The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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ProandCon

Publishers Weekly

Maybe Miranda, Larry and Wilheim at PublishAmerica will donate some money to support free speech.

Have you asked them?
 

Ed Williams 3

Uncle Jim, if PA answers your question honestly...

...the game would be over for them, so I wouldn't hold my breath....

P.S. Still wondering why PA is not touting their coverage in one of the best known literary magazines?
 

ProandCon

Post lasted twenty minutes

Initial post:
my new book which is due out nov 22nd. has already cost me one thousand dollars between
buying books for a signing. (barnes and noble agreed to host a local signing if i provided the books). As well as sending copies to bookstores,
newspapers and getting publicity posters done.
Now i find out that most of the stores will not
carry my book, they will order it if someone comes in and ask for it. how is anyone going to know the book is available if it is not on the shelf? i thought the publishamerica facts and figures information said authors do not
have to pay out money of their own to get their
book published. Or, was tht just a trick of words, the book has been published and now in
order to get it sold i have to folk out the money. i have yet to hear from anyone from publishamerica about the publicity they are doing on their end or whether they have gotten stores such as barnes and noble, waldons or even dalton to stock my book on their shelf. as excited as i was about getting my book published the excitment is turning into anger as it continues to appear my book was published but not promoted and it will never be read by anyone.

Loretta

Part of Mr. Dolan response to Loretta:

"The bookstores stock PA books but it is not PA's resonsibility to get the stores to do it. All of the stores you mentioned have a process for a writer to get her/his book stocked."

Response to Mr. Dolan's post from another author who also mentioned the PW article earlier in same thread:

I agree that PA can't demand that bookstores carry a particular PA book but you are not entirely correct about the weakness in the process. Most stores will not carry PA books.

If you don't mind Mr. Dolan, please list where you have been successful in getting your book stocked in stores across the country. If you have been super successful, please share your experience with us.

However, by advertising as a traditional publisher, PA has the responsibility to make sure our books are accepted by the book industry just like the next traditional publisher. At this time, they are not accepted. This is a fact that is beyond the control of the PA authors but is a troublesome issue that is ignored by PA. What is traditional about that?

They are not sending out a catalog of their books to the book buyers in the country. Their marketing efforts are used to pull in more new authors to replace the ones who quit in disgust by the roadblocks placed on their marketing efforts.

The No Return Policy is a detriment.

Check back with us in a month or so and give us a report on your success. I would love to eat my words on this problem. I've seen a lot of cheerleaders come and go in the last year with most authors finally posting how they are losing because of the roadblocks.

In fact, I'll keep an eye out for your book being stocked in area bookstores.

Please respond back with facts and not the basic cheerleader stuff about keep on trying to get past the roadblocks.

The roadblock problems are PA's responsbility to correct as a traditional publisher and not the authors.

Don't get me wrong, Mr. Dolan. I do admire your tenacity to win. It will be interesting to see the outcome.
 

Ed Williams 3

The Publish America "Most Wanted List"...

I saw something about this on the Mindsight Boards and thought it was pretty cool/funny/informative - how would you rank the below listed individuals on Publish America's List of Writers/Authors/Author Advocates they dislike the most.....

Dave Kuzminski
Lynn Price
Dee Power
Rebecca Easton
Uncle Jim
Ann Crispin
Victoria Strauss
...and others....

Write in votes are allowed - personally, for me, I would have to put them in this order:

1. Rebecca Easton/Dee Power
2. Lynn Price
3. Dave Kuzminski
4. Uncle Jim
5. Ann Crispin
6. Victoria Strauss
7. And I'd throw in a write-in for Diana Hignutt over at Behler.
 

Ed Williams 3

Dee, I apologize, I greatly respect...

...what you are doing, I have a friend named Dee Hill and superimposed her name on yours. For that, I am going to make myself listen to a couple of Perry Como albums as punishment...
 

DaveKuzminski

Punishment

Well, of course, I vote for, wait, here it comes... me!

As to punishment, Perry Como? Nah, that's barely a slap on the wrist. Real punishment would be listening to Burl Ives, or William Shatner, or, or, aiiieeee, Leonard Nimoy sing, if you can truly call it that. ;)
 

Ed Williams 3

Dave, I swear on every Elvis CD that I own...

...that when you listed William Shatner as someone I should have to listen to, I winced. Maybe that's what hell for me will be - I'll be in a room with a CD player, William Shatner and Perry Como music playing throughout eternity, and a stack of Elvis and BTO CDs just out of reach...
 

vstrauss

Back to normal

Looks like the board is back to normal--stickies work again, yay! And no more big-lipped babes at the top of the page.

To avoid kudzu-like proliferation of PA threads, let's keep PA discussion here.

- Victoria
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Back to normal

Nah, I'm not a PA Public Enemy, or if I am, Victoria and Ann are miles ahead of me.
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: Dave, I swear on every Elvis CD that I own...

See? Just for the William Shatner remark, I deserve to be number one. ;)

Wait! Wait! I just had an idea. Maybe we should mail copies of his recordings to PA? Can you imagine them trying to find temp workers then with that blaring in the background?

Then again, PA would claim that making recordings is easier for science fiction actors to which I would hope that Shatner would reply, "Phasers on full. Denny Crane."
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Dave, I swear on every Elvis CD that I own...

William Shatner? No! I say Leonard Nimoy singing <A HREF="http://homepage.mac.com/maryt/main/iMovieTheater16.html" target="_new">The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins</A>.

That's a genuine Spork Out My Eyes and Use Them To Plug My Ears moment.

<HR>

Meanwhile, over at PA:


<a href="http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/lounge/6697.htm " target="_new">PA turned down my second book</a>

Our story so far ... an author has his second book rejected by PA. He attempts to sell that second book the old-fashioned way, with an agent. He emails everyone he can find, and before he can quite hit Send on his last letter he gets this email reply ...

<blockquote>The e-mail seemed to have a voice of it's own, soft and polite. It said, I will be in touch tomorrow. As I woke the next moring and loaded AOL
I knew my time here was short as my lifes work was a pile of papers with meaningless words cluttering the pages. I opened my mail, a note with a smilly face greeted my eyes. "I have taken the libery to have one of the best editors in the business contact you. You see a little polish will go a long ways on a pair of old boots."
</blockquote>

Okay, what are the bets? [Holds envelope to forehead.] Is the name of one of the best editors in the business ... Victor West?
 

priceless1

Not I, said the girl from CA

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>The Publish America "Most Wanted List"...<hr></blockquote>
Oh dear, Ed, I don't think I'm a blip on anyone's radar. I was very publicly eviscerated and lied about, not unlike many others. Wisely, I moved on and life has been terrific ever since. I have no desire to maintain fuel for anyone’s fires. I simply have better things to do.
 

James D Macdonald

Meanwhile, at PA

Keisha has some questions. Perhaps we can help?

<BLOCKQUOTE>
I would love if you experience guys could give me some info about ordering books to various stores,libraries etc. I want to know if P.A does this or are you expected to do this on your own.
</BLOCKQUOTE>

If a bookstore stocks your book, or a library shelves it, it'll be entirely due to your own efforts. PA does jack.

<BLOCKQUOTE>Is it possible that you can order for a bookstore or the bookstore must ask for the amount of copies tehy want. </BLOCKQUOTE>


I'm a little bit confused about what you're asking here. Yes, you can order through a bookstore (over at their Special Orders desk). If you're asking whether you can place an order that will then be shelved, it's a bit more complex. Bookstores usually send in their own orders for books they intend to shelve. But it's possible that you could approach the bookstore with some copies of your book in your hand and ask them to shelve it "on consignment." What that means is that you bought the books, and supplied them to the store. If any sell they'll take a cut of the price. Any that don't sell you'll be expected to take back.

<BLOCKQUOTE>Is it possible that at least 500-1000 books can be ordered at one time? I ask this because usually authors from P.A often talk about order 100-200 books the most. </BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm sure they'd be delighted to take an order for 500-1000 copies. Remember that they expect to be paid in advance, and the books will be non-returnable.

<BLOCKQUOTE>Does P.A take long to print this amount or is too much at one time. </BLOCKQUOTE>

PA's shipping times vary enormously. Don't be surprised if an order, of whatever size, takes literally months to ship.

<BLOCKQUOTE>Thanks for takign the tiem to read my questions, I wait for your reply. </BLOCKQUOTE>

You're quite welcome. Please feel free to ask about anything.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Meanwhile, at PA

Thinking a bit more about Keisha's question, and why it is that PA authors tend to order 100-200 rather than 500-1000 copies of their own books.

Let's take the authors' discounts in PA's latest attempt to induce their authors to buy a few more cases of books:

<BLOCKQUOTE>authors who need
between 25-50 books: 40 pct discount
between 51-100 books: 45 pct discount
between 101-200 books: 50 pct discount
201 or more books: 55 pct discount</BLOCKQUOTE>

Figure a typical $19.95 book:

100 copies: $1,097.25 + $51 S&H, = $1,148.25
200 copies: $1,995.00 + $101 S&H = $2,096.00

Both of those are pretty big bites on ol' Mastercard.

500 copies: $4,488.75 + $251 S&H = $4,739.75
1,000 copies: $8,977.50 + $501 S&H = $9,478.50

That's getting right up into "rugged" territory.

Plus you'd have to find somewhere to store 'em: 1,000 copies of a 250-page, 6x9 paperback comes to around 25 cartons of books. If you're going to spend that much to get something that you're going to have to store in your garage, you ought to get a car instead.
 

lizziepants

ed williams -- platts

I agree, the thread is amusing and Platts is witty and straightforward -- but he's also counterproductive and in general, a horses ass.
 

Ed Williams 3

Lizziepants, I agree....

...re Mr. Platts, but something is morbidly fascinating about him. He just tells it like it is, bluntly tells it like it is, and then all the other authors give him hell about it. Then he goes silent for awhile, and repeats the process all over again. We should see about getting him over here with us, talk about some interesting future threads!

:lol
 

DeePower

Pw article about Publish America part 3

The article is a summation of the first two with a bit more added information.

Anyone who has a subscription, even a free one for 30 days, (no credit card required) can post comments.

Go to:

www.publishersweekly.com/...=dee+power

I plan on posting comments tomorrow and I invite everyone to do so.

I'm not an author's adovcate, I just know how elated I was to have my first book published. I remember the thrill of going to Barnes and Noble and seeing it on the bookshelf. I picked it up and thought "I wrote this (with Brian Hill of course my co-author) I wrote this and it is now a book. A book. I beat the odds. I have a book published!

It's not right that PublishAmerica dangles that dream in front of writers and then kills it.

Anybody have a personal contact at the Wall Street Journal?

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: Booksignings

Because there are worthwhile people over there who we don't like seeing abused and cheated. What's more, some of them are very much on target with what's important to being a writer. Despite Marti's comments about me in the past, she's still right about the importance of doing your best even when posting in a forum because it still reflects on an individual as a writer. And please, Zaz, remember that you were once over there writing some of the postings, yet we read then, too.
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Booksignings

A number of folks take it upon themselves to make me aware of interesting posts over at the PA board.
 

vstrauss

Re: Pw article about Publish America part 3

I posted a comment at the PW site over the weekend. Haven't checked to see if it showed up yet.

- Victoria
 
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