Publish America - The best thing to EVER happen to unknown authors

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

We are trying to break into the business of being published.

Join the club

In all seriousness, sticking around this board will help you both do that. Don't buy into the crap that no one signs new writers - it happens all the time. Research, hone your craft, don't spend money where you don't need to. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[mercs]

Although she had an attitude and wouldn't listen, I do feel sorry for people like this...

To the published authors on here, how do you know your work is good? I think her friends and family were probably supportive, she had some local interest and then a "HUGE" publishing firm full of spiel about why they are the best started telling her how great she was...

The rest is history as they say. The fact that her two websites are gone suggests they weren't making the $500 a year in royalties, and I've yet to see the three other manuscripts for sale by her...

Real shame that someone who might have one day done something of merit has been all but retired from writing by scrupulous trading practises...

 

[Gillhoughly]

Well, PA is not "huge" and they are not a publisher, but this is preaching to the choir.

The validation you get when your work is accepted by someone, great or small, can be a life-changing experience. Maybe your work stinks, but someone's told you otherwise and sent you a check for it.

Dear PA Lurkers,

Which is the better validation for your hard work:

the one dollar check (with an option to frame costing only 20.00!) from PA,

or a 4,000.00 check from St. Martin's?

How do you know if your work is good?

You do what we all do, find a decent crit group, get feedback, write every day, and send out stuff until it sells.

It's like practicing the piano--do it often enough and you can tell when your playing is ready for Carnegie Hall--and so will Carnegie Hall!

 

[mercs]

As i said it's a real shame. If someone believes they are dealing with a market leader and the website is thousands and thousands of testimonies to how good the firm is, why would you listen to a few people elsewhere?

Everyone who writes wants approval and i guess in some cases we just become blind to what is there for everyone else to see...

 

[Gillhoughly]

the website is thousands and thousands of testimonies to how good the firm is, why would you listen to a few people elsewhere?

Because testimonials are only ever found on vanity press sites.

Dear PA Lurkers-- That was my first tip-off back in the day that PA was a vanity printer, not a publisher. You won't find a testimonial anywhere on Penguin, Macmillan, Random House, Baen Books or any other real publisher's website. They are looking for writers, not customers.

But the inexperienced or the desperate will ignore clues like that and go with PA, which is gonna cost $$$ down the road, as many have unfortunately learned.

 

[mercs]

I think that's the sad truth. People just don't want to see what's there. As you said companies like Macmillian have been going for centuries and have never even needed a testimony -you know who they are, what they do and how good they are automatically! In fact even the new start up publishers don't need testimonies, there's a whole ocean of talented editors out there who do wonders for their books. If you go into any bookstore, i see very few (and by that i mean none!) poorly produced books...

when i started writing full length novels, i had this silly idea of becoming a modern day Kerouac or Sallinger. i wrote novels that i thought were immense and represented this generation. were they? no, looking back they are amateurish and actually a little embarrassing...

at 22 you don't know this and just believe it's the best thing ever produced. so i started sending off to agents (that is after i wasted a few pound sending direct to the big firms!). most of the replies were your standard no thanks letter/postcard, but one of them -London Independent Books- sent a five page letter basically stating why the book was unpublishable and some of the mistakes i made. they also recommended books, classes in my area and ways i can improve the manuscript. they even suggested after a complete re-write to have another look, although i chose to drop the idea. it hurt at the time, but it was also the best advise i was ever given.

that's what new authors need. what they don't need when they are inexperienced and on a high is being told their book is great...

 

[xXFireSpiritXx]

Christ, I just read through this entire thread for entertainment value and wow. Talk about some seriously hostility mixed with horrific misconceptions about the publishing industry.

You have to do the time to get the pay off in my opinion. I have written 3 novels so far and have done three rounds of queries to agents and publishers. Rejections galore.

I am now writing my 4th and will begin the process again. One will stick sometime and I know it will be the right one.

I have been through PA's hell and it saps all the joy from the writing process in the end. I want to do what I love and PA will only stomp you.

 

[JulieB]

The best "testimonial" a publisher can have is that it sells books to the general public* and does a good job at it. That means a paycheck for the author.

We write because we love it. We write because we have a burning desire in our bellies to do so. But dang it, we can't do it full time if there's no paycheck. I don't have the time to go buy my own books and flog 'em around. When will I have time to write the next one?

* If not the general public, then their specialty audience. Products like textbooks and books aimed at professional areas such as law may not get read by the general public, but there are plenty of reputable publishers in those fields.

 

[James D. Macdonald]

A writer without readers is like an actor without an audience.

 

[Gillhoughly]

Scary, Uncle Jim. Scary.

Each PA writer has their very own empty theater, with PA charging them an overpriced admission ticket for their solo (in every sense) performance.

 

[Arkie]

A lot of us wonder how PA keeps duping writers. Here's how: I woke this morning to find in my local paper a PA news release on a local author including a nice picture. The first five paragraphs are about the author and book. The author is about 60 (based on number of grandchildren listed) and lives in a rural farming community.

Here is the final paragraph: (Bolding Mine) "Publish America is the home of 35,000 authors. It is a TRADITIONAL publishing company whose PRIMARY GOAL is to encourage and promote the works of new, previously undiscovered writers. Like more mainstream publishers, Publish America PAYS IT AUTHORS ADVANCES AND ROYATIES, makes it books AVAILABLE in both the United States and Europe THROUGH all bookstores and NEVER CHARGES any fees for its services.

Now how could any person out in the boondocks with a computer and a story to tell pass up such an opportunity.

 

[Gillhoughly]

That paragraph might well have been from any press release PA wrote for the writer, because most interviews never mention the publisher that way.

It's usually (title) by (author) has been released by (publisher)--mentioned once, then it focuses on the book and writer.

But as we're well aware, PA is a printer-that-says-it's-a-publisher (every chance it gets), and they're always looking for new customers.

CLUE for Lurkers: Please, compare any legit publisher's website for similar wording to PA's website. Penguin doesn't say "we're a traditional publisher that pays advances, blah-blah-blah" -- they don't have to!

The only reason PA has that up is to ease your fears that they're "not quite right" or "there's something off here" and the classic: "this sounds too good to be true."

What do YOU tell a friend who seems to be getting an uncannily fantastic deal from the sleazy used car joint on the edge of town?

Totally right. If it sounds too good to be true, then it is.

 

[JulieB]

That's boilerplate copy I've seen at the bottom of many of their press releases. It sounds like the newspaper simply reprinted the release.

Press releases from commercial publishers do contain boilerplate. But check out this typical release from HarperCollins. Compare and contrast.

 

[Kaji]

You should have seen the PA release for my novel. I don't have a copy of it anymore, it DIDN'T EVEN HAVE MY NAME IN IT, and they spelled the name of my book wrong. "Prelude to Destin" What the %$# is Destin? It is Destiny...

Needless to say, I called the local paper and begged them NOT to run it, they obliged.

 

[merrihiatt]

PA asked me to send them the names and e-mail addresses for five local newspapers. I found the correct people to contact and their e-mail addresses and sent the information to PA. PA stated they sent the press releases. I followed up with the same people and they stated they had never received the press release. I asked PA for a copy of the press release. They said they'd send it to me. I'm still waiting to receive it. That was eight months ago.

 

[scully931]

You should have seen the PA release for my novel. I don't have a copy of it anymore, it DIDN'T EVEN HAVE MY NAME IN IT, and they spelled the name of my book wrong. "Prelude to Destin" What the %$# is Destin? It is Destiny...

Destin sounds like a cream you'd use for diaper rash.

 

[merrihiatt]

Ha! I think there is such a cream called Desitin. Maybe that's for itching, I'm not sure. =)

 

[Sparhawk]

Scary, Uncle Jim. Scary.

Each PA writer has their very own empty theater, with PA charging them an overpriced admission ticket for their solo (in every sense) performance.

So that's where the echo came from when I was with PA !!! Fantastic analogy !!!

 

[Gillhoughly]

Thank you, Sparhawk; Uncle Jim started it, though!

It just occurred to me that the empty PA theater, overcharging for tickets and presenting unpolished and unrehearsed talent, is right next door to a theater with normal ticket prices featuring dozens of polished and well-directed acts you've actually heard of.

 

[mercs]

You should have seen the PA release for my novel. I don't have a copy of it anymore, it DIDN'T EVEN HAVE MY NAME IN IT, and they spelled the name of my book wrong. "Prelude to Destin" What the %$# is Destin? It is Destiny...

It would be funny if it wasn't someone's work they were destroying...

 

[Kaji]

I found out there is a diaper cream called DESITIN. Close enough. Every home-maker in America would have purchased the book, thinking it was a guide on diaper rash. lol.

 

[Pagey's_Girl]

There's a Destin, FL - but unless you're driving your Honda Prelude there...

Hey, you could have been the Next Hunter S. Thompson. "We were just outside Orlando when the Dramamine kicked in..."