PAMB and its quotes

TwentyFour · Sep 28, 2006

It's a great way to get a restraining order.

http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=16868

just a thought...I have been keeping track of my book on the following website...(yes, you can look yours up too) and the numbers have been changing month to month, yet, my royalty check shows nothing like what they say are selling, so...? Is it just hype or what?

http://www.campusi.com/bookFind/asp/bookFindPriceLst.asp?prodId=1413793037

please let me know if you find out anything. Thankshttp://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=16868#top

To this her fellow writer says:

I think what you are trying to do is practically impossible...Those numbers change radically when one book is purchased in some store in the USA, Canada or abroad....Plus the time delay betwee n purchase and possible return or billing makes your task even harder...You have to trust your publisher, Publish America, to keep the records straight...Works for me...I think.

Sure, trust PA and see how much you get paid.

Christine N. · Sep 29, 2006

Nah, campusi is a mess, you can't possibly determine how many sales from it.

rekirts · Sep 29, 2006

I would like to know how flyer guy would feel if he went to his car in the morning to drive to work and found it plastered with flyers about something he had no interest in and had previously turned down. Really, Sir, think about it! Please!

Maddog · Sep 29, 2006

You mean this flyer guy?

W.T. GO D.K... never miss a chance ....i love the water dept thing...you gave me another idea...i dont use the i-net to pay my bills ...i mail them in the old way...so from now on they'll be one of my cards in each bill i send out....as far as your friend go ..he/she needs to wake up one morning and find her car plastered with your flyers.....lol.....NEVER MISS A CHANCE...mail him/her one every day till he/she gives in ...lol...never miss a chance....keep up the good work....skeet

Ugh! The "friend" he speaks of refused to talk up another author's book to her "connections in the big city". If the friend is in the publishing biz, no wonder! It should read:

Never miss a chance to piss off your (soon to be ex) friends!

Maddog · Sep 29, 2006

I see a banning in this smart lady's future...

Great name, by the way. Look, I am not trying to be combative in any way, I am just trying to understand. Are you currently making money as an author since you say this is not your first publication?
Can I ask where you are from because I do think it matters.

I am from San Jose, CA and my local papers for instance, after many, many contacts just will have nothing to do with me. And I know my book is good. Although I have refused to buy my own copies, other than a few which I gave to a deserving few. I am taking the good old fashioned route by getting the book in stores. Painfully slow, but I can't stand dealing with money and receipts and Uncle Sam. So the stores order a few, they sell, and they order a few more.

I personally do not think buying our own copies and getting through the first 50 people who feel obligated to buy counts. It's the bigger picture we should be concerned about. Plus, my book retails at $24.95 and I just don't have that kind of money around to keep buying my own and hoping I sell them.

Again, this is just my personal opinion, and I hope whatever angle anyone has woirks for them.

Sheryl Nantus · Sep 29, 2006

she should be getting a smackdown in a few minutes by the rabid PA supporters who will tell her that the *real* money is in buying and reselling her own books due to the royalty rate, yatta yatta yatta...

I swear, there's a special circle in Hades for those who keep spreading the rumors that books in bookstores don't sell...

xhouseboy · Sep 29, 2006

as far as your friend go ..he/she needs to wake up one morning and find her car plastered with your flyers.....lol.....NEVER MISS A CHANCE...mail him/her one every day till he/she gives in ...lol...never miss a chance....keep up the good work....skeet

Or until s/he report you for harrasment, or better still, takes out a restraining order.

With friends like this, the neighbourhood would soon turn into an estate agent's dream; everyone would be moving.

Sheryl Nantus · Sep 29, 2006

I'm constantly amazed at the lack of common sense behind these ideas. How often have *you* bought anything based on a flier stuffed under your wipers?

and if you're not... then why do you think anyone else *would*?

Arkie · Sep 29, 2006

In this town the council has passed an ordinance against leaving flyers on car windshieds (anti-littering, etc.), and the last place I worked there was a company rule against soliciting fellow workers in the office, and that included those that hustled their kids Girl Scout Cookies and dollar candy bars for school projects.

Sheryl Nantus · Sep 29, 2006

unfortunately that's becoming more common - it used to be a nice, subtle approach to have your products advertised and sold "in house", but more and more people are taking it to the stupid level... and if it takes any time away from the job you're being *paid* for, then it's just not acceptable.

I wonder if any PA authors have been fired or reprimanded for flogging their unedited, overpriced tomes at their workplaces...

Christine N. · Sep 29, 2006

next someone will suggest those door hanger things, and a neighborhood walk through.

It shouldn't BE this hard.

Saundra Julian · Sep 29, 2006

It is...when you're trying to peddle an over-priced, unedited, stinker of a book!

astonwest · Sep 29, 2006

Sheryl Nantus said:
I wonder if any PA authors have been fired or reprimanded for flogging their unedited, overpriced tomes at their workplaces...

Doubtful...most of their co-workers are probably just as excited about them getting published (unless they've heard of PA)...until they read the book, and if it's indeed unedited (it's always overpriced...but some PA authors actually knew how to edit their own books), most are probably too nice to say anything.

PA Board said:
you gave me another idea...i dont use the i-net to pay my bills ...i mail them in the old way...so from now on they'll be one of my cards in each bill i send out

Yup, no one has ever tried that before...and it works so well when you yourself receive junk mail advertising something.

PVish · Sep 30, 2006

From http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=16612&start=30:

I read from my book at Sunday Night Coffee at Unity Church. Today, they sent me a contract to sell my book in their bookstore at 60%/40%. I know there are lots of poetry and quite religious books out there that may do well in church bookstores. I contribute a percentage of my earnings to my church anyway; this is just direct. Anyone else selling in church bookstores?

At that rate, you'll be in the hole after you pay shipping to get your books. Of course, if you bought your books at 50%, then you might break even.

Tsu Dho Nimh · Oct 1, 2006

Sounds like Author: the Roleplaying Game is enough for a lot of people.

Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:12 pm
All these ideas have been thought about, discussed and finally abandoned by every group of PA authors over the past six years.
(redacted) even put together a PA book 200 Authors and tried to involve all the contributors in promoting the book.
When he asked the authors to send out press releases to all the major newspapers, the repsonse was extremely poor. The authors had better things to do with their time.
Royalties so far show that less than forty books were sold.
People want in on promotional activities until it starts to take up too much of their time.
This may seem harsh but true.

Sat Sep 30, 2006 8:48 pm
Dear (redacted),
You are right. That's why I said that any collective promotions would have to be organized by PA to gain any steam. Even then, most people think small while expecting something big, and expect something big without being willing to much into it.
It's just that with so many authors in their stable, it would seem to me they could find thousands who would be willing to do something collectively.

Christine N. · Oct 1, 2006

And again, I ask the PA lurkers...
If PA wanted to give its authors promotional backing, WHY AREN'T THEY DOING IT ALREADY?

They've been in business for years and have 'published' thousands of authors. Why haven't they even organizedanything? The best they do is point you to a book available on their site.

Ask and let yourself hear the answer!

spike · Oct 2, 2006

Tsu Dho Nimh said:
Sounds like Author: the Roleplaying Game is enough for a lot of people.

Sat Sep 30, 2006 2:12 pm
All these ideas have been thought about, discussed and finally abandoned by every group of PA authors over the past six years.
(redacted) even put together a PA book 200 Authors and tried to involve all the contributors in promoting the book.
When he asked the authors to send out press releases to all the major newspapers, the repsonse was extremely poor. The authors had better things to do with their time.
Royalties so far show that less than forty books were sold.
People want in on promotional activities until it starts to take up too much of their time.
This may seem harsh but true.

So that's what happened to the 200 Author book.

JulieB · Oct 2, 2006

People want in on promotional activities until it starts to take up too much of their time. This may seem harsh but true.

No, people give up on promotional activities when it's clear that the activities aren't worth their time.

PVish · Oct 2, 2006

From the marketing thread on the PAMB:

Very wise ideas in this thread. All very good and rational. Marketing a book as we do against the publishing monopoly marketing racket is difficult. But, it will not be for that much longer. We would be very interested in continuing this discussion to fruition!

There is no doubt, the percieved monopoly the publishing industry has established is full of holes, thanks to the internet markets that gain ground every day...there are opportunities we should look into and respond to.

I have seen and read many threads in these forums, but this one is of utmost value. We know how hard it is to market our books as one...I like these ideas...and we are interested in working with people who honestly wish to overcome this darn marketing wall that the industry has put up.

I also believe it would change the industry completely if PA took this and ran with it...It would be a great thing to see the publisher who took us in when none others would really make their mark against the establishment in this way...I would applaud such!

Gee, I don't know where to begin to refute this, uh, logic. Anybody else want to give it a try?

LloydBrown · Oct 2, 2006

JulieB said:
[/i]No, people give up on promotional activities when it's clear that the activities aren't worth their time.

Some of them do. The rest keep talking about bookmarks, websites, and business cards.

Maddog · Oct 2, 2006

As I see it...

The problem with marketing PA books is that they're trying to sell a product that has no market. That is why "The Publishing Monopoly" rejected their manuscripts in the first place. It's like a salmon swimming upstream, only the salmon is more likely to reach its goal that the poor PA writer. So sad...

soloset · Oct 2, 2006

Maddog said:
It's like a salmon swimming upstream, only the salmon is more likely to reach its goal that the poor PA writer. So sad...

More like a salmon swimming upstream, and just when it starts to get tired, there's a nice, easy little stream diverting off to one side with a sign that says "shortcut to ocean".

And at the other end of the "shortcut" is a tiny pool and a bear with a fired-up grill and a greased cedar plank.

icerose · Oct 2, 2006

I think they would be much more surprised that it is PA itself who is putting up those walls. Everytime I would break through one, PA would make it impossible to cross over.

I had a distributor and a wholesaler lined up to get my books in book clubs, walmart, stocked in bookstores at reasonable prices. All PA had to do was give the go ahead and it would have been done. I had three television shows lined up for interviews, one of them being national.

Who stopped it all? It certainly wasn't the publishing monopoly. It was good ole PA.

Take a look in the mirror and see who is really sabotaging you, chances are you will see PA in the background cutting the legs out from under you. They did it to me, they did it to many others.

Oh and edited to add that I also had ten real reviewers, including Foreward who had requested to read it, PA refused to send them review copies.

Bubastes · Oct 2, 2006

soloset said:
More like a salmon swimming upstream, and just when it starts to get tired, there's a nice, easy little stream diverting off to one side with a sign that says "shortcut to ocean".

And at the other end of the "shortcut" is a tiny pool and a bear with a fired-up grill and a greased cedar plank.

Like this?

http://www.despair.com/ambition.html

soloset · Oct 2, 2006

MeowGirl said:
Like this?

http://www.despair.com/ambition.html

That is awesome. I'm a little depressed now, though. <g>

PAMB and its quotes

practical experience, FTW

haz a shiny new book cover

NOooooo!!!

Holding out for a Superhero...

In the Yellow Woods

Holding out for a Superhero...

a reader's ear and a writer's heart

Holding out for a Superhero...

haz a shiny new book cover

A work in progress

2 WIP? A glutton for punishment

Cat hair collector

haz a shiny new book cover

Mostly Ignored

I grow my own catnip

Cat hair collector

'bye

Lost in School Work

bananaed

'bye