The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

Kaji

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So hypothetically speaking...If several hundred people were gullible enough to fall for this bologna, then wouldn't the "50,000" authors be getting hundreds of emails? If it was sent to each "author" twice and their "media contacts," then that means peoples inboxes would be flooded with hundreds of e-mails. Since that is obviously not going to happen....I doubt their newest scam will even work!


*** added a moment later ***

What I am was getting at, is if nobody on this thread receives an e-mail and nobody on the PA boards gets an e-mail...then what secret 50,000 authors are getting the emails? This idea is so dumb I have a hard time seeing how anybody would fall for it. Miranda didn't think this through. She should have sat on the can longer. Which is where she where she probably dreamed it up; considering how shitty it is, haha
 
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DreamWeaver

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She should have sat on the can longer.
I'm sorry, but this is so utterly classic I had to quote it. Perfect comment on PA scatter-shot half-assed tactics.
 

Terie

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So hypothetically speaking...If several hundred people were gullible enough to fall for this bologna, then wouldn't the "50,000" authors be getting hundreds of emails? If it was sent to each "author" twice and their "media contacts," then that means peoples inboxes would be flooded with hundreds of e-mails. Since that is obviously not going to happen....I doubt their newest scam will even work!

My guess is that the plan is to add a batch of website links to their daily offer e-mails.
 

AudioGenius

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I doubt their newest scam will even work!

I wish this were true. Unfortunately, PA's model involves preying on the dreams of their PAuthors. You can never underestimate the power that one's dreams have to blind them to reality. PA understands this very well, it's why they focus on trying to build the PAuthors' dreams rather than actually trying to build the PAuthors' readership.

PA is basically a 2 tier multi-level marketing scam.
 

GothicKnight

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Someone really needs to explain this to me, because I just don't get it. PA "publishes" your book by allowing you and your family and friends to buy multiple copies. They "edit" the book by adding errors to the text, not fixing them. No one among the general public will ever even know your book exists, so even if you've written something that would interest me a great deal, I won't buy it because I won't know about it. Their marketing strategy is to sell you your own book. Their prices are ridiculous, and shipping cost is even worse. Yet their website has positive testimonials from some of their authors. Only positive testimonials, because they delete anything negative. I get that. But where are these happy authors coming from?

Where's the bar set? "Well, they spelled my name correctly on the cover." (I'd double-check that if I were you.) I just wanna know what it took to make these authors so happy with PA. Any ideas?
 

Marian Perera

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I just wanna know what it took to make these authors so happy with PA. Any ideas?

Many of those happy authors had manuscripts rejected by agents and publishers. I think one of PA's veterans once posted on their discussion board that she had called five agents, none of whom had been willing to speak to her on the phone. As a result she was soured on the publishing industry. On the other hand, she - like many others - didn't want to pay money up front to a vanity press.

Then along came PA and accepted their manuscripts with open arms. No requests for revisions, no editing, no long delays to hear back, no upfront charges. Best of all, PA was a "traditional publisher", meaning the authors were now just like Stephen King and Nora Roberts. So of course they start out very happy.

At this point they don't yet know about PA's business model, they haven't seen the prices and they're not familiar with what bookstores require in terms of discounts, distribution and so on. But they will be.

And then, of course, there are the writers who really didn't want much more than the opportunity to sell a few printed and bound copies of their manuscripts to their families and friends. PA gives them that, so they're happy as well. They'd probably make more money and have less hassle with a legit self-publishing service, though.
 
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Wrider

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I just wanna know what it took to make these authors so happy with PA. Any ideas?

My manuscripts were rejected a few times by "real" publishers. I knew nothing about the industry, nor did I have any real guidance. I heard about PA. Hey, look, they accepted my MS! I was on cloud 9 - I really was. And you know, at the time, I had every right to be excited. Seeing my first book in print was what kept me striving for more. I was a published author - truly. I just didn't know about things from a bookstore perspective, or from a publishing credit perspective.

Honestly, at that point, the good outweighed the bad. My whole purpose was to see my book in print. I didn't know about places like Lulu, and I didn't have the money to pay a reputable vanity press. Selling 10 copies was a thrill! And thus, the honeymoon. It carried me through into my second novel with PA. If I sold any copies, it was just icing on the cake.

It was only after a bad experience with my third book that I began to see a decline - prices, rude service, etc etc. I honestly had not encountered that much negativity until then. I had no trouble with the first two books and was even dealt with politely. THEN, there were problems with the third book, and quite a few of them. But it was already a done deal. I tried to stay positive and there were enough good deals going on that I could still buy copies and stay afloat when selling them myself. Then prices went up again... and again. All those gimmick emails started rolling out more frequently and thus... the honeymoon was over. And here I am today.

My guess is, that all these "happy authors" you see are those who are exactly where I was in the beginning. They are satisfied and/or blissfully ignorant. I'm glad there are happy authors - good for them. I hope they can be a success in their own hearts so they don't give up. Everyone needs a dream. And if an author allows PA to shatter a dream just because they've got their claws in one or two books for seven years, then that author's got too much quit in them.

I still have my sights raised higher than PA. Not sure for what or when, but I know that I have the ability to rise above them. Some of the "happy authors" may not actually be all that happy - but they're trying to make lemonade from lemons and it's the best they can do. They are probably totally unaware that they can actually do better than PA, so they are making the best out of their situation and trying not embarrass themselves.

We all know what PA is about. But most of their authors are the innocent bystanders that got run over when they tried to cross the street. Some didn't look both ways first, so you could say it's their own fault. But PA still could have put on the brakes instead of running them over. And some authors did look both ways, but failed to call to the friend up on the hill to see if any speeding vehicle was coming from a distance. Splat.

I recently said something in one of these threads about not feeling sorry for a particular PA author. I want to apologize for that because when I sit back and look at it, I'm up to my knees in "it," too. Just because I've seen and recognized reality sooner than another author doesn't make them lesser than me. Perhaps I pity them if they refuse to see the truth. But I should never lack compassion because I've stepped in "it," too.

Some authors will probably stick with PA until the very end and never say a bad word about them. So be it. Glad they had a good experience. Who am I to say to them, "No, really, you had a bad experience - admit it!" I'm glad that I see the truth and am gaining wisdom about what the industry is really about. But "happy" PA authors are still authors (however misled they may be), and I just want to be here when they fall so they have some encouragement to keep on going.
 

Neil Larkins

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Good post Wrider.
Good post indeed! Said so much of what happens. I too believe the majority of the feel-good posts over on PA's site are from those still in the honeymoon stage. Even I made a post quite early in my experience about my hopefulness of success thanks to PA having had faith in me. So with 50,000 authors and more starry-eyed newbies coming online all the time, a steady supply of happy notes will continue to stream into PA's site.
I also think some of these posts are planted. Very early on in my PA experience a terse email from the district manager of the B&N stores here in the Phoenix, AZ area informed that they did not, had not and would not ever put anything from a POD publisher into their stores, of which PA was one. I reminded her the B&N website carried my book, to which she informed me of the difference between the two, how they were worlds apart in marketing. I also said that PA affirmed they were not a POD publisher. She said they absolutley were and were lying through their teeth about it. But, but, but I thought, I see posts to PA's site of people all over the country landing book signings at B&N stores and having great success. Then I realized that these just might be bogus. I'm glad I came to that conclusion before contacting that manager again. I may have caused a permanent rift between us. As it was, even though she was terse with me, she was never rude. She was probably tired of having to field that same question about PA's non-POD and "traditional publisher" status again and again.
In sum, it was a learning experience and until one learns, PA seems at first to the novice author as the best thing since...you know the rest.
Neil
 

merrihiatt

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But where are these happy authors coming from?

Since I was a PA author, I think I can answer this question.

Say you're Jane Doe and you've written a few short stories and maybe some poetry. Your friends and family think you have a great way with words and have said many times, "You should get your work published." The thought has crossed your mind, but you have no idea how to go about it. Where does someone even begin to get published?

You love reading and happen to be a fan of the romance genre. You grab a couple of books on your nightstand and check out the publishers: Harlequin and Avon. You do a quick Google search and find out that some of the larger publishers require you to get an agent to submit your work. How the heck do you do that?

You decide to type the word publishers into a Google search and see what comes up. Dozens and dozens of sites pop up. PublishAmerica is very close to the top of the search. You click on the link and visit their website. It seems tailor-made for you. There's no cost and they say your book will be available to bookstores from sea to shining sea (you read that as books will be available IN bookstores and don't think for a second that PA won't want books to actually be IN bookstores).

You search around the PA site and find glowing testimonials. Even their message board is full of authors saying how thankful and grateful they are to PA for "giving their book the chance it deserves." Heck, it's better than having your work sit in a drawer, right? (Wrong, but I get the logic behind this thought).

You submit the manuscript and receive a response from PA almost immediately (within 24 hours). Who said publishing was a long, drawn out process? It all seems so easy. PA offers you a contract and you have a brief moment of "Hmmm... this all sounds too good to be true." Then PA sends you the author questionnaire with several tasks for you to do and you think, "How will I get all this accomplished in two weeks?" You are completely distracted by this "busy work" and any qualms you had about PA go by the wayside. Your contract arrives in the mail, you sign it and return it, and start searching for a photo that shows you in at least somewhat of a good light so it can be placed on the back cover of your book. Omigosh! YOUR BOOK! You imagine one day typing your name into an Amazon book search and wa-la, YOUR BOOK will pop up.

Then, you wonder who else has signed with PA and you do a Google search to learn more about the company.

By this time, you've posted your "Hi, I'm a new author and I couldn't be more thrilled that PA wanted to publish my book" post on the PA message board. PA is quick to snag that quote and place it on their testimonials page.

You're caught up in a whirlwind. You tell everyone you know that YOUR BOOK is going to be published. Everyone is excited for you and can't wait to read what you've written.

Cue sinister music, storm clouds, and the end of the honeymoon period. Your research reveals things about PA that you didn't notice. Wording on their website, and in the contract you so excitedly signed, that now has a false ring to it. A softball sized rock begins to form in your belly and you have a sinking feeling that you made a very big mistake.

You did make a mistake, but the story doesn't have to end there. You can realize where you went wrong, educate yourself, do more research, and move forward. PA only wins if writers stop writing.
 
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merrihiatt

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Fabulous post, Wrider. :hooray:
Queen of Swords, your post was spot-on, too. :hooray:

Neil, I hadn't thought about PA planting posts on the PAMB. Makes sense from their perspective and I wouldn't put it past them at all.
 

HistorySleuth

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Victoria Strauss just tweeted this link. So if the Indiana DA can investigate this publisher under consumer protection laws in regards to their authors, why not for PAs? Is the tide turning?

from link to IndyStar:
The Indiana Attorney General's office says at least seven written complaints have been received in recent days from authors who say they paid money to New Century Publishing of Indianapolis -- but didn't receive printed copies of their books -- from David William Caswell's company.

If the authors win, this could serve as a case example for PA authors right?
 
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JulieB

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Victoria Strauss just tweeted this link. So if the Indiana DA can investigate this publisher under consumer protection laws in regards to their authors, why not for PAs? Is the tide turning?

INAL*, but it might depend on the state laws and how they define this sort of transaction.

(*I am not a lawyer. But if Alan Shore wants to come sit on the patio here and have a drink, I won't stop him...)
 

IceCreamEmpress

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If the authors win, this could serve as a case example for PA authors right?

The authors who paid for books they didn't receive? That's actually not a common complaint on the PAMB; poor quality, errors introduced in setup, ugly covers, high prices, sure, but the authors generally receive their shipments as far as I can tell.

The other thing is the clause in the PA contract about arbitration-only resolution of issues, which apparently accords with Maryland law; I don't know if this pseudo-publisher's contract had such a clause, or if Indiana law supports such clauses.
 

Marian Perera

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There are a few orders which have been unsaleable (e.g. smeared ink, pages falling out) and some where the wrong book has been sent. On Facebook,, a PA author said her book is called "Passionate Playmates" but she received copies of a book called "The Passionate Christian".

On the other hand, that's still not the same as not receiving the books. Evidence of incompetence =/= evidence of a crime.
 

HistorySleuth

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I wasn't thinking exactly of the type of compliant (not getting books) so much as the authors are being looked at, in part, as consumers that might eventually be of some help.
 

IceCreamEmpress

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I wasn't thinking exactly of the type of compliant (not getting books) so much as the authors are being looked at, in part, as consumers that might eventually be of some help.

I don't see it. Indiana and Maryland likely have very different consumer protection laws. In any case, a decision in one jurisdiction isn't going to affect the state of affairs in the other.

Also, this is a very straightforward issue--these authors paid for merchandise which they didn't receive, so it's unlikely that even if this went to appeal, that there need to be any findings of law to resolve the matter, simply findings of fact.

The issues with PA are far more complex.
 
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Don Davidson

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But where are these happy authors coming from?

I suspect just about everyone starts out happy with PA or they wouldn't sign the contract in the first place. Heck, I was ecstatic. PA was fulfilling my dreams of being published, being read, and maybe even making some money from it. That lasted about a week or two, until I realized that they wanted me to do all the work and take all the risks, while PA essentially dd nothing but rake in lots of easy money.

I suspect just about everyone eventually figures out what PA really is (although a few don't seem to care). Some just figure it out quicker than others. Tragically, some don't figure it out until PA has gotten a lot of their money. I feel fortunate that I found this site and others before PA got a dime of my money.
 

TheTinCat

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Several authors have complained that it took a long time to receive their book order, but I don't recall anyone ever saying they never received their book order.

On the other hand, the people on the PAMB sometimes post things like "Gee, it's been six months now and still no books, but customer support have been saying that it's in the mail for the last four months, so I guess it must be true and I'll keep waiting".

If they're willing to accept several months of waiting time, they might never be willing to claim that they never received the shipment. Especially since PA keeps scolding them for not being patient and understanding when they have a backlog.
 

James D. Macdonald

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I just wanna know what it took to make these authors so happy with PA. Any ideas?

They offered a contract.

PA authors are ecstatically happy from the moment they're offered a contract. That state lasts until shortly after the book is actually published.

For that brief, happy, time, the author thinks that someone read their book and loved it as much as they do.
 

PVish

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On the other hand, the people on the PAMB sometimes post things like "Gee, it's been six months now and still no books, but customer support have been saying that it's in the mail for the last four months, so I guess it must be true and I'll keep waiting".

If they're willing to accept several months of waiting time, they might never be willing to claim that they never received the shipment. Especially since PA keeps scolding them for not being patient and understanding when they have a backlog.

Waiting for Godot, only with books. Anybody want to write a script for that?