Every royalty statement I ever received from PA, (that actually showed a sale), showed at least a 40% discount; some more but never less.
A $1,500 small business loan for marketing and publicity?
How many bookstore sales would he have to make to justify the cost? $1,500/$1.52 = 987 copies (rounded to the nearest copy).
Does anyone here think that $1,500 worth of promotion will sell 987 copies of a book through bookstores, particularly when those books aren't shelved to start with?
"For what it’s worth, my book was published by PA in August of 2004. Like many, I read and understood my contract before signing. Publish America did a fantastic job with publishing the book, and have fulfilled the contract to a ‘T’. Since then, I’ve done extensive research on other publishing companies and successful authors. Perhaps I had visions of grandeur in thinking that all that was required was to write a great, marketable book and the publisher did the rest. How wrong I was. You won’t find a better deal from any publisher."
June 7, 2010 --Kevin James
Author of: Surviving the Single Dad Syndrome
We've had thousands of compliments about PublishAmerica,
so we needed a special database just to hold them all!
Hi everyone. I am a first time author and just published my book <title - description> PA was great to work with and completed it in record time!
The cover they chose is just perfect -- all in all it has been a great experience!
But I am confused as to what the Release Date meant as PA told me it would be in July and I have already received the books I ordered...Does release mean to Amazon online etc.
Although I understand that there is a new clearing house uploading all titles and nothing has gotten onto Amazon as of yet. Does anyone have any clarification on all that?
Also, I see some authors know when there book is selling. How can we get that information from PA?
And finally, what advise can you give about all the special deals with ordering books? Do you all take advantage of these, such as the Tango and the Quick Step? I would really appreciate any input on this.
The $1,500 was only the amount he was budgeting for advertising. He was applying for a larger loan for all his promotion activities.
Like I said, it hurt my heart to know someone was planning to go into significant debt for their PA book.
"Surprise! Today we are preparing to ship to you a free copy of [TITLE REDACTED]. You should expect it on your doorstep before too long, because the book is now ready for release! [...] This is an important moment in an author's life. To see your own book for the very first time is an unforgettable and unique experience, one that on behalf of all of us at PublishAmerica we wholeheartedly congratulate you on. Many authors tell us that they make it a day of celebration, befitting a life-long dream that has come true. We hope that you do, too! [...] And now, hang out the flag. Today is the day you can really say, "I am now a published author!" Congratulations!"
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
They know the innocent desire for recognition they're exploiting. They know it and laugh, because to them it translates as money.
I watched my husband's labor of love working on his book...It breaks my heart to see him go from total excitement from the first correspondance with PA to total desperation once he figured out what is actually going on...PA makes their money selling to YOU the author...They don't care if your work is great or junk, as ...long as YOU buy it...they know if no one else buys it the AUTHOR WILL!!
My husband and I really did beat the path to each bookstore! We've called or met with each stores buyer or spoken with their corporate office... they DO NOT want to deal with PA at all!! They also decide they don't want to deal with you once they find out you are WITH PA! Only online outlets will list your book, i.e. amazon, barnes & noble...
Let's get back on track with the PA quotes. Here's one from their Facebook page:
Ouch. I think someone's going to have to break it to this lady that even that little may not be likely to happen.
I am a first time author and just published my book Passionate Alchemy, a rather steamy story of a woman just coming out of long term passionless marriage who meets an Argentine soccer player who awakens in her the longings she never knew she had.
I bet that's really steamy...
How come PA is still in business, with the whole economic crisis and stuff?
It's a pretty common statement on the PAMB that a given poster is either sick, on fixed income, retired, struggling to feed their kids, hoping for a bit of economic relief from their writing.
Poor woman must have mistaken Amazon's sales ranking for sales.
You could afford both the chef AND the masseuse. Plus additional roving eye candy. Alas, PA royalties might cover no more than penny candy.. . . I could then buy an island, hire some cheerful eye candy chef who does deep tissue massage, and live happily ever after.
PA is the greatest publisher in the world because it does what no other publisher does. It give us new writers a real opportunity to become published authors.
But the trade off is we must do the promotioning. Normally it takes a bout a million dollars to effectively launch a book
and for most first time authors it takes several years for that book to really find a following. I don't have amillion dollars so i had to actually call folks and send out e-mails and even carried a bag of my books into the grocery store with me just to generate a little attention.
But what a thrill when someone finally bought one and then asked me to sign it for them. I just loved knowing my words were finally being read even though it is still a little scary to think its "out there" for total strangers, the whole world to judge and critize. But them I still get goosebumps everytime I see my bookcover with my name on it. That's worth more than anything. One thing I will tell you, PA is the absolute best at what they do. I'll stand my book, the quality of of its bindings, the cover art, the printing, next to any other book on the mass market with absolute pride and confidence and you will too.
Again all the very best and get out there and promote promote promote. The better any one author does the better we all do.
By now you should realize that PA is struggling financially, nickeling-and-diming all the people who had the misfortune to sign up with them, and treating them like dirt.
The only comments left in the message boards nowadays are legitimate complaints by very frustrated authors. Most of them are quickly deleted and the authors banned.
PA is not a publisher, it's a very slick criminal organization.
it is still a little scary to think its "out there" for total strangers, the whole world to judge and critize.