Re: All kidding aside, what does getting into "Independ
"the idea seems to be that they get into the returns program, but no one seems to be able to verify that, including the one or two authors who have managed to sell 500."
Two things here...one is that having a book in IB allows Waldenbooks stores to return their unsold copies to PA, as long as they bought direct from PA (and PA still doesn't return 100% of the money)...there has never been any clarification on whether Waldenbooks managers get to make the decision on which books to stock, or whether it still has to go through their corporate regional centers...
Second, I know you keep repeating the remark about 1 or 2 authors have managed to sell 500...but I think you're only basing that on how many actually show themselves on the PA board...I personally know of others who don't frequent the PA board at all, and many who have sold more than 1000 (yes, I know, if they had been picked up by a true traditional publisher, they probably would have sold more than ten times that amount)...but to make a remark that only 1 or 2 of their authors have reached the 500 mark is simply opening a spot for any debate opponent to exploit in an argument...
"The problem of if you purchase the 500 yourself or if they're "cold" sales is also never really addressed properly, it seems."
It was originally addressed, by an Infocenter lackey making the remark that all purchases counted towards the 500, regardless of where they came from...I'm certain that was put into place to generate a huge influx of author orders...
Then I read later (I haven't read the PA boards in some time now (other than the "see this" links on many of these threads), so don't know what else has come about since) where an author was told that self-orders didn't count towards qualification in IB...I personally figured that might be the case, considering all the emphasis placed by PA on how it had the final say in who got in...
Here, buy a ton of books...but that doesn't guarantee you get in...classic...reminds me of a similar tactic in offering a sales advance...
(one would tend to wonder at PA being selective about their books, because it should make people think that 'not all PA books are worthy of being published by a "stricter standards" publisher'...maybe that's just me...)
OK, I'm going to rant now...based on the thread FM linked to:
Infocenter lackey writes:
"PublishAmerica has an account with B&N and many other bookstores, including chains, and they buy our books all the time."
No crap, folks...many readers order a book through a bookstore. B&N is a bookstore...if a reader orders a book, of COURSE they're going to place an order...this says nothing about B&N stocking, or making purchases for signings (and even then, many folks will work out a deal with a manager to buy unused stock, effectively making a "return" out of the order)...
"Major chain bookstores have no policy against stocking non-returnable books."
I refer folks to other threads in which I quoted B&N corporate policy fact sheets...
"Actually, Barnes and Noble has quadrupled the number of books they order from PublishAmerica during the past year."
See the previous comment about customer orders...
"Thousands, each and every month, of PublishAmerica books are sold in bookstores."
Ditto. (and considering they come out with roughly 250-300 books a month, that's only 3-4 orders per book...that's sad)
"Hundreds of bookstores across the nation stock our books."
How many bookstores are there in the nation? At one time, I had my book stocked in 5 stores here in town (and this town has less than 500,000 people)...So, if 19 other people were able to do that (out of something like 3-4000 authors?) in their similar- or larger-sized towns, that would be a true statement...but it doesn't make it impressive...
"PublishAmerica books have the same chance of making it onto a bookstore shelf as do the books of any publisher."
Perhaps any other POD publisher...oddly enough, I see a ton of books from TOR and Putnam on my local bookstore shelves...and very few PA books (mine and another author or two busting their humps)...I guess if they want to get technical, every book has a 50% shot of getting on a shelf...it either does or doesn't...1 or the other = 50%...
"Bookstores will generally stock a book that they think will sell"
So, they don't believe most PA books will sell? That should be a wake-up call for many folks...sigh.
(again, the company telling people their books aren't worthy of being published...shouldn't a book be sellable if it's worthy of being published?)
"Please do not judge a bookstore's corporate policy by what one local manager or one letter tells you."
If that letter happens to be FROM the corporate office, I would think I'd be okay in judging at that point...granted, there will always be the chance the manager will want to bend or break the rules for a particular book, but banking on those odds is ludicrous.
Oh well...it's the same old song and dance they always use when people bring up the return policy...I'm through with my rant for now...
Allen (PA author) wrote:
"How can we affect the process so that we are the number one publisher in the US?"
I'm in no way trying to pick on this author in particular...but when did "we" become a publisher? Aren't "we" authors, the ones writing the books? Just thought that was odd...
Big Daddy West
:hat