The New Never-Ending PublishAmerica Thread (NEPAT)

You could also send them a link to your fabulous website. I'd love to hear what they have to say about that!

Maddog said:

Should someone warn that poor reviewer in Maine that she's about to get dragged through the mud by a rabid bunch of "published authors"? Poor lady, she'll never see it coming. And she'll certainly never review a PA book again.

Click to expand...

And some authors can't understand it when book reviewers refuse to accept PA books.

It's a mystery...

Nancy

Ilovepensandpaper said:

I believe you will take this matter seriously, and will do your best to satisfy your authors. I believe you have your authors' interests at heart and want to see them succeed. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible regarding this matter. Thank you.


I sent that January 30th. I may just resend it again to see if I get a response...

Click to expand...

I think you have just heard from them. They banned you.

Ilovepensandpaper said:

To Whom It May Concern:
I have written before concerned getting books for book signings and events, and I am appalled that I should have to pay out of pocket for books for these events! If anything, the books the author requests( their OWN work), should be given to them at no cost, but the potential buyers, on the otherhand, should pay. Both the company and the author both benefit from this - I do not see how PA doesn't see that. The authors at PA are not given a generous advance or anything similar to be paying for large amounts of books, traveling all over the place, and making promotional materials.

I also have another concern. I contacted a bookstore that said that it doesn't shelve self-published books. I thought PA was not a self-publishing company! It claims it is a traditional publisher. If that bookstore is mistaken, I believe that it will behoove you to call this particular bookstore and explain to them that you are not a self-publisher so that your business would not suffer from misinformation. I won't send the info of the bookstore unless you ask for it, and I will be sure to check up with them in the event that you do decide to call and do call them.

I am also upset that you claimed to put authors' books in major bookstores, and you don't! In fact, authors have to promote with them as well! What is traditional about this? What promotion does PA do on authors' behalves?

I am very concerned about my book. I put a lot of effort and hard work into my work, and I expect the best to be done by it. It needs diligent promotion and the help of a reputable publisher to get into the limelight. It doesn't need an author who is burnt out and broke because the publisher won't give her a break by having free promotional books for book signing and events - without taking money from the author's pocket.

I believe you will take this matter seriously, and will do your best to satisfy your authors. I believe you have your authors' interests at heart and want to see them succeed. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible regarding this matter. Thank you.


I sent that January 30th. I may just resend it again to see if I get a response...

Click to expand...

It'd probably be something along these lines:

"You have been given false information. There is nothing wrong with our contract, it is industry standard. PublishAmerica has signed over 17,000 happy authors and you are part of a small, vocal, and deluded minority. Do not take that tone with us. Any further correspondence from you will be deleted unread. We await your apology."

Sorry, I get a bit more cynical every time I see PA's site load and think I could design a more professional site even if I had puked on my keyboard.

-Nick

Nexusman said:

We await your apology."

Click to expand...

"And take down that website of yours, it's libel and slander, and we'll send you some fake cop if you don't."

I hope to have
the book in every library and bookstore in the near future - as
fast as I can.

Click to expand...

This is from the PAMB. Another author with great hopes getting ready to get shot down. Another dream bites the dust.

I'm tired of these bastards.


PA lurkers, read these posts carefully. I have never had a book with PA. I am a hard-working, published author. I make a lot of my income from writing. I write free-lance columns, I have regular column gigs, and my second book being released in my publisher's catalog. I am a member of the Author's Guild. I am proud of my writing credentials and I can't carry the briefcase of many of the authors that post here. I am proud to have the limited association with the people on this board.

The people who post here do not have a bone to pick with you. Get over that. Our issue is with your publisher and specifically the way they do business.

You can rant on and on about "bashing", but don't for a moment compare your publisher with legitimate publishers. It is okay for you to compare your writing to others...no problem with that. But don't try to raise the quality of your writing by bringing your publisher into the argument.

The guy whose message I quoted is NEVER going to get his PA book in bookstores. It is simply not their business model. There is not ONE of the 17,000 books they have published which has been distributed in bookstores. Read that again...not one.

The 200 Author book is going to sell under 200 books. It is not going to get PA books in bookstores.

The guy at PAMB who is the current marketing expert is not going to get your book in bookstores.

Unless you have a platform (i.e. a way to reach lots of people on a regular basis, such as speaking, TV or radio show, etc), your books are not going to sell a lot unless they are in bookstores.

Not one in 17,000 has done that.

DaveKuzminski said:

http://www.publishamerica.com/shopping/shopreviewlist.asp?id=8464


Um, wait until Willem or Larry notices that page!

Kind of proves that P&E isn't against PA authors. We just want to see them get treated fairly.

Click to expand...

Aw, man, they took out the best blurbs for one of their books. Just goes to show how much PA really wants their authors to succeed when they yank out a positive review of one of their books because they don't like the guy who wrote it. Yep, PA really doesn't care about their authors! And they just proved that they don't.

By the way, Larry and Willem, do you realize how long those two blurbs from P&E's editor promoting one of your books were on your site? Gotcha! Don't thank me all at once. You still haven't found everything yet.

Hi, Miranda, got any cutting remarks for me?

Nexusman said:

(channeling PA)
"Any further correspondence from you will be deleted unread. We await your apology."

Click to expand...

If they're deleting correspondance unread, they're going to wait a LONG time for that apology...

DaveKuzminski said:

Hi, Miranda, got any cutting remarks for me?

Click to expand...

I think most of those are already at www.authorsmarket.net somewhere...

-Nick

Ilovepensandpaper said:

Tilly, you found out before me! I couldn't sign in either, so I guess I have been banned!

Click to expand...

Welcome to the land of the banned . It's the place you go to when you reach enlightnment .

BTW, I love your website, Ilovepensandpaper. I also think you picked a powerful title. "Do your Homework on Publish America" is direct, true, and makes a person sit up.

One correction: PublishAmerica did not print Atlanta Nights. PublishAmerica accepted Atlanta Nights. There's a major difference.

PublishAmerica rejected Atlanta Nights after we went public with the fact that it was a hoax.

Berry said:

If they're deleting correspondance unread, they're going to wait a LONG time for that apology...

Click to expand...

OTOH, that policy ensures they'll continue to be surprised by lawsuits (such as the EB lawsuit) that come about when they ignore cease-and-desist letters, so I kinda like it. After all, a certain company known for its vigorous defense of its intellectual property ought to be contacting them any day now about a certain unauthorized image on a certain book cover.

From the PAMB. My emphasis.

This is a very good question. I do know of several people with more than 2 books with PA and they are very successful by PA's standards. I'm not sure if there is an iron clad rule about the number of books PA will publish for an author but I would imagine that sales has got to be a part of the equation since if the books don't sell Pa doen't make any money. This is just one more way PA is totally not a vanity or POD publisher. They have a lot of their time and money tied up in every book and if the books aren't successful PA won't be either. It may also be as you suggested PA is a springboard for new authors and they figure by 2 or 3 books an author should have proven themselves by acquiring a fan base. Or maybe that author that had a couple of her books rejected was just falling into a trap of formula writing and PA figured those projects would not be profitable at this time. I think this is another case where each and every submission is judged on its own but with the good of the company which means the good of all of us at PA as well definitely a major factor in the decision.
An inquirie might be in order to PA support. They always have the answer.

Click to expand...

I've mentioned this subject before, but the habit of including an almost throwaway praise of PA in many of the posts never ceases to amaze me.

It's almost like a subtext declaring undying loyalty, in the hope of warding off an attack.

I've been watching 'I, Claudius', and a good analogy to this would probably be the Caligula era. Whenever the Senators had to address him, it was always a good idea to inject the question with fawning praise of the Emperor, lest he decided to have their guts for garters just for the hell of it.

It's a shame these science fiction writers on the PA board don't know what their company has said about the genre.
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=10920

(snip)science-fiction and fantasy writers have it easier. It's unfair, but such is life. As a rule of thumb, the quality bar for sci-fi and fantasy is a lot lower than for all other fiction. Therefore, beware of published authors who are self-crowned writing experts. When they tell you what to do and not to do in getting your book published, always first ask them what genre they write. If it's sci-fi or fantasy, run. They have no clue about what it is to write real-life stories, and how to find them a home. Unless you are a sci-fi or fantasy author yourself.

Click to expand...

http://www.authorsmarket.net/experts.htm

PAMB said:

They have a lot of their time and money tied up in every book and if the books aren't successful PA won't be either.

Click to expand...

What time and money? Run spell check and have 2 copies printed?

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=10997

POD books are gaining shelf space in trade bookstores because chain and independent bookstore buyers don’t have the time to distinguish their titles from those published by POD presses.

Click to expand...

I'm baffled as to why this person thinks that. PA's mock return policy has made it harder for PA authors to get into book shops. A book shop can tell if a book is returnable, and whether they will lose money on it.

Note: the trade is looking at E-Books as a fading fad because of an influx of poorly written and edited titles. POD technology is on the move with ever-increasing internet sales, and Publish America is riding the crest of a wave of new titles, gaining more shelf space in trade stores every day

Click to expand...

This is even weirder. The problems he lists for ebooks are some of the problems for POD, and where is he getting the idea POD sales and shelf presence are increasing?

xhouseboy said:

It's almost like a subtext declaring undying loyalty, in the hope of warding off an attack.

Click to expand...

Inclusion in the cult of the PAMB appears to be one of the big benefits of being published by PA. It is indeed an issue of fear of annoying the cult leader for fear of being "banned" from contact with the group.

It is literally one of the most phenomenal cultural experiences I have ever witnessed.

I hang out at Graceland during Elvis week each year. Elvis followers from around the world, but none (okay maybe a few) are convinced they are Elvis and no one is fearful of being excluded from the group.

The PAers appear to think that their existance as a published author is dependant upon being included in the PAMB group.

Is that true Dee, Jean Marie, Nancy, Kevin, Ken, ..........et al?

Excellent work...

Ilovepensand paper! PA lurkers, you have no excuse for staying with, or defending PA. I just wish that information was out there when I signed with the now infamous PubliSHAMerica.

By the way, for you loyal PA authors, who call us "bashers" - have you noted how ardently you defend your Publisher, but they do not do the same for you. Do they help you to defend yourself against those "bad reviewers" or "big, bad book stores". Of course not, they pull your posts, or conveniently ignore them. They know you will continue to buy your own books, so what do they care about bookstores or reviewers?

You get answers alright - you get banned!

If you go public with your complaints,they will hold your book out of spite. If you are moderately successful and lucky enough to have bookstores order your book, then they release you from your contract. YOU can't win! And yet you "happy" PA authors call AW posters spiteful! Please hold your comments until after your books are out and you have received, OR NOT, your first royalty cheque. That is when PA turns ugly.

The only way PA is revolutionizing the industry is by TAKING YOUR MONEY while honest publishers try to pay YOU money! Think about it!

postshy/Roberta

The PAers appear to think that their existance as a published author is dependant upon being included in the PAMB group. Memphis Ed

I was one of those once. I think part of the psychology for me was just like that of college students I knew that sat in the front row of the class and hung on every word of the professor.
I went to the convention thinking that the PA brass might remember I was there (what a flippin' joke) and would make sure that MY book wouldn't be shoved aside, that I would be different, that I would be a success where other's failed.

Luckily, a few wonderful people saw the stars in my eyes on that first day and educated me.

PA wants you to fear them. They want to be able to tell you how dumb your way of thinking is and then expect you to grovel at their feet. They want you to feel excommunicated from the "PA family" so you, your family and friends can be controlled (see new contract fine).

I think this was the most moronic I have ever been in my life! I learned from it and I have moved on.

PS...thanks Lynn and Kev!

There is an antidote for the PA poison! ...and the truth shall set you free!
Hurts a little, but you'll live...
Saundra

Memphis Ed said:

The PAers appear to think that their existance as a published author is dependant upon being included in the PAMB group.

Is that true Dee, Jean Marie, Nancy, Kevin, Ken, ..........et al?

Click to expand...

Uh...no.

Nancy

not for me

The PAers appear to think that their existance as a published author is dependant upon being included in the PAMB group.

Is that true Dee, ...

Not for me. I had two nonfiction books published by John Wiley & Sons before the Piss Ass published my novel. And another book published by a commercial publisher after the PA book.

Dee

C. E. Baxter.. Wrong again

Does this guy just make stuff up?

The truth about how books get in bookstores.

2004 (the latest info available) saw a record of 195,000 new books released in the United States, a growth rate of 20,000 from the previous year. But not all of these books are meant for readers who shop in bookstores and online. The types of books not suitable for bookstore placement is about 50% of the new titles and include: medical resources, text books, and corporate publications. But that still leaves 97,500 hopeful titles and their authors waiting for bookstore placement.


How difficult is it to get a book published by a commercial publisher?
Well the odds are better gambling in Las Vegas. It has been estimated that 25 million people in the United States consider themselves writers and only 5% have been published anywhere.

Most major publishing houses, and many small presses, will not accept submissions that aren’t represented by a literary agent. During the research of The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them, we asked literary agents how many unsolicited query letters/proposals/sample chapters, they receive. For the typical agency it is close to 5000 per year. On the average these agents accepted only 11 new clients, that’s about 1out of every 500 submissions.

Of course writers submit to more than one agency in the hopes of obtaining representation which makes the odds a little better, but not much.

It has been estimated that the five large publishing companies, Random House Inc., Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner and HarperCollins, account for nearly eighty percent of all book sales in the US. This has occurred for the same reasons any other industry goes through consolidation: by combining certain administrative or staff functions, costs can be reduced and profits increased. Publishing, relative to many other industries, has not enjoyed a high Return on Investment (ROI) for investors. Now, publishers are much more focused on having every single book they publish be profitable. This means a more risk averse philosophy, with a preference for publishing authors with successful track records--a sound business strategy.


Marketing Comes First
After the book has been written and acquired by a publisher the marketing and public relations departments work together on developing a promotional plan for each title. That plan can be as simple as sending out review copies and a couple of press releases, or as complicated as arranging a book tour, media appearances, radio and TV interviews and advertising.


In any case every title has one thing in common. It appears in the publisher’s catalog. That catalog is developed five to six months prior to the season, sometimes the title is included in the catalog and the book hasn’t even been finished by the author yet. The title description includes a blurb about the content, the author’s bio, and any special promotions, such as a six city author tour, or significant first printing. The catalog is mailed to the book buyers, or in the case of the major publishers, taken to the stores buyers by the sales representatives.

The rest of the article (too long to post here) is online at
http://www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com/howbooks.html

It covers:

How Bookstores Select Titles

What are industry standard terms? And why are they important

What the booksellers say

Getting your self-published, vanity/subsidy, or publish on demand book in bookstores

Dee

Memphis Ed said:

Is that true Dee, Jean Marie, Nancy, Kevin, Ken, ..........et al?

Click to expand...

It was not clear enought that I was being facetious here. I consider each of these former PAers excellent authors who became, or are becoming, successful outside the clutches of these douchebags at PA.

Lurkers....don't get scammed by these guys. Pass the impulse to get the quick fix and go a different direction.

And Baxter wrong again

about how authors get on the bestseller lists.

You can't buy your way onto a bestseller list, except amazon.

While you can find out which independent stores are surveyed for the NY Times Bestseller list, it wouldnt matter if you sent in a thousand friends to buy your book at one of the stores, all in the same week. The bestseller program looks at the data and analyzes it. If one store shows a pop in sales that's unusual for a title, the store is contacted. And if the NYT staff feels that the list is being manipulated, the data for that title is not included for that store. I know this because I interviewed personnel at the NYT to find out.

Of course if you had a thousand friends each buy 10 copies at 10 different stores across the country then you might make an impact. But then 100,000 copies sold in one week across the country would be a legitimate bestseller.

As far as amazon, yes if you had 1000 friends each buy a copy all on the same day, it would significantly boost the ranking. I know one author who got their book to the number 4 spot, by offering incentives and free bonuses to anyone who purchased the book on the specified day. I believe sales of about 2000 copies made the number 4 spot.

This Baxter knows enough to be dangerous. Do you think he really knows how publishing works and is manipulating the information for PA's benefit?

Oh, and as far as his statement that bookstores can't tell if a book is POD, that's true and false. If the book is printed and sold using the publish on demand model, meaning the book isn't printed, until it's been ordered and paid for, then it's false. Bookstores can tell through Ingram that it's POD. If the book is just printed using print on demand technology, but sold through a distributor at industry standard terms, then it's true. Bookstores wouldn't see the POD designation. See what I mean about his manipulation?

Dee