Llogan65
Unfortunately, I am one of the many writers who signed with PA before realizing that they were not a "conventional" publisher, which I mentioned in an earlier post. After killing myself to get my book into bookstores (frequently working 10-18 hour days to do so, exclusively on marketing as I've been a full-time writer since 2004) and constantly working to get radio and TV interviews as well as interviews with newspapers and such, the royalty check that I received today in no way reflected my efforts as I've seen my ranking on Amazon rise every time I'm on the radio or do a reading at a local school, etc.! Not to mention the fact that I've advertised my book on quite a few online sites as well! Plus, I was college instructor for many years, and the number of emails I received from former students alone who bought my book during this royalty period exceeds the number of books sold according to PA.
And I'm sure many of you reading this post feel just as cheated if you've gotten your pitiful checks as well.
Or if you were happy with the proceeds you received, DEFINITELY let me know. I'd love to hear from ANYONE who received a substantial royalty check from PA before launching into an expensive legal battle that might be fruitless because we all know that PA does not do any marketing for their authors at all, and maybe my efforts just weren't enough. Afterall, does anyone really have a clue as to how Amazon rankings work? I have no idea how many books I sold when my book's ranking goes from 339,000 to 42,000 in one day or from 546,000 to 5,600-something as it did in July. And I know that I won't get paid for the books that I sold in July, assuming Amazon has not paid for those invoices. But I've seen my rankings soar at other times during this last sales period covered by my insanely small check, and the numbers just don't reflect my presumed sales, but again, I have no idea how my ranking on Amazon and other sites translates from theoretical numbers to cold hard cash. I could be right, and PA is juggling their books hoping no one will ever challenge them, or I could be wrong, and my sales were not as high I thought they were. However, until I get a lawyer to subpoena the records from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and all the other retailers who carry my book, I have no way of knowing the truth.
Therefore, I am considering filing a class-action lawsuit against PA, and if anyone is interested in joining me, please email me at [email protected]. Having worked as a paralegal for five years, I don't believe that it will cost that much to just file the lawsuit and get records from vendors, but I don't know. It could be that none of us can afford the legal costs, so I'm not making any promises here. I'm just considering my options at this point (other than obviously looking for another publisher for my second book, which I've already been doing for months).
And emailing me about a possible lawsuit, of course, doesn't obligate you or any of us to do anything. I just want to know how many people might be with me once all the logistics are known. And I'm going to contact the newspapers and TV stations in Maryland once I have contacted a lawyer. Who knows, maybe just the buzz alone about a possible lawsuit, might get PA to "adjust" their royalty payments.
I have no idea what is involved in undertaking this type of endeavor as I only worked on the fringe of one or two lawsuits like this myself, and I may not be able to find an attorney who is willing to represent PA authors as I'm not sure what proof we'll be able to provide to convince an attorney there is a legal leg to stand on, but having other writers on the bandwagon before proceeding will go a long way in persuading a lawyer that there is a case here.
I have already sent out a mass email to every single person on my friends/family database as well as those on my newsletter list asking for everyone who bought my book during this royalty period to provide me with their date of purchase and name of the vendor if they can recall.
I'm also going to the Offices of PublishAmerica sometime this month to inspect their sales records pertaining to my book since they won't email or fax them. I requested their address some time ago in preparation that today's royalty check might be the same small pittance as the last.
So--whoever is with me or even slightly interested, email me at [email protected]. And anyone who knows an attorney who works in this area, PLEASE BY ALL MEANS--forward his/her name and contact information. I've made such inquiries in this regard but haven't talked to anyone yet.
THANKS!
Lynne Logan
Novelist/Award-Winning Screenwriter
Columbus, Ohio
www.deckerzane.com
And I'm sure many of you reading this post feel just as cheated if you've gotten your pitiful checks as well.
Or if you were happy with the proceeds you received, DEFINITELY let me know. I'd love to hear from ANYONE who received a substantial royalty check from PA before launching into an expensive legal battle that might be fruitless because we all know that PA does not do any marketing for their authors at all, and maybe my efforts just weren't enough. Afterall, does anyone really have a clue as to how Amazon rankings work? I have no idea how many books I sold when my book's ranking goes from 339,000 to 42,000 in one day or from 546,000 to 5,600-something as it did in July. And I know that I won't get paid for the books that I sold in July, assuming Amazon has not paid for those invoices. But I've seen my rankings soar at other times during this last sales period covered by my insanely small check, and the numbers just don't reflect my presumed sales, but again, I have no idea how my ranking on Amazon and other sites translates from theoretical numbers to cold hard cash. I could be right, and PA is juggling their books hoping no one will ever challenge them, or I could be wrong, and my sales were not as high I thought they were. However, until I get a lawyer to subpoena the records from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and all the other retailers who carry my book, I have no way of knowing the truth.
Therefore, I am considering filing a class-action lawsuit against PA, and if anyone is interested in joining me, please email me at [email protected]. Having worked as a paralegal for five years, I don't believe that it will cost that much to just file the lawsuit and get records from vendors, but I don't know. It could be that none of us can afford the legal costs, so I'm not making any promises here. I'm just considering my options at this point (other than obviously looking for another publisher for my second book, which I've already been doing for months).
And emailing me about a possible lawsuit, of course, doesn't obligate you or any of us to do anything. I just want to know how many people might be with me once all the logistics are known. And I'm going to contact the newspapers and TV stations in Maryland once I have contacted a lawyer. Who knows, maybe just the buzz alone about a possible lawsuit, might get PA to "adjust" their royalty payments.
I have no idea what is involved in undertaking this type of endeavor as I only worked on the fringe of one or two lawsuits like this myself, and I may not be able to find an attorney who is willing to represent PA authors as I'm not sure what proof we'll be able to provide to convince an attorney there is a legal leg to stand on, but having other writers on the bandwagon before proceeding will go a long way in persuading a lawyer that there is a case here.
I have already sent out a mass email to every single person on my friends/family database as well as those on my newsletter list asking for everyone who bought my book during this royalty period to provide me with their date of purchase and name of the vendor if they can recall.
I'm also going to the Offices of PublishAmerica sometime this month to inspect their sales records pertaining to my book since they won't email or fax them. I requested their address some time ago in preparation that today's royalty check might be the same small pittance as the last.
So--whoever is with me or even slightly interested, email me at [email protected]. And anyone who knows an attorney who works in this area, PLEASE BY ALL MEANS--forward his/her name and contact information. I've made such inquiries in this regard but haven't talked to anyone yet.
THANKS!
Lynne Logan
Novelist/Award-Winning Screenwriter
Columbus, Ohio
www.deckerzane.com