like all it does is change the names of the editor for each letter, and I'm sure they're smart enough to know a template when they read one. And what about the many fabulous agents and publishers who don't accept email queries? You're shooting yourself in the foot by not looking into them.

Anne, agents and writers are already inundated with submissions. They have ZERO reason to look to you for more. Until you can provide names of these so-called publishers and agents who use your service, I'm sorry but I just have a hard time believing this service has any benefit whatsoever.

 

[Red-Green]

Gee...perhaps what she meant to say was that she "re-discovered" your totally lovable blog.

 

[Phaeal]

I mean, who WOULDN'T love it?

I like the sub process, and I have my own streamlined system after all these years. It doesn't take me long, and I still have plenty of time to write.

Anyhow, as others have pointed out, it's researching the agents, editors and markets that's the really time-consuming part.

Sub service, not for me. The post office clerks would miss my visits, and I wouldn't get to eye my fat manila envelopes and sleek #10 query-onlies with satisfaction. As for email subs, beyond easy once you've got your project pieces all arranged for body insertion or attachment, as the agent prefers.

 

[Old Hack]

I don't think that Anne will be quite so in love with my blog tomorrow morning at 10am, when my post about WordHustler goes up. Never mind.

 

[Old Hack]

Here's my blog post. Ten comments on it so far, and not one is in favour of using WordHustler's service.