PAMB and its quotes

such a bargain

James D. Macdonald said:

Some of the picture books might be charming. It depends on the talent of the author and illustrator.

What remains to be seen is how good the color repro will be.

Price also remains to be seen.

Discount, distribution, marketing, and promotion -- will all be left out.

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Being curious about the recent PA poster Christopher's book, I found in on Amazon. The original price of his 38 page illustrated children's book was 17.95.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1413727530/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

Gravity said:

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My thoughts also! But more along the lines of !

From the PAMB:

Dick, we should all be warned. There are more crooks than honest people, always out for a buck. We should always remember when surfing the web, nothing is free, there is always a hidden cost somewhere.

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Tri

Isn't that just sad!

Another newbie's "stepping stone" becomes a "stumbling block":

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20599

I have a book about to be released and am trying to go about finding out how to get book signings. I went to my local mall which has a Waldenbooks. A friend of mine, a fellow PA author had a signing there just last year, in fact they still have her signed copies on their shelf. I ask the woman how to get a signing and she says, "It's not for a Print on Demand book is it?" I just said no, even though it is. She handed me a sheet saying I have to send two copies of the manuscript to them as well as get a distributor? Is this what you have to do? And what is up with the POD thing? Publishamerica states on this site that most publishers now are POD, and if the store was against it to begin with how did my friend get a book signing? I told this woman we were through the exact same publisher. I don't get this

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Looks like a lot of the new PA authors are now learning the truth about PA before their book is out. Now, if they could just learn before they sign the contract. . . .

I'm wondering if those books are on the shelves or on the bargain book table. The PAMB poster's credibility, especially with the lie about his/her POD company, is questionable to me.

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20351

Take it from this ol gal --don't ever- ever -ever let someone else talk down your book! especially one in your family who should be loving and supportive! Always remember Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt's advice:

"No one can make you feel inferior without your permission!

As far as your promoting yourself, who better then you? You might try my approach--like once at a Barnes and Nobles store in Philadelphia , when I looked at the Manager and said to her...
" Would you believe dear that I write books too." well next time I walked in there she had six copies of "Le Cafe' de Cadix" which she made me authograph and then put on the front table, the most prized one in the store!

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No additional comment, it speaks for itself.

I notice she doesn't say the display when you first walk into the store (I'm assuming all B&N are set up pretty much the same way.) The only "tables" I see are the ones set up near the registers - not exactly where I'd want one of my books....

She rubs many of the old PAMB writers the wrong way. In fact, she got one of the old regulars banned for a short time until a few of the others rallied around and got that member restored.

There are some good people over there, but French Lady isn't one of them.

I followed the French lady's thread about the Philadelphia B&N episode. She later posted photos of her daughters (she has four or five) and her in conjunction with the book's release. She was with her daughters when the B&N discovery was made. I've always suspected one of the daughters arranged in advance for her book to be on display when they brought mama to the store.

That wouldn't surprise me.

Rllgthunder said:

I'm wondering if those books are on the shelves or on the bargain book table. The PAMB poster's credibility, especially with the lie about his/her POD company, is questionable to me.

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Book signing last year is the kicker.

They've had her friends's book on the shelf for a year.
The book either has to be consigned, or the store has a vested amount of money in the book.

Since it is unlikely that the store purchased a number of books for a signing, the writer more than likely brought the books in, purchased from PA.

I suspect that the book is consigned.

This brings us back to the business model of PA, funneling the writer to purchase their own books.

PAMB is the French Lady's life. It's very sad.

A few months ago when royalty checks came out, she quipped how happy she was that once again she would be able to get her hair done with her royalty check, and that her goal was to be able to get her hair done and a manicure with the next royalty check.

Unfortunately, new members on PAMB take her word as gospel because she has been with PA since the ice age. She is one of the old timers whose words convince newbies to sign up with PAMB.

Just because you are old and retired does not give you the right to aid in destroying dreams and creating turmoil in other peoples lives. C'est vrai?

Happy Easter all!

(That is not a dancing ghost. It is a marshmallow rabbit that melted a wee bit in our hot S. California desert sun. )

brianm said:

PAMB is the French Lady's life. It's very sad. Unfortunately, new members on PAMB take her word as gospel because she has been with PA since the ice age. She is one of the old timers whose words convinces newbies to sign up with PAMB.

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She hasn't been there that long. I left just after she arrived.

Maybe a year and a half, now.

Albiet, long for the PAMB.

I've talked to her many times on the phone. You are right in saying that she loves to hang out there. But, she has many other things she does and is doing.
Her family takes her on trips all around the world. She just returned from Austria not long ago.

She is the ultimate optimist. Though I know she knows what PA is. Yet, it is a good fit for her. She is happy in her adventure with them. She has the money to buy books, or whatever else she desires.

In her mind she is not steering anyone in a direction that she wasn't happy going herself.

I am contemplating having a family member write a book to submit to PA in an effort to gain a password to return to the boards. Once there, I will would cherish a chance to refute comments made by the info giving know it alls.

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20309

I always offer treats at every signing. I usually set my things up then take a couple of hand fulls of what ever candy I selected and scatter them on my table. This way the potential customer will have to look over the table and books to get the treat he/she wants. That, I find, usually prompts them to pick up one of my books.

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. . . and adding a large mousetrap would keep the potential customer there until until he'd bought a book as a condition of release.

I also give out book markers, post cards or business cards. I have a friend what works for, (can't give the name) and they always have freebies to give out. My friend cleans out these freebie gifts every month, (if she didn't they would be bursting at the seams) and gives them to me. So if a person buys one of my books at an event, they get a gift bag. Hey if it's free to me, why not pass it on to a customer and make them even happier?
Hope this helps in some way.
Hey, what ever works right?

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That has got to be one crowded table.

It's only a matter of time before book-signing tables are littered with all those little motel toiletries the authors probably brought home (from out-of-town signings, no doubt).

Speaking of litter, what a great way to get rid of Fluffy's last litter!

PVish said:

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20309

. . . and adding a large mousetrap would keep the potential customer there until until he'd bought a book as a condition of release.



That has got to be one crowded table.

It's only a matter of time before book-signing tables are littered with all those little motel toiletries the authors probably brought home (from out-of-town signings, no doubt).

Speaking of litter, what a great way to get rid of Fluffy's last litter!

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At my last job, I worked in the purchasing department and one of the things I did was those promo items - like squeezy stress balls, etc. They had the company name and logo on them and some of them were pretty cool - I have a squeezy Earth and a squeezy cow, a million coffee mugs, etc.

Imagine going to a booksigning, picking up a goody bag from Author X, getting home and finding it loaded with squeezy cows with Company Q's logo etc on it.

Unless Author X is scraping the names off and writing his/hers over it. I don't know which would be worse.

Ken Schneider said:

She hasn't been there that long. I left just after she arrived.

Maybe a year and a half, now.

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Because she has 14,600+ posts, I assumed she had been there longer. A person would have to spend a great deal of time on PAMB to accumulate that many posts in a year and a half.

She joined 23 Aug 2004.

James D. Macdonald said:

She joined 23 Aug 2004.

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I was kicked out 3-05.

I guess she would be an oldtimer in PA speak. Unless you want to include people like Lynn B who started there in 2000, and still posting until the last Easter ressurection debacle, and for a time after.

Another turnover will be around, soon.
One more royalty period will take care of most of the current posters, and the same old, tired, questions, will come around again.

And the newbies here will be quoting them.

Maybe, Ken. But when you see things like:

2. Edit your message board posts. Everything you write reflects upon your ability and if Stephen King, John Grisham or other leading writers were posting here you can bet they would edit theirs. A typo may slip in here and there and that’s OK. You just don’t want many of them or a post containing poor grammar or spelling.

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you just gotta do it.

I'd hate to think my posts are reflective of my overall writing ability. And perssonally I wouldn't care about the spelling and grammar of what Stephen King posts because I know he can write.

Heh....I just couldn't imagine writers who make millions, by using traditional avenues of the business, posting on the PAMB.

Won't argue there is something new that pops up on occasion.

It is rare, since the people who have a modicum of longivity on the boards answer the newbies with the learned responses from those before them.

PA is a business model that's self repeating and works to perfection on the unknowing.

From the PAMB:

Dick, we should all be warned. There are more crooks than honest people, always out for a buck. We should always remember when surfing the web, nothing is free, there is always a hidden cost somewhere.

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That is beyond sad. To me it is just like the blind leading the blind.