The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

It just gets better...

"Here's another good alert site.
www.sfwa.org/beware/contests.html
Ned Millis"

I wonder when they'll post up a link to this site here (or Mindsight)?
Before or after the entire thread goes bye-bye?
I'm surprised the links have stayed up this long...I thought posting links to sites which disparaged PA was grounds for instant removal...maybe that's just for me...

I did notice that the original poster of the link to P&E has decided "it's obvious that P&E is not fair and balanced" because they didn't like how PA was shown...heh...

I'm still trying to figure out how one can see that a site such as P&E "nailed" two scams they were "involved in" on another section of the site, but yet, can't put two and two together about the reason PA would be on there under the publisher section...

Oh well...

Big Daddy West
:hat

Loosely related to the subject of PA claims

I found these to be an interesting juxtaposition:

Really Disappointed

PublishAmerica does its job

denial ...

I'm still trying to figure out how one can see that a site such as P&E "nailed" two scams they were "involved in" on another section of the site, but yet, can't put two and two together about the reason PA would be on there under the publisher section...

Click to expand...

it's denial at its finest...

"They don't mean us, do they?"



ps. Why is the P&E site biased. One person said it and then they all start nodding their heads. "Yeah. Pretty biased. I see it now..."

What are they seeing that makes it biased. Also, the HB comment about turning a buck didn't make sense...anyone care to explain?

HB:

Cheryl, that site is a little prejudice. Check the owner of every site. It's not a bible. With every site you have to ask yourself what the motivation is. Sites cost money

Click to expand...

So what's the motivation? Dave, do you know? lol

Re: denial ...

Message:
Allen and HB,

I only used the 'agents and editors' up this minute and found they nailed the two scams I was involved in accurately. And they do alert people to agents who charge, which would save a lot of time and hopes.

But! After going into the 'publishers' category, I'm not happy at trashing they gave PA.

So, never mind; it's obvious that P&E is not fair and balanced.

Thanks guys,

Click to expand...

Message:
You're not happy? They've been trashing PA for four years without provokation or justification. Some idiot wrote the program, put the freaking Star Wars movie on 'pause', hit the left turn signal, and went right back to sleep. Trust me, I sse these dill-weeds on the freeway all the time.

Click to expand...

So now we know why it's not fair, must be that SF connection again :rofl He must think you have BEMs in your garage and UFO's next to your house *grin*

Re: denial ...

lol

Yo-ho-ho, maties!
You've got to row your own boat, cuz the wind's just not gonna take you thar. Arrgh, it ain't.


ps. i shamelessly plug my old thread a treatise on being a pirate

Re: Pirate Treatise

I loved your treatise, but would imagine the chief pirate didn't. Umm, should anyone mention to him that several mainstream movies involving pirates and SF/Fantasy have come out in the last few years or will he accuse us of hijacking the term? YO HO HO (Where is that rum?)

So, should I change my name?

I'm probably late jumping in here, but that's me -- a day late and a dollar short. Fact is, I just recently discovered this board while furiously researching PublishAmerica.

I signed with PA based on the information on their Web site. Only after I signed the contract did I discover such missing information as the no-returns policy, the fact that the only promotion my book will get is what I can figure out how to do myself, the ridiculous price (which won't even be stamped on the cover), and the fact that no actual bookstores will carry it. Never mind the fact that there will be no editing; luckily, I can do that myself. Do I feel misled? You bet!

Never in a million years would I have considered POD, much less vanity, publishing. That's exactly what I've gotten myself into, though. I have to shoulder the blame for not doing my homework BEFORE signing. It's embarrassing, but I'll get over it. One of these days. Meanwhile, I realize that my book is probably going to be pretty much a throwaway.

Any loyal PA "authors" in the vicinity will no doubt take umbrage. All I can tell you is, get a clue! And maybe get in line for Kool-Aid. LOL.

I have another book that's been finished for a while which I'm just now starting to approach REAL publishers with. I'm hoping against hope that I can get it placed before this first book comes out and, with it, the embarrassing association with PA. Meanwhile, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to change my pen name, kill her off humanely, and give her a decent burial.

Thanks for letting me vent. You have no idea how much I needed it!

Sherrie

Re: denial ...

I was supposed to get paid for operating P&E?

Must have been taken by those pirates. Yeah, that's what I'll say. Then I can put in a claim for any money found in the possession of any suspicious looking pirates.

Re: Venting

Sherrie, welcome to the group, sorry for the reason that brought you, but glad to have you here.

Pirate gold

Dave, you can have all the pirate gold you can find, maybe they didn't eat the chocolate out of the center of those gold coins yet

Re: Venting

<welcome to the group, sorry for the reason that brought you, but glad to have you here. >

Thanks, Lastr. I'm glad to be here. This is by far THE best source of information.

Re: Quality writing produces quality Books.

I may have found what is in part wrong with our educational system.

-Skyrocket

Link to the quote till PA pulls the Thread (Publish America Does it's Job)

Maybe if the teacher had decided to teach his students that it is better to do something correctly, his students may have done better later on. At the very least they would not have had to learn the proper way to do something after they were supposed to be taught the right way before.

Re: denial ...

Well, in truth, it's like this. Every once in awhile, some individuals toss out some accusations as if they were politicians tossing out mud. They're just hoping some of it will stick so they can discredit their target.

It's a timeless trick meant to fool those who let others do their research for them. Once you prove one point, the crowd is willing to accept the other accusations as true even if those were already disproven.

Since some of the writers within the PA ranks feel indebted to PA for accepting their manuscripts for publication, they're inclined to believe that anyone who says anything contrary about their publisher is biased. In this case, the individuals aren't reading any farther than the negative recommendation. They're not following up on the links to evidence about the libels, thefts, and other misdeeds perpetrated by PA. If they did, I doubt that they'd feel there was bias any longer. At that point, I think some of them would be seeking a way out even if they didn't vocalize it within that forum.

Re: Venting

Hi, Sher --

Here's <a href="http://p197.ezboard.com/fabsolutewritefrm11.showMessage?topicID=190.topic" target="_new">another thread</a> for you.

You might want to drop down to the Take It Outside board and read some of the older threads there, too.

Re: Venting

<Link to the quote till PA pulls the Thread (Publish America Does it's Job)

Maybe if the teacher had decided to teach his students that it is better to do something correctly, his students may have done better later on. At the very least they would not have had to learn the proper way to do something after they were supposed to be taught the right way before. >

I live in constant amazement at what the Stepford Authors will come up with next.

I knew I was in trouble the first time I read the PA boards. I remember sitting there in a stupor, thinking to myself, "These people are WRITERS?" Not all of them; some of them have undoubtedly written very good books and unwittingly placed them with PA. I'm convinced it's the rule rather than the exception, though.

Re: Denial

<Since some of the writers within the PA ranks feel indebted to PA for accepting their manuscripts for publication, they're inclined to believe that anyone who says anything contrary about their publisher is biased. In this case, the individuals aren't reading any farther than the negative recommendation. They're not following up on the links to evidence about the libels, thefts, and other misdeeds perpetrated by PA. If they did, I doubt that they'd feel there was bias any longer. At that point, I think some of them would be seeking a way out even if they didn't vocalize it within that forum. >

They often remind me of pit bulls with a particularly juicy bone. They've got it and, by damn, nobody's going to take it away from them. They have ONE CHANCE to call themselves published authors, thanks to PA's "publish anything" philosophy, and refuse to come in out of the fog and hear a word from the real world. Say an unflattering word about their idol, PA, and they go on the offensive with a vengeance. It's like a stampede of maddened sheep, herded and pep-talked by the "Jonestown Cheerleaders." It would be funny in a sick kind of way if I weren't contracted to PA myself.

Re: Venting

Here's another thread for you.
You might want to drop down to the Take It Outside board and read some of the older threads there, too.


Thanks, James. I'd already read the "49 copies" posts as part of my continuing education. Does PA think people are too dumb to wonder, "Hey, wait a minute, it's POD -- how can there be any 'excess stock'?"

Oh, wait a minute -- most of their "authors" DO believe it. LOL.

PA and 1st Books

Okay, I have a friend who had a book published through PA believing they were a traditional publisher, like so many others.
SO now I have a couple of questions. I saw that on another post 1st Books has a possible lawsuit pending, and I am wondering if there is any relation between them and PA, because I went to Amazon to look up my friend's PA book, and a stocked seller was listed as 1st books.
Is this the same company as the publisher or agency 1st Books that has been referred to on boards, and if it is, what part do they play with PA?
Also, I saw in a post from a long time ago that Writers Digest accepts PA books for their self-published awards. Does anyone know if this is the same for this year, since their rules state you must have paid for it yourself or it doesn't count? I don't want to email them and ask if I can find out the answer beforehand.
Also, in several people said on here that the Midwest Book Review was a joke, while talking about PA getting a review with them, but in the Writers Digest competition, their review of the winners is part of the prize. Why would WD use a place known to be the lowliest of reviewers, as some people have said they are?
As for my friend, she got lucky, since her book is of a very specific mental health market, and she will be able to sell just as many books with or without their assistance in marketing it or promotion. If it had been a romance novel, or any other type of book that needs to be on bookstore shelves to be bought, it would have been a lot worse. Needless to say, she won't use them again, now that she knows what they are.
If anyone can answer my questions I would appreciate it. Thanks.
:hail

Re: PA and 1st Books

Both PublishAmerica and AuthorHouse/1stBooks Library use the same business model (vanity PoD). The author pays for his/her own publication.

PublishAmerica is located in Frederick, Maryland; AuthorHouse is located in Bloomington, Indiana. They have no connection that I'm aware of.

WD is quite correct to count PublishAmerica as "self-published" (for some values of "self-publication"). PA certainly isn't a traditional publisher.

MidWest Book Reviews is a legitimate reviewer that has been in business for years, but their mandate is to review small-press and self-published books. They use non-professional reviewers, and appear to only print favorable reviews. That's less than useful if you're looking for more information than only that a particular book was published.

It sounds like your friend wrote a specialized non-fiction book for a defined niche market. That's the place to be if you're self-publishing. She'd almost certainly have done better by taking her book down to a local short-run printer than by going through PublishAmerica. She might get a copy of Dan Poynter's book for tips on that, if she's planning to self-publish another book.

Signs his name there, but not here?

I can't help but wonder who B.L.Robinson is after finding this when I looked to see if PA had deleted a particular topic that was brought up a page ago. Here's his post from that topic:

EZ

7/13/2004
22:48:35
RE: Author Alerts!


Message:
Actually, HB, the guy who runs P&E is alive and well and trashing PA on another "notable" authors site online. I have often gone head to head with him and made him look somewhat foolish. (all in all, not a very difficult feat.)
All the trashing that I have found seems to lead back to the so-called authors' not paying attention to the contract or not asking the questions that they should have, such as pricing and promotion. Reading a contract should be a high priority for anyone with even a small bit of business sense.
It all seemed a bit too much for me to believe, and after much research and thought I went ahead and signed with PA to publish my book. I just received my authors copies and am very pleased with the appearance and quality. Now if they can supply them to me when needed, we will get along great! Nuff said, I think. Later.

Bruce
B.L.Robinson
The Battle Between


I guess Bruce forgot to mention that I've been taking the side of writers against unfair treatment or that he's obviously been taking the opposing view. That should really make his writer friends proud of him.

Re: Bass akwards

Here's a new bit on the hardcover thread:

ariion

7/13/2004
21:29:56

Today I called PA to order some of my books and I learned the current policy on hardcover books. As soon as they receive an order for at least 100 of the hardcover version of your book, they will begin offering the book in both softcover and hardcover.

------

Bass Ackwards

<As soon as they receive an order for at least 100 of the hardcover version of your book, they will begin offering the book in both softcover and hardcover.>


No doubt a lot of PA'ers will rush to order 100 copies of their own books so they can get in on this hot deal.

As for me, I have no intention of buying so much as one copy. In fact, I'm thinking seriously of not even bothering to send the galley proofs back (if and when I ever get them). Does anyone know what the consequences of that would be, other than PA's demanding their stupid dollar back?

Sher2

Sher, have you recieved the cover art yet or sent back the first set of galleys? If not you might be able to get out of the contract. It has happened before at this stage.

You might want to send them an email and tell them.

Kevin

Kevin/Sher2/Cover Art

<Sher, have you recieved the cover art yet or sent back the first set of galleys? If not you might be able to get out of the contract. It has happened before at this stage.
You might want to send them an email and tell them.>


Nada, Kevin -- no galleys, no cover art, no communications. (Is it too much to hope that they've forgotten about me?) Have you gone this route? If so, what would the procedure be?

Proofs

You could always place subliminal messages in your manuscript such as PA is evil.