The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

It just makes you sick.

There is a woman on FaceBook trying to promote her new PA book.

She posts the announcement of its release with links every hour or so.

Her friends send wishes that it will sell out fast and go to a second printing.

So far as I can tell she survived hideous abuse in her life. Her faith is her support system. She is well educated, has worked for a newspaper, is socially active, clearly very bright, and you can't beat that winning smile in her FB picture.

Her book is 78 pages long, selling for 24.95.

Stooges-- BURN IN HELL for your lies to this poor trusting lady.

Hello again!

Hello, friends. Back after keeping a low profile for awhile. Got my rights back from you-know-who and epubed on the Kindle after a professional edit. This is to thank all of you for the hard work you do and the support (shoulder to cry on) you offer. Don't go away 'til the stooges do, please!

Welcome back, sadguy. Congratulations on getting your rights back from PA and moving forward with your work. Good luck!

sadguy said:

Hello, friends. Back after keeping a low profile for awhile. Got my rights back from you-know-who and epubed on the Kindle after a professional edit. This is to thank all of you for the hard work you do and the support (shoulder to cry on) you offer. Don't go away 'til the stooges do, please!

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Yes, congragulations on getting your rights back. Would you care to share how you did it? Did you have to buy them back, or did you succeed in getting them back without any payment of money? Hope your e-pub goes well.

I didn't send them any money. A certified letter showed up unexpectedly saying they were returning my rights. Tnx for the support. I will let you know how it goes, but I do not have reliable access to the net yet, so just 'cuz I ain't makin' noise don't mean I'm dead--yet.

merrihiatt said:

Welcome back, sadguy. Congratulations on getting your rights back from PA and moving forward with your work. Good luck!

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Indeed congrats.You got our hugs.
Now if we can just hear from 50,000 others.
(Incidentally, will you now change your handle from "sadguy" to "gladguy", or it still too soon?)
Neil

Uncle Jim will need to do the change, but I'll take it if he will!!

K.L. Townsend said:

Okay, so what is there now? Pocketbooks, PAperbacks, softcovers, and hardcovers? Am I right, or did I miss some?

And do these all have different prices/rules?

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Contact the FTC. See if they'd like to view the evidence.

Most contracts I've read clearly spell out how much/if an author may use as an excerpt from their book for promotional purposes. Some limit by word, some by chapter, some by a percentage of the total.

But they ALL allow it, because those FREE teasers SELL BOOKS. I can get excerpts on most Kindle books from Amazon FREE, because they know if I like the sample, I'll BUY the book. I have an excerpt from EVERY SINGLE one of my books on my website. And every brochure I make to send to local schools (really cheap, actually) contains the same excerpt. So people don't have to GUESS if they'll like your story. Imagine that! It's like browsing in the bookstore, which people really DO. Gosh and golly!

PA has never been really good about the selling to people who aren't the authors thing. That would require they actually understand marketing and publishing. (My sarcasm, let me introduce you to it.)

Not too long ago people could download a book of mine in its entirety as a free podcast, for a limited time. It was part of this whole award thing, and I didn't have anything to do with the decision. Excerpts from the audio book are still available for free, as well as written excerpts online.

I adore the fact that kids who might not have much money can still own a copy of my audiobook, if they want to. It didn't hurt my sales at all, and I might have gained a few new fans.

But this is only possible because my publisher believes that if people get a taste of my writing, they'll want more, and that if they read one of my books, they'll buy others as well.

What does it say about PA's faith in their authors, if they feel they have to charge for samples of their books - or withhold them entirely?

PA lurkers: Samples and excerpts are vital, especially if you plan on selling mainly online. If your publisher is trying to prevent the public from having easy, free access to samples of your writing, something is wrong.

PA LURKERS: Go to Barnes & Noble's ebook section. Take a look at how much the samples there cost. I'll give you a hint: IT AIN'T $2.99.

Good news

This is from a PA author whose honeymoon ended abruptly, but she's not giving up - and she mentioned us.

I’d like to thank everyone for their unwavering support and encouraging words, especially from y’all over at Absolute Write.com – I am humbled. More importantly your kind words have again motivated me and I’m ready to go back to work! The PA’s of this world cannot purloin my love of, or enthusiasm for, the written word – so there!

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Cool. I thought she'd tried posting that over on the PAMB where a positive mention of AW is a sure-fire guarantee the post would be deleted.

New author, same problem, lost in the maze. looking for a way out. so many people on the PA treadmill! this is unbelievable. I guess the most obvious question is. "can't the government see what is going on?" ( I love quotes ) this reminds me of the old west buffalo hunters that left thousands of buffalo carcass'es on the plains after taking only their hides and tongue's. Gastly. I refuse to by my own book!

leftfordead said:

New author, same problem, lost in the maze. looking for a way out. so many people on the PA treadmill! this is unbelievable. I guess the most obvious question is. "can't the government see what is going on?"

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Unfortunately, what's going on is just barely this-side-of-legal. PA doesn't levy any mandatory upfront charges and does supply a product (though whether this product is or can be made saleable to readers is another issue).

If the government can't protect people from scam artists, except by providing the relevant information to whoever looks for it, the government certainly can't protect them from vanity presses - and PA isn't even the worst in that regard.

I refuse to by my own book!

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Good choice. Stick by it. The more authors stop buying their own books, the worse off PA is.

And welcome to the board!

Don't forget there is a lot of "at the publisher's discretion" in the contract.

leftfordead said:

New author, same problem, lost in the maze. looking for a way out. so many people on the PA treadmill! this is unbelievable. I guess the most obvious question is. "can't the government see what is going on?"

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Glad you're here! You're among friends who can help you cut free or help you write a new, better book!

The government is of little help, since PA falls between the cracks of the law.

They DO live up to the bare minimum requirements of their contract. It is morally reprehensible, but legal. So long as they do that, their arse is covered.

Writers DO get clear of their contracts, though. Many of them are here on the PA threads.

Please go read the other threads on escaping PA contracts that are listed on this forum. Help is there for you!

Welcome, leftfordead. I am an ex-PA author and I know that sinking feeling when you become aware that PA is simply out to sell you your own books. If everyone stopped buying their own books, PA would be out of business.

Yes, leftfordead, you will find help, healing and life here. I too was bilked by the PA (pronounced "pay" because they will see that you pay and pay and pay for your sin of being trustful) but will soon be totally free: 2011, the Year of Liberation. I've only been on the AW a few weeks but immediately felt as though I'd lived here all my life. Hope you do too.
Neil

Why doesn't the government do something?

leftfordead said:

New author, same problem, lost in the maze. looking for a way out. so many people on the PA treadmill! this is unbelievable. I guess the most obvious question is. "can't the government see what is going on?" ( I love quotes ) this reminds me of the old west buffalo hunters that left thousands of buffalo carcass'es on the plains after taking only their hides and tongue's. Gastly. I refuse to by my own book!

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Welcome, leftfordead!

Yes, what PA does is reprehensible, and I, for one, am not convinced that it is entirely legal. What they do comes perilously close to fraud, and I think they actually do cross the line. But the feds are apparently busy with bigger fish, the BBB is a non-profit non-governmental entity with no real teeth, and the Maryland Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division doesn't consider PA to be a consumer issue, but a business-to-business problem. (You can read my complaint and the Maryland AG's response on the PA page of my web site, if you are interested.) So who's left?

In addition, I recently came to the conclusion that PA's fraud is not really monetary, which would make it even harder to interest the government in coming down on them. What I mean by that is that PA's lies and deception are primarily, if not entirely, aimed at getting the naive author to sign that dreadful 7-year contract. But when the author actually buys books from PA there is little or no deception, unless you believe that they do not actually mail all those useless books to Oprah and WalMart as they promise. By the time the author buys the books, he/she knows the outrageous cost, knows the outrageous shipping charges, and knows that he/she is responsible for all promotion, marketing, and distribution. But of course, by then the author feels trapped by the 7-year contract, or is still giddy about having his or her book "published," and hasn't yet realized just how difficult it will be to sell those overpriced PA books. PA doesn't really steal people's money, just their hopes, dreams, and hard work. And I suspect that's a hard sell to a government bureaucrat with limited resources.

OK, I'm done for now.

Part 4 of SD's investigative report is here: http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/2010/08/publishamerica-undercover-investigative.html

Oh the wonderful blessing of reading the exact difference between what a real "traditional" publisher is and PA's concept. Nathan Bransford's post today, Tuesday, August 24 is a gem of clarity. Too tired tonight to put up the addy. Google him, go to Curtis Brown, etc. You'll love it.
Neil

Neil Larkins said:

. . . Too tired tonight to put up the addy. Google him, go to Curtis Brown, etc. You'll love it.
Neil

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Try this link.

--Ken

I wish the heck he would call it COMMERCIAL publishing instead of "traditional." PA poisoned the water with that inaccuracy.

"Traditional" publishing to me harks back to the bad old days when writers had to get a patron to foot the printing bill or pay for it themselves.

And yes, PA is accurate about that--their writers DO pay for it themselves.

Dear PA lurkers--if you're gonna buy your own books anyway, go with Lulu or CreateSpace or Kinkos. It's cheaper!