The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

leftfordead said:

I don't see the point, theres no money in it and other than your own personal satisfaction the odds are stacked against you in this business.

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That's why we don't do it for money. Well, money is a nice side benefit if you get published, but we write because we want to, first and foremost. Don't worry about the money, if you enjoyed writing, then do it for a hobby.

leftfordead said:

It's good to come back here from time to time and read the posts. Oh woe is me. Newbie? written one book. tricked into failure. hopes flushed. keep writing? not a chance. once is enough for me. unless a miracle happens. I don't see the point, theres no money in it and other than your own personal satisfaction the odds are stacked against you in this business. I keep working my regular job. I'm really glad I found this place. Bless everyone and keep up the good work. l4d

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If you are in writing because you want to make money you are in the wrong business you will fail. If you
A) have a story that needs to be told
B) Can't go a day without writing or you will go crazy or you just realy love to write/tell stories

Then writing is for you. You have to LOVE LOVE LOVE to write.

Little1 said:

. . . You have to LOVE LOVE LOVE to write.

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Allow me to recommend reading Richard Lingeman's biography of Sinclair Lewis. That man (Lewis) lived to write. Unfortunately, also to drink. But he was a relentless worker, thorough and meticulous, and even his "lesser" works hold up awfully well as far as this reader is concerned. The biography really gives a sense of what a serious, successful, long-time writer puts into the craft. (BTW, he was, unambiguously, motivated by the paydays -- but also by the search for success.)

--Ken

P.S. Per Samuel Johnson, via Boswell, "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

I noticed on PA's main page, a notice:

TV Producer/Writer Signs with PublishAmerica
Merilyn Read, producer and writer of TV specials such as Babar and Father Christmas and The Teddy Bears' Scare, has signed a contract with PublishAmerica to publish her book, I Will Not Be Used.

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Wondering how a TV producer could be sucked into PA, I did a bit of searching and found that PA hasn't published I Will Not Be Used yet, but it has published her first book (Beverage alert!):
http://www.publishamerica.net/product90175.html

I also found a cached newspaper article about it here: http://tinyurl.com/252bse3

The mind boggles. . . .

It's been done before and better. No need to spend 29.95 when you get laughs for free on this fearless writer's blog:

SERIOUS beverage alert. Men, read at your own risk.

http://naamah-darling.livejournal.com/66235.html

What's next, yeast infections?

Color me disgusted.

But then again, PA will publish anything.

Including Willie's own How I Did it Book.

I wonder if he bought copies "to have on hand"?

CatSlave said:

What's next, yeast infections?

Color me disgusted.

But then again, PA will publish anything.

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Tagline: Not just for baking anymore...

Sorry. I needed to meet my bad joke quota for the year. *slinks away*

Wondering how a TV producer could be sucked into PA, I did a bit of searching and found that PA hasn't published I Will Not Be Used yet, but it has published her first book (Beverage alert!):
http://www.publishamerica.net/product90175.html

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Hee. By PA standards, it's actually got a pretty good cover.

wouldn't doubt she sent in the pic and paid for it...if you don't go stock u pay, mmm should have realized then that they were uggg type. But if I sending in pic would have designed something a bit more differently (lmao)

GOOD NEWS...OR SHOULD I REMAIN CAUTIOUS?

PA has heard nothing from me for at least four years. Out of the blue, and with no prompting, I received this email from them this pm:

"Dear Neil Larkins:
Your contract with PublishAmerica for The Key and the Crest will soon expire. If you would like for the contract to be renewed for another seven years on the same terms and conditions as specified in the original contract, please send a signed response in reply to this e-mail indicating your assent to renewal. Your typewritten name at the end of your reply e-mail will suffice as your signature. If you do not reply, the contract will expire, all rights will revert to you, and your book will be out of print.

Have a good day,
PublishAmerica Support"

I feel I should let this stand as is. Since they regard a signed reply, an extension of the original, as sufficient to renew the contract, that is, an official document in and of itself, I should regard this email as the same on my part. Since it came from Publish America and is signed by the support group, though no one in particular, it is an official document promising to allow all rights to revert to me when the contract now in effect expires next year (March, if I remember correctly). I do not think I need a more "official" pronouncement than this, though I am fully aware that others have experienced unfulfilled promises from PA emails. This is about the most clearly worded thing I have ever seen from them. It's pretty straight forward.
Any thoughts from the Peanut Gallery?
Neil

DON'T TRUST THEM.

Get a termination and reversion of rights IN WRITING from them.

Seriously. Tell them you have to have it IN WRITING for your taxes.

Gillhoughly said:

DON'T TRUST THEM.

Get a termination and reversion of rights IN WRITING from them.

Seriously. Tell them you have to have it IN WRITING for your taxes.

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I will take that under SERIOUS consideration. Thanks.

A written letter on PA letterhead sent via the U.S. Postal Service would be better than an e-mail. Ask for an official letter stating publishing rights have been returned to you.

Also, read your contract. There should be something in there about extending (or not extending) the contract beyond the end of the term. I'm not a lawyer, but if a publisher offered me an extension or a reversion, the first thing I'd do is check the contract language. Is the proposal in line with the terms of the contract? What are my options? Do I have any options? Should I seek advice on the matter?

I also agree with Gill and Meri. Your reversion should be in writing via postal mail or courier.

Just want to say, good luck. We're all counting on you. ;-)

I received the same email today, but then it is accurate as I only have 96 days left before the contract runs out. Usually I send a snotty email reply back to them, but decided this time NOT to, because they would probably say "Oh, you replied so we consider this granting us permission to sell your 312 page book for another seven years at $29.95." My contract says nothing about an electronic signature, in fact it states that a new contract has to be in place no later than 30 days prior to the expiration of the current contract, signed by both parties. I am a realist though, and I don't expect that PA will just delete my book from their bookstore on the expiration date or anytime soon after. If fact, if it weren't priced so insanely high, I would fully expect them to just keep on selling it and pocket the entire amount, after all, they no longer have a contract with me so why bother sending me royalties, right?

B.L. Robinson said:

I received the same email today, but then it is accurate as I only have 96 days left before the contract runs out. Usually I send a snotty email reply back to them, but decided this time NOT to, because they would probably say "Oh, you replied so we consider this granting us permission to sell your 312 page book for another seven years at $29.95." My contract says nothing about an electronic signature, in fact it states that a new contract has to be in place no later than 30 days prior to the expiration of the current contract, signed by both parties. I am a realist though, and I don't expect that PA will just delete my book from their bookstore on the expiration date or anytime soon after. If fact, if it weren't priced so insanely high, I would fully expect them to just keep on selling it and pocket the entire amount, after all, they no longer have a contract with me so why bother sending me royalties, right?

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I haven't had the chance to dig out my contract, but I do recall that it says cancellation must be done in the same way the contract was signed, in writing...on paper...sent by United States Postal System. Little lapse there, but as you can tell, I wasn't just going to reply to that email without asking some questions.
Neil

According to PA's "Up in Lights" page, another "director, writer, and producer" has signed a PA contract. A bit of Googling revealed that she has an up-coming B&N signing.

But there's something about her PA book's cover that reminds me of a Stephanie Meyer book. Could this have been deliberate on PA's part?

Her book, which has no Amazon rank yet despite its April 2010 publication date, is listed as "out of stock" at Amazon. It has no sales rank yet at B&N.
Wonder if B&N will get copies in time for the signing?

Let's be clear that we are slamming PA, not the PA writers.

The too-familiar cover is the fault of the art department (such as it is) and given a thumbs up (or one of those digits) by Miranda.

Once again, just because one has a cool job writing/directing her own micro-budget indie films doesn't mean the person knows squat about how real publishing is supposed to work. Otherwise she would have run like hell from PA.

It's a 128-page book selling (with B&N discount) for 17.95.

It was released in April and she's just now having a signing.

It likely took PA that long to print her copies.

I feel badly for her.

Thanks, Gill.

I feel really bad for her. Like all of us that were caught in their web, my heart goes out for everyone. I hope she is able to have a book signing, and that for her it goes well.

It is one of those twin edge swords. You want the author to do well but don't want the publisher to do well.

I'm sure that's stock art for the cover, but it is better than many I've seen out of PA recently. And you know what? Every time I walk into the grocery store, I'm assaulted with an array of book covers that clearly took inspiration from the "Twilight" books.

Like Gill, I just hope the author gets her books for the signing.

How did that happen?

PVish said:

According to PA's "Up in Lights" page, another "director, writer, and producer" has signed a PA contract. A bit of Googling revealed that she has an up-coming B&N signing.

But there's something about her PA book's cover that reminds me of a Stephanie Meyer book. Could this have been deliberate on PA's part?

Her book, which has no Amazon rank yet despite its April 2010 publication date, is listed as "out of stock" at Amazon. It has no sales rank yet at B&N.
Wonder if B&N will get copies in time for the signing?

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She got a B&N book signing? How? When my book came out, I was told by the director of all the Barnes and Noble stores in the Phoenix area that they did not carry pod books nor held signings for them. This was, according to her, a company-wide policy, no exceptions. When I asked her to look at my book, she said she wouldn't because doing so would not change the company policy.
So...has B&N's policy changed, or is it determined by each store manager? Maybe because this is a franchise B&N with greater latitude? Just don't see how this happened.
Whatever the answer to those questions, what about the book itself? Bless her heart, but Ms Schwartz's book cover appeal far out does her writing, if the synopsis is any clue. At PA, the author writes his or her own synopsis, which is the only synopsis that gets put on the B&N website. Therefore, in this case the synopsis is a direct indicator of the author's writing ability and what the book will read like, not just what the story is about. I hate to be a judge in this matter, but I just can't see anyone buying that book based on such a jumbled mess of a synopsis, not to mention the price. It's ridiculous for such a short book. I agree with everyone else here who has weighed in: If this signing actually takes place - which it certainly seems it will - Ms Schwartz will be greatly disappointed. The only books I see sold will be due to the cover or maybe her own personal ability/charm in selling. Another PA casualty in the making.
Sigh.
Neil

AGAIN--we are not here to slam the PA writers.

If the author happened to google-search her name and found this thread I doubt she would be happy about it or trust any of us to help her if she decided she needed it.

You have a valid point about B&N not hosting vanity title signings, so I rather think the author bought her own copies to offer to that particular store at a discount (losing money herself).

Managers have some latitude. For all we know they're old buddies from school.

Neil Larkins said:

. . . I was told by the director of all the Barnes and Noble stores in the Phoenix area that they did not carry pod books nor held signings for them. . . .

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FWIW, a couple of years ago I attended a signing, for an AuthorHouse book, at Barnes & Noble in Citrus Heights, CA. The author was a minor celebrity -- and had quickly come to despise AuthorHouse. Anyway, POD subsidy-press book. It probably made a difference that the author was the featured guest at the same day's annual community parade. The book probably would have had a decent shot at small-press commercial publication (or maybe in a niche line from a large publisher).

--Ken