I don't know if any of you ever heard of Meeting of the Minds Publications. I want to warn other writers about them. In case people missed it in the other thread for experience with publish america (that I posted). Basically the manager of Meeting of the Minds Publication or (journal) is harassing me, which will not stop calling my phone, even though I changed my number. What I tell you is true and careful thinking should be made before submitting to them. I'm not out to bash them but to share my story with them, in hopes to give other writers a chin up on what they are about as it stands. the manager of the press, use to be a friend but I did not know she would scam me with my work, which is awful. I strongly feel they need to be added to the list of publisher to avoid.
Books are published poorly, do not provide the ISBN#, books are stapled bound though they exceeed 30 pages.
They've gotten several author complaints.
The publisher (manager) is not very nice, unless you are submissive to her, bossy ways.
Their contract states that you must buy if I recall copies of your book. Your contract expire in a year.
They sell your book at event and do not tell you.
They sell your book on their website to (that's okay)
however,They do not provide a royalty statement that tells you if any of your books sold.
The cover artist of the books was the managers boyfriend and all the cover seem to be pencil sketches. There seems to be no option for photography or digital art, or art other than pencil and ink sketches.
One of my poems are broken into two poems in the book, which was not.
One author states that she tookd some work out of his book without his permission and published the book without certain work.
They expect you to attend three of their writing workshop, in which the manager of the press acts as the teacher most of the time. Though the writer is not a well known writer and could use criitique on her work (she does not accept critique) but forces the people she publishes to be criitiqued in the workshops and tries to force them to attend.
They have gotten several thousands dollars in grants, charge door fees for the poetry readings and the authors see barely any of it, in the promotion or marketing of their books, so where does the money go?
It is also important to not that she is a writer who is still rising as well but is bossy with the authors of her press and some of them are exceptional writers.
She claims they got 10,000 in grants, which sounds right since the grants that are listed as awards to them, show an estimation of that much as a whole. Now added with that and the money earned off her poetry reading shows which be packed. More money could have been put into the books and money can be put into marketing the books. She charges door fees for the family and friends of all the authors.Every author got to sell their book for five dollars at the show, regardless of the price of the book. Every authors book is not priced more than $10.00 no matter how large the book is or the quality of the work. The poetry readings do not provide refeshments either. Besides this, there is not promotion of any of the authors, also she reads from her own book at the shows as well which some people think is a conflict of interest for a publisher to do that.
I estimated after researching that for the 24 author books they already published, they could have spent 900 dollars and got the ISBN# for all of them.
[paragraph removed by moderator]
I went to meet the manager at her house during this time, she said she had my books. I told her the book were not printed goo and that she needed to fix a big mistake they made in the book and the cover color was awful and faded. She said she would and never did.
The printing source for the books is not revealed, and it is obviouse the printing is done by someone who is not very experienced, mostly likely out of home somewhere. She speaks of an office they have (not at her house) but tells no one where it is. They have a P.O. Box if I recall. The books are so bad, they are not marketable at all. I had my book looked at by booksellers and people tell me, the book does not look good, that it looks like a bad program.
The manager gets cool with local organization and uses her "personal" relationships with them as intimidation with their authors who are not pleased with their books, because they are so bad.
In a nut shell, the manager uses the publication of authors books, to boost their own name in the poetry world, with no regards of the quality of the books or the relationships with some of the authors.
Most of her authors want to avoid a fight so they are just waiting for their contract to be up.
She makes all her authors wear the same colors at readings (black and white mostly) and she wears a totally different color, multicolors. Some of the authors does not like this. I'm more concerned about my book.
At the reading I did earlier this year of theirs, she made me wait an hour in the heat and did not barely speak when she arrived and did not apologize or felt she had to. As she did not feel she had to with stating i'm a great fiction writing on television in their reading activity, though she has not read one piece of fictino by me and I was in the reading for poetry and reading poetry published by her press. lol. So it didn't make any sense at first but then I found out the person who managed the teleivions program was looking for fiction writers. She keeps trying to push me in fiction stuff, and does not applaud any of my poetry, though her press published it and I'm one of her top rated poets based on her audience, and queried me to submit my poetry. As I stated, she is about bringing exposure to her own work and if she feels another writer who is not on a personal level with her, is recieving alot of attention for their poetry, she treats them like crap.
She is too busy being jealous of some poets, (some she has published), who are not in personal relationships with her and wish to take attention from their work, unless she specifically approves it. lol.
I even advertised for her press for free when she made me think she'd reprint my book, the right way. I advertised for her press and still she did not print my book correctly, and fix the faded ink color and broken poems they messed up on.
[paragraph removed by moderator]
She has taken the time to bad mouth me to other people, stating that i'm jealous and also telling people that i'm fiction writer (people who may seem interest in my work or may give me exposure). The same people she is looking for attention from. I'm not a fiction writers, yet she got on a televiion program and said, "I think she is a great fiction writer" though I was on their poetry reading to read from my poetry book they published.
She specifically told me before the reading that I'm not allowed to mention my other book.
She also told the show taht anyone who wants information on authros books chould contact her, she did not want anyone contacting the authors.
She tries to keep careful watch on the activity of the authors in the literary world.
She saw me speaking to two of the other authors and questionsed them about me and me about what we were talking about. She claims the authors are hers, meaning if you speak to authors in her press, she wants to know what about....etc, and if they ask you about another publisher, and you tell them, she will harass you for doing so and try to bad mouth you.
A girl at her reading ask me about other publisher, I told her that I was considering opening my own pressa nd I told her about other publisher.
She wanted to know for her second book in which they do not publish second books by authors they already published.
Well, I guess the girl got scared when the publisher approached her and lied and said I just gave her the info without her requesting it.
I told the publisher, that I didn't and that she asked me and I'm aloud to tell any writer about other publishers that are out their if they ask me.
She says, "how could you, when I published you"
Notice how she feels she can control all her authors.
She calls her authors and tells them lies about me. I spoke two one of the authors about his business and he told me she called him bad mouthing me, saying that I'm this and that....
This was all after I told her I want out of her contract.
She gave my personal information out to the a lady from a televisions channel who then called me about her, claiming they were like sisters and that she was upset. I told her everything and she said, she did not know all this. Well since then, the manager has been harassing me, calling me from blocked numbers. I changed my number, she managed somehow to get my number, which woul dhave had to be through accessing my persoanl info, cause only my family has my new number. She then called me again, saying if I don't buy the books she is not letting out the contract. I told her I have had it with her abuse, the books are so bad, i refuse to by them, and she was asked to never contact me again. when I hung up she calls back and says, "don't be scared now"
She call me over and over again, for about five minutes straight and then let this awful message. I even have her text messages with her accusing me of trying to "steal" her authors.
My new number she managed to get, is my cell phone number. Though each one of them she claims I tried, have told her that I did not, I'm good a person and they wish not to be involved with her lies.
We never spoke about her press until we realized we both was scammed on the books.
She has tried to make people think she discovered me as a writer and does the same with other writers who are already published and accomplished. Some how a lady who was in touch with her, was under the impression that she discovered me, I told her no. She took offense to this. I told her, "because you did not discover me nor do you mentor me" She has looked through my biography and contact people in my biography and has dropped my name to people (new writers) who she wants to publish who are writers who never had a book published. She states, "we have published books by S. Hunter-Wilson"
The one writers she did that with, I was already speaking to and had known known that I was S. Hunter-Wilson and I was shocked to find out that it was me whose name she was dropping to her. LOL.
it doesn't make sense for her to drop my name since she is bad mouthing me and I want out of her contract. Another sign of being crooked.
So far I have heard complaints from two other writers and I heard from another author 1 other author went and looked attheir book for the first time at one of their poety readings and walked right out, disgusted.
Two writers who went to her workshops refuse to go anymore because they refuse to deal with her. I can post names...etc, but I won't on the board. If you have submitted, please be aware of these things. For they are facts.
I have a copy of some of the letters between me and one of her author (who also was a victum of her publishing). If people want to speak directly to a few of the authors (whose books were done awful), I could give you their names and you can look them up. It seems most of her authors are to scared to to confront her in fear of what I'm going through with her.
She gets good (tries to make friendships)with people running literary organizations and then uses her relationship with them as intimidation to any authors of her publication, who wish to speak out and up to her about their books and statements not recieved and royalties not recieved.
Since she refuses to stop harassing me, as like she said, "don't be scared now" gave my personal info out, slandering me (which are lies), to other people), all cause i want out of contract, now I'm to the point in which I'm getting a copy of my phone records and if continued beyond this point (have told her) I will get a PFA on her (a restraining order). She has not called any further.
Even though I brought the issues to her, she refuse to be fair and fix the books.
She tries to intimidate authors with who she knows, that many will not speak up to her, for they are new writers, never published and is afraid of the problems she will bring them and having trouble marketing future works because she is good at lieing to people who run some literary organizations.
So far, I have to watch my back now, (which I'm not scared) cause a few of the women she is associated with seem like trouble., one who have told lies about me to along with her. Over four writers have told me she has come to them about me, this was all during the time we are fighting about how poorly my book is published. it doesn't even meet publishing print standards, bound requiredments...etc.
I notice the one author who informed me of her contacting him bout me, has decided to change his number just like I did, after she contacted himabout me and done what she done to me. He is a reveron, and stated to me the last time we spoke, "You changed your number and that is good, she that her evil shows in her behavior her need to not want to see you succeed and what she is doing with her press"
She published his books and messes it up to, his is poorly published to and he has bought more books as the contract statedm, it seems to avoid problems with her and he wants out of his contract cause of that.
They provide 25 copies (poorly published) and unmarketable.
So this is my story with the publisher of my second book.
I will post the link to the blog to where another author has complained about Meeting of the Minds Publications or (journal). she may have removed the blog postingss, because she basically have had it with Meeting of the Minds Publications, all of its drama.
I'm at the point of getting a PFA against her, cause of all the phone calls, text messages, (costing me alot of money) lies to writers who don't even know me, and when they meet me, they tell me.
I also found out she already has a PFA against her and she has a history of being sneaky, taking peoples information (not just name and phone number) without their consent.
I won't tell any other write to not go with them but consider my story when considering submitting to them and take time to contact the other authors, go on the product not any lies she may ahve told them. Some are too scared to confront her or stand up against her and is just accepting this and just trying to ride out their contract. Spending money on more copies of books (required to buy) that is not selling cause they are bad.
If you want further info, contact me private message. I have no doubt that the manager of Meeting of the Minds Publication is following me around no line as she is off-line, talking to everyone who knows me (if she can) cause already managed to get my new cell phone which only family and best friend have and neither would give to her.
To be honest, what I have express as for as meeting, communciation, product and representation of the manager of Meeting of the Minds Publication, is worse than what I experienced with publish america.
Blessings
Shar
Books are published poorly, do not provide the ISBN#, books are stapled bound though they exceeed 30 pages.
They've gotten several author complaints.
The publisher (manager) is not very nice, unless you are submissive to her, bossy ways.
Their contract states that you must buy if I recall copies of your book. Your contract expire in a year.
They sell your book at event and do not tell you.
They sell your book on their website to (that's okay)
however,They do not provide a royalty statement that tells you if any of your books sold.
The cover artist of the books was the managers boyfriend and all the cover seem to be pencil sketches. There seems to be no option for photography or digital art, or art other than pencil and ink sketches.
One of my poems are broken into two poems in the book, which was not.
One author states that she tookd some work out of his book without his permission and published the book without certain work.
They expect you to attend three of their writing workshop, in which the manager of the press acts as the teacher most of the time. Though the writer is not a well known writer and could use criitique on her work (she does not accept critique) but forces the people she publishes to be criitiqued in the workshops and tries to force them to attend.
They have gotten several thousands dollars in grants, charge door fees for the poetry readings and the authors see barely any of it, in the promotion or marketing of their books, so where does the money go?
It is also important to not that she is a writer who is still rising as well but is bossy with the authors of her press and some of them are exceptional writers.
She claims they got 10,000 in grants, which sounds right since the grants that are listed as awards to them, show an estimation of that much as a whole. Now added with that and the money earned off her poetry reading shows which be packed. More money could have been put into the books and money can be put into marketing the books. She charges door fees for the family and friends of all the authors.Every author got to sell their book for five dollars at the show, regardless of the price of the book. Every authors book is not priced more than $10.00 no matter how large the book is or the quality of the work. The poetry readings do not provide refeshments either. Besides this, there is not promotion of any of the authors, also she reads from her own book at the shows as well which some people think is a conflict of interest for a publisher to do that.
I estimated after researching that for the 24 author books they already published, they could have spent 900 dollars and got the ISBN# for all of them.
[paragraph removed by moderator]
I went to meet the manager at her house during this time, she said she had my books. I told her the book were not printed goo and that she needed to fix a big mistake they made in the book and the cover color was awful and faded. She said she would and never did.
The printing source for the books is not revealed, and it is obviouse the printing is done by someone who is not very experienced, mostly likely out of home somewhere. She speaks of an office they have (not at her house) but tells no one where it is. They have a P.O. Box if I recall. The books are so bad, they are not marketable at all. I had my book looked at by booksellers and people tell me, the book does not look good, that it looks like a bad program.
The manager gets cool with local organization and uses her "personal" relationships with them as intimidation with their authors who are not pleased with their books, because they are so bad.
In a nut shell, the manager uses the publication of authors books, to boost their own name in the poetry world, with no regards of the quality of the books or the relationships with some of the authors.
Most of her authors want to avoid a fight so they are just waiting for their contract to be up.
She makes all her authors wear the same colors at readings (black and white mostly) and she wears a totally different color, multicolors. Some of the authors does not like this. I'm more concerned about my book.
At the reading I did earlier this year of theirs, she made me wait an hour in the heat and did not barely speak when she arrived and did not apologize or felt she had to. As she did not feel she had to with stating i'm a great fiction writing on television in their reading activity, though she has not read one piece of fictino by me and I was in the reading for poetry and reading poetry published by her press. lol. So it didn't make any sense at first but then I found out the person who managed the teleivions program was looking for fiction writers. She keeps trying to push me in fiction stuff, and does not applaud any of my poetry, though her press published it and I'm one of her top rated poets based on her audience, and queried me to submit my poetry. As I stated, she is about bringing exposure to her own work and if she feels another writer who is not on a personal level with her, is recieving alot of attention for their poetry, she treats them like crap.
She is too busy being jealous of some poets, (some she has published), who are not in personal relationships with her and wish to take attention from their work, unless she specifically approves it. lol.
I even advertised for her press for free when she made me think she'd reprint my book, the right way. I advertised for her press and still she did not print my book correctly, and fix the faded ink color and broken poems they messed up on.
[paragraph removed by moderator]
She has taken the time to bad mouth me to other people, stating that i'm jealous and also telling people that i'm fiction writer (people who may seem interest in my work or may give me exposure). The same people she is looking for attention from. I'm not a fiction writers, yet she got on a televiion program and said, "I think she is a great fiction writer" though I was on their poetry reading to read from my poetry book they published.
She specifically told me before the reading that I'm not allowed to mention my other book.
She also told the show taht anyone who wants information on authros books chould contact her, she did not want anyone contacting the authors.
She tries to keep careful watch on the activity of the authors in the literary world.
She saw me speaking to two of the other authors and questionsed them about me and me about what we were talking about. She claims the authors are hers, meaning if you speak to authors in her press, she wants to know what about....etc, and if they ask you about another publisher, and you tell them, she will harass you for doing so and try to bad mouth you.
A girl at her reading ask me about other publisher, I told her that I was considering opening my own pressa nd I told her about other publisher.
She wanted to know for her second book in which they do not publish second books by authors they already published.
Well, I guess the girl got scared when the publisher approached her and lied and said I just gave her the info without her requesting it.
I told the publisher, that I didn't and that she asked me and I'm aloud to tell any writer about other publishers that are out their if they ask me.
She says, "how could you, when I published you"
Notice how she feels she can control all her authors.
She calls her authors and tells them lies about me. I spoke two one of the authors about his business and he told me she called him bad mouthing me, saying that I'm this and that....
This was all after I told her I want out of her contract.
She gave my personal information out to the a lady from a televisions channel who then called me about her, claiming they were like sisters and that she was upset. I told her everything and she said, she did not know all this. Well since then, the manager has been harassing me, calling me from blocked numbers. I changed my number, she managed somehow to get my number, which woul dhave had to be through accessing my persoanl info, cause only my family has my new number. She then called me again, saying if I don't buy the books she is not letting out the contract. I told her I have had it with her abuse, the books are so bad, i refuse to by them, and she was asked to never contact me again. when I hung up she calls back and says, "don't be scared now"
She call me over and over again, for about five minutes straight and then let this awful message. I even have her text messages with her accusing me of trying to "steal" her authors.
My new number she managed to get, is my cell phone number. Though each one of them she claims I tried, have told her that I did not, I'm good a person and they wish not to be involved with her lies.
We never spoke about her press until we realized we both was scammed on the books.
She has tried to make people think she discovered me as a writer and does the same with other writers who are already published and accomplished. Some how a lady who was in touch with her, was under the impression that she discovered me, I told her no. She took offense to this. I told her, "because you did not discover me nor do you mentor me" She has looked through my biography and contact people in my biography and has dropped my name to people (new writers) who she wants to publish who are writers who never had a book published. She states, "we have published books by S. Hunter-Wilson"
The one writers she did that with, I was already speaking to and had known known that I was S. Hunter-Wilson and I was shocked to find out that it was me whose name she was dropping to her. LOL.
it doesn't make sense for her to drop my name since she is bad mouthing me and I want out of her contract. Another sign of being crooked.
So far I have heard complaints from two other writers and I heard from another author 1 other author went and looked attheir book for the first time at one of their poety readings and walked right out, disgusted.
Two writers who went to her workshops refuse to go anymore because they refuse to deal with her. I can post names...etc, but I won't on the board. If you have submitted, please be aware of these things. For they are facts.
I have a copy of some of the letters between me and one of her author (who also was a victum of her publishing). If people want to speak directly to a few of the authors (whose books were done awful), I could give you their names and you can look them up. It seems most of her authors are to scared to to confront her in fear of what I'm going through with her.
She gets good (tries to make friendships)with people running literary organizations and then uses her relationship with them as intimidation to any authors of her publication, who wish to speak out and up to her about their books and statements not recieved and royalties not recieved.
Since she refuses to stop harassing me, as like she said, "don't be scared now" gave my personal info out, slandering me (which are lies), to other people), all cause i want out of contract, now I'm to the point in which I'm getting a copy of my phone records and if continued beyond this point (have told her) I will get a PFA on her (a restraining order). She has not called any further.
Even though I brought the issues to her, she refuse to be fair and fix the books.
She tries to intimidate authors with who she knows, that many will not speak up to her, for they are new writers, never published and is afraid of the problems she will bring them and having trouble marketing future works because she is good at lieing to people who run some literary organizations.
So far, I have to watch my back now, (which I'm not scared) cause a few of the women she is associated with seem like trouble., one who have told lies about me to along with her. Over four writers have told me she has come to them about me, this was all during the time we are fighting about how poorly my book is published. it doesn't even meet publishing print standards, bound requiredments...etc.
I notice the one author who informed me of her contacting him bout me, has decided to change his number just like I did, after she contacted himabout me and done what she done to me. He is a reveron, and stated to me the last time we spoke, "You changed your number and that is good, she that her evil shows in her behavior her need to not want to see you succeed and what she is doing with her press"
She published his books and messes it up to, his is poorly published to and he has bought more books as the contract statedm, it seems to avoid problems with her and he wants out of his contract cause of that.
They provide 25 copies (poorly published) and unmarketable.
So this is my story with the publisher of my second book.
I will post the link to the blog to where another author has complained about Meeting of the Minds Publications or (journal). she may have removed the blog postingss, because she basically have had it with Meeting of the Minds Publications, all of its drama.
I'm at the point of getting a PFA against her, cause of all the phone calls, text messages, (costing me alot of money) lies to writers who don't even know me, and when they meet me, they tell me.
I also found out she already has a PFA against her and she has a history of being sneaky, taking peoples information (not just name and phone number) without their consent.
I won't tell any other write to not go with them but consider my story when considering submitting to them and take time to contact the other authors, go on the product not any lies she may ahve told them. Some are too scared to confront her or stand up against her and is just accepting this and just trying to ride out their contract. Spending money on more copies of books (required to buy) that is not selling cause they are bad.
If you want further info, contact me private message. I have no doubt that the manager of Meeting of the Minds Publication is following me around no line as she is off-line, talking to everyone who knows me (if she can) cause already managed to get my new cell phone which only family and best friend have and neither would give to her.
To be honest, what I have express as for as meeting, communciation, product and representation of the manager of Meeting of the Minds Publication, is worse than what I experienced with publish america.
Blessings
Shar
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. a few months ago, and that is why it is shocking that it all turned out to be one big scam. LOL. She refuses to let me out of my contract unless I pay, because she wants to use me for my ideas.
