I've done the big nasty with PA ...

Dee Miller · Apr 17, 2011

I published with PA before I became a member here and I now have 3 (yep that's 3) books published with them. The prices on the books are: $24.95 for 2 of them and $29.95 on the other. They should only go for ... like ... $6.95 to $9.95. PA is charging hardback prices for "softback" books.
Now, what do I do? Has anyone got any advice? I am under their contract for 7 years. I am, also, working on the sequel to two of the books (they are sequels, too) and another Mystery/Suspense to follow the first two sequels.
I'm not a young kid ... I'm 66 ... but feel like I should have known better than to publish with PA. Yes, I have tried the agent way but he had to go out of business for medical reasons. Duh!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone out there has any suggestions, Iwould really appreciate them. My work is good ... everyone who has read my books say that they are "excellent" ... whatever that means in today's market.
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dee Miller
[email protected]

Cyia · Apr 17, 2011

Welcome, Dee.

Poke around herein the PA subforum and check out some of the stories of people who've bounced back from PA. There are several.

The short version is, unless PA lets you out of your contract, it's binding for the 7 years.

If your sequels can stand on their own, then you can try treating the first book like a lengthy prologue, polish up the sequel and query it to agents or maybe smaller presses that don't require representation to work with authors.

Bewares, recommendations and Background checks (the parent forum to this one) is a great place to check out both presses and agents to see if they're legit.

James D. Macdonald · Apr 17, 2011

1) Forget the books with PA. They're dead for the next seven years. Don't buy any copies, don't waste your time promoting them. They'll come back to you eventually.

2) Write a new, different, better book.

3) Get an agent. Start at the top and work down.

4) Write another book, better than the last.

5) If you still don't have an agent, you query with this one.

6) Write another book....

By the time the PA books come back to you, you'll have your own fandom, and you and your agent can decide what you want to do with them.

Chris P · Apr 17, 2011

Welcome Dee! There's a number of options with PA, but the only one that won't require you to pay money is to wait out your contract and write new books in the meantime.

I hope you don't get too hard on yourself for falling for PA. I did as well, and it brought me here, where I'm learning to write those better books.

merrihiatt · Apr 17, 2011

Welcome, Dee. You've received good advice already. My two cents: keep writing and move forward with your next novel, then when you get the publishing rights back from PA, you'll be ahead of the game. Some people have had success with sending e-mails and letters to PA asking for their rights back. I didn't have such good fortune and paid to have my rights returned. This is not the first option I would choose, but it is an option.

Brush the dust of PA off your boots as quickly as you can and move forward.

I've done the big nasty with PA ...

Dee Miller

Cyia

Rewriting My Destiny

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

merrihiatt

Writing! Writing! Writing!