Return of a Man Named PAMB and its Quotes

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,519
Reaction score
22,755
Location
Aotearoa
Another PA author is experiencing non-delivery on a rather repetitive basis:

Dec 28:
These are orders I have paid for and not received as of yet:
> 1) ORDER # 87162 - I received this book yesterday. Thank you.
> 2) ORDER # 96636 - I am still owed this one book from this 5 book order. I received the other 4 books but have not received this book yet.
> 3) Order # 96468
> 4) Order # 2147
> 5) Order # 97257
> 6) Order # 2245
> 7) ORDER # 94496
> 8) Order # 97983
>9) Order # 98381
I do have all the receipts that I paid for all these orders. I just have not received them yet. I figure the holiday season must be keeping you really busy. Hopefully you will make lots of money and in turn us authors will. It’s too late to use these for Christmas presents but there is always another and birthdays. Thank you, P.A. author <name redacted> And I do understand that your company does not make enough money to give their authors one free copy of their book anymore. One or two people explained that to me. I don't feel good about that, but that's the way it is.
I hope you understand what I did to help you understand what I have received and what I have not. That leaves me waiting for:
> 4 - <Title A redacted>
> 4 - <Title B redacted>
> 1 - <Title C redacted>
I will anxiously wait to receive my books. 
Jan 7:
I am still owed 3 <Title A redacted>, 3 <Title B redacted>, and 1 <Title C redacted>. I have all the receipts saying they are paid for. I hope to get them soon.
Jan 11:
I am still waiting fir the books I have ordered. I soon as I get them I want to take advantage of some of the specials goig on. I am owed 1 <Title A redacted>, 4 <Title B redacted>, ans 1 <Title C redacted>. Please respond as to when I will be receiving them.
 

Blake M. Petit

Geek Pundit
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
701
Reaction score
40
Location
Ama, Louisiana
Website
www.evertimerealms.com
Not all comments on FB should be taken at face value...if I seem elusive I have my reasons but no it is not happening. Promise! Been there, done that. I actually was just offered a four book deal with a legitimate small press.

Congratulations! More proof that there's life after PA!
 

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
Posted by PublishAmerica on its Facebook page this morning:
That's my gift. I let that negativity roll off me like water off a duck's back. If it's not positive, I didn't hear it. If you can overcome that, fights are easy. -George Foreman

Um, would this Forman quote be PA's motto?
 

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
15,599
Reaction score
2,471
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Website
www.annazabo.com
Well, someone is cranky with PA. These have been posted multiple times to PA's FB:
PUBLISH AMERICA WHERE IS MY BOOK I ORDED 12 WEEKS AGO?? WHY DO YOU DEFRAUD PEOPLE? YOU BUNCH OF CON ARTISTS!!!!
defraud [dɪˈfrɔːd]
vb
(Law) (tr) to take away or withhold money, rights, property, etc., from (a person) by fraud; cheat; swindle
defraudation [ˌdiːfrɔːˈdeɪʃən], defraudment n
defrauder n

12 weeks for an order? Sheesh. Contact your credit card company, people!
 

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
2,536
Reaction score
522
Location
Fort Worth, Texas
Website
www.carlaharker.com
I do have all the receipts that I paid for all these orders. I just have not received them yet. I figure the holiday season must be keeping you really busy.

Ask yourself why, if so many other businesses can manage to get products out by Christmas, PA cannot.

Hopefully you will make lots of money and in turn us authors will.
While the first part will happen, the second part won't. Do the math. Figure out what kind of sales you'd need for you (not PA, you) to make lots of money based on your royalty rate.

And I do understand that your company does not make enough money to give their authors one free copy of their book anymore. One or two people explained that to me. I don't feel good about that, but that's the way it is.
A company that claims to publish books (as opposed to simply printing them) cannot factor in a single, free copy as part of their expense for the person who actually provided the content? They can't afford to spend an extra $5.00 on their authors? Does that sound right to you? Other publishers do it. Small publishers. Micro publishers. Big publishers. They manage. So why can't PA?

PA authors,
you wrote a book. That is an accomplishment. The writing inside is not the waste by-product of the publishing process, and PA doesn't deserve your respect for converting it to .pdf and slapping a cover on it. They aren't going to be nice to you. They aren't going to respect you. They are simply not good people. Please stop excusing them. They don't deserve it.
 

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
On PA's FB page, an author writes:
I'm going to have to downgrade my website management on [provider], which means losing my website, all my arts-business email addresses & anything important that's saved there, only being able to hold onto the domain name; without enough sales of my PublishAmerica & [a very small press] books or support of my book tour, I don't think I'll be able to afford renewal!

With PA, success is hard to come by.
 

DaveKuzminski

Preditors & Editors
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
5,036
Reaction score
859
Location
Virginia
Website
anotherealm.com
Gosh, you mean PA missed out on an opportunity to charge writers for a web page on the PA site? Just think of the S&H charge they could have imposed on that!
 

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
5,363
Reaction score
1,761
Location
Getting blitzed at Gillhoughly's Reef, Haleakaloha
Careful, now. PA might consider that a book listing on their counts as a website and they'll charge authors 300 a year for it.

Miranda, don't you ever dream of getting a job where so many people don't loathe you and what you do? A job where you don't have to listen to Larry the Moron or Willie's accent and ill-concealed contempt?

Just a thought.
 

JulieB

I grow my own catnip
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
2,403
Reaction score
213
Location
Deep in the heart o' Texas
PA Author: Before you downgrade, ask if you can get copy of the data. Your provider should be able to do it for a minimal charge, or you may be able to do it for free if you have access to the control panel.
 

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
From the PAMB
I am a new author with Publish America. My books are called [title redacted] and [redacted]. I am new to the publishing game all together and have not worked for four years. I understand that marketing is a huge part of working towards a successful book but when you have very little money and limited resource how does one really get their books noticed and seen by media? I am open to all advice and suggestion. If anyone have or had the same issue I am truly appreciative of any information given.
Even if you market your PA books extensively, how will people be able to get them?
 

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
From the PA FB page's garden of misinformation:
OK Friends, Please click LIKE for my publisher PublishAmerica. They are the most inclusive, democratic, open-minded, pro-active publishing group world-wide. Do you have a book you want published? Is that your dream? The technology and support is available from PublishAmerica, a member of The American Book Sellers Association. Go for it! They give you a publicist and are terrifically inventive with spiking sales! My goal is to reach Amazon best seller status and they are making my ebook available to my FB friends in the near future. Please Click LIKE for PublishAmerica and support my goal. Many Thanks!

Somebody want to do a line by line on this? I think I'm gonna hurl. . . .
 

Momento Mori

Tired and Disillusioned
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 25, 2006
Messages
3,389
Reaction score
802
Location
Here and there
PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
They are the most inclusive, democratic, open-minded, pro-active publishing group world-wide.

Inclusive? Sure, they'll take anyone regardless of quality because they don't read manuscripts.

Democratic? Nope. Only 3 votes count and if you ain't Larry, Curly or Moe then you're only say is to stop paying for their bullshit offers.

Open-minded? See comments on "inclusive".

Pro-active? Only if by this you mean pro-active in bilking its own authors for as much as they can.

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
Do you have a book you want published?

Yes.

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
Is that your dream?

Nope.

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
The technology and support is available from PublishAmerica, a member of The American Book Sellers Association.

The technology's piss poor and the support dries up as soon as you say "No, I will not buy any copies of my book or pay for your pointless special offers as I see them as a waste of my time an dmoney."

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
Go for it!

I'd rather shove a cork screw into my labia and have it twisted by the Osmond Brothers while singing Crazy Horses.

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
They give you a publicist and are terrifically inventive with spiking sales!

The publicist changes from month to month and the only invention is coming up with increasingly desperate marketing ploys for authors to pay more money to PA.

PA Author Who Has Yet To Learn:
My goal is to reach Amazon best seller status and they are making my ebook available to my FB friends in the near future.

And the reason PA will make your book available to your FB friends is because they're the only people who will ever know about your book. So much for publicity, huh?

MM
 

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle
Absolute Sage
VPX
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
25,582
Reaction score
3,785
Location
New Hampshire
Website
madhousemanor.wordpress.com
My goal is to reach Amazon best seller status...

Tens of thousands of authors doing their best, tens of thousands of books, a decade of trying, and yet not one of them has ever become an Amazon (or any other) best seller.

Why do you suppose that might be?

My very dear friend, you won't be the first to try. But it won't go anywhere because the deck is stacked against you.
 

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
15,599
Reaction score
2,471
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Website
www.annazabo.com
An author asked:

Why does PA only seem to "recommend" either nonfiction or mainstream fiction on their facebook page? I have never seen a specialty genre such as horror or sci fi or fantasy posted here for all to see. For those of us who write such genres, shouldn't we get equal time?

And PA answers, stating the most truthful thing they've EVER stated:

FYI, ya gotta pay to play. In other words, the authors that we post here have paid to be advertised - regardless of genre.

(bolding mine) There you go PA lurkers. Right from the horse's mouth.
 

Nexus

Evolute
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
330
Reaction score
32
Location
East Coast, USA

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
On PA's FB page, an author posts:
I am having issues with PA. LOTS of. Ordering online, searching, getting questions answered, having a one on one converstation with someone from PA. No dice. I have my hometown art community center very interested in my books and they are scratching their heads over "how to" with PA. Come on!!! HELP!!!
. . . to which PA answers:
we have escalated this to the powers that be.
. . . and the author replies back:
Um...what does that mean? LOL plz explain???
Odds are good that PA won't "explain."
 

amergina

Pittsburgh Strong
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
15,599
Reaction score
2,471
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Website
www.annazabo.com
So, PA's been publishing little quotes about writing on its FB page.

Today's is:
Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason. They made no such demand upon those who wrote them. ~Charles Caleb Colton
:eek: Um, does anyone else detect a side of snark and disdain with that quote?

Especially since the next sentence should be:

Those works, therefore, are the most valuable that set our thinking faculties in the fullest operation.
 

Richard Falk

Author of "Warp"
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
107
Reaction score
5
Location
Isle of Man
A hapless writer asks:

My Kindle book is priced at $29.95. Is this normal or just because it is the newest of my books?

It's normal when you're signed to a greedy vanity press whole sole target market is your family and friends.
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,519
Reaction score
22,755
Location
Aotearoa
A PA author lays it out:
I have been with PA since 2009.

I have never had a book signing or seen my book on the shelves at my local BN or Half Price books.

I tried to set up a book signing on my own, but the worker I talked to was rude. Gave me the impression I wasn't wanted there.

I was hoping PA would be able to set one up, but nothing yet.

My local library, whom I donated a book to, never put the book in their catalog either.

I have been trying word of mouth, and facebook. It doesn't seem to be helping my sales. Most people tell me if they don't see it on shelf at the store, they don't want it. (those were my own friends too).

I have written three children's books <titles redacted>. I wrote a novel called <title redacted>.

Good luck on your sales.

Let me know if you do get a book signing.
 

PVish

Cat hair collector
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
1,641
Reaction score
263
Location
slightly off center
Website
peevishpen.blogspot.com
My local library, whom I donated a book to, never put the book in their catalog either.

Odds are good the book went straight to the library's book sale, where someone might pay 50 cents for it. Library shelf space is reserved for books that patrons want to check out. When new books come in, the library culls unpopular—or outdated—books. A book that no one requested from a vanity publisher isn't likely to get shelf space.
 

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,011
Reaction score
697
Location
Sacramento area, CA
Website
www.umbachconsulting.com
. . . A book that no one requested from a vanity publisher isn't likely to get shelf space.
In the late 1960s, when I worked for a time (as a student assistant) in a college library, vanity press books (occasionally donated by L.A. Times book reviewer, along with other books he'd received) went onto ephemera shelf, free for those who wanted to take them. Once in a while a book from a vanity or subsidy press, especially if by a well known local author or in a pertinent specialty (yes, it happens) will be accepted for the library's collection. See http://www.worldcat.org/title/healing-house-a-memoir/oclc/179936455&referer=brief_results for an example. Some libraries might also have "local author" special collections to which might be added books that have at least some merit but are not suitable for the general collection, but the author had best chat up the acquisitions librarian(s) first.

--Ken
 

Richard Falk

Author of "Warp"
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 22, 2010
Messages
107
Reaction score
5
Location
Isle of Man
More woes for one of PA's hapless authors:

Hello info-center, or anyone who has any advice. I was just wondering if other Authors are having problems with the special deals that PA sends out, not calculating. (PA emails for discounts on book sales, etc.) They come up saying coupon does not apply?

What she's experiencing could be interpreted as a simple technical glitch or as a bait-and-switch: PA offers discounts for multiple purchases, then when you go to buy the shopping cart tries to charge you the full price.

She goes on to ask:

Also can we still convert our books to nooks and or kindles. I am thinking I would like to do that with my newest book released.

I don't doubt for a moment that PA would be happy to do this… for the appropriate fee, of course.
 

ResearchGuy

Resident Curmudgeon
Requiescat In Pace
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,011
Reaction score
697
Location
Sacramento area, CA
Website
www.umbachconsulting.com
. . . be happy to do this… for the appropriate fee, of course.
Happy to take the fee, anyway. The one PA author I know who paid for ebook version was cheated. No ebook ever appeared. She kept pointing to where it would have been if it DID exist, and she did not believe me that it was not there, or anywhere else. She is not technically sophisticated. At. All.

--Ken