About PublishAmerica First part of Publishers Weekly article

DeePower

Here are the first 200 words of the article that appeared in Publishers Weekly Newsline written by Steven Zeitchik <[email protected]> Here's the link to the rest of the article. There will be another segment later today. tomorrow. You can sign up for a 30 day free membership if you want to read the entire article.

www.publishersweekly.com/...sh+America

Authors' Allegation: Nothing Patriotic About Publish America I
Publish America sounds vaguely like the name of some book-industry superhero, but it's hardly saving the day according to a number of the authors who are complaining vocally about it.

A not-exactly-widely-known Maryland house, Publish America has been courting authors to sign with it and has been seeking a higher profile through such means as half-page display ads in the NYTBR. But authors are now making sweeping charges against the house. Allegations run the complaints gamut, but basically boil down to this: the company presents itself as a traditional house but acts like a vanity one, and not a very upstanding one at that.

According to the allegations, Publish America sells books to which it no longer holds the rights, offers authors only a 30% discount, doesn't pay royalties it owes, engages in slipshod editing and copyediting, sets unreasonable list prices and doesn't pay marketing costs despite promises to the contrary. While it doesn't charge for printing the books, it does require a list of friends and family from the author and then proceeds to market to them heavily. This on top of claims of non-responsiveness.

It might be an understatement worthy of a comic-book that the authors, about a dozen of whom have contacted PW, aren't happy.

www.publishersweekly.com/...sh+America
 

vstrauss

Re: About PublishAmerica First part of Publishers Weekly art

Whoa. Awesome site, HConn.

- Victoria
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: About PublishAmerica First part of Publishers Weekly art

I signed up for the free 30-day trial, but it's not letting me in.
 

CarryTheCross

Re: Dave, you have mail.

What day does part 2 come out?

John
 

publishorperish

Re: Dave, you have mail.

Why was the other site closed? That was a good article -btw! Good Job Dee, Rebecca, and Kate!
 

DeePower

It's not just me.

I can not take responsibility for the article in Publishers Weekly. All I did was email PW, and a number of other media outlets, background material on PublishAmerica as far as my publishing experience with PA. None of that material is revolutionary, most of it I have been posting on forums and boards. I told a few other authors who felt that PA had not lived up to their promises what I was going to do and on what day. They participated on an individual basis.

PW wrote the article and published it on the first day of our media blitz, I believe by now quite a few more than a "dozen or so" authors contacted him.

The second part of the article is supposed to be published today.

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com
 

CarryTheCross

Re: It's not just me.

Maybe it'll be out tomorrow. It's almost 3:30 here,and zip.

John
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: It's not just me.

I didn't have anything to do with writing the article, but I did email numerous media contacts asking them to give serious consideration to the authors who would be contacting them with their concerns about PA.
 

DeePower

Pw Newsline and thanks Dave

PW Newsline goes out about 7:00 PM eastern time, at least that's usually when I get my copy. It shows up on the website later.

Thank you for your help Dave.

Dee
 

ncq13

The 11/18 addition is out and...

no PA article. I wonder what happened? Perhaps it was bumped due to other pressing news? Anyone know anything for sure?
 

CarryTheCross

11/18 PW issue

I'm a little disappointed PW chose not to immediately follow up on the PA debacle with the second part of the article. Momentum may have been lost.

John
 

DeePower

PW article part 2

First 200 words are below the entire article will be at www.publishersweekly.com It isn't up at the website quite yet.

Publish America: We Are Not Vanity

Earlier this week, we ran a story about the controversial Publish America in which authors leveled a number of charges at the house. Poor editing, high prices, unforgiving contract terms, non-responsiveness and a general approach that resembled a vanity press concerned with selling books to authors more than to the public were among the complaints. After we ran the story, we heard from still more troubled authors, each with their own tale of money lost and promises unkept.

But in an interview yesterday, the company's executive director, Miranda Prather, said that all of the author claims were unfounded.

On bookstores, she said that the company does have a substantial book presence but "we don't control the bookstores in the country," and declined to estimate how many of the 9000 authors the house claims in fact had a trade presence. Responsiveness was a priority; she said there is a "two-day turnaround" for authors who get in touch. (Responses are generally conducted by email, according to authors, and indeed there are no phone extensions, just a general voice mailbox, when one calls the company.

More at the PW site.

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com
 

DaveKuzminski

Re: PW article part 2

Evidently, there will be another article at Publishers Weekly on the 22nd. However, that's as close as I can get to any of their articles. For some reason, my free trial isn't working, so I can't read Miranda's interview.

By the way, is it time yet for PA to announce their partnership with PW?
 

Ed Williams 3

Part two of the article in Publisher's Weekly...

...is out, now, and yet again, another glowing pat on the back for our friends over at PA. They have to be starting to really feel some heat, and I do note not one post on the PA boards about this. Think any authors have been banned yet for posting something up about it?
 

DeePower

Re: Part two of the article in Publisher's Weekly...

There have been posts but they have been deleted within minutes.

Dee
really, really, tired.
 

Euan Harvey

Re: About PublishAmerica First part of Publishers Weekly art

Thanks HConn. That is an uber-cool website. :D
 

DeePower

Discussion at the Publishers Weekly PA article

The discussion has really deteriorated. Carl has gone ballistic and is now into name calling.

I've been suspicious for awhile that Carl was really two people, especially since he's been posting way past the free month's subscription.

The original Carl used English like it was his second language. The cadence of the speech and a lot of the word usage was very similar to those nasty emails I have received from support at publishamerica.

The second Carl, posted like someone we won't mention by name, but is PA's number one cheerleader and lives in Ohio.

So I posted under the name Carl Ross and it worked. Of course I signed my real name and that the post was a test.

Just thought you'd all like to know.

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com
 

icacat

I published my first novel with PA with some success - which, I know, is rare, but I spend a lot of time and effort on publicity. And, I pay someone to edit my work because I can't excect them to.

Anyway, I do have my book in stores. And I've managed to sell almost 400 copies. BUT for my 2nd book, I found that PA is a major PITA and recently (about an hour ago) received a most discourteous reply to a request that they actually follow their contract that I'd made DEMANDING that I apologize to the nameless, faceless author support email.

So, I'm jumping from the "eh. PA is ok" wagon to the "They SUCK" boat.

Oh, and did I mention that I've been banned from their site (and that was before I posted their email in my blog).

Amey
http://www.ameytippett.com
http://alisonsjourney.blogspot.com
 
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