The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

Molly, you've never received a royalty check for your book, or haven't received one since what date? Sorry to be dense, it just floored me that it sounds like they've never given you any royalties.

I received one for $35. for the period that ended in Feb. That's the only one I have received.

Molly

Feb 2003? So all books since 12/31/02 that have been sold have received no royalties?

Victoria, I think there's one other factor that has to be kept in mind. PA gave discounts to their writers based on one sales' date. They can't use a different date for the same sale in order to determine royalty payments. That, I believe, is what does them in.

Last.......

I didn't realize that I wrote down the wrong year..... it should have been 2004.

I received a check for the period ending in Feb of this year.......nothing since.

Our proof of purcheases were after the period ending in Feb.2004, but well within the 3 month period even if they had to wait or payment.

I should have received a check and didn't this time.

Sorry for the mistake.

Molly

I think they pay you based on the sales as of 12/31 and 7/31 - paid the beginning of Feb and Sept so all sales since 12/31 have not been paid for? Definitely a reason to get a CPA into LS and Ingrams to check the books.

coffeecrampreviews.tripod.com/

the front page says it all - another PA author who's got questions about royalty checks and can't get a response through emails nor phone calls...

the threads have all been deleted or censored on the PA board, but this brave soul has seen the light and isn't afraid to post on her website - good fer you, sweetie!!!

*claps*

just don't buckle under when PA comes after you... come here for advice and help and we'll take care of ya as best we can..

Heh. Irony, anyone? www.publishamerica.com/cg...ws/385.htm

I love the fact that Ms T there figures that getting NO reviews is better than getting one from someone who may dislike PA...

:P

<this brave soul has seen the light and isn't afraid to post on her website - good fer you, sweetie!!!

*claps*

just don't buckle under when PA comes after you... come here for advice and help and we'll take care of ya as best we can..>


Good for her! As far as I could see, she didn't say a word that wasn't the truth, so let PA take its best shot at her. She'll find plenty of support here.

It is my site The Coffee Cramp Reviews coffeecrampreviews.tripod.com/ that is mentioned about my warning on the home page.

I was emailed and invited to come on over. Hello! My first book The Mardu Project, Code Name M-13 was published and released from PA July 24, 2004 (actual May 24, 2004, but I did not know until August 1st.)

My second book The Coffeebean Cafe is being considered by LBF Books. Never again will I use or promote PA. Now unfortunately, I have to still promote my book Mardu Project because it is after all my book.
I will need to discuss with my husband on what to do about the contract. Only time will tell on that point.

Writingtodeath

Welcome. You'll see everyone here is very friendly.

You have a taste for controversial publishers. Let us know how working with LBF turns out.

btw, this forum is more than just the bewares board. p197.ezboard.com/babsolutewrite It's huge, and it's pretty cool.

Our new book, "The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents, and Booksellers Behind Them" Dearborn Trade March 2005 is going into copy editing.

If anyone has suggestions for prepublication reviews/endorsements I am listening. PDF files are ready now, hardcopy galley will be available in November.
If you would like to learn more about "The Making of a Bestseller,' go to
www.BrianHillAndDeePower....eller.html

or email authors@brianhillanddeepower.com and I will respond from my personal email address.

Any help or suggestions will be very much appreciated.

Dee

I love the fact that Ms T there figures that getting NO reviews is better than getting one from someone who may dislike PA...

That is definitely taking loyalty for your publisher too far.

By the way, where does that review site say something "bad" about PA? I had a hard time navigating it g , so I couldn't see that text, criticism, warning, whatever. I also tried a Google search to find it. So if I couldn't find the anti-PA stuff on the site, what are the odds that someone who is just there to read reviews will see it?

Scroll down a few inches, Anne. It starts below the bank of links (and the Yahoo! button).

Unfortunately, for every "convert" there are a dozen left behind:
www.publishamerica.com/cg...e/5818.htm

How long will <a href="http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/lounge/5826.htm" target="_new">this thread</a> last?

<How long will this thread last?>

Since there seem to be graveyard shift board monitors these days, it could well be gone by morning.

For the new folks coming over from the PA boards, here's some more info on the way royalties work in the publishing world.

Legitimate publishers pay royalties on the cover or list price of the book, not on the "net price," not on the "sales price," not on the "discount price."

That is, if PA were a legitimate press, if you were getting an 8% royalty (which, honestly, is on the low side) and if it were figured the way the rest of the publishing industry figures royalties, you'd get $1.60 for every one of your $19.95 books that sold, regardless of what price the bookstore got 'em for, or sold 'em at.

Also, since (by definition) trade paperbacks are whole-copy returnable, one could argue that by calling their non-returnable paperbacks "trade" books, PublishAmerica is engaging in deceptive business practices and false advertising each and every time they use the term.

What? You mean they pay us?

Molly

Some of Jim's books Jim, for the new people coming over from PA, could you please explain why a noted author of your caliber would care about what PA is doing to new writers?

It's not just PA, lastr; it's scammers in general that I dislike.

As to why I try to help new writers -- I was one, once, myself.

Now PublishAmerica:

I'm certain that PublishAmerica has printed hundreds of dandy books, books that I and thousands of others would read and love -- only we never will, because PublishAmerica's business model doesn't include Sales to the General Public as part of their plan. And PublishAmerica takes many more writers who aren't quite ready yet, tells them they're good enough, publishes them despite their books' flaws, and tells them that this is what legitimate publishing looks like. The authors go out to do expensive, time-consuming, and ultimately futile publicity -- stealing the time they should have spent writing their next books and learning their craft, all while crushing their dreams and sapping them of the desire to write again, write more, and write better.

Scammers who lie to writers offend me on a moral level.

What? You mean they pay us?

Yeah. And they find readers for you, too.

Figure that a first book by an unknown writer will average about 5,000 copies sold in trade paper. Figure that it'll sell (trade paperback) for the national average of $15.77. Figure that it'll get 10% royalties (still nothing to write home about, but entirely reasonable for a first novel by an unknown writer).

You should expect an advance of around $7,885. If it sells better -- the rest is gravy. If it sells worse, you aren't expected to pay that back. (The reason we talk about money rather than readers is this: it's hard to count readers, but it's easy to count money. There's a direct correlation between number of readers and amount of royalties, though. Think about it.)

Let the publisher worry about promoting the book, getting it into stores, getting it reviewed -- it's up to them to earn back their investment. Meanwhile, you're writing and selling your next novel.

That's the way this game is actually played.


<HR>

Next note: Try going <a href="http://writersweekly.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2570&postdays=0&postorder=asc&star t=15" target="_new">here</a> and read the post from someone called "Yoyo."

I don't know who "Yoyo" is, but I give the post credence because it matches what I know about publishing. (It also shows someone who read the PublishAmerica line about being "available" through bricks-and-mortar bookstores as being "shelved" in bricks-and-mortar bookstores -- a very different thing.)

Please keep Yoyo's post in mind when you're talking about using PublishAmerica to "get your foot in the door."

Sometimes all that getting your foot in the door earns you is a broken foot.

"Would any of you tell people that you are self-published and that PublishAmerica is a printing press that simply published his book on demand?"

Well, I've heard of people who claimed that they played piano in a house of ill repute rather than admit they were PA authors....

I know nothing about the publishing business or legal matters.

Molly, I'd suggest that right now you get a lawyer who does know the publishing business. Taking on PA through the courts (which is probably the only way to get justice) isn't something to do on your own.