PublishAmerica's grammar problems

jwwavewriter · Aug 16, 2006

PublishAmerica accepted my manuscript (of course). Then I read the contract. Then I went online to get the real skinny. But mostly I was put off by the grammatical errors in their emails. How could I trust them to edit my novel, even if only for grammar and punctuation? Here's what I'm referring to (quotes from their emails):

We are offering to publish "a High and Beautiful Wave ".

Upon reviewing your query letter for "a High and Beautiful Wave", I would like to invite you to send your complete manuscript to us.

Questions:

Why is the period inside the quotation mark?
Why is the comma inside the quotation mark?
Why is the first letter of my novel in lowercase? I don't remember seeing the title of Hemingway's novel as "a Farewell To Arms" or Salinger's as "the Catcher in the Rye."

Just another thing to think about with PublishAmerica.

TwentyFour · Aug 17, 2006

That isn't an acceptance, only an invite to send the ms. Send them the ms and see if you get accepted. I hear they are turning everyone away, even their own authors.

Provrb1810meggy · Aug 17, 2006

This struck me as odd. They said, "We are offering to publish
'a High and Beautiful Wave'," based on a query. That doesn't make sense. You can't tell if the manuscript is good, solely on the query.

LloydBrown · Aug 17, 2006

Provrb1810meggy said:
This struck me as odd. They said, "We are offering to publish
'a High and Beautiful Wave'," based on a query. That doesn't make sense. You can't tell if the manuscript is good, solely on the query.

But you CAN tell if it's bad based on the query.

Forbidden Snowflake · Aug 17, 2006

Provrb1810meggy said:
This struck me as odd. They said, "We are offering to publish
'a High and Beautiful Wave'," based on a query. That doesn't make sense. You can't tell if the manuscript is good, solely on the query.

Well, it is Publish American and they publish everything, so they would accept based on a query.

TwentyFour · Aug 18, 2006

I recieved this one...so you see the obvious form letter is only for a ms.

Oh, PS I used my married name.

To: [email protected]
From: "PublishAmerica Acquisitions" <[email protected]> Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: Your Query has been Accepted

Dear Jo XXXXX:

Upon reviewing your query letter for "Jake the Tyrant", I would like
to invite you to send your complete manuscript to us. Please send
your complete manuscript to the below mentioned mailing address.

Please include:
* Your Complete Manuscript (All manuscripts except for poetry
compilations must have at least 8,500 words, about 48 pages. Poetry
compilations must have at least 50 poems or be 48 pages in length.)
* Any pictures you want considered for the manuscript (if you don't
have pictures yet, please include a note that you will be including
pictures in the final draft of the manuscript)
* An Author Bio
* An email address through which you can be contacted.

If emailing your submission, please send to:
[email protected]. Please put "submission" in the subject
line of the email along with your book's title. As we receive many
submissions via email, please title your files with the book's title
followed by what the file contains. (EX: book title is The Hobbit.
Author Bio file: The Hobbit Author Bio. Manuscript file: The Hobbit).

If mailing your submission, please mail to:
PublishAmerica
Attn: SaraBeth Hurley
PO Box 151
Frederick MD 21705

We understand that choosing a publishing company is no easy task. We
welcome you to learn more about PublishAmerica as the prospective
publisher for your book by visiting:
http://www.publishamerica.com/facts/index.htm.

SeanDSchaffer · Sep 6, 2006

We understand that choosing a publishing company is no easy task. We
welcome you to learn more about PublishAmerica as the prospective
publisher for your book by visiting:
http://www.publishamerica.com/facts/index.htm.

I remember that statement from when I first submitted my book to them. It's amazing how they invite you to their own site to learn more about them. Shouldn't they invite a prospective author to a non-partial, third-party site, like say, P&E or WriterBeware, to learn more?

They sure sound good-intentioned. Like the stuff that paves the proverbial Road to Hell.

astonwest · Sep 6, 2006

SeanDSchaffer said:
I remember that statement from when I first submitted my book to them. It's amazing how they invite you to their own site to learn more about them. Shouldn't they invite a prospective author to a non-partial, third-party site, like say, P&E or WriterBeware, to learn more?

They sure sound good-intentioned. Like the stuff that paves the proverbial Road to Hell.

To be fair, most businesses are going to invite you to their own site to learn more about them...

Of course, most of the ones that actually achieve notable successes will then turn around and point out third parties where you can find evidence of those successes (and we're not talking the BBB).

TwentyFour · Sep 6, 2006

I've noticed most publishers offer you a list of books to buy, then have a link to submissions...not a huge 28 point font offer to publish the book you submit.

Popeyesays · Sep 6, 2006

Jo Scott said:
I've noticed most publishers offer you a list of books to buy, then have a link to submissions...not a huge 28 point font offer to publish the book you submit.

That's because PA is inside out on customer relations.

They consider the writer the customer, since they are buying books from Publish America.

Real publishers sell books to the public and the writers are suppoliers, not customers.

Regards,

Scott

PublishAmerica's grammar problems

jwwavewriter

TwentyFour

practical experience, FTW

Provrb1810meggy

LloydBrown

Forbidden Snowflake

I'm quite put out.

TwentyFour

practical experience, FTW

SeanDSchaffer

astonwest

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

TwentyFour

practical experience, FTW

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us