The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

Don't authors realize it's the same emails over and over again? And the same deals?

Are all of the authors getting all of them or are they targeting percentages?

There's still K-Mart and Sam's Club to go... not sure how many more major stores there are in the States.

Maybe the next offer will be to donate books to the Balloon Boy's family. The next time that balloon takes off, it could be dropping YOUR book across the country!

Queen of Swords said:

There's still K-Mart and Sam's Club to go... not sure how many more major stores there are in the States.

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Sears, J.C. Penney, Kohl's, Mervyn's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Pier 1 Imports, Foley's, Macy's, Ross, Stein Mart, T.J. Maxx, Dillard's, Levine's (not sure some of those don't even sell books, but that won't stop PA, and someone will believe it), Montgomery Ward (OK, bankrupt and out of business, but your chances of getting your book stocked there are just as good as any of the others), etc.

There's this in PA's online bookstore. Huh?

Swordswoman said:

I cannot disagree with a word you say.

But my sympathy remains.

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Dammit, your post made ME blub like a fountain.

Thank you.

As well as the elderly and the innocent, there are those who are aware that there are problems with PA but either disregard this or fail to check just how far these problems go.

Well, every company receives complaints, they think. PA's been in business for so long and has so many authors that it can't be too bad. My friend's manuscript was accepted last month and she's thrilled. And even if there are a few issues with PA, I can get my foot in the door that way.

Sooner or later, though, the truth dawns. Some of these authors then post warnings about PA on their websites, which is admirable - it may mean more coming from an actual survivor of the process than from someone like me. I'm sympathetic to them as well, because it's easy to rationalize away problems and difficult to admit that you were wrong.

The only PA authors for whom I have zero sympathy are those who know it's a bottom-of-the-barrel vanity press (and possibly go with Lulu or iUniverse for their subsequent books), but who actively lie to the honeymooners or who try to lure more flies into PA's web. Fortunately that's a very, very small part of the whole. With everyone else, I'll do what I can to help.

BWAHAHA A FRAMED ROYALTY CHECK! Available to EVERYONE! Hahaha...god, that proves they're selling to authors and noone else.

Well, if the number of new releases is any gauge, they are fleecing fewer people all the time.

Honestly, I think it's a case of people believing what they want to believe. These are people who think that bookstores are paid bribes to carry a particular title (and they're partly right) and that when you're just starting out that you need to pay your dues. They have a mindset of predatory and dishonest book publishers, and they think that PA is sort of the middle ground between vanity and actually getting paid for your work. They really do believe that PA books (and vanity books in general) end up in stores, and crack the bestseller lists. They think with PA they've overcome the first barrier between vanity and commercial, and are on their way to bigger and better things.

In order to disabuse these people we'd have to completely rewrite their ideas of how publishing works, starting with their belief that bestsellers are all crap and that they can do better. So long as they have the mindset that publishing is not about book quality, they are going to vulnerable to PA's rhetoric.

I spoke to someone I know who works at a Target store, and the answer was much as we've heard goes on at WalMart. Everything comes from their distributor, and they rarely get more than a few copies of any title except for guaranteed blockbusters.

I used to manage a chain retail store, and most of our stock was pushed to us. I didn't have a lot of say in quantities of some items unless I could prove they moved (or didn't, as the case may be) really well. If someone wanted us to carry an item in our store we had to send them to corporate. If it wasn't in the inventory system, we couldn't sell it. People didn't like it. I got offered under the table profit splitting arrangements and everything. It was more than my job was worth (at a whopping ten cents over the minimum wage - yes, this was some time ago) to to take a deal like that. If something went wrong with the product, I could have been sued. The chain could have been sued because the item appearing on the shelves implied they approved of it.

Not only that, but how do I write up the sales? Handle refunds and exchanges?

ISBN numbers might make the process a little easier, but sometimes product placement is a corporate decision and the hands of the manager are tied.

As unprofitable as possible

Hi all, I am a new author here, and I have been reading all the posts about PublishAmerica after my unfortunate but typical encounter with the company. I, unfortunately, have been caught up in their sticky web like so many others, but I have found out about my mistake too late. However, I have not yet submitted my "final manuscript" to them, and was wondering if anyone knew what would happen if I just didn't send it in? The way I see it, if PublishAmerica forces the issue, I am going to be extremely unhelpful and uncooperative with them, making it as unprofitable as possible. Thanks everyone for dispelling my fantasy about this company, I just hope it isn't too late for my poor manuscript.

Best regards

FyreDragon, welcome to AW! If you have already signed the contract (it sounds like you have from your post), you are obligated to send them a final manuscript. You may have one out, as far as I can see, and that would be to send them a different manuscript -- one that you simply don't care about at all and would never promote. It all depends on how much they know about your manuscript (did you send them one chapter, half the book, or the entire manuscript?). You may also tell PA that you want to use a pseudonym, so your real name will not be attached to the final book and won't be mentioned in conjunction with PA.

Just my two cents.

I wish you good luck and am sorry to hear about your experience with PublishAmerica.

ETA: Folks from PA read these forum posts. You may want to consider not using your real name.

Welcome FyreDragon. Just a quick observation about the last part of your post.

I am going to be extremely unhelpful and uncooperative with them, making it as unprofitable as possible. Thanks everyone for dispelling my fantasy about this company, I just hope it isn't too late for my poor manuscript.

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The only way to make it unprofitable is for you not to buy your own books. That's how PA makes the bulk of its money.

And if you've signed a contract, then it may be too late for that MS.

Being uncooperative doesn't work, it just makes people defensive. Take Merry's advice, remove your real name from the board here, and send them a civil letter stating that you are unable to purchase your books in sufficient numbers for promotion and request to be let out of your contract. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't

Well, I guess the good news is that since I have not sent PA any email addresses for my relatives, I am the only one likely to get any advertisements to buy my own books, so they won't sell anything anyway. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Fyre, a quick question (and please don't take this in the wrong way): did you do any research on them before signing? The reason I'm asking is there has been an ongoing discussion on these threads as to how PA is snagging people these days. Just curious. Thanks.

ETA: agreeing with Merri and Cyia. PA's contract, while extremely author-unfriendly, nonetheless seems to be binding. As you've agreed to send them your manuscript, I think you're obligated to do it. Sorry.

Just tell PA that you'll match them in actual effort when it comes to promoting your book with them. What? They're going to complain about how little they do?

So... they suggest you buy your book in bulk and you give them the option of buying your book in bulk too?

Just imagine the possibilities, if every PA employee bought a copy of your book to send to Oprah and the New York Times. And hey, shipping to employees would be free!

Gravity said:

...ETA: agreeing with Merri and Cyia. PA's contract, while extremely author-unfriendly, nonetheless seems to be binding. As you've agreed to send them your manuscript, I think you're obligated to do it. Sorry.

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If the rest of the manuscript is lousy --I mean REALLY awful-- then oh, well.
You agreed to submit so many words. You should do so. They don't have to be good.
Read your contract again, very carefully.

And do what Uncle Jim said.

Would they really want to explain in court that they actually want the court to enforce a contract that poor and unfair based upon their track record?