Return of a Man Named PAMB and its Quotes

I don't think he's a plant, or getting payed by the company.

I think he either has no idea how and where books sell, and in what quantities, or he is lying to impress people because he believes the others on the board won't know that it's extremely unlikely that someone bought 4000 copies of a book in one go to sell on eBay.

If someone is actually listing 4000 copies of his book on eBay, it is much more likely that they simply believe that if anyone orders a copy, they can turn around and buy it in whatever quantities are needed from the publisher.

TheTinCat said:

If someone is actually listing 4000 copies of his book on eBay, it is much more likely that they simply believe that if anyone orders a copy, they can turn around and buy it in whatever quantities are needed from the publisher.

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Yes. And the rude awakening comes if people want to buy the book through ebay, then PA doesn't supply it or at least within a reasonable time frame, as is usually the case. Poor ratings on ebay doesn't look good for the seller.

The only one ever making money is PA.

Our deluded friend is really on a roll. According to his latest posting, he's now outselling James Patterson in Los Angeles:

Los AngelesTimes Bestsellers


James Patterson "Tic Tock" number 8 2,360 results on google
http://goo.gl/A71XV


Kirt Vonnegut number 5 1,490 results on google
http://goo.gl/PIIgi


[His Book] 3,170 results on google

http://goo.gl/497sx

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The lack of logic here is nothing short of breathtaking.

I feel sorry for him. Clearly no one explained that search engine hits do not = sales.

It's like the writers who think a one million sales rank on Amazon means they've sold that many copies.

But that illusion only lasts until their first (check-challenged) royalty statement.

Gillhoughly said:

. . . But that illusion only lasts until their first (check-challenged) royalty statement.

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I am awaiting verification of that theory. A writers-group friend of mine continues to crow about how PA has put her book into e-book form and has done wondrous things with keywords, and so on. She literally rubs her hands in gleeful anticipation of forthcoming royalties. I have searched and searched for her book in the Kindle store (where she says it is available), the Google e-book site (where she says it is available), and every other place I could reasonably look (including a comprehensive e-book site), by title, author's name, and combinations thereof. NO DICE. No sign that it exists as e-book. Not even at the PublishAmerica bookstore (although the print edition is there). BTW, the print edition has disappeared, except via price-inflated resellers, from Amazon.com.

Even after repeatedly being informed that PA is a scam, she continues to believe and to shill.

--Ken

amergina said:

I... I think my soul broke a bit. I just don't understand this:

Writer A asks:


Writer B replies:


Writer A then says:


$200 to fix errors? Not Bad? How can they say that? In what universe is that not bad?

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In the one where they recall every book and hand write the corrections on each copy.

Unimportant said:

Uh-oh. This is going to spark some disgruntlement:
:

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JUST what I was thinking! Either the answer to the question will disappear as soon as posted or the thread will be locked.

"Thankless PA authors"

Yet another loyalist departs.

I see why a lot (most) authors have left this message board. It's a sad thing when authors can only thank a chosen few for responding to their posts.

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It's also sad when a publisher insults and belittles writers, not to mention ignoring pleas for help and censoring any comments which come too close to the truth.

Perhaps that's another reason so many authors have left that message board.

I have been a Publish America author since 2004 and still ocassionally read this message board but no longer offer to help the authors because of their picking and choosing the authors that they thank for responding to their posts, and their complaining against PA. I don't care to associate with thankless people, on or off a message board.

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On the contrary, I think that discussion board is one of the best places to be if you don't want to read a word spoken against your vanity press.

This is my last post on this board. Before I sign off I have one more thing to say to the thankless authors, and that is, Publish America made my dream of being a published author come true. If I have something to say to them I call or send them an email.

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And if another author sends emails that are ignored, or leaves messages that aren't returned, what are they supposed to do?

Just because PA made one person's dream come true, doesn't mean they made everyone's dream come true. Writers have different dreams. Some may even dream of being paid for their work.

I think that it's a terrible thing when a writer chooses a publishing company to publish their book and then launch a smear campaign again them on their message board. Research publishing companies before you publish your book. If you don't like a publishing company don't publish with them again. When you complain against a company that you have chosen for your book it makes you look as bad as the company.

I have seen a few thankful authors on this message board but I see that almost all of them have moved on, probably to Face Book.

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No idea what this "smear campaign on their message board" refers to, but I like the assertion that a complaint makes you look as bad the company you were complaining about, even if you signed a contract because of false advertising and the company has screwed you out of thousands of dollars. You now look just as greedy and deceptive... somehow.

Serves you right for speaking up, instead of taking it in silence like authors who have been there since 2004!

Here is what I find mind numbing, If you are so "happy" with the publisher than why leave the "publisher forum page". Another thing I would love to hear from these "happy" authors is how much royalities they made on their books. Again money talks, and if the money is not there then why should a person be "happy" with publisher.

Personnelly I knew I made a mistake and am going about correcting that mistake. Within a month after signing with them book price increased and got booted off their website for asking the inappropriate questions. Now when I do a name search on my name I get that my book is listed under like four or five catagories. One of which is religious. Now if my book is religious then we are in some deep dodo since it is futuristic science fiction.

Jill Karg said:

Here is what I find mind numbing, If you are so "happy" with the publisher than why leave the "publisher forum page". Another thing I would love to hear from these "happy" authors is how much royalities they made on their books. Again money talks, and if the money is not there then why should a person be "happy" with publisher.

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Some people are just happy with getting their book "out there," and PA seems to fill that need for them.

I'm not a fan of PA, but sometimes we do have to step back and look at this from the POV of some of the authors. Perhaps one day they won't be satisfied with simply having a book "out there." If so, I hope they know they can come here for support.

ETA: Of course, I do believe there are better choices for authors than PA. I also realize there are some who are trying to make the best they can of their choice.

amergina said:

Well, this won't last long.

Outrageous Shipping Pricess $3.99 per book??????

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It'll be gone before 3 PM EST. Place yer bets!

Either that, or off getting a hoagy.

James D. Macdonald said:

Almost five and it's still up. Did Infomonster go home early?

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Now it's gone.

JulieB said:

Some people are just happy with getting their book "out there," and PA seems to fill that need for them.

I'm not a fan of PA, but sometimes we do have to step back and look at this from the POV of some of the authors. Perhaps one day they won't be satisfied with simply having a book "out there." If so, I hope they know they can come here for support.

ETA: Of course, I do believe there are better choices for authors than PA. I also realize there are some who are trying to make the best they can of their choice.

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This is exactly what happened to me. I thought that if my book was at least out there it would get nibbles from readers ( = buyers) and that would be the beginning of my momentum, which would build upon itself and begin to translate in success for this and future titles.

PA understands this misconception very well, and is why it has roped in 40-50K titles.

I thought the same thing, Chris! Unfortunately, learned differently a little too late, it does not work that way! We are are wiser now. Better late than never. And maybe others will find this place before stepping into the PA crappola.

Scribble10 said:

I thought the same thing, Chris! Unfortunately, learned differently a little too late, it does not work that way! We are are wiser now. Better late than never. And maybe others will find this place before stepping into the PA crappola.

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Everyone thinks that. It might actually work if and only if PA would build a good product, market it to an audience that wants the book, and you could get good reviews.

These are all big IF's.

The best thing that can happen once you sign with PA is that no one sees the book. Poor sales are one thing, but getting no sales is better. At that point, you haven't spent your first impression poorly.

To be fair, if you look back in the archives here you'll see there's a time when PA did seem to be an okay choice for someone who just wanted a couple of copies of their book. It seems quite a few people signed on during that time and were caught in the middle when PA stopped offering two copies. I can't fault those authors.

Allen, the "if you publish it, they will come" mindset exists far beyond PA. Sadly, some people who sign up with micro presses or publish through Lulu or CreateSpace think that if it's listed on Amazon it'll sell.

JulieB said:

Allen, the "if you publish it, they will come" mindset exists far beyond PA. Sadly, some people who sign up with micro presses or publish through Lulu or CreateSpace think that if it's listed on Amazon it'll sell.

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What I didn't understand is how many books are already "out there" and how many more come out all the time. The scales fell from my eyes when I looked for my own book on Amazon as if I were just browsing. I never found it.

JulieB said:

. . . some people who sign up with micro presses or publish through Lulu or CreateSpace think that if it's listed on Amazon it'll sell.

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And it may, if it is a worthwhile book with an audience and if the author promotes it effectively. That's the part that goes missing. Effective promotion. (I speak as one who does little or no promotion and who makes few sales but whose lifestyle is unaffected by those circumstances.)

--Ken

ResearchGuy said:

And it may, if it is a worthwhile book with an audience and if the author promotes it effectively. That's the part that goes missing. Effective promotion. (I speak as one who does little or no promotion and who makes few sales but whose lifestyle is unaffected by those circumstances.)

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You're absolutely correct, Ken. Effective promotion is important.

Lurkers, here's the obligatory plug for our self-promotion tips area. Use it in good health.