The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

Don Davidson

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As per their habitual abusive treatment of their customers - I mean, authors - they never wrote me back concerning the above. Instead, two months later, they have the unmitigated gall to send me another sales letter to have my book translated. I had to send them my FOURTH cease and desist letter to not contact me with their marketing e-mails again. They'd sent a couple more before it finally stopped. Then in February this year, they write me to tell me that they needed to update my files in order to send me a royalty payment of a little over $2 bucks. I send them the information and to this day, I have yet to see the $2 dollars. They're so pathetic.

Trust me. They will keep sending you emails trying to make money off of you until the contract expires. The longest they ever left me alone was about 2 or 3 years. Book sales, book promotions, get your rights back--they have a lot of ways to try to suck money out of you, and they seem to keep coming up with new ones. I received several of those rights reversion emails last December, with only 7 more months to go before the contract expired. (It's all on the web site.)
 

A Scribe

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PublishAmerica / America Start Books are SHYSTERS.

Trust me. They will keep sending you emails trying to make money off of you until the contract expires. The longest they ever left me alone was about 2 or 3 years. Book sales, book promotions, get your rights back--they have a lot of ways to try to suck money out of you, and they seem to keep coming up with new ones. I received several of those rights reversion emails last December, with only 7 more months to go before the contract expired. (It's all on the web site.)

Which means I have something to look forward to.:rolleyes:

The longest they've left me alone was for about a year. Then, with a new name or some new bright-eyed minimum-wage employee they've recently hired who has no clue what kind of shysters she's working for (and they've all been female employees) they send me another marketing e-mail, and out goes another "unsubscribe" notification that I know will be "ignored" in a year's time.

As you can see by my response to their rude and disrespectful "Request Denied" letter, I noted very clearly "as a courtesy" and they showed just what a disreputable and horrible company they are by not even having the courtesy to respond.

For any potential author who wants their book published the conventional way, that is, by a real publisher - AVOID PUBLISHAMERICA / AMERICA STAR BOOKS. They're not a traditional, conventional, or reputable publisher in any way shape or form. Better to self-publish your books than to have these shysters hold your book hostage for seven years while demanding ransom if you want your publishing rights back. A REAL publisher would never hold your publishing rights hostage for more than a year or two if it's been selling, and they certainly would never demand that you pay a steep $299 if you want your publishing rights back - which is what PublishAmerica / America Star Books does.

I'm so happy that I didn't fall for their b.s. the second time around. There's only one book of mine currently being held for ransom and only two years to wait until I can self-publish it. You can bet that the day after their pathetic contract expires, my book will be out for sale with a superior cover, fully proofed and edited by professionals.

In the meantime, I just continue writing and self-publishing my books - and will continue to enjoy doing so.
 
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Don Davidson

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ASB is apparently now trying to cheat me out of $1.03 in royalties from the final royalty statement. They first tried to stiff me because I hadn't reached my "threshold" for payment of royalties, until I pointed out that my contract predated the threshold provision. Then they said they would only pay me through PayPal, although my contract says nothing about payments being made through PayPal. I don't have a PayPal account, so I said no, send me a check (like they did in 2009, for $2.78). As it stands right now, I think they plan to stiff me. Anyway, I've posted the emails on my web site so anyone who cares to can read them.
 

Chris P

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I seem to have sold a copy of my book and have about a dollar in royalties, right about the time I started getting all these emails about marketing efforts available to me through ABS. There seem to be, based on the names used in the emails, no fewer than five staffers who have been assigned to my book to get me to purchase services to sell my book. I don't buy it for one second, of course, as I'm sure the recipients are likely computer selected if not sent to everyone. I'm also highly suspicious of this sudden sale six years after my last one. Could that be bait to make me think the book's marketable and therefore worth the investment? Not sure if ABS would invest in random books on a fishing expedition, but that's how my mind works. Shoot, if one person in 100 takes the bait, ABS might come out ahead.

But, we're about one month and one week.from the end of my contract, and.I already have the confirmation from ABS that my contract will in fact not renew.
 

ShaunHorton

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Was that the offer to pitch your book to Ellen Degeneres' agent? My friend just about jumped out of his socks at that news, and (supposedly) they're not even charging him for it!
 

Don Davidson

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ABS Will Still Cheat You Out of That Royalty

I seem to have sold a copy of my book and have about a dollar in royalties, right about the time I started getting all these emails about marketing efforts available to me through ABS. There seem to be, based on the names used in the emails, no fewer than five staffers who have been assigned to my book to get me to purchase services to sell my book. I don't buy it for one second, of course, as I'm sure the recipients are likely computer selected if not sent to everyone. I'm also highly suspicious of this sudden sale six years after my last one. Could that be bait to make me think the book's marketable and therefore worth the investment? Not sure if ABS would invest in random books on a fishing expedition, but that's how my mind works. Shoot, if one person in 100 takes the bait, ABS might come out ahead.

But, we're about one month and one week.from the end of my contract, and.I already have the confirmation from ABS that my contract will in fact not renew.

In my January 2014 royalty statement, ABS said they had sold 1 copy of my book, with $1.03 in royalties. My contract ran out in July, so I sent them an email requesting that they send me a check for my $1.03 in royalties. In response, they first raised the question of whether I was over my "threshold" (in later contracts, they apparently specified that they don't have to pay royalties until the amount is over a certain amount). When I pointed out that my contract has no threshold provision, they next insisted that they would only pay me through PayPal--even though my contract says nothing about that, they paid me by check five years ago, and I don't have (and don't want) a PayPal account.

So far I haven't seen a check, and I don't really expect to see one. If I got a PayPal account, I suspect they would trump up some other reason to cheat me out of that $1.03.

And yes, I think it entirely possible that the supposed sale of one book was bogus. I believe they are capable of just about anything at this point, and I do not trust them at all.
 

Don Davidson

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But, we're about one month and one week.from the end of my contract, and.I already have the confirmation from ABS that my contract will in fact not renew.

P.S. - When my 7 years expired, I sent ABS an email asking them to take my book off their web site "book store" and notify others that the book is no longer available. ABS sent me an email saying that the contract had renewed, because under the contract "we were required to renew it." When I pointed out that they had twice accepted and acknowledged my non-renewal notices, they backed down. They seem to be totally clueless.

Anyway, all of this fun stuff is now on my web site, if anyone wants to read it. I'm not sure how long I'll keep the web site up, since I've removed all of my writings and am in the process of trying to rewrite them for possible submission to an agent or publisher. But at least for awhile longer, I'll leave it up just as a thorn in ABS' side.
 

Don Davidson

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Don, just wondering : did they take your book off their website?

Yep, after my 2nd email about it. They sent me a canned response the first time, saying that they had renewed the contract. I responded, saying in effect, "Oh no, you didn't!," and quoting them chapter and verse from my previous non-renewal notices. Then they backed down.
 

Jill Karg

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Don, I am so glad you are among the formly snagged authors of PA/America Star. Hoping many more will join our group. All I can say is that one day they will pay for their lies and deceit....maybe not in this lifetime but would hate to be standing in their shoes when they finally meet the maker.

Congrads again Don.:D:partyguy::snoopy:
 

Don Davidson

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Update on this posting - I received a check!

ASB is apparently now trying to cheat me out of $1.03 in royalties from the final royalty statement. They first tried to stiff me because I hadn't reached my "threshold" for payment of royalties, until I pointed out that my contract predated the threshold provision. Then they said they would only pay me through PayPal, although my contract says nothing about payments being made through PayPal. I don't have a PayPal account, so I said no, send me a check (like they did in 2009, for $2.78). As it stands right now, I think they plan to stiff me. Anyway, I've posted the emails on my web site so anyone who cares to can read them.

I am quite flabbergasted. Today I received a check from ASB for $1.03. Is it possible that there is actually someone there with some integrity?
 

Chris P

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Well, my contract finally expired. I've just sent Author Support an email, copying their email from two years ago acknowledging my contract's expiry date and that it will not be renewed. I've asked them to remove the book from their bookstore and to cease all email correspondence.

I'm expecting the standard reply of "You only own the book's text, and not the . . ." blah blah blah, with an offer to buy these things (none of which will be useful in the least) at such and such a price. Fine. Let them.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this book. I've got enough writing projects to do right now, and hardly need another. But then again, I'm curious if seven years of learning how to write a new and better book will allow me to revamp this one and "give it the chance it deserves." Perhaps I'll be treated the old fashioned way: by being paid to write my books.
 

Chris P

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Haha! Too funny!

You cannot email author support directly anymore (edit: not from the PA/ASB webpage unless you have the email addy already), you have to fill in an online form. I got a reply saying the message was "incomprehensible" and it continued with some bizarre, cryptic statement that they will make no changes and proceed in their usual manner. My message is copied in the reply, and would be clearly understandable by anyone who took the time to read it. Either a strange system error on their part or . . . well, I won't try to read their minds.

There's a new America Star Books email address that I can reply to (the previous one was a "do not reply" mailbox). So we'll see what happens next.
 
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Jill Karg

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That is unreal, but then again we are talking about PA/Americian Star I wish they would just go away...maybe take a trip to West Africa for a book fair.
 

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How to get out of a Publish America contract by stooping to their level.

Once upon a time I was a PA author. I signed the 7 year contract. PA had just started listing their books through Ingram. Even though I kind of knew what PA was, I thought well at least I can get my books in bookstores. Believe it or not, I was able to get Barnes and Noble stores across the nation to carry my book (with no help from PA of course) and I did all of the foot work to do so, but only one Barnes & Noble said no. Of course the books were way overpriced, but for the most part I was pretty happy. I sold a quite a few copies. Then when my royalty check came, there was a line that said something to the effect that I had no returns so I did not owe PA anything at this time. Now, this did not really bother me. I was not selling enough books to really worry about having to pay for returns, but when I went on the PA site on the author's forum where the authors could post and chat with each other, I asked about this. I let it be known to other authors that this was not the norm for "traditional" publishers that the author did not have to pay for returns out of their pockets, that it was subtracted from the author's earnings. Well, next thing I knew, I was banned from the webpage forum with an explanation from PA that I would be able to return when my behavior imporved. What? I just asked a simple question and let my fellow authors know a few little things about real publishers. I sent an e-mail to PA to complain. They then removed my book listing from their webpage. "Good luck selling your books from our site," they said. Well, of course I wanted no part of PA anymore, but I had that darn 7 year contract with them. At this point I had been with them only 6 months. Then I thought, hey, I could be a thug like them. I brought myself down to their level and acted like a baby. So then I emailed them back and demanded that they list me back on their page. I told them that I had a contract with them and that they could not remove me from their page. And then I went for the throat. I asked, "What are you going to do next? Tell me I don't have a contract with you? Let me just see you try and do that." A few hours later they sent me an e-mail saying I no longer had a contract with them.

I love it when a plan comes together.
 
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scifi_boy2002

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Well, it only shows you how stupid PA is. Yes, they are thugs and like to push and threaten people but, I mean, how could they not see what I was doing?