PA's Special Offers aka But I thought they wanted my book, not my money ...

CatSlave · Sep 21, 2011

Latest offers at the bookstore: West Hollywood and Christian bookstores (bottom of page)

http://www.publishamerica.net/online_bookstore.html

Priority Option

Your book will be among the very first to be introduced in West Hollywood next weekend, Sunday October 2.

Our delegation will introduce your book to publishers and bookstores that we encounter in West Hollywood, October 2.
Your book will also be introduced to at least five motion picture agencies.

Must choose a shipping option to activate. No use of coupons allowed. Mention your book title(s).

DISCLAIMER: PublishAmerica has no affiliation with the CBA and/or individual Christian bookstores beyond that of a
regular publisher/bookseller relationship, without preferential access or other special treatment. No specific result from
PublishAmerica's best efforts to represent and promote its authors and their books is suggested or guaranteed.

Calla Lily · Sep 21, 2011

[delurking]

I'm still on the ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) mailing list and the following just hit my inbox:

The CBA (Christian Booksellers Association--highly respected entity within the industry) sent out a warning today that the company Publish America is "contacting Christian authors and telling them that they have a contract with CBA that will go public next week. According to a CBA contact, Publish America demands $49 to get on a list and in a catalogue that Publish America is giving to CBA and CBA will submit this list of authors/catalogue to all CBA members and because of this alleged contract the CBA member stores will buy from the authors listed." The "promotion" is supposedly in conjunction with the upcoming Christian Store Week.

CBA encouraged us to warn our authors that this is a scam. It is not in any way a legitimate agreement with CBA.

Go, ACFW! Go, CBA!

[relurking]

victoriastrauss · Sep 21, 2011

Has anyone seen the actual CBA warning? If so, would they share it with me? beware [at] sfwa.org. Thanks!

- Victoria

Gravity · Sep 21, 2011

Ask and ye shall recieve

: http://www.cbanews.org/article.php?id=3753

victoriastrauss · Sep 21, 2011

OK, I've seen the CBA warning, as well as the PA solicitation that triggered it, and made a blog post. It is to shake one's head over.

- Victoria

CatSlave · Sep 21, 2011

More marks who are not interested in your work

http://www.publishamerica.net/UniversalNBCMulti.html

All of your works will be brought to the attention of Universdal City!

While our delegation is in Universal City, we will bring your book to the attention of both the
Universal film people and NBC and the Access Hollywood staff! The conglomerate also includes A&E,
the History Channel, the Biography Channel, National Geographic International, USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel.

With a disclaimer, of course.

But you got published for free. :Thumbs:

James D. Macdonald · Sep 22, 2011

Someone from PA is going on vacation in California?

Calla Lily · Sep 22, 2011

"National Geographic International"? For reals?

And it's "SyFy" now, people. Read your TV Guide.

CatSlave · Sep 22, 2011

James D. Macdonald said:
Someone from PA is going on vacation in California?

Final Push

We will walk screenwriter Geoff Prather through your book one more time before we ask him to go to work on PublishAmerica's first screenplay.

Geoff Prather is a successful screenwriter who stood at the basis of two films. He has worked under director Tony Scott, the genius behind Top Gun and Crimson Tide. Geoff oversees, in Los Angeles, the process of selecting PublishAmerica’s film projects by tagging qualifying PublishAmerica books. He will write a treatment and subsequently produce a screenplay that will be submitted to Hollywood area production companies for production optioning and the resulting production.

Where have I heard that name before?

CatSlave · Sep 22, 2011

Universal NBC Multi-Book

http://www.publishamerica.net/UniversalNBCMultiFirst.html

Priority Multi-Book Option

All of your books will be among the very first to be brought to the attention of Universal Picture, NBC and Access Hollywood this weekend!

While our delegation is in Universal City, we will bring your book to the attention of both the Universal film people and NBC and the Access Hollywood staff! The conglomerate also includes A&E, the History Channel, the Biography Channel, National Geographic International, USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel.

Must choose a shipping option to activate. No use of coupons is allowed. Must mention your book title(s).

James D. Macdonald · Sep 22, 2011

IMDB has exactly two credits for Geoff Prather:

The Snallygaster Tale (18 minutes, estimated budget $45,000, produced by the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts)

and

12 Steps (13 minutes long, estimated budget $5,000, no production company listed)

DeadlyAccurate · Sep 22, 2011

Miranda Prather's brother, maybe?

Cyia · Sep 22, 2011

We will walk screenwriter Geoff Prather through your book one more time before we ask him to go to work on PublishAmerica's first screenplay.

(Bolding mine)

So, then there were never any screenplays before this? None to Amazon? None for those who wanted theirs converted?

CatSlave · Sep 22, 2011

DeadlyAccurate said:
Miranda Prather's brother, maybe?

That's what I thought. Towson State U. is in Baltimore.

allenparker · Sep 23, 2011

James D. Macdonald said:
IMDB has exactly two credits for Geoff Prather:

The Snallygaster Tale (18 minutes, estimated budget $45,000, produced by the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts)

and

12 Steps (13 minutes long, estimated budget $5,000, no production company listed)

In the film world, there are productions and then productions. Most of the films that you have heard of are multi-million dollar deals with costs usually overrunning the budget. Then there are deals that are what I have been involved with, short on money, volunteer actors and locations like my back yard, the office and a few friend's houses. But the fact that some of his work has seen film means he has some talent. As a writer, we need to give him his credit. I am not my sister, he is not whatever relationship he has with Miranda. He may not know what type of deal he is in bed with. There may be a big shock in his future when he goes to read some of those books.

CatSlave · Sep 23, 2011

Jumbo Deal 19.95

Use coupon Jumbo, which will bring the sales price per purchased copy down to $7.47.
In the Ordering Instructions box mention the title of your book. Minimum order volume is only 4 copies.
If your book has not yet been released but you want to pre-order copies at this superlow price, add "Pre-release".
You will receive the softcover version of your book. Coupon may be used on this offer only.

Plus shipping, 3.99 each
4 book minimum =
Your cost 11.46 per copy for softcover

http://www.publishamerica.net/JumboDeal.html

Jozzy · Sep 23, 2011

CatSlave said:
All of your books will be among the very first to be brought to the attention of Universal Picture

Presumably because Universal Pictures has already served them with the cease-and-desist letter?

IceCreamEmpress · Sep 23, 2011

allenparker said:
As a writer, we need to give him his credit. I am not my sister, he is not whatever relationship he has with Miranda.

But that's why and how he got the job, for which he doesn't appear to have any directly relevant experience.

He may be the best screenwriter ever, and his shorts may be magnificent examples of their form, but he's never sold an adapted screenplay to a studio. Why would anyone choose him as the person to pay to adapt their book into a screenplay? Answer: they wouldn't, but Miranda made the choice for them.

CatSlave · Sep 25, 2011

Jeopardy for 29.00

http://www.publishamerica.net/Jeopardy.html

We will alert the Jeopardy team to your book and suggest that they use your book, and your name as the author, for one of their future clues!

Must choose a shipping option to activate. Absolutely no use of coupons is allowed. Mention your book title(s).

Be quick, expires tomorrow. Our delegation is only today and tomorrow still in Hollywood!

CatSlave · Sep 25, 2011

Alex Trebec can hardly wait to hear from you

Jeopardy Multi

by: PublishAmerica

Price: $59.00

merrihiatt · Sep 25, 2011

What book publisher told their authors they would bring their book title and name to Jeopardy for possible inclusion as a clue during a game?

Talk about obscure and far-reaching. No one would get a question about an unknown PA book/author right. Not that Alex or anyone at Jeopardy will give PA the time of day.

brianm · Sep 25, 2011

What's next? For $299 PA will submit their authors' names to the producers of "Dancing with the Stars"?

PA's vanity product offers are beyond ridiculous at this point.

~brianm~

Chris P · Sep 25, 2011

CatSlave said:
http://www.publishamerica.net/Jeopardy.html

We will alert the Jeopardy team to your book and suggest that they use your book, and your name as the author, for one of their future clues!

Must choose a shipping option to activate. Absolutely no use of coupons is allowed. Mention your book title(s).

Be quick, expires tomorrow. Our delegation is only today and tomorrow still in Hollywood!

Oh yes, because, as a reader, I hear casual mention of books I've never heard of by people I've never hear of and say "Oh, I gotta read that book." Happens every day. Yep, that's exactly how it happens.

James D. Macdonald · Sep 25, 2011

For $49 we will suggest to the National Enquirer that your name and your book's title can be used in their crossword puzzle!

DaveKuzminski · Sep 25, 2011

What publisher that published ___________ by ________ at an inflated price is really a scam and a author mill?

PA's Special Offers aka But I thought they wanted my book, not my money ...

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