The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

...to feel the heat over there, which can only be a good thing. Incidentally, does anyone know if PA is going to run yet another New York Times ad, or is the vaunted partnership between the two starting to show signs of wear and tear?

:shrug

...does anyone know if PA is going to run yet another New York Times ad...?

I don't know, but I seem to recall that this "partnership" was to be for three months, after which it would be reevaluated. So I suspect that there will be a November ad, but no December ad.

I also expect the November ad will be even cheesier than the October ad.

PA, in a letter, claimed that they'd spent over $50,000 for the ads. That's the price for three half-pages. I expect that when I add up the prices from the Times rate card after the third one comes out it'll come below the sum they mentioned.

Seems our petition is creating quite the "stir" in Maryland today. We shall see what comes, but I got a call, a letter yesterday sent overnight and I am shipping some documents asked for. The wheels of motion are spinning. We shall see what happens now. Sorry no more disclosure than that.

Kick off! :jump

Need anymore documentation?

Dee
Overtime, The Legends of Lombardi Live On
www.OvertimeTheNovel.com

I can use ALL The documentation anyone wants to send me. I am absolutely sure that the mass accompaniment of this will be more beneficial for all past and present. ABSOLUTELY Dee, please forward to RebeccaEaston@Comcast.net

Thank you so much. :heart

...but I seem to recall that this "partnership" was to be for three months...

Speaking of partnerships...anybody hear about the situation with Fanstory.com?.. Is P.A. and them still collaborating?

Speaking of partnerships...anybody hear about the situation with Fanstory.com?.. Is P.A. and them still collaborating?

Yes, they are. Fanstory maintains that PA is just another "publishing option" and calls them a "traditional publisher." If pressed, they will admit that PA "has a PR problem" but nothing more. Fanstory members do not get better terms for their contracts; they get something called "priority review", which seems to mean nothing more than a faster response.

This is from a letter from Janet Morrissey of PublishAmerica to Mr. Munson of the Maryland Attorney General's office, from last September:

<BLOCKQUOTE>
> PublishAmerica was approached by the New
> York Times this summer to see if we could
> work together in advertising our authors.
> The New York Times recommended that we
> let our authors pay for the
> advertisement. We decided against this,
> and instead committed ourselves to three
> half-page ads in their renowned Book
> Review Section, at an expense out of our
> pocket of more than $50,000.00.</BLOCKQUOTE>

Per the NYT <a href="http://www.nytadvertising.com/was/files/others/2004_Rate_Book_PDF_Books.pdf" target="_new">rate card</a>, at the Small Press rate (and PA certainly qualifies: The NYT defines "small press" as an independent publisher with press runs that don't exceed 8,000 copies per title), a half page (September) costs $17,635, while 2/5 page vertical (October) costs $14,280. Total costs so far $31,915.

If they committed themselves to "three half-page ads," then the Times owes them some money back, because the October ad was significantly less than 1/2 page.

If PA's next ad is going to be in the 28 November edition, they have to get the materials to the Times today. (Yo, Infocenter! If you're reading this (and I know you are), it isn't too late to call the Times back and say "Hold on! We're going to make that a half page, okay?" I know you wouldn't want to lie too much to a government investigator.)

If it's going to be in the 21 November edition, the materials had to be in a week ago.

We've recently seen ads from iUniverse in the NYT Book Review. Looks like the advertising salesmen at the Times called all the vanity PODs last summer....

Fanstory members do not get better terms for their contracts; they get something called "priority review", which seems to mean nothing more than a faster response.

Oh, my. If the "acceptance" process gets much faster, they might as well do away with it altogether and just start sending every ms they receive straight to the printer.

Oh, my. If the "acceptance" process gets much faster, they might as well do away with it altogether and just start sending every ms they receive straight to the printer.

Well, Fanstory's excuse is that they review the manuscripts first and send only approved manuscripts on to PA. They also say they will promote the books through their online bookstore. They seem indifferent about any problems like the non-standard contract or the extra-high cover price.

Well, Fanstory's excuse is that they review the manuscripts first and send only approved manuscripts on to PA. They also say they will promote the books through their online bookstore. They seem indifferent about any problems like the non-standard contract or the extra-high cover price.

Beth, I really think that Fanstory went into this with the best intentions, hoping to give their members a boost up. Unfortunately, I'm afraid they're going to be in for a rude awakening and some tough lessons. Any hapless Fanstory writer who gets "accepted" by PA is going to suffer lots of consequences. Once a few of those folks get scammed, I look for this "partnership" to be dissolved in a hurry. It's just too bad Fanstory entered into it to begin with; they were warned.

One of FanStory's authors had already signed with PA just before the "partnership" was announced. His feelings about the partnership and PA are posted in one or more of the topics in their forum. My impression is that he feels it will work out well for him and that the partnership will work out equally well for FanStory's writers.

Someone I know pretty well from PA was just banned, so I sent him this way. Honestly, I'm not sure how he made it with them as long as he did. His book is pretty good, and he is a columnist capable of far, far, better things than an authormill can offer him.

Well, Fanstory's excuse is that they review the manuscripts first and send only approved manuscripts on to PA.

That would have been a good point for them to make, except that considering what we've heard of PA's "editors" here, those editors will probably mess up that approved text, destroying it with bad comma splices and other errors.

They seem indifferent about any problems like the non-standard contract or the extra-high cover price.

I suppose they will change their minds if they ever have problems ordering the books, or if they try to create mistakes on their proofs or covers. And wait until they get their so-called royalty checks. :cry

One of FanStory's authors had already signed with PA just before the "partnership" was announced.

Ah. Someone in the "honeymoon" period, between when the book is bought and the first royalty check.

Ah. Someone in the "honeymoon" period, between when the book is bought and the first royalty check.

Considering the current trend on the boards I think the honeymoon is over the first time they get their: proofs, cover art, or decide to ask a store manager to stock their book.

I have never in my life asked a bookstore manager to stock my book.

I thought I would post the questions here and then direct the authors to this board as well as tell them what happened to me and email them some of PublishAmerica's choice comments made about or to me.


From one author:

How much money would PA spend on getting a book to press?

If they publish junk how would they make a profit?

What is the quality of their books?

Dee Power
www.brianhillanddeepower.com

How much money would PA spend on getting a book to press?

If authors really want to know the straight dope about pricing vs profit they need to contact Lightningsource.com and ask the only POD printer that PA uses. Only they can give specific information. It's very easy to obtain, I did it.

If they publish junk how would they make a profit?

First of all, I don't believe that what PA puts out is "all junk." I am an author who has a contract on her desk from another publisher and my work was made through PA. It certainly was not junk. Second, Marcella Smith said in a document I have in hand, that PA books are sub industry standard and as such will have no chance for review or shelf placement. Period. The only way for PA authors to sell their product is by their own word of mouth to their sphere of influence. PA asks you to disclose this upon submission. It's that 100 "close friends and non media contacts" that spend all the money to obtain your books. At a rate of 15 bucks or more profit from each book at PA's average of 100 books per 10,000 happy authors you do the math on how they make profit.

What is the quality of their books?

Ask the largest bookseller in the world, Barnes & Noble Director of Operations at the Small Press Department in New York. She'll tell you honestly if you want to know how the industry regards PA books.

The main thing is that authors can tell you whatever it is that is their experience, but if you want the facts, do your own research. That way you'll know if PA is the right publishing choice for you.

that PA no longer depends upon the "friends and family" plan for sales. They learned early that "friends and family" are not as good a profit source as they hoped. I believe they primarily depend upon the authors themselves for their source of profits. By pricing the books so that any sale (including those at "author discount") produces satisfying profit to the publisher, then convincing the authors that all authors are actually booksellers, they have managed to push their expenses and profit base onto the authors.

So, personally, I think any "friends and family" sales are just gravy. The real source of PA profits come directly from author pocket. I'd be willing to bet on that.

gran

Yep, I remember the heavy discounted author selling prices. Of course you had to purchase about 50-100 books or more to get that price and the 500 book sales mark was the goal of the company. Had forgotten about that. Thank you Granny!

ALERT:

I had an in depth conversation with Scott Rolle who is the District Attorney in Maryland. After discussing where I should have authors begin to file complaints in Maryland about the alledged illegal business practices of PA, he directed me to the Frederick County Commissioners to place my complaints about Publish America. He said this is the first step in the Maryland process of justice. Please begin sending all your documentation immediately to the following address:

Frederick County Board of County Commissioners
Winchester Hall, 12 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone 301-694-1100
Fax 301-694-1849
www.co.frederick.md.us/BOCC/

John L. Thompson, Jr., President
Winchester Hall
12 E. Church Street
Frederick, MD 21701
Telephone: 301-694-1028 Fax: 301-631-23

Beck, did you confirm with the Board of Commissioners that they're the ones who should receive the material?

No, I have not spoken as of yet to the Commissioner. I took the advice of the District Attorney. I felt he knew more than I did since we are all having trouble finding out who should handle our complaints. However, I am sending a packet today and will update when I do hear. I suspect that if we all begin to send our complaints email or otherwise, that the DA will be contacted immediately. The more authorities that are aware of what PA is doing the better off we’ll all be.

John L. Thompson, Jr., President - lthompson@fredco-md.net
Sharon Hale, Executive Assistant - shale@fredco-md.net

It was only a matter of time before I showed up.

After approximately 10 months of lingering on the PA message boards belittling so-called authors who were incapable of basic grammar and thin-skinned conservatives lacking in any sense, let alone, humor, I proudly announce my having been banned for telling someone who never should have been published to go suck eggs.

I don't have anything bad to say about PA. It's quite obvious what they do and I wasn't bamboozled into publishing my book with them. I was lazy and tired of creating yet another query. I pondered, why not send my ms to them, embrace my catharsis? Then I wondered why I ever sent it to them and embraced my new catharsis. It was a vicious cycle.

What is really sad about said publisher, is its stable of illiterates. Led by their pie-eyed piper, this group of bleeding hearts now have a taunt-free zone in their message boards. I'm just glad to be out of a place where wanting to write professionally is demeaned. However, I will miss all the whining. "Don't be so mean, Zaz. We know you're smarter than us!"

Hah!

What is really sad about said publisher, is its stable of illiterates. Led by their pie-eyed piper, this group of bleeding hearts now have a taunt-free zone in their message boards. I'm just glad to be out of a place where wanting to write professionally is demeaned. However, I will miss all the whining. "Don't be so mean, Zaz. We know you're smarter than us!"

Hi, Zaz. I'm familiar with you from the PA boards, though you don't know me because I never post there. The illiteracy makes me crazy and I avoid craziness at every possible turn. I believe you'll find this site (and other, similar ones) much more conducive to serious writing.