The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

astonwest · May 9, 2005

reph said:
Now what? Will they change their slogan from "We treat authors the old-fashioned way" to "PA sucks"?

We can dream...

Uncle Jim said:
You can start by going out of business....

changling said:
This author purchased copies of the book which had damage. The author's copies didn't appear this way. Several e-mails and postage to send the books back for inspection over the course of two months yielded this response from P.A. (in a nut shell) PublishAmerica has elected not to replace the books in question.

To be fair, if the "damage" was caused by shipping, I wouldn't think it would be PA's responsibility to replace the books. The author in question should probably (and I only hope that the fact PA took two months to respond doesn't nullify any possible recourse) go to the shipper in question, and fill out paperwork for the damaged goods. I believe that's the process with most companies who ship things through UPS, FedEx, etc.

Now, if the "damage" was due to inserting random words, taking spell-checker suggestions, mis-formatting and the like (although I wouldn't think so after the author's copies were done), then it would be rather par for the course.

Renee · May 9, 2005

I finally found the old email from PA's AST.

This is re: when they re-did my entire book, yes, after it was out, because I had complained on the message board about it.

Then after I re-edit all the formating errors that their printer put in my book, here is the thanks I get lol..

I said I'd post this awhile back after I told my little story, so I finally tracked down the response.
:guns:

Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 13:53:06 -0400
To: [email protected]
From: "Sarah Becker" <[email protected]>
Subject: Tangled Web

Dear Ms. Bagley,

Your revised text was uploaded to our printers today. New copies will
be available through us by Friday, October 8. This is not a full market
pull, which means that any vendors that may have old copies of your book will
most likely sell the older copies before restocking the new, corrected
version. Please contact [email protected] with any questions
related to ordering.

Thank you!
Sarah Becker
Text Production Manager

**You can tell they actually thought that I'd be the one buying those copies..yeah right!** Then they made it where I couldn't get my book stocked.

This editing what done two years after they pushed my book to the printer, without approval.

Sadly, it really is kind of funny looking back on it all.

Ken Schneider · May 9, 2005

astonwest said:
We can dream...

[/color]
To be fair, if the "damage" was caused by shipping,

To be fair with this person I can't devuldge the true nature of the problem.

Lets just say A glaring printing problem up front. Smear.

Deleted member 42 · May 9, 2005

akaa1a said:
Now, on a serious note...

Do you all think the reason they re-tooled the PAMB is for spying on their "faithful" who might be having lurid affairs with other message board participants?

I dunno, but the version they're going to has the same security flaws as the current version, and they're still relying on an improperly configured database.

Gratian Gasparri · May 9, 2005

Jeff said:
Thanks for the lesson Gratian, but I suspect not all of us are Christians, eh?

I would assume not. Please keep in mind that Ed was attacked in the name of Christian theology. Thus as a published Christian theologian I was demonstrating why Ed's attackers have a poor grasp of Christian theology.

If Shemp is not evil, he has said evil things and tried to inflict needless harm on others repeatedly.

Correct. From a Christian perspective, however, there is a difference between judging Shemp's actions as objectively evil and judging Shemp himself as evil.

Deleted member 42 · May 9, 2005

changling said:
To be fair with this person I can't devuldge the true nature of the problem.

Lets just say A glaring printing problem up front. Smear.

Ordinarily, when LS inadvertently ships flawed product, they tell you to destroy it, and they'll credit the account. I've seen many PA books that wouldn't meet even basic QA criteria, in terms of improperly applied sealant, bad cover attachment, ink spotting and other print artifacts on the cover, internal printing errors, binding issues, adhesive errors, that I wonder if they take the credit and ship the books . . .

Ken Schneider · May 9, 2005

Quoted from the register button at the new pamb.

You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that PublishAmerica has the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time for any reason. As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that could lead to the data being compromised.

DeePower · May 9, 2005

Cut the Cr@p you guys

These comments don't belong here. I don't take offense to much, but I do to this. What does the size of a posterior region have to do with this discussion?

Dee

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gratian Gasparri
I just caught a glimpse of it while surfing the PAMB. Setting aside the question of modesty, is it just me or is her butt like really fat?

...I have not done an up close heiny evaluation of that pic, nor do I intend to do so at the present time. Maybe if you slip Kev a fiver he might consider eyeballing it closely....

Jeff · May 9, 2005

What if we discovered tomorrow that Shemp had a malignant brain tumor that has affected his thinking for the past few years, but he did not know because he could not afford healthcare? Or what if he turned out to be bi-polar or schizophrenic?

What if we didn't? What if he wasn't?

Turn about, Gratian, is fair play.

What if we found out someone was impersonating him whenever he wrote those terrible, hurtful and hateful things in public?

What if we didn't?

What if we found out that it was space aliens who abducted him and who caused him to write such destructive and damaging things in public about his fellow authors and those who oppose PA?

What if we didn't?

What if the dinosaurs came back and trampled PA's townhouse into dust...

...okay, maybe we might all cheer a bit then.

You have every right to decide not to judge Shemp for your own reasons.

We have every right to decide to do so, for our own reasons.

Ken Schneider · May 9, 2005

Medievalist said:
Ordinarily, when LS inadvertently ships flawed product

Is L.S. in Bridgeport New Jersy?

My books were shipped from.
510 Heron Dr.-suite 204
Bridgeport New Jersy.

Deleted member 42 · May 9, 2005

changling said:
Quoted from the register button at the new pamb.

You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. The IP address of all posts is recorded to aid in enforcing these conditions. You agree that PublishAmerica has the right to remove, edit, move or close any topic at any time for any reason. As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that could lead to the data being compromised.

This, other than being so incompetently written that it almost invites a lawsuit, is not really outrageous. Most message boards rely on a database, though it may be in the form of a flat file rather than MySQL or SQLServer. Every time you go to a web page, you send the server your IP; this is trivially easy to get around, and it's not a barrier to someone with evil intent.

Jenna is actually a bit of a rarity in terms of her moderation stance on this board; PA is not.

Gratian Gasparri · May 9, 2005

Okay, posting my initial reaction was in poor taste. I apologize to everyone for so doing. The point I was attempting to convey was that I did not find her pic enticing and it certainly would not interest me in buying her book. She ought to cover up. Again, my apologies for crossing the line.

Jeff · May 9, 2005

I would assume not. Please keep in mind that Ed was attacked in the name of Christian theology. Thus as a published Christian theologian I was demonstrating why Ed's attackers have a poor grasp of Christian theology.

Gratian,
Sorry if my tone became a bit strident in my replies. I'm not having the best day here and I am afraid I may have let some of my frustration eke out. Apologies are offered.

The problem I think was that there was a disconnect between what you wrote and what Ed commented on. I did not connect the two at all - it might have been the "lesson" comment that severed it, I dunno. In any case, that is where my response came from.

Correct. From a Christian perspective, however, there is a difference between judging Shemp's actions as objectively evil and judging Shemp himself as evil.

You know what? I think you may well have hit on one of the main reasons why I left Catholicism behind in my life.

While I stand by what I said, if I sounded snarky in saying it, please accept my apology.

-Jeff

Gratian Gasparri · May 9, 2005

DeePower said:
These comments don't belong here. I don't take offense to much, but I do to this. What does the size of a posterior region have to do with this discussion?

Dee, thank-you for pointing out that my comment was out of line and should not have been posted to the board. For this I apologize and I appreciate you taking me to task. I was trying to use sarcasm to question the effectiveness of her stripping down to her undies on the PAMB as a marketting strategy, however, I realize that there are more diplomatic ways of stating this.

Sarashay · May 9, 2005

Stating that posing in your lingerie is poor taste is fine, but ragging on the size of somebody's *** is really going over the line. Save that stuff for the Dead Shemp thread, if you MUST, but it really doesn't belong here.

victoriastrauss · May 9, 2005

CJWilkes said:
What I do not appreciate is people posting rude things about my book because of their dislike for PA. My book and PA are 2 different things.

The people at Absolute Write totally agree with you, C.J. Some of the folks here have been known to contact PA authors privately to discuss PA, but no one here (to my knowledge) has ever participated in Amazon slamming or guest book bashing or any of the childish, nasty tactics you're talking about. We think this is wrong, and we've frequently said so--for instance, when the fake "Travis Tea" was posting mean, incoherent reviews on Amazon. We think there are better ways of getting the word out.

Welcome to Absolute Write, by the way!

- Victoria

Jeff · May 9, 2005

Quoted from the register button at the new pamb.
You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws.

Is that even a sentence?

As a user you agree to any information you have entered above being stored in a database. While this information will not be disclosed to any third party without your consent the webmaster, administrator and moderators cannot be held responsible for any hacking attempt that could lead to the data being compromised.

Makes one wonder how often such info will get out and how often they will claim that they have been "hacked"?

I am not a webguru, although I recognise some of this kind of thing from other boards I have registered on -- for those who might know, is this muchly out of the ordinary?

Gratian Gasparri · May 9, 2005

Jeff said:
Sorry if my tone became a bit strident in my replies. I'm not having the best day here and I am afraid I may have let some of my frustration eke out. Apologies are offered.

No problem. No offense taken. I sometimes find myself having to bite my tongue as well when I watch Shemp's shenanigans. I sometimes ought to bite my tongue but fail to do so, like with my recent remark about nighty girl really not having it to flaunt.

James D. Macdonald · May 9, 2005

changling said:
Is L.S. in Bridgeport New Jersy?

My books were shipped from.
510 Heron Dr.-suite 204
Bridgeport New Jersy.

That's the address of Digital Book Express.

That makes two PA authors that I'm aware of whose books were printed there.

CJWilkes · May 9, 2005

Thank you everyone for welcoming me here. You do seem very kind. I am excited to meet new people and visit with old friends.

C.J. Wilkes
Daddy, I Forgive You
http://www.cjwilkes.com

Deleted member 42 · May 9, 2005

changling said:
Is L.S. in Bridgeport New Jersy?

My books were shipped from.
510 Heron Dr.-suite 204
Bridgeport New Jersy.

No, the U.S. branch, and actual printing facilities are in Tennessee.

That appears to be a rented office, not a printer--you can't just set up print shops anywhere; as with dry cleaners, there are special zoning regulations, and based on googling and looking a map data from a GPS server, that's in a month to month office rental building.

Curious.

We know PA uses other printers; I also have now seen two books from PA that were not digitally printed, but were produced by photo offset.

I also know LS will ship books wherever you tell them. Is this some forwarding office? Is this a smaller printer with an off site business office?

Jeff · May 9, 2005

FWIW

I just checked the PA board and the "Nightie Girl" no longer has her FHM/Maxim magazine-style picture up with her posts.

PA also pulled a post from Timebandit complaining about a pulled thread in the old board.

Business, it seems, as usual.

Sparhawk · May 9, 2005

Gratian Gasparri said:
What if we discovered tomorrow that Shemp had a malignant brain tumor QUOTE] sniped for brevity

I recall he had something similar to that once.. it was on Easter Sunday. I stand by my remarks and my position. You are free to do as you wish as am I. Also, your hypothetical is just that.. a hypothetical. Shemp is Shemp, alive and well running his own internet site with his wife and friends. I sincerely believe his motives were clear and malignant, you feel that only God can judge his motives.. so be it. This is not the place for a theology lesson or debate since there is a diverse albiet unknown denomonation of posters.

I respect you and your opinion despite the fact we don't agree. I find your posts intellectually powerful and your insight razor sharp. You have my deepest respect and admiration. We just disagree on this paticualar issue. If I sounded harsh then I freely offer an apology. I am simply expressing my thought and opinion.

Be well.

-Sparhawk

astonwest · May 9, 2005

You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws.

What kind of odds am I getting on the notion that they'll still leave all of the above, as long as you're bashing on PA's critics, and not on PA themselves?

AnneMarble · May 9, 2005

robeiae said:
The problem is, this shouldn't be your problem. Many 1st time authors who went on to make millions submitted flawed (meaning there were plenty of errors and style could be improved, at the minimum) manuscripts to publishers or agents. The latter two worked to make a worthwhile idea and manuscript into a saleable product.

I have to second this. POD presses often claim that new authors don't get published by the big name publishers, and when they do, they don't get edited. But I know someone who worked verrry closely with the editor on her first novel. And her book was published by Bantam Spectra, is getting lots of great reviews, and was a contender for the Locus magazine's best first novel of the year award! It's on Amazon now. w00t!

robeiae said:
No one wants to see you fail, at least not here; we want to see you get the chance you deserve, not get taken by snake-oil salesmen, but that doesn't mean what you have written automatically deserves to be published, any more than what I have written does (I'm not yet published, by the way).

I'm glad the novel I wrote when I was just out of college was never published and thus never shown to anyone other than my mother, my cousins, etc. I'm glad there was no PA back then. The novel wasn't ready to go out there yet. While it was well-intentioned (I'm still proud of the theme), it was full of draggy bits and illogical stuff and awkward writing. When I looked at it again recently, I winced, but I also figured out ways I could vastly improve it. So someday it might get out of my closet.

The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

Absolute sagebrush

Deleted member 42

Grand Inquisitor

Deleted member 42

Absolute sagebrush

DeePower

Quixote without a cause

Absolute sagebrush

Deleted member 42

Grand Inquisitor

Quixote without a cause

Grand Inquisitor

Shut Up and Write

Writer Beware Goddess

Quixote without a cause

Grand Inquisitor

Your Genial Uncle

Deleted member 42

Quixote without a cause

Jenna's Cabana Boy

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

Nefarious Ghost Fan