The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

James D. Macdonald

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I dont have a blog or web site cause i cant afford to get one.

LiveJournal is free. http://www.livejournal.com/

There are free websites out there. http://www.webs.com/

But only get a web page or a blog if you'd have one anyway and it's fun for you. Don't do it just to promote your book: It'll turn into a dreary task and it won't sell anything.

If you're having fun, people will see that you're having fun and want to join the fun. If a book gets sold, think of it as a happy accident.

Read something every day. Write something every day. Learn. Improve.

Learning to write takes work. Put the work in if you expect results.
 

PVish

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What Jim said. The blog shows the world that you have a multitude of interests—some that your potential readers might also have. It shows that you can write. I heard an editor say at a conference, "Your blog is your column."

I've also heard that some agents Google potential clients. A well-written blog is a plus. A blog in which the writer whines—or that's filled with grammar and spelling errors—isn't.

A blog that's only about a book—or about an author's attempt to publish/promote said book—is boring. Ditto for a website.

A website tells the world about you, what you're doing, and about your books. For instance, people who invite me to be a speaker often harvest info about me or my writing from my website. For a few years, I had a little homemade website from my internet provider. However, the small press publisher of my up-coming book wanted me to have one in my name with specific things on it. So I did.

A suggestion: Look at the blogs and websites of authors whose work you admire. See what they have posted. (While you're at it, look at their books and see how they are different from PA books. Look at their publishers' websites and see how the info on those sites is different from the info on the PA site.)
 

twinslow1

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questions

I signed with publish america and my book was published in June I never got an agaent and now PA wont send review copies out and in return the agents I have talked to wont write to them to get the review book!?!?!? I'm so confused right now about what to do it isnt funny!!!! can I get my book back from them and go somewhere else cause I worked on that book forever and I dont want to give it up with out a fight!!!!! What do you think?????? thanks,

Theresa Winslow
 

Cyia

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I signed with publish america and my book was published in June I never got an agaent and now PA wont send review copies out and in return the agents I have talked to wont write to them to get the review book!?!?!? I'm so confused right now about what to do it isnt funny!!!! can I get my book back from them and go somewhere else cause I worked on that book forever and I dont want to give it up with out a fight!!!!! What do you think?????? thanks,

Theresa Winslow

First of all, welcome.

I wish I had better news, but your PA book is sunk. You should read through some of the threads here from people who've been where you are now.

Agents don't read or request review copies of books. Agents come in BEFORE a book is sold to a legit, commercial publisher. Not after the book is in print. Since the book is in print, you've used up your first rights. They're gone for good. No other publisher is going to touch that book.

PA doesn't send review copies because their main source of income is the authors who write the books. Review copies would cost them money and they can't sell them for profit (except maybe to the authors); they're sent out for free. Review copies would be sent months in advance of a book's publication to get buzz started over it, but that's not PA's business model.

The good news is that you know you have it in you to write a book from start to finish. So forget the book PA has. Write another, better book.
Make it shine as well as you can (No matter what you may have read on the PAMB, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. really DO matter. No agent or publisher will bother with a book full of errors.) Then get a beta-reader to look it over (you do NOT need to pay an editor for that). Once it's as good as you can get it, query the new book to real agents who can sell it to a legit, commercial publisher that will pay you decent money for what you worked so hard on.


EDIT:

I just checked the PA store, Theresa, is your book the children's book listed there? If so, I have to say it looks adorable.

You should also probably try a site like VerlaKay, which is specifically for children's and picture books. There's a lot of good information here on them, but VK is specialized. One thing you should know for future books is that picture books have a set format (one PA doesn't use). 32 pages total. That's for the entire book, plus the copyright information and title page. Any book you write has to fit that constraint. (Occasionally a publisher will take a shorter or longer one IF it's exceptional, but it MUST be an multiple of 8 because of the way the pages fold.)
 
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CatSlave

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Hi Theresa, welcome to AW.

:welcome:

I know you must have a lot of questions.
Please take time to read through the PublishAmerica forum here, and you will find a lot of answers.

Best wishes to you.
 

wanda45451964

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THERESA, HI, YES, EVERYONE HERE IS RIGHT. NO, YOU CAN'T GET BOOK BACK. THE ONLY COPY YOU GOT WAS THE AUTHOR COPY WASNT IT? I GOT TWO LAST YEAR. NO, ITS NOT SELLING BECAUSE NO b@n WILL LET YOU OR IT IN THEIR STORES, NEITHER WILL NO ONE ELSE. THE BOOK IS SUNK AND LIKE IT NEVER EXISTED.SORRY TO TELL YOU THAT, BUT ALL HERE HAVE FOUND THAT OUT, THE VERY BAD WAY, AS IN NO PAY. sTRAT OVER, AND NEVER MENTION THEM IN IN QUERY LETTER AT ALL. THE BOOK IS DEAD TO THE PUBLISHING AND AGENCY WORLD, AND TO US TOO, AND SO IS ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. BELIEVE ME WE ALL UNDERSTAND HOW HURT YOU ARE CAUSE WE ARE IN THE SAME POSTION. WE JUST ALL MOVE ON AND FORGET ABOUT THEM. FRIOM NOW ON, GET A LAWYER AND GET HIM OR HER TO LOOK AT CONTRACT. FILE COMPLAINTS AGANIST THEM AT bbb.IN MARYLAND, FILE THEM AT RIPOFF REPORT, YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THAT SITE. JUST START OVER AND GO FROM HERE, THATS WHAT WE ALL ARE DOING.
 

tlblack

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Hi Theresa and welcome to AW.

Sorry you had to find out the hard way about PA. If you will read through your contract, I'm sure there is a paragraph about PA sending out review copies. It also probably says somewhere in that paragraph, "at the publisher's election and discretion", which in PA speak means: We will if we won't to, but we don't have to.

The only thing PA sent out (if anything at all) was an announcement/order form for your book to the list of people of whom you gave them addresses. Your book is locked in that seven year contract and can be renewed at the end of that seven years unless you write PA and tell them you don't want it renewed, so be sure to let them know you don't want it renewed. You can also try and get PA to let you out of the contract, but expect some rude email replies or nasty attitude from PA. I got out of my contract, but my book had been with PA for five years at the time too.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.
 
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wanda45451964

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i am still trying to get the cover of my book to go to my blog that i have which is called [email protected] but cant get it to go there. can yall help?I tried copy from amazon.com but i couldnt get it to go there. i must be doing something wrong, or its not meant to be there.
 

NewKidOldKid

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i am still trying to get the cover of my book to go to my blog that i have which is called [email protected] but cant get it to go there. can yall help?I tried copy from amazon.com but i couldnt get it to go there. i must be doing something wrong, or its not meant to be there.

That's your email account, not your blog's name. To put a photo up on your blog, you save the photo on your computer, then go to your blog and go to Write New Post and you'll find a little button at the top to upload the picture. It has nothing to do with your email account.
 
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wanda45451964

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so if my cover of my book is my background can i do it from that?
 

wanda45451964

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i didnt mean to do that the phone was ringing and i forgot the didnt in it.
 

Sandyz

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Wanda4545…But, hopefully i will end up like sandy z and find someone good, without paying out any money.and hopefully we all will.

Hi Wanda, this is Sandyz; first allow me to welcome you to AW…you have come to the perfect place to get a better understanding of the publishing world…both commercially published and self publishing avenues so you can decide which is best suited for you. I sincerely hope you are able to get your book and rights out of Publish America’s greedy clutches.

I felt completed to explain on this thread as not to mislead anyone…I paid to have my book published.

I never signed a contract with Publish America, I was offered one along with their notorious cliché,’ “we’ll give your book the chance it deserves.” I was directed to this site after I announced to friends and family I was going to be published by PA…being one of the lucky ones that never signed the contract I was able to spend time researching and make the best decision based on my personal desires.

I found a publishing company that offers a low price to publish books. Costs are lower than some vanity presses because Eric Patterson owner of Avid Readers Publishing Group can afford to keep costs low by eliminating some of the glitz and glitter that are often times over priced when offered in a package deal by some vanity presses. Many items we can make on our home computers and find information about marketing in libraries or via the internet.

I read several books before making my decision and scanned the boards through this site for possible publishing options. It was not an easy decision nor was it a quick thought…after my near miss with PA I did my home work long before approaching the publisher. I also realized my book was not ready to be published after posting bits of it on “Share your work.” here at AW. I paid attention to what others were saying and practically re-wrote my manuscript.

My books are low cost, shipping is not grossly over priced (I had 30 books sent for around $12.00 for shipping) and I have all rights to my book. I first bought a couple of books from Eric Patterson’s site and found them to be of sturdy quality, (they looked professional) I had control of my custom design cover…no surprises. I saw the cover before it went to print and two thumbs up, I loved it. (My mother did an oil painting that Eric worked with and came up with a breathtaking cover)

My experience has given me renewed knowledge there are honest, caring, professional, and personable people in the publishing industry. I found them on this site and again my publisher. If I need books they are sent in a few days, all questions are answered ASAP…most important I am treated with respect. The phone number I was given works and e-mails are answered daily. If he and his family plan a trip he sends out an e-mail for everyone that is published through him for a heads up…if he finds a new marketing idea on the net he sends the link.

What I find intriguing is PA states their authors are never asked to open their wallets. How is it I knowingly paid close to $199.00 to publish a professional looking book…bought 20 books in my first batch for less than $100.00 counting shipping…and within 3 months (of buy and sell) I no longer “open my wallet,” unless I buy books for signings. (Same as PA and I self published) I have given away or donated about 20 copies, my books are selling and I am not looking shell shocked wondering what happened to hundreds of dollars I paid to my publisher for books I had to buy when they are suppose to sell books for me…after all isn’t that what legit publishers do????

Is it me or does anyone see there is not much difference between PA and a vanity press? I buy books PA authors buy books. My books are sold through Amazon and B& N same for PA, I have a personal web site, same for a PA authors, I set up book signings ditto for PA authors, it only begins to split apart when we look at the price…for books and shipping.

When I buy my own books IF they don’t sell I would be no better off than authors from PA…except…I pay normal shipping costs and a reasonable print cost. I can offer an affordable book. PA??? Humm...not happening.

Real commercial publishers do not sell to their authors…the money flows to the author. Please just think about it.

Once again I am not recommending anyone go the route I took…do your research, decide what your expectations are for your book and know your publisher and price range of books BEFORE signing any contract. Not every one that self publishes can break even or turn a profit. I am still working on that part but I have come this far...nothing will stop me now. I am open to learn.

And always I am extremely grateful for AW and all the information shared on these threads...I was saved by Absolute Write from greedy Publish America. Thank you-thank you, I was one of the lucky ones.

Sandyz
 

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i didnt mean to do that the phone was ringing and i forgot the didnt in it.

There's a theory that it's easier for people to read posts if the writer uses conventional spelling and punctuation including capitalising the first word of the sentence and the personal pronoun, and using apostrophes in contractions.
 

ResearchGuy

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. . .
Is it me or does anyone see there is not much difference between PA and a vanity press? . . .
PublishAmerica IS a vanity press. Its mechanics are different from the Vantage and Dorrance model, or from Trafford, for example, but it is still a vanity press: it makes its money from the authors, makes the authors, not readers, its audience, and misleads the authors into believing that they have been legitimately, competitively published. That = vanity press.

Lately, PA is moving more towards extracting money up front, of course, what with the 900 number, paid editing, and who knows what else now.

--Ken
 

wanda45451964

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I wish you luck Sandy, I really do, and that's what I am doing re doing and writing and reading on here and other things. I have books out by my favorite N.Sparks, that I am looking at, just different things, and my writing books. PA is getting worse not better. I am just glad that I got my two author copies when I did.
 

Sandyz

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Research guy
Allow, however, for some exceptions. Publishers of business books can and do sell books in quantity to authors who then sell from the back of the room at lectures, workshops, and so on.

Thank you for that information…I didn’t know. However it does give me an idea…I was asked to help with a work shop helping kids write and illustrate picture books. This request was sent to me after a signing at the library, the work shop is every Saturday through October…part Nov. Through them when talking about my book I was asked to attend as a quest speaker for grief counseling, late November.

This may be a wonderful opportunity to mention my book…I’ll think about how to present it without sounding like a sales pitch.

Wow…you never know where an idea just might be born…thank you.

Sandyz
 

Don Davidson

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I signed with publish america and my book was published in June I never got an agaent and now PA wont send review copies out and in return the agents I have talked to wont write to them to get the review book!?!?!? I'm so confused right now about what to do it isnt funny!!!! can I get my book back from them and go somewhere else cause I worked on that book forever and I dont want to give it up with out a fight!!!!! What do you think?????? thanks,

Theresa Winslow

Welcome to AW, Theresa. You are suffering the shock and nausea that I felt when I discovered I had been duped by PA. If you want your book rights back, PA will either ask you for money ($300 in my case) or will require you to buy a certain number of books first. Or you can try taking them to arbitration, but that will cost lots of money, with no assurance you will win. My recommendation is that you simply move on and learn from this mistake. And whatever you do, do not let PA have a dime of your money.

If you want to read the complete story of my dealings with PA--complete with links to actual documents--the link to the PA page of my web site is below.