The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread
- Thread starter James D. Macdonald
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Cute foreign accents apparently do not sway government investigators. The question is whether PA forced Meiners out or Meiners bailed out.
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I was laughing so hard about Cretella's bit with that dictionary I gave myself a cramp.
Meiner's patronizing attitude toward the US and the people he's dealt with (I can't bring myself to call it worked with) sure doesn't jibe with that book he put out in '06, the product description states:
No-nonsense gratitude opens your door to living rich. Think thanks, and nothing is impossible. Your wildest dreams coming true: this is the magic of saying thank you.
But his blog posts indicate a a quite different attitude. He makes a bloody fortune here then complains about this being a country of complainers. What a (fill in the blank).
Meiner's patronizing attitude toward the US and the people he's dealt with (I can't bring myself to call it worked with) sure doesn't jibe with that book he put out in '06, the product description states:
No-nonsense gratitude opens your door to living rich. Think thanks, and nothing is impossible. Your wildest dreams coming true: this is the magic of saying thank you.
But his blog posts indicate a a quite different attitude. He makes a bloody fortune here then complains about this being a country of complainers. What a (fill in the blank).
Some people are terminally gormless.
Nevertheless, that's nowhere near enough to keep the Good Ship Lollypop afloat.
Does anyone else hear the theme music to JAWS getting louder and louder?
I wonder, though, if that many people really whipped out their credit cards to activate the new formats or if PA is just priming the pump by listing books to create that illusion. I can picture a PA author waffling over spending the money and deciding to check if others are doing it. Seeing 1300 titles could be enough to overcome their doubts.
This strikes me as both brilliant (even with the ridiculous title) and sad. I mean really ... PA managed to produce a product using efforts of their own
If I recall, anything a PA author says or writes becomes 'property' of PA, who can use it for advertising or whatever, including creating this book.
I'm guessing PA simply compiled a bunch of comments from the PAMB and put a cover on it.
Think it'll become a best seller, or Up In Lights?
I'm guessing PA simply compiled a bunch of comments from the PAMB and put a cover on it.
Think it'll become a best seller, or Up In Lights?
What sticks out to me is...if they have no inhouse printer, and no outside printer, how are the books then "available" to brick and mortar stores.
I don't know, a while back they actually had a request for submissions for the book. They were very careful in explaining that they would not be paying anything for PAuthors' submissions.
Because it's 'avaliable' as in 'avaliable to be ordered once it's listed in a database'. Where it's listed amongst thousands and thousands of other titles, overshadowed by publishers who are actually pitching to booksellers.
Ah, ok. On the whole I think that this seems similar to what others have reported experience-wise, but that bit threw me off.
gosh-golly-gee batpersons...
who knew?
By submitting your essay you irrevokably authorize PublishAmerica, LLLP, at its sole discretion, to include it in the book "Why We Wrote" without compensation for you in any manner at any time, and to include it in any and all promotional activities and/or publications in any form or format that benefit the book and/or literacy advocacy and/or PublishAmerica who reserve the right to refuse or edit for spelling, grammar, or size.
Here's the gospel, straight from the e-mail I received.
Who's up for contributing to a rebuttal book on why we wish we'd never been seduced by these silk tongued devils?
Maybe we can't make the horse drink from the poisoned pen; but we can stop other horses from joining our ranks. We could put book sales in a slush fund and pay a good legal firm to take these people to court.
Maybe Gill would like to handle the composition? Double-dog-dare ya'!
who knew?By submitting your essay you irrevokably authorize PublishAmerica, LLLP, at its sole discretion, to include it in the book "Why We Wrote" without compensation for you in any manner at any time, and to include it in any and all promotional activities and/or publications in any form or format that benefit the book and/or literacy advocacy and/or PublishAmerica who reserve the right to refuse or edit for spelling, grammar, or size.
Here's the gospel, straight from the e-mail I received.
Who's up for contributing to a rebuttal book on why we wish we'd never been seduced by these silk tongued devils?
Maybe we can't make the horse drink from the poisoned pen; but we can stop other horses from joining our ranks. We could put book sales in a slush fund and pay a good legal firm to take these people to court.
Maybe Gill would like to handle the composition? Double-dog-dare ya'!
The question is - how do you make sure they accept it? They might accept everything, but surely they wouldn't a book so critical of them. They'd be able to tell...right...?
This is the how the acceptance process goes for every single submission; use a stopwatch during the manuscript review.
Read first 2-3 pages.
Read last 2-3 pages.
Read 2-3 pages from middle.
Do a word search for "hot" words that might indicate a scam:
Willem, Meiners, Clopper, Miranda, Prather, Stooges, scam, cheat, publish, Frederick.
Copy a random sentence from the manuscript, preferably some dialogue using a character name, and google it to see if it has been published before.
Copy a random paragraph and search the manuscript to see if it has been repeated.
Google the title to see if it has been published before.
Check the PA database "black list" of author names to see if the submission is from a previous troublemaker or known enemy of PA.
If so, forward it to Miranda Prather.
Got it?
Click your stopwatch and begin.
You must complete each review within 15 minutes or risk losing your job.
I presume that "google author's name" has been added to the instructions.
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That's exactly right.
The Acquisitions 'Editor' also has to update the database, fill in the contract and acceptance letter templates, print them all with mailing labels and get signatures.
And meet the daily quota of accepting no less than 15-20 submissions a day, IIRC.
BTW, you PA authors, have you noticed that your correspondence and envelopes from PA are never on actual letterhead?
That they print mailing labels for your address and use a rubber stamp for their return address?
That any letters and the contract are printed using a template on plain, cheap copy paper?
That in itself says a lot about the company you're dealing with.
Cheap bastiges.
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