The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

Re: Soon to be another regular here?

Actually Dave, I am Hipwitch. I have learned quite a bit here and hope that some day I can help another author out.

Re: Always interested...

Thank you for your sage words. I actually had a few hours, the first in at least a couple of weeks, that were productive and creative!

Here's a shocker!!!

Looks like our friend (you pick):

Canada James
Dodgem James
James McCann

just got tossed from the Mindsight boards - what a shocker!

www.mindsightseries.com/c.../4315.html

:wha

Re:Here's a shocker!!!

That guy's been tossed off of more boards than a young Wayne Gretzky.
What the hell's his problem?

Basically....

...he talks out of both sides of his mouth, is somewhat condescending, and strongly resembles a Rubbish America sockpuppet. At Mindsight, he basically tried to start up another flame war with Dave, and the denizens there rightly got tired of it, so Mr. McCann is off yet another board.

:eek

Re: DJ/CJ/JM

It's unfair to discuss CJ/DJ/JM in a forum wherein he can't respond.

I have my theories about his banishments too and if he's interested in hearing them my contact info is easy to find.

Re: Author's must make their best judgement...

Hi, guys.

I don't think we should talk about someone who's been banned and isn't able to defend themselves.

sorry about the crosspost

Incorrect royalties from PublishAmerica

I have done a little posting on different boards asking if PA authors have received, what they believe to be the correct royalty amount. It's interesting how many responded no.

I have contacted the controller of LightningSource by fax and of course PA by fax and email. If I don't get the documentation I requested by the end of the day Monday, or a satisfactory explanation, I believe I am going to report PA to the IRS.

Royalties are considered income and subject to income tax. If PA doesn't pay the correct royalties, the author is not getting the correct income and the IRS is getting cheated of the taxes on that author's income.

The IRS doesn't like getting cheated.

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com

Incorrect royalties from PublishAmerica

<blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I believe I am going to report PA to the IRS.<hr></blockquote>
My, my, my, it does appear as though those wagons are circling ever tigher around the baying wolf. You go, Dee. Methinks a lot of people will be hearing about these guys real soon.

Re: Listen to Ann...Please

I hate to say it, but unless PA is paying anyone over $600 a year, they aren't going to care much. That's the minimum you have to make for "independent contractors" or misc. income. PA should give you a 1099-misc form, but ONLY if they paid you over $600, b/c that's the only time you have to claim it as income.

So unless someone is owed that much...

PA has wormed its way into another site

I've only been lurking lately, but I thought you guys would like to know that PA has wormed their way into Fanstory.com, a writing site I sometimes participate in. Fanstory announced the big partnership today. I posted two messages in their forum about why PA was bad news and the site owner deleted both of them.

So if anyone here wants to venture over there and clear up the misinformation....

Amie

Taxes

I actually contacted the IRS the other day by phone to inquire about freelance income that had to be reported. I asked what the amount had to be before it had to be reported to the IRS and the rep stated $400. Now not to say that they would not make a big deal about $600 I just do not want anyone to be confused about how much they can make before having to report it. Forgive me if this is not correct that is what they told me.

Anne

Re: Always interested...

When we had our taxes done this year, our CPA questioned me why PA sent me an 1909 form? I asked why not, and he said unless I made $600 or more, no need to report it. But, since PA sent the 1099 I would have to go ahead and list the small amount as income.

You would thing that someone at PA who takes care of this stuff would know this.

Of course, that does not excuse PA from reporting their income made from the books they sale, since they are the ones who makes the big bucks. I wonder also, since Mr. M is not a citizen (at least I don't think he is) of this country, does he report all income? Since PA would be considered a small business, then the income or loss of income can be attached to both their incomes (Mr. M and Mr. C) I wonder if they get a refund every year?

But, also, since LSI must report their income, and they are the ones that prints up the books PA sales, their recores must be right, leaving very wriggle room for PA to fudge on their books, but plenty to fudge on the authors as far as royalties goes.

V

IRS Info

Just for my own idle amusement, I looked up the website for reporting criminal tax fraud.

Here's the site URL:

www.treas.gov/irs/ci/

There's a link on this page to click for Criminal Investigations.

There's also a phone number:

1-800-829-0433

Obviously, as is the case for any whistle-blower, anyone who reports tax fraud is going to get a whole lot more attention if they give their name, have their facts organized in a clear, coherent fashion, and can provide documentation of their allegations.

-Ann C. Crispin

Re: Always interested...

The IRS should rightly be interested in PA. After all, if PA is under-reporting one category, namely royalties, then that means that other revenue categories are also incorrect so that funds will balance. Sounds to me like that would add up to big bucks on PA's end even if it's small amounts on the authors' side because PA is making its profit based upon quantity by getting money from many authors instead of just a few.

So, does anyone think that Willem, Larry, and Miranda will like their new accommodations at Club Fed and Camp Cupcake when the IRS catches up with them?

Re: PA has wormed its way into another site

I've only been lurking lately, but I thought you guys would like to know that PA has wormed their way into Fanstory.com, a writing site I sometimes participate in. Fanstory announced the big partnership today

Click to expand...

I received an email from a member of that site and gave her information regarding PA, including the URL's to AW and MS. She forwarded them on to the owner. She emailed me the other day and said the owner had gone with them anyway.

I'm sure PA told them we were all a bunch of "scare-mongers" who are instigating a "smear campaign" and "telling lies, falsehoods, and half-truths about their company". That's what they told the MD AG's office in a letter of rebuttal to my complaint.

I shot back a letter of rebuttal of my own - 66 pages of my story and documentation proving PA to be the fraudulent company they are. James MacDonald and Dee Power were both extremely helpful and I really appreciated all of their help. I sent that letter to Larry Munson - so when A. Crispin gave the new contact - I wrote another 13 page letter to her as well.

As I've said on another forum - even if nothing happens and the MD AG's office does not investigate (I fervently hope they will, though), I'll know I've done everything I can to make the situation right. I've contacted the MD AG's office numerous times - the FTC - the Ripoff Report - and the MD BBB.

After all of that -- PA still refuses to give me my rights back. My book sold (and this is extremely embarrassing to admit, so please be kind) ten (10) copies. I'm disabled and on a fixed income - I can't afford to buy my own books and sell them out of the trunk of my car. I can't personally go to every bookstore in the surrounding four states and beg and plead bookstores to give my abhorrently overpriced book a chance. And I told my friends and family NOT to buy anymore of my books when I became aware of just what PA was.

According to PA all of those things make me a failure. That's why my book only sold ten copies, making me a some total of $12.36 on my royalty check and PA a whopping $142.20. A book like that - you gotta see why they won't give me my contract back. Spite - pure and simple. She's been a bad PAvidian - let's punish her by making her work for what she wants. No problem - I've worked all my life - I can work for this too.

:grr

YOU are not the failure

and neither is your book.

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com

Re: PA has wormed its way into another site

Well, I just joined and left a simple message advising writers there of sites where they can read about PA. Here's hoping that opens a lot of eyes and starts a lot of questions.

It took less than an hour for someone to monitor the message I left and delete it. I received a private message that it's against their policy for anyone to post a URL in their forum.

Re: PA has wormed its way into another site

I checked out the (I believe second) posting you did Dave. Although 'certain' people said it was harsh, perhaps the message penetrated the walls of ignorance anyway. Hopefully, the people involved in the 'partnership' will see some error in their ways too. However I believe that's in the category of 'time will tell'......and you'll be happy to know the current people on that board are already doing their own research.....
".....good work soldier!":thumbs

Dave, I threw up a posting on that site...

...as well, although I am sure it will be pulled soon. Interestingly enough, on the "PA partnership" thread there, one of the writers did some research on PA and listed off a lot of "goodies" for everyone to consider. They also added that there was not a lot of good news in general out there about PA. So maybe people are starting to wise up just a tad.

:grin

Ok...

I actually contacted the IRS the other day by phone to inquire about freelance income that had to be reported. I asked what the amount had to be before it had to be reported to the IRS and the rep stated $400

Click to expand...

Ok,then. I just know that I don't get a 1099 form from the company I sell products for (but am an independent rep) until they pay me $600.
Maybe it's different for freelancers.

Re: PA has wormed its way into another site

I responded to the site operator's message that site URLs and site names were not allowed because those were considered advertising. I pointed out that my intention was clearly educational. He responded that he could see that and would make an exception. I have reposted those site names and URLs there for their authors to check on their own. In the interest of fairness, I even listed Author's Market while pointing out that it's actually sponsored by PA and can only be posted to by PA authors.

PA and Fanstory

I just visited the Fanstory site a few minutes ago, and Ed's and Dave's posts were still there.

I should add - for any Fanstory folks that wander over here - that I don't think the site owner is a bad guy. He seems to be genuinely trying to create oppportunities for the writers who participate at Fanstory, and he got hooked by the same misleading PA propaganda that has fooled a lot of other people as well. I hope that no one else gets hooked, too.

Re: PA and Fanstory

I should add - for any Fanstory folks that wander over here - that I don't think the site owner is a bad guy. He seems to be genuinely trying to create oppportunities for the writers who participate at Fanstory, and he got hooked by the same misleading PA propaganda that has fooled a lot of other people as well. I hope that no one else gets hooked, too.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, a lot of nice people have gotten hooked by PA's propaganda. Let's just hope that the Fanstory participants are sophisticated enough to see through the hype and don't submit their work to PA in hopes of "getting published."

Hoping to be "published" by PA? Look behind the cu

We need to get would-be PA authors to understand that PA isn't the answer to anyone's hopes for being published. PA does not, in any meaningful sense of the term, publish books; it acts as a front-man for a printer.

In exchange for the lion's share of the profits; in exchange for an author's blood, sweat, tears, money, and almost-inevitable loss of self-esteem, PA offers a near-guarantee that something resembling a book will be printed: An overpriced, un-distributed, un-warehoused, unwanted-by-bookstores, non-returnable book chock-full of errors.

PA is a clerk at Kinko's dressed in a suit and trying to pass himself off as a "real" publisher.