For those published by PA-A question
- Thread starter TwentyFour
- Start date
For me, it was striclty niavate(sp). I had no prior experience with publishing and I beleived everything that was on thier website (as it existed in early 2003). As I reviewed the contract the phrase 'make myself available for promotions, signings etc.' led me to assume they were going to promote my work and really get it out there.
I had never heard of Absolute Write at the time and I boldy went forth, assuming that PA was a real publisher that was in the business of marketing and promoting books. I fell into the message board drama and madness when HB MArcus was King and we all genuflected at his Jack Daniels swilling throne.
Hey, I admit to having a good dose of kool-aide in the beginning. THen reality set in when I got my initial cover design. The cover had nothing to do with the book. When I e-mailed the cover artist with suggestions her return e-mail stated that she had no clip art that could accomodate my request. I wound up givng her a generic request and the cover was okay, but didn't really match the contents of the story.
Then came the final proofs; yikes. I had to take two vacation days from work to annotate as many errors as I could and I know I didn't catch them all. When I recieved my two copies I admit to being excited. That excitement was short lived as I compared the price of my book to others in the genre. Books like mine were availabnel at book stores ranging between nine and twelve dollars. These were for books by well known authors with large followings. I was Mr. Nobody and my book was twenty-five bucks. There was no way I could get any sales with such a high price.
When I e-mailed PA i got the standard "Our books are competitively priced" bullcrap every PA author receives as an infomonster reply. I still persevered, stupidly, and placed a big order of my own books and began the thankless task of promotion. I made some headway but soon realized that PA didn't want me in bookstores. I had an opportunity to have my book placed in several Borders stores and had been working with the Regional Manager in Massachusetts. Sh liked my book but when she looked it up and saw the price she backed off. She would be willing to work with me if the price was lowered by six dollars. I was excited and immediatly asked PA to accomodate me using the rationale that there was an opportunity to move a large quantity of books if we could lower the pricing point. PA would have none of it.
We exchanged several colorful e-mails back and forth and I eventually got my rights back.
PA serves no purpose except to seperate inexperienced writers from their money. This is my opinion, plain and simple. There are writers that are genuinely happy the PA experience (I still can't fathom it, but it's true). I guess they have no desire to be widely read by a diverse audience.
Also (This may offend some PA authors), I want to be recognized by a publishing company that discriminates between good writing and crap. PA doesn't do this. When I realized what PA was and how low the standards they had really were, I realized I WAS NOT a published author. I wasn't what I thought I was and there was a certain embarassment at the self discovery. I didn't want to be a player in AUTHOR: THE RPG. I wanted to be a real published writer and see if my work would be found worthy by a legitimate publisher that had standards and actually read my entire manuscript. I wanted to say my book was PUBLISHED by such and such company and actually have it mean something. PA's other big crime is the delusion they cast upon so many. I was printed not published.
Through a great deal of hard work and guidance, my work has found a legitimate home. That was my goal and continues to be my goal. I want to be a writer, whether it be tales of my hunting misadventures or one of my scathing political rants or a Sci-fI thriller. I want to take someone on an adventure and create images in their minds they'd never see on a television. I want to make an impact on somebody; make them think and contemplate. I want to enthrall and entertain with my words. I want to be a 'Writer'.
I've but taken only the first step on a ladder of many rungs. With God's help and my own determination my climb will be successful.
I had never heard of Absolute Write at the time and I boldy went forth, assuming that PA was a real publisher that was in the business of marketing and promoting books. I fell into the message board drama and madness when HB MArcus was King and we all genuflected at his Jack Daniels swilling throne.
Hey, I admit to having a good dose of kool-aide in the beginning. THen reality set in when I got my initial cover design. The cover had nothing to do with the book. When I e-mailed the cover artist with suggestions her return e-mail stated that she had no clip art that could accomodate my request. I wound up givng her a generic request and the cover was okay, but didn't really match the contents of the story.
Then came the final proofs; yikes. I had to take two vacation days from work to annotate as many errors as I could and I know I didn't catch them all. When I recieved my two copies I admit to being excited. That excitement was short lived as I compared the price of my book to others in the genre. Books like mine were availabnel at book stores ranging between nine and twelve dollars. These were for books by well known authors with large followings. I was Mr. Nobody and my book was twenty-five bucks. There was no way I could get any sales with such a high price.
When I e-mailed PA i got the standard "Our books are competitively priced" bullcrap every PA author receives as an infomonster reply. I still persevered, stupidly, and placed a big order of my own books and began the thankless task of promotion. I made some headway but soon realized that PA didn't want me in bookstores. I had an opportunity to have my book placed in several Borders stores and had been working with the Regional Manager in Massachusetts. Sh liked my book but when she looked it up and saw the price she backed off. She would be willing to work with me if the price was lowered by six dollars. I was excited and immediatly asked PA to accomodate me using the rationale that there was an opportunity to move a large quantity of books if we could lower the pricing point. PA would have none of it.
We exchanged several colorful e-mails back and forth and I eventually got my rights back.
PA serves no purpose except to seperate inexperienced writers from their money. This is my opinion, plain and simple. There are writers that are genuinely happy the PA experience (I still can't fathom it, but it's true). I guess they have no desire to be widely read by a diverse audience.
Also (This may offend some PA authors), I want to be recognized by a publishing company that discriminates between good writing and crap. PA doesn't do this. When I realized what PA was and how low the standards they had really were, I realized I WAS NOT a published author. I wasn't what I thought I was and there was a certain embarassment at the self discovery. I didn't want to be a player in AUTHOR: THE RPG. I wanted to be a real published writer and see if my work would be found worthy by a legitimate publisher that had standards and actually read my entire manuscript. I wanted to say my book was PUBLISHED by such and such company and actually have it mean something. PA's other big crime is the delusion they cast upon so many. I was printed not published.
Through a great deal of hard work and guidance, my work has found a legitimate home. That was my goal and continues to be my goal. I want to be a writer, whether it be tales of my hunting misadventures or one of my scathing political rants or a Sci-fI thriller. I want to take someone on an adventure and create images in their minds they'd never see on a television. I want to make an impact on somebody; make them think and contemplate. I want to enthrall and entertain with my words. I want to be a 'Writer'.
I've but taken only the first step on a ladder of many rungs. With God's help and my own determination my climb will be successful.
i am PA published and i am not doing that again.i want that experience to be over with and hopefully soon enough it wil be
