left in the cold by PA

cheridith

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I find it very shady they did not inform me of their new name, website ir contact info. Ive been sending people to the old site. No wonder everyone Ive sent thinks its out of business. This totally makes me look like a retard.
I also find it shady they have not updated me on 1099s or sales.
I feel totally ignored by them.
I also find it strange after a google search of my ISBNs, I find sites offerring my bk as a free pdf. Im still waiting on PAs email in that one.

I thank the member who createf this forum. I am learning lots.

feel free to comment. anyone else finding their PA books as free pdfs?

Does the old phone number still work?


fck lawsuits-anyone go to the irs or justice dept? federal trade commision?

Google search found seaveral physical copies. 72 at one place but i was told last ive no sales. In 2012 my taxes were penalized 1000$ because of bkincome---how can i report if im being told ive no sales?
 

Maryn

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I don't have any advice or answers--I'm not the grizzled veteran of PA some are--but I've got cookies! Welcome. We'll eat cookies while we wait for the others, okay?

Maryn, glad you found AW
 

Drachen Jager

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Fortunately I heard of PA first from this site, so I have no experiences to share, but from what I hear they've had enough experience avoiding legal action that you're not likely to get anywhere. Sadly the best you'll likely accomplish is to get them to switch corporate IDs and carry on business as usual.

Scammers like these will always work the margins and loopholes.

I think you're best to write it off as a learning experience and focus your energies on the next novel.
 

Marian Perera

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I'm not a PA author, but welcome to the board!

I find it very shady they did not inform me of their new name, website ir contact info. Ive been sending people to the old site.

To buy your books, I hope.

Please reconsider sending people to PA if those people are inexperienced writers looking for a publisher, writers who might be taken in by the cleverly-worded spiel.

fck lawsuits-anyone go to the irs or justice dept? federal trade commision?

As Drachen Jager said, it'll be difficult to win any kind of legal action once you've signed the contract. Don't bother calling them or emailing them. Working on your next book would be more productive, and probably less frustrating.
 

Chris P

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Welcome cheridith! I'm a PA author with only about 8 months left on my seven-year "learning experience" with PublishAmerica / America Star Books.

Regarding your sales and 1099s, I'm sorry to say there likely are no sales and therefore no 1099s or other documentation. Was the IRS penalty for earnings on your PA book? How did the IRS prove you sold copies? I'm not a tax expert or lawyer by any means, but that's the first time I've heard of that happening with a PA book.

The 72 books you see for sale at other sites probably aren't there. Someone with more knowledge can correct me if (when) I'm wrong, but those third party sellers get the titles from a server and simply list the book. They order it from PA/ASB if an order comes in and pocket the difference between their price and PA's. They don't actually have paper copies of those books on the shelves. Since PA does not do print runs for distribution, there is no stock of printed books to buy from a distributor and no bookstore is going to order 72 copies of a POD title on the off chance they will sell them. Are "used" copies of your books selling for $90? That's pretty common from these third party sellers.

Regarding the free pdfs of your book, my experiences with another publisher and knowing PA's modus operandi, it will likely be on you to send take down notices to any sites offering free downloads. Don't hold your breath on PA rising up in righteous indignation about it; they know full well that you are the only one they market your book to. They make negligible money selling to anyone but the authors so it's not worth their time. Illegal downloads probably don't touch their profits at all.

I'm sorry you got roped into this, just as I did. I was not able to make PA's model work for me, and very few authors are. I don't know if your PA book is your first or only book out there. Although PA was the beginning of my publishing career, it was not the end of it because I chose for it not to be. I've not had runaway success since PA, but I'm continuing on by writing new and better books and learning new lessons as I go. I'm not sure what I'll do in October when my PA book comes back home to me. I don't have any great desire to rewrite and try again elsewhere with that book; my newer ones are far better.
 
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