MightyWords Tightens Submissions Policy, Terminates Contracts

Posted on November 10, 2000

MightyWords, a publisher and seller of electronic content, has announced that it will be switching its focus to more professional and business oriented content and moving away from self-published content. MightyWords notified thousands of writers that they would no longer be able to publish their content through MightyWords.com. The writers were given a thirty day written notice, after which their work would be removed from the MightyWords database. MightyWords recommends epublisher 1stBooks as a substitute. Barnes & Noble.com owns over 50% of MightyWords.com.

MightyWords is canceling the self-publishing service because there was little consumer interest in the content. As MightyWords.com explained in its letter to canceled authors, "Our customers have reported that the vast majority of the titles they want to buy fall into a few main categories, including brand-name business, technical, health and fiction titles from well-known authors." MightyWords.com will still accept submissions from writers, but now has a much stricter set of rules than the primarily "open" submissions policy it was running before the new focus on business and professional content. MightyWords also no longer accepts electronic submissions.