Return of a Man Named PAMB and its Quotes

Snowstorm

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Too bad the author can't find his way here. This might be a golden opportunity for him for PA to cancel the contract because of their demands and the confusion. ETA: and since his book was never published, he can pursue other options.
 

amergina

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Speaking of that author... he posted on that thread again today:

I was told once the book was submitted I was not to make ANY changes. My full manuscript was submitted and I was asked to make changes. I did it. I recieved a complaint from another department for making the changes. Now after 9 months and full submission the book cover is done I am being aske to make major changes. Who do I listen to? Why if they had my first 3 chapters of a manuscript for 6 months did they not ask for the changes then? If I dont make changes then the book doesnt get published. If I do make changes it can be considered a new book therefore cancelling the contract. because its not the original submission. so therefore I would need a new contract. Am I correct? If I get a new contract would it take another 9 months to print the book?

Another author responds:

Hopefully, PA will have the proper solution to your situation and will promptly provide answers. Hopefully, it all will work out.

Do you have another way to be contacted (like an email address, website, or facebook, or twitter)?

If the author is lucky, he'll just be let go because he can't fulfill PA's requirement to make it fiction.

It's interesting that the cheerleader asked for an e-mail... I guess she realizes that complainers vanish on the boards...
 

ResearchGuy

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That's why I included that he might be able to get PA to cancel the contract.
Now, if only PA saw its own screwups and non-performance as cause to cancel a contract . . . there's the rub. They take no responsibility and feel no remorse. The onus will be on him to persuade them to cancel. And until then, Creek, meet lack of paddle.

--Ken
P.S. Indeed you did.
 

Gillhoughly

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Hopefully, PA will have the proper solution to your situation and will promptly provide answers. Hopefully, it all will work out.

Ahhh--but PA does have its standard response to grumblings from the groundlings....

And I quote: " No such luck. Your book remains under contract. Congratulations: you remain a published author. The alternative really sucks."

So do you, Larry and Miranda and Willie, so do you.
 

Marian Perera

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Perhaps if you can't have a book signing at a morgue, the next best thing is a women's shelter. Or your office, if you provide therapy. Nothing inappropriate about that!

You said you were working on getting your liscence to be a therapist I was wondering if you have an office somewhere and if you do you can have a book signing at your office. Or if it deals in anyway with domestic abuse you might try getting in contact with a domestic abuse center or any place that works with women who were abused by their husbands and request to do a book signing or party there. You might have a therapist friend who would be willing to lend you a room or space for a signing/party and could simply ask around. The libarary here rents rooms for book signings and readings. You might want to check that out. Or see if they are going to have a book fair in the near future and coincide the date of your book signing/ reading with the date of the book fair and rent a small space or booth at the book fair. We also have outdoor markets here during the summer and you might check and see if your area as outdoor markets there as well and look into setting up a book signing and reading there as well. if they do see what you need to do to set up a table there where you can do a reading and signing of your book. I hope these suggestions help. Good luck.
 

Chris P

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Yeah, you might sell a copy to one of the dozen or so people who go to such places in a day. If you're going to do that, you'd be better off printing up fliers to display in the waiting room (Er, I wouldn't pitch zombie novels to people visiting a morgue...)
 

Marian Perera

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An author who had been with PA for years asked about why there was a $69 charge for the free e-book. Another author past the honeymoon explained that while one (1) copy of the e-book was indeed free, the charge applied to the conversion.

Unfortunately, it is not free to convert your book. You pay for each book for each service.

That's one of the best descriptions of PA I've read.

What is free is a copy of your e-book after conversion. It is a real problem for those of us with multiple books but maybe PA will make it easier.

Sure. They could double the advance.
 

ctripp

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Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:42 pm** *Post subject:
Contact [email protected].
As for "a friend of mine says he has bought a couple of books through Amazon.com", ask him if you may sign the books, and see if he really has them.

Infocenters polite as ever reply for a writer who was asking about how the royalties work. Just really professional don't ya think?
 

HistorySleuth

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What PA really meant to say is,"As for "a friend of mine says he has bought a couple of books through Amazon.com", ask him if you may sign the books, and see if he really has them .... because there is no way in hell we would sell your books to anybody but you."
 

Snowstorm

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Wait, wait... are they seriously suggesting that you set up a card table in a building where women go to escape violent and abusive spouses and try to hock books at them?

If memory serves, wasn't there one who wanted to have a signing at a funeral home?
 

Marian Perera

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This author has been with PA since 2006, so if this is the first time she's been screwed by them, she's lucky. It's the usual thing - paid for the ebook conversion, got nada.

I paid my money for the conversion package on Jan 1 2011. my credit card was charged for this.

I was assured by a post from PA in early Feb. that it would happen and please be patient

I got a phone message in mid-February saying that all the conversions would be complete by the end of the month

It is now April 1st and I am still waiting. I have sent 2 emails to PA author support but have received no replies. And I see frequent emails suggesting I convert my other book to an ebook along with offers for all sort of things that I should do ( at a cost) to promote my books.

Please someone tell me why I am still waiting for the ebook conversion that has already been paid for. This long delay has made me reluctant to participate in any of the other offers.

Then it was the best thing PA will ever do for her.

I just want what I paid for to happen already. Can anyone be of assistance here.

I think this is one reason authors won't complain to their credit card companies. They don't want their money back - they want electronic versions of their books. So they pay, wait and hope.
 

ctripp

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I recently signed on for the Kindle/ebook deal PA had going and was shocked to find the ebook the same price as the paperback. I've had no sales because the print version of my book is just too expensive for people to be even remotely interested in. I was pumped because I assumed the electronic format would be cheaper. Not so. Am I wrong to have thought it would be cheaper? From this can I assume that the Kindle format will be as expensive

A writer has correctly realized his/her kindle version could not sell at the almost $30 price their paper novel is priced at.
 

Marian Perera

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Infocenter's response :

E-book prices will be similar to print book prices. There is no reasonable reason why this should not be the case, as publishers and vendors across the board are finding out. Check Amazon prices on Kindle and compare them to print book pricing: virtually the same. Barnes and Noble: same thing.

E-books have serious benefits for the reader. In the comfort of her home the reader can browse a bookstore, choose to buy, tap a finger, and have the book in her hand within ten seconds: instant gratification! And if she doesn't like the font size, she increases it to her liking. And she pays for no shipping!

If anything, in a market economy this should make the e-book MORE expensive. Consumers pay for comfort and convenience, which is why in airplanes business class seats are more expensive than economy seats. But hey, the publisher saves on printing, and that's worth something too. So he doesn't increase the e-book price beyond the print book price. Instead, the publisher calls it even and charges the same amount.

The consumer typically assumes that because an e-book comes out of thin air, it should be cheaper. That's a wrong conclusion though. There's nothing inexpensive about creating e-books. A publisher has to build a separate e-book environment, with serious investments in software, staff, and office space. Barnes and Noble is a good example: they invested so much money in e-books, that shareholders protested and went to court. They thought the money was wasted. Fortunately, the court disagreed.

Expect e-book prices to rise all over the internet.

If e-book prices are going to rise...

And if e-book prices are similar to print book prices...

Does that mean PA is planning another price hike across the board?

It's the only way for the supply to stay abundant and prompt. Publishers who think that they can compete by lowering their e-book pricing, will not survive. Publishers who can set their e-book pricing independently, such as PublishAmerica, with no regard to what the competition does, will thrive.

Well, if books weren't selling as overpriced print copies, they certainly won't sell as overpriced e-copies.
 

DreamWeaver

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Infomonster on the PAMB said:
It's the only way for the supply to stay abundant and prompt. Publishers who think that they can compete by lowering their e-book pricing, will not survive. Publishers who can set their e-book pricing independently, such as PublishAmerica, with no regard to what the competition does, will thrive.
:eek:
This has got to be relying on the principle that if you repeat BS long enough, loud enough, and often enough *someone* will believe it. Sheesh!