The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

Hey everyone,

Just back from holiday break and catching up. Whew!
I don't think anyone has posted this one yet.
Here's where I really feel like they can't be sending these books. The authors (notice they mention Stephanie Meyer as an alternative) would surly have their people...because these kind of authors have "people"...on PA to cease the mailings.


Dear Author:

PublishAmerica will submit your book to Stephen King!

How about giving America's number one bestselling author (over 350 million books sold) a whiff of your own book? Stephen King is not only hands down the best selling suspense author in the history of books (Carrie, Cujo, The Shining, etc.), he also wrote a classic on the art of writing, On Writing, A Memoir of the Craft.

PublishAmerica will donate your book to the Stephen King. We will send it for his review, two copies, so that Mrs. Tabitha King, herself an author of nine books, can take a look as well.

Here's how we do it:

If you want to have books on hand, order now, and we will donate two copies
to author Stephen King. And you receive a 45 pct discount!

We ship Stephen King's copies the same week we ship your books to you. And we'll let your local news media know that we did!


Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your book, click on it, then add to cart, indicate quantity, and use this coupon: Stephen45. Then click Recalculate and finish the transaction. Minimum volume is 14 copies.


In the Ordering Instructions field, just write: "Media Yes". Our PR department
will automatically contact you for names and addresses of your local news media.
By using the coupon you are authorizing us to donate the books
to Stephen King in Bangor, Maine. You may also request that we ship the two
FREE books to you instead, or to blockbuster author Stephenie Meyer in Arizona.

...This is insane.

I really, really hope no one will fall for it.

OK, now they're just screwing with their author-customers. It's a joke. Gotta be. Or maybe they're screwing with us. I'm waiting for them to start trawling Gill's list here for these.

Hey Queen! Sadly it seems they do. Saw your post on the PAMB thread about the author who discovered her books would not be accepted by WalMart. And she seemed surprised (and, of course, disappointed). Either they are just so excited by the idea that they are not applying rational thought, or they really, really have no idea how the merchandising of books works (to say nothing of publishing).

OK, now they're just screwing with their author-customers. It's a joke. Gotta be. Or maybe they're screwing with us. I'm waiting for them to start trawling Gill's list here for these.

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I wish it was a joke. It showed up in my email twice yesterday once around 1:30pm and again around 4:30pm. I know what you mean though...it's like they are following Gill's list. Hey Gill, list some more and see what happens!

Oh

My

God


Head, meet desk, part 2. (part one was in the PAMB quote thread)

LexiCan said:

PublishAmerica will donate your book to the Stephen King.

[...]

FREE books to you instead, or to blockbuster author Stephenie Meyer in Arizona.

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Two things PA lurkers:

1. look at the sentence about Stephen King and try to convince yourself that it's not a cut 'n paste job from the other notices. "the" Stephen King???

2. Ms. Meyer doesn't even get fan mail unless it gets past her brother. Good luck getting a book to her. She's busy reading books HER publisher gives her for blurbs, she doesn't have time for a vanity press title. (they get points for spelling Stephenie right, though).

LexiCan said:

I wish it was a joke. It showed up in my email twice yesterday once around 1:30pm and again around 4:30pm. I know what you mean though...it's like they are following Gill's list. Hey Gill, list some more and see what happens!

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Send your book to the Easter Bunny!

Send your book to Santa Claus!

Send your book to the astronauts on the Space Station!

Send your book to the Bobbsey Twins!

OMG.

How about giving America's number one bestselling author (over 350 million books sold) a whiff of your own book?

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It's a BAD idea to mention that one's book might smell.

I'm sending a mention of this to Mr. King's contact addy. It's not his real email, just goes to the webmaster, but I hope someone there will think it's as shameful as I do!

At first I was confused why they chose both Stephen King and Stephenie Meyer. Different genres and all that. I mean, why not Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Dean Koontz, Rowling, etc?

But then I remembered that both King and Meyer blurbed the fabulous The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, which skyrocketed sales of that book.

I wonder if that's what made them think to pair King and Meyer.

Especially when King said that Meyer can't write!

LexiCan said:

Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your book, click on it, then add to cart, indicate quantity, and use this coupon: Stephen45. Then click Recalculate and finish the transaction. Minimum volume is 14 copies.

Click to expand...

Bolding mine.

I see the minimum order went up. Wasn't it 12 copies in the last few dozen special deals?

You know, it's a good thing I keep a supply of keyboards in my closet.

This is getting expensive.

Yep - Stephen King's got sooooo much free time that he's just dying to review vanity published books...

Ditto Tabitha King.


Ditto Stephenie Meyer.

DeadlyAccurate said:

. . . I wonder if that's what made them think to pair King and Meyer.

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Eventually they'll offer (with a large enough prepaid purchase!) to send copies to God.

--Ken

ResearchGuy said:

Eventually they'll offer (with a large enough prepaid purchase!) to send copies to God.

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I imagine it'll go something like this...

Dear Author:

PublishAmerica will submit your book to God!

After all, He's an author too! And He knows the importance of promotion, promotion, promotion (Mark 16:15)...

LexiCan said:

PublishAmerica will donate your book to the Stephen King. We will send it for his review.

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If any of PA's authors who get this email bother to check Stephen King's website, they'll see that he won't accept manuscripts to look at (for review).

If I did that for one person, I would feel like I'd have to do it for a great many people and in a lot of cases you can read a page or two or three and just say to yourself, 'This is terrible.'

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On his FAQ page, he is referring mainly to manuscripts, but PA is proposing sending books to King for his "review." PA authors might think that what he has to say (better be positive!) would make a cover blurb.

And it is definitely not going to happen. I hope they realize this.

How sweet it is!

Just heard back from my mail to King's webmaster:


Thanks for the information. Stephen is not involved with them, and we are working to get Stephen's name removed.


StephenKing.com Webmaster

Now that WAS cool, Gill

The connection between PA's deals and reality grows ever Thinner, and all that's in It for the authors is Misery. Just keep On Writing, don't give in to Desperation and get the best deal when you Cell your book.

Queen of Swords said:

The connection between PA's deals and reality grows ever Thinner, and all that's in It for the authors is Misery. Just keep On Writing, don't give in to Desperation and get the best deal when you Cell your book.

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That's what happens when you get involved with The Dark Half of publishing.

CaoPaux said:

I suppose it'd be too much to hope for PA to try this crap with Harlan Ellison[SUP]TM[/SUP].

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I can just imagine his response.

He'd either want the lion's share of the money or sue their arses off.

Since he's not a PA writer he could litigate and no problem.



It is silly to assume PA would ever print the "donated" books, much less send them.

There's no proof that a single title arrived at Oprah's operation or to the other names PA has been dropping.

PA can keep the cash, tell the writers the recipients didn't bother to reply, and tell the recipients (if they ever hear of this) that the writers didn't place orders.

Or all the orders were "lost" by UPS.

Then PA hopes the AG of Maryland doesn't get wind of the fraud.

You taking notes, Miranda and Larry? If you don't send those books to their promised destinations it is FRAUD. Better hope your records are up to date and in perfect order.

Of course, I can't think of two more deserving of hospitality courtesy of the Maryland prison system, unless it's Wilhelm.

The Hellocopter will have to stay home, though.