PAMB and its quotes

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Ken Schneider

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Isn't it about time for someone to suggest starting a PublishAmerica Book Club and someone else to suggest opening a bookstore that will stock only PublishAmerica books?

Yes. Someone new will think it's a novel idea and suggest it.
Someone else will tell the newbie to get tablecloths, and lollypop trees, bowls of candy, business cards, flyers.

If POD saves trees, then PAMB poster's quixotic ideas about marketing props make up for it.
 
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CatSlave

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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!
Is this a book signing or a flea market?
 

stormie

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Renting a table and selling your books at a flea market has been proposed -- seriously -- more than once.
Sure. They should buy 75 of their books--at a discount price!--and then rent table space and spend about six hours in the blazing sun or damp drizzle hawking books that are over-priced. Amazing. What will they think of next?
 

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When Willem Meiners and I founded PublishAmerica in 1999, we were both writers who could not get their books published. Since then, by using new printing technologies, we are proud to have enabled many thousands of first-time authors to become published in traditional fashion.

PublishAmerica was founded on the premise that money should flow toward the author, and not the other way around. At no cost to the authors, we put our authors' books into their hands, and into the hands of reviewers. PublishAmerica operates on the exact same business model as do all mainstream traditional publishers, assuming all the costs and risks associated with publishing books.

Has this always been on the 'Press Room' page?
 

PVish

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Is this a book signing or a flea market?

One thing I've noticed, recently at VA Festival of the Book and at a writers' conference I attended, is that PA authors put a lot of books on their tables. Other POD authors (including myself) only take a few books in case someone we know asks about our book (and we don't pay big bucks to rent tables) because we know we're not going to sell in places where people come to network and attend presentations by big name authors. The big names have the long lines for signing, and they aren't selling their own books. The bookstore is.

I do appreciate all the candy that the PA authors had. Yummy! Their flowers were lovely too. One of the PA books I looked at at VA Fest didn't look half-bad. If it had been $5 cheaper, I might have bought it.
 
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Arkie

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I once participated in a joint signing at a Polish Festival in a retirement center. There were eight of us signing, unfortunately downwind from where they were cooking sauerkraut and sausages. It was brutal. My eyes watered for a month.
 
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Arkie

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The books were that bad, except for the lady who had the book on quilting. There were a lot of beautiful color photos of quilts in her oversized coffee-table book plus she had a quilt with her that she hung on a frame placed behind her chair. Quite an impressive display. Her quilt and book sales were quite brisk. If you think writing a novel is difficult, try sewing a quilt sometime.
 

JulieB

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If you think writing a novel is difficult, try sewing a quilt sometime.

Oh, I can sew a quilt. It isn't easy - especially the art quilts, IMO. There's a reason I prefer miniatures. (Hmm... just like short stories...)

Seriously, it sounds like her book is probably too good for her publisher.
 

ResearchGuy

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*Pfft.* Small potatoes. Aim for the Big Time: the State Fair.
Actually, the California State Fair is a successful sales venue for authors, including authors who publish their own books. You would be surprised (or perhaps incredulous), but I have seen the traffic that booth draws year after year, and know authors who find it well worth their while. I doubt that any PA books would stand much of a chance there, for the usual reasons, but folks with quality products at reasonable prices do very well.

--Ken
 

spike

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This is from the author who doesn't like bookstores. Somehow, I'm not surprised. Bolding mine.

PAMB said:
You mention about people going to bookstore and looking at the books. Where I live we have 3 Borders and 2 Barnes and Nobles stores plus several "mom and pop" bookstores and I can honestly say that I have only been in two of them the past 35 years. I just do not go to bookstores. I purchase my books either on line, or from an author who has set up someone signing his or her book.
I have seen a lot of people sell books in places that I would have never dreamed was available.

From this thread: http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20259
 

Popeyesays

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This is from the author who doesn't like bookstores. Somehow, I'm not surprised. Bolding mine.



From this thread: http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20259

Did you notice the title of the thread on the PA board? It's quite ironic:

"Are We Shooting Ourselves in the Foot?"

Answer: Don't worry! You've been there, done that and gotten the tee-shirt.

Regards,
Scott
 

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I've only ever been to one booksigning and that's only because I happened upon it. There were two authors and I bought both books because they were the same genre I was trying to be published in. When I asked them how they did it, they directed me to my local RWA chapter. Best advice I ever recieved...
 

jamiehall

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And, from http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=20259 two quotes:

When any of you go out to book stores to sell your book, and they turn you away, do you ever go back to that store to purchase books or do you purchase from those who support your work/ If you are doing the first, you're only hurting yourself. Let your cold hard cash do your speaking for you. Never set foot back in that store again, Even if it is in a small town, do your buying somewhere else.

which is answered by...

so using your analogie the store owner never sees you again..Do you think he knows or even cares?. But now picture this, every time you go in his store, you make sure he sees you (even if you did'nt buy anything.).and make sure you give a big smile..Don't you think maybe somewhere along the line he'll think to himself "maybe I should give that nice guy another chance"

...which sounds oddly like stalking. Just keep smiling, and looking at those bookstore employees. They're bound to feel guilty sooner or later.

Yeesh! It makes me think about years ago, when dealing with a restaurant customer who always stayed for as long as was possible without getting kicked out, and the whole time his eyes never left whichever female employee was closest to him. It gave all of us the creeps.

Do they really think that this is effective marketing?
 
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