PAMB and its quotes

Cheaper for PA to produce but the prices will remain high. Higher profit margin for them.

Less accountability. With Lightning Source out of the way, they'll be less of a track record to audit.

What it really means? Sure. It means that there will no longer be any certain way of telling exactly how many copies PA's printed. Right now you could subpoena Lightning Source's records if you want to know if your royalties line up with sales, or if you want to find out if PA has printed copies after they've returned the rights to you. No more!

They could also be cranking the "49 Copies" scam back up. You know how that goes: "We're going to return your rights, but we've already printed 49 copies. You have to buy them or we'll own your copyright."

No, PA isn't planning to mass market anyone. Not with a digital printer they aren't.

Returns are a good thing. A reasonable discount is also a good thing. A marketing staff is a good thing. PA has these in name only. Adding a digital printer to the mix won't change any of that.

Lightning Source provides economy of scale. Now PA will have to buy and warehouse their own paper and ink, they'll have to provide the staff to run the machine, they'll have to repair the machine when it breaks.

A digital printer won't separate PA from the Print On Demand folks -- they'll still be print on demand. What it will do is separate them from their previous misleading and deceptive claims that their books are printed by the same people who print books for Random House. As the Author Insult Team was fond of saying, "PublishAmerica is a traditional, advance and royalty paying publisher, sharing printing facilities with Random House, Simon and Schuster, McGraw-Hill, etc." Well, kiss that goodbye!

The effects on this fellows sales? None. His book's been out since May '06 and has an Amazon sales rank of "None." The first royalty period, any sales he might have made in June, July, and August fell into PA's Ninety Day Excuse window. We'll see how he feels after getting his next royalty check in a week or so.

I wondering if PA will actually hire new people to handle the printing of the books. They must get at least a few orders for books everyday with all the "happy authors". Who's going to make the books if they don't hire anyone new?

Is it possible that they are still going to use Lightning Source, but tell folks they are printing themselves to keep them from checking on how many were sold?

If they are printing themselves is it possible they could be having a harder time making the numbers they used to and/or even Lightning source has a bone to pick with them?

Either way, PA just screwed themselves. If they have copies warehoused, they'll have to pay taxes on those. If they don't and they claim to any authors that they do and that the author has to purchase those in order to terminate their contract, then they'll be committing fraud. Either situation can put them in court, not arbitration, in which case they'll get to face a prosecutor and the prospect of meeting new boyfriends in their new vacation digs.

That's right, Willem and Larry. Seems like ole Vic forgot to tell you about the Thor Power Tool case, didn't he?

Vic: "Oops, I thought that was only an erotic comic book issue."

Larry: "That's another fine mess you've gotten us into."

Willem: "But it's solely a tax write-off and so the rubes won't keep threatening LSI for their sales numbers."

Miranda: "Oh, shaddup. I need the machine to post flyers all over Baltimore about how PA is on a hate list."

I am scared to ask, but what is the 'Thor Power Tool case"?

UPDATE: Google has helped me find out: http://www.sfwa.org/bulletin/articles/thor.htm

slip of the lip

I have to join your club. I had the same experience with an agent that made a lot of promises. Finally I did a search on the internet and found out that she was a crook. And then whenever I had an agent respond to my query letter with promises, I did an internet search and found out that they were crooks too. That's how I found PA.

I understand what this PA poster is saying, but the unintentional truth of his statement tickles the hell out of me.

A fairly new author has a great idea on book marketing:
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19840

I don't know if I will ever get into trouble for this or not but I went to the library and looked up {subject redacted}...there were only two books both by {another author}(same book...one paper back and one hard) I put my business card in each of them. I figured people who check the book out are interrested in {subject redacted} and they might want my book too! At least I'm trying to think of free ways to market!

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and another author agrees what a great idea it is:

I think that is an excellent way to get your message to the ones who are most interested. Visit other library's and do the same. I used to work in a library and found all sorts of things in books, some intentional; some not. When you know the audience you are after-go for it!

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Will the libraries be able to handle the onslaught of 20,000 authors stuffing books with business cards? Should we all rush out to buy stock in VistaPrint?

This is so not a good idea on so many levels.
(An even worse idea: Why stop at business cards in books? Why not lurk in the stacks where your book would be shelved if the libraries were actually able to buy it from PA? Wait for someone to browse for books in that section, leap out with PA book in hand, and . . . well, you get the idea.)

PVish said:

A fairly new author has a great idea on book marketing:
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19840



and another author agrees what a great idea it is:


Will the libraries be able to handle the onslaught of 20,000 authors stuffing books with business cards? Should we all rush out to buy stock in VistaPrint?

This is so not a good idea on so many levels.
(An even worse idea: Why stop at business cards in books? Why not lurk in the stacks where your book would be shelved if the libraries were actually able to buy it from PA? Wait for someone to browse for books in that section, leap out with PA book in hand, and . . . well, you get the idea.)

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How long do you think it would be before alibrary called the number on the card and asked them to stop doing what theyre doing?

Its amazimg where peoples minds go when the options are few.

J.S Greer said:

How long do you think it would be before alibrary called the number on the card and asked them to stop doing what theyre doing?

Its amazimg where peoples minds go when the options are few.

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Or simply toss the card in the trash, thinking the person who borrowed the book last used it as a bookmark and accidentally left it in the book?

Well, when you've spent $$$ on business cards you have to do something with them. Otherwise you'd just leave them in the closet with your cases of books.

BenPanced said:

Or simply toss the card in the trash, thinking the person who borrowed the book last used it as a bookmark and accidentally left it in the book?

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I've done that with bookmarks, and I'll admit that it was a bookmark with my book on it. It wasn't on purpose, it was what was handy. I've probably left those stupid cards from magazines in there at one time or another too.

Really

This ranks right up with putting a postcard for your book in the pre-paid envelope that you use to pay the utility bill.

(I still love the Booksigning Tablecloth, though. That's just ... so ... well, wonderful.)

Why would you put business cards in LIBRARY books. Those readers check out books, not buy them. Uh oh, I hope the little dears don't swamp Borders now and put things in those books.

It's because the person who checks out the library book is interested in the subject of the book. They will find the business card and say, "By golly! Here is a book I've never heard of by someone I've never heard of, that isn't shelved in any stores or libraries ... I must go to Amazon and pay an exorbitant amount and wait a week or two to get my own copy of this book!"

I've found lots of business cards and book fliers in books at Borders. It's annoying, and the chance of them selling me something is...nil.

It may be mean of me, but the more desperate an author seems to push his/her book onto me, the less inclined I am to buy it.

PVish said:

A fairly new author has a great idea on book marketing:
http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19840
and another author agrees what a great idea it is:

Will the libraries be able to handle the onslaught of 20,000 authors stuffing books with business cards? Should we all rush out to buy stock in VistaPrint?

Click to expand...

Fortunately, there are limits to how many libraries a PA author can visit.

If I opened a book at a B+N and found a business card advertisement I'd be mighty pissed. I go in there to browse for books, not to be assaulted by wannabes desperate to do what any good publisher would: promote their books!

Best-case, I might use it for a bookmark. Either way, I'd probably never even really look at it.

Finally found a book I'd misplaced last night and found a visitors' pass from the hospital marking my place. I hope they didn't need it back.

My local downtown library had a rush of those "card in the book" things a year or so ago. The buggers who placed them were industrious, I'll have to give them that. None were from PA authors, though; the first was some sort of a multilevel-marketing offer and the other was for pecker pills. Neither of them spoke to a pressing need of mine (thank God!), and after a week the librarians had removed them.

Gravity said:

My local downtown library had a rush of those "card in the book" things a year or so ago.

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One of the "guerrilla marketing" newsletters you can subscribe to had probably just recommended doing it.

At least they weren't putting flyers under your car's wipers. (That's a bad enough problem that it's now illegal some places.)

Gravity said:

...the first was some sort of a multilevel-marketing offer and the other was for pecker pills. Neither of them spoke to a pressing need of mine (thank God!)...

Click to expand...

Thank PHENTERMINE.

James D. Macdonald said:

One of the "guerrilla marketing" newsletters you can subscribe to had probably just recommended doing it.

At least they weren't putting flyers under your car's wipers. (That's a bad enough problem that it's now illegal some places.)

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It's online at forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/2006/06/08/cx_sr_0608askexpert_slide_6.html?thisSpeed=12000

ordering books from PA, from the PAMB

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=19891

I placed an order for XXXX...and paid them $3.50 for shipping and handling ON 2/14/07. Yet, as of today, I have not recieved the book and to make matters worse, there's really no easy access to contact the company to check up on the order.

I am just wondering if this is a systemic problem and if others here have experienced a similar problem.

I am ALSO wondering if we should list them as one of the sources for our book purchase. As HEAVILY as I plan to promote my book, I would be very disappointed to learn that my purchasers can't get their copies and also can't contact someone to inquire on the delivery status of their orders.

Any thoughts, anyone?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
same poster:
My frustration is whether this is a systemic problem with the company. I plan to market my book through almost 80 organization group websites across the world. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE, IF I START GETTING ANNOYING CONTACTS ABOUT THIS TYPE OF ISSUE?

That's why I want to know if others on this board have experienced a similar problem. From what you are saying, it appears that I should not list PublishAmerica as one of the oneline sources for the book purchase.

I listed them because of the fact that they sell the books to their online sources at 40% discount and pay us royalties on the discounted price. Therefore, as Accountants would attest, it would be wiser to have people buy your books through PA than through PA's online collaborators. But if PA can't deliver on orders, we might as well eat the 40% discount and bank on reliable deliverers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
someone else responded:
Hey you guys,
I emailed PA concerning the same issue. 48 hours and no response. I broadcasted the availability of my book XXX, I mean overseas as well.Some people on my mailing list have already sent in their orders AND I am about to order my first 50 at a discounted price because I have compiled a list of over 40 interested readers.
Talk to me someone from PA or the FAmily
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
original poster again:
This is the type of response I was looking for when I sent out the initial post. I want to know if other people have experienced the same problem - that way, maybe we can avoid listing PA as one of the on-line sources.

It could be possible that PA is good in publishing books but not good in handling customer orders for book purchases. Either way, it's worth knowing before one sends out tons of marketing solicitations to the world.

CatSlave said:

This is the type of response I was looking for when I sent out the initial post. I want to know if other people have experienced the same problem - that way, maybe we can avoid listing PA as one of the on-line sources.

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Dear PA author: Keep complete records of all your promotional efforts, and keep copies of all your mail and email. Keep copies of all customer complaints.

These will come in handy when you take PA to arbitration.