PAMB and its quotes

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Popeyesays

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Printed by PublishAmerica, a royalty-paying publisher known for accepting new writers, the book was released Dec. 11.

It just never ceases to amaze me how low PA will go to get the word out and suck in more marks. On the backs of their author's review articles no less. I do agree that the authors are probably pushing their company for the sake of legitimacy, but the effect is far more reaching. It's free national advertizing, just the ticket PA covets and exploits. I just love that phrase, "known for accepting new writers." As though it's kind of a well kept secret--a little insider tip.

I swear they have it coming in from all angles and compass directions.

Tri

Since PA is a b******t generator, it must have a b******t magnet in there somewhere. A kind of cosmic and practical karma machine--what flies out flies back.

Regards,
Scott
 

PVish

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Phrases like "We welcome new writers" or "known for accepting new writers" translates to "If you're as clueless as we suspect you are, we want to scam you." Variations might include this from www.wordwright.biz:
We are equally committed to finding and nurturing the first-time author as we are to bestseller publishing.

Anytime you see those phrases with "new" or "first-time" on a publisher's or agent's website. . . well, you know the drill.
 

Maddog

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Saddest message of all time...

Titled "Praise the Lord"

If the Lord keeps blessing and blessing I don't know what I'm going to do. The Lord has made a way for me to be able to buy books for my book signings. I was getting really worried about this when over night God opened the doors of heaven and showered down blessings on me. God is good!
 

rihannsu

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Well, if the Attorneys General can't take down PA, then maybe God will smite them for us.
 

PVish

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Advice from PA to its authors:

http://www.publishamerica.com/MarketingInfo/mediaevents.htm:
The cardinal rule of dealing with the media is persistence. Everyone is vying for the media's attention, and you have to give them a reason to give that attention to you, rather than to that guy over there. It's extremely important to sell yourself, and if that doesn't work, just be a pest. But be certain to have a method to your pestering.

http://www.publishamerica.com/MarketingInfo/promomaterial.htm addresses the question of whether or not authors need promotional materials (Note: I copied and pasted so all the misspellings are PA's.)
Well, you don't need them. Should you probably have them anyway? Yeah. As the Author-that is, the major marketing force behind your book-you'll want to have an arsenal of tricks at your disposal for promoting your book. Promotional materials, such as postcards, flyers, posters, bookmarks, etc., are a standard part the well-armed author's bag of tricks.

You'll need a display for your public events, like book signings or speaking engagements. You'll want something to hand out to people, probably with ordering information printed on it. You might want signs to put in public places where readers collesce; places like coffee shops, bookstore bulliten boards, and local writers' group meeting places.

The bottom line is that promotional materials make you more visible, and the more visible you are, the more books you're likely to sell.

Now we can understand the book mark and flyer obsession that some PA authors have. PA has told them that visibility=sales, which might be true if the "visibility" is from good reviews in major publications, bookstore placement, distribution, etc.
 

CatSlave

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even more scam

Advice from PA to its authors:

http://www.publishamerica.com/MarketingInfo/mediaevents.htm:


http://www.publishamerica.com/MarketingInfo/promomaterial.htm addresses the question of whether or not authors need promotional materials (Note: I copied and pasted so all the misspellings are PA's.)


Now we can understand the book mark and flyer obsession that some PA authors have. PA has told them that visibility=sales, which might be true if the "visibility" is from good reviews in major publications, bookstore placement, distribution, etc.

Is this priceless advice gleaned from the PA book being hawked on the front page of the PA website?
Who do you suppose wrote it?
Who do you suppose is profiting by it?

[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Published Author's Guide to Promotion, The[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Various Authors[/FONT][FONT=verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Have you ever been outside of the bookstore, looking up at a colorful poster announcing the impending arrival of another author’s book? Have you thought about being that smiling face in the window, and imagined it were you? This is your invitation to enter the society of the published author through a candid look at their promotional endeavors. Become privy to the closely held secrets of those with intimate knowledge about the subject of publicity, forged through first-hand experience. Written by the real experts, these are the keys to success. In the true spirit of good will, your fellow authors, who’ve been through the trials of marketing, have taken the time to convey the wisdom necessary for you to master this elusive art. Listed in these pages are the dos and don’ts of promotion. They aren’t from people sitting at desks, they’re from authors working their expertise behind book signing tables. These are tips from individuals in action. They are you. Learn from them.
Softcover [$16.95]

[/FONT]
 

James D. Macdonald

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The Published Author's Guide to Promotion! I haven't thought of that for years. As I'm sure you're aware, the foreword to that book was written by a PA editor who had only been there for six months, which made her one of their longer-lasting ones. She was the one who'd gotten the job by answering an ad in the Pennysaver. And she's the one who called Willem "weird."
 

James D. Macdonald

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"bestseller publishing"????

Wow, now it's come to outright lying, eh?

That wasn't a quote from PA -- it was from http://www.wordwright.biz/

But... still, not entirely a lie.

They didn't say they were committed to bestseller publishing ... they said they were as committed to bestseller publishing as they are to nurturing new writers. If we presume that they aren't committed to nurturing new writers at all, well, it follows that they aren't committed to bestseller publishing either.

I'm as committed to burning my home library as I am to driving a spike through my hand!
 

BenPanced

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Well, you don't need them. Should you probably have them anyway? Yeah. As the Author-that is, the major marketing force behind your book-you'll want to have an arsenal of tricks at your disposal for promoting your book. Promotional materials, such as postcards, flyers, posters, bookmarks, etc., are a standard part the well-armed author's bag of tricks.

You'll need a display for your public events, like book signings or speaking engagements. You'll want something to hand out to people, probably with ordering information printed on it. You might want signs to put in public places where readers collesce; places like coffee shops, bookstore bulliten boards, and local writers' group meeting places.

The bottom line is that promotional materials make you more visible, and the more visible you are, the more books you're likely to sell.
Just think! You can use those rolling mountains of royalties you'll be getting from PA to sink into your flyers, bookmarks, postcards, table displays, and posters!
 

PVish

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Look fast—this newbie on the PAMB won't last:
Aloha all! I think it it is unfair that Authors don't get the retailer/specialty stores discounts of 40-45-50% on orders placed direct with PA . The current Author disc. 20-30% is a rip off. Why should the publisher be profiting at a higher margin from their Author's. I just sent a message for the CEO. Perhaps if enough of us join together PA will take a look at this unjust, unfair pricing to it's Authors.
 

Saundra Julian

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I love it but the poor author is now a short-timer on the PAMB! Can't have anyone telling the truth, ya know.
 

LloydBrown

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Why should the publisher be profiting at a higher margin from their Author's.

Normally, it's because they're taking all of the financial risk. I can't think of a single publisher who makes less money on a book than the author does. At least on the top figure. The bottom figure might well be less.
 

triceretops

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Of course it's gone. Such posts strike fear into the heart. You never see others contributing to such a post. You can almost see the barbed wire around it. Off limits, less you want to be socializing with a person who is asking legitimate questions and posting normal writer gripes. PA demands Stepford Scribes fill their ranks--not free thinkers.

Tri
 

Sean D. Schaffer

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PA is set up not to have a best selling author.


Sure they are. They're set up to have a best-selling author.

Whatever book sells the best among the other PA books, is a best-seller.

:)

Of course, that was just a joke, but I still would not be surprised if PA held such a mentality. It sounds to me like something they would try to get their authors to believe.

It's sad, if you think about it. If PA would just be honest about their business model and treat its dissenting authors with respect, I imagine they would be able to make just as much money as they do under their present system.

But like Uncle Jim has pointed out to me before, it's a matter of money. They don't want to spend money to get money. They want a no-risk method of getting rich. That's what really ticks me off when it comes to PublishAmerica. They're willing to victimize authors so they can get more money.
 

PVish

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I believe it's gone.

Yep; I grabbed it within 15 minutes of its being posted. It was the poster's second post. Here's a question from a guy who has a total of 8 posts:

Hey everyone I see celebrities are being published by PA does anyone have an exact count of the celeb PA authors and who are they? And do they post on the message board it would be nice to get a post from them encouraging the rest of us on our way to stardom.

I notice a lot of the posters asking the good questions are newbies. One with only 4 posts asked (http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19324) asked:
is anyone making a living being a full time writer here
and was answered by the most experienced writer on the PAMB, who ends his answer:
. . . It is especially tough to earn a living writing fiction. It is extremely unlikely that any PA writer is doing so. In other words, whatever you do, don't quit your day job. If you want to write full time, look for a job with a newspaper or magazine.
 

Sparhawk

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Of course it's gone. Such posts strike fear into the heart. You never see others contributing to such a post. You can almost see the barbed wire around it. Off limits, less you want to be socializing with a person who is asking legitimate questions and posting normal writer gripes. PA demands Stepford Scribes fill their ranks--not free thinkers.

Tri

Tri, "Stepford Scribes", that's a keeper. :roll:
 

PVish

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This is so not gonna work:
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19377
I was working my 9 to 5 today and I was thinking quite freely about of Marketing Strategies and I have come up with a plan or pulled it out of my rear or from the air whatever the analogy. So I want to run it past all of you.
I have found out from my last signing party that book stores would rather host larger signing parties just because the Authors present would not only be representing their own work but their genre.
I am starting a Database for all the PA authors according to where they reside. I intend to list them by region and if anyone wants to help me out with this I’d appreciate it. The PA Family will thrive if we work together. I have a name for this organization I want to start, “Publish America’s Author Alliance Association.” If we could get PA to install a button on their site and label it “Book stores wanting to host signing parties” they would click on the state they are in and it would direct them to a “Signing Party Manager or Host” for that region. That manager or host would pull up the PA Author’s in that region and email them of a signing party in their area and to see if they are willing to participate. The “Signing Party Manager or Host” could have that author’s profile with their ISBN’s, their Genre and how far they would be willing to travel for a signing. This would increase our visibility to the public and draw business to the Bookstores. Together we will open the eyes of the world with public appearances, increase PA profits and increase our own Royalties. I haven’t fine-tuned all the questions that might pop up so email me and I can iron it out for all of us. . . .
. . . and this one won't either :
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19208
Why don't the many thousands of Publish America Authors band together and create our own Marketing department. We have authors from all over the world. If you read a book you like that was written by another PA author, put it on your website, tell your friends. If you live in Texas and the author lives in Rhode Island, and one of your friends has bought his book, then you've just spread the book all the way through the country. There must be hundreds of ways PA authors can help each other out, and I think we should definitly try to make other authors sell their books. It benefits us all because the more best sellers our publisher prints, the more book stores will start to recognize us. It is a circle of growth that is necessary to help us all achieve in this business. We are a family.
Anybody want to explain to the enthusiastic newbies—or maybe to the lurkers—why these ideas are doomed?
 

stormie

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I'm sorry, I stopped reading at this: 'The PA Family will thrive if we work together. I have a name for this organization I want to start, “Publish America’s Author Alliance Association.” ' I nearly spit out my drink as I thought of the acronym for it. PAAAA.

Okay, deep breath, stop laughing, and I'll read on.
 
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