Banned: Banded together

allenparker

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I have noticed many people on here start their first post as "I was banned from the PA message board." As an avid student of collecting useless information, I thought it might be useful to start and maintain a thread with a list of who has been banned and why.

This will give us a place to point to with credible stories of one small device PA uses to treat their authors the old fashioned way. There are many such critters roaming around AW.
I'll be happy to start. See next post.
 

allenparker

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Banned Myself

After having my return policy transformed into a useless waste of words, the discount to bookstores decreased from 45% to 5%, and an audit that caused more questions than answers, Publish America banned me from the message board and released me from my contracts.

Allen W. Parker.
 

Ol' Fashioned Girl

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I don't even remember what it was I sai-- Oh! Yes, I do! I dared to question Shemp. I was banned post haste. They still have my book 'til 2011 or '12 - but that's okay. I'm editing one and working on another.
 

Gravity

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I don't even remember what it was I sai-- Oh! Yes, I do! I dared to question Shemp. I was banned post haste.

Same here. And at the end things didn't work out too well for that goofy sumbitch, did they? I wonder if he thinks his reign of terror was worth it...
 

LC123

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They still have my book 'til 2011 or '12 - but that's okay. I'm editing one and working on another.

I'm sure this is a really stupid question, but so what if they have your book? Could you retitle it, rewrite a few things, and send it out elsewhere? Realistically, what would happen?
 

JulieB

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I'm sure this is a really stupid question, but so what if they have your book? Could you retitle it, rewrite a few things, and send it out elsewhere? Realistically, what would happen?

It's not a stupid question. I'm sure that a fair number of people trying to get out of their contracts have pondered the same thing.

I'm no lawyer (though I do have a Coast Guard hat!), but that sounds awful lot like a breach of contract to me. If someone did that with a book that was commercially published, the lawyers from both publishers would be all over it. It would probably be the same in this case. I think PA would seek legal action, and they'd probably have a pretty good case.

Even if your rights are clear, you need to inform the publisher that much of the material was contained in a previously published work - no matter who published it before. They might not offer as much money up front, but it beats the prospect of possible legal action down the road.
 

James D. Macdonald

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You're betting against yourself if you try.

If your book sinks without a trace, no one will notice. But if any decent number of people read it, someone will notice. And people do talk.

Forget PA's response. Your new publisher will be (rightly) ticked off.

Honesty is always the best policy.

Take what you learned writing this book and use that knowledge to write a new, different, better book.
 

allenparker

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This is my experience

I have my rights back to Nudist Among Us. For PA books, it sold well. Mostly, it stayed in the top ten sellers on Amazon for PA. It sold on many nudists sites and in nudist places like resorts, parks, and communities.

When I got my rights back, I had already found a small micro-publisher for the third book in the series. I wanted to publish the first two with her as a compilation. After some discussion and compromises, we came to an agreement.

The editing took longer than it would to write another book. I removed more than 10,000 words from the book. The whole timbre of the book was changed. I struggled with just how much to fix because everywhere I looked, there were problems. When I finished the edits I wanted, and I use the word finished frivolously, I handed the compilation to Laurie Ann and held my breath while she reviewed the manuscript. Another couple of rounds of edits made the book presentable, but I am still not as happy as I would like to be.

The point I am trying to make is that fixing a book, a completed work you already gave your blessing to, is like restoring an old car. It is cheaper to buy a new car. There is little work in it. You simply point to the car you want, pay for it and drive off. Fixing an old car is a commitment to rebuild it right. Most of the time you have to take it back to the frame and start over again. It is the same with books.

I think it was Jim who said to write another book and then talk about a re-release later. It seemed to work for me, but I would not necessarily suggest this route.
 

Sparhawk

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I have my rights back to Nudist Among Us. For PA books, it sold well. Mostly, it stayed in the top ten sellers on Amazon for PA. It sold on many nudists sites and in nudist places like resorts, parks, and communities.

When I got my rights back, I had already found a small micro-publisher for the third book in the series. I wanted to publish the first two with her as a compilation. After some discussion and compromises, we came to an agreement.

The editing took longer than it would to write another book. I removed more than 10,000 words from the book. The whole timbre of the book was changed. I struggled with just how much to fix because everywhere I looked, there were problems. When I finished the edits I wanted, and I use the word finished frivolously, I handed the compilation to Laurie Ann and held my breath while she reviewed the manuscript. Another couple of rounds of edits made the book presentable, but I am still not as happy as I would like to be.

The point I am trying to make is that fixing a book, a completed work you already gave your blessing to, is like restoring an old car. It is cheaper to buy a new car. There is little work in it. You simply point to the car you want, pay for it and drive off. Fixing an old car is a commitment to rebuild it right. Most of the time you have to take it back to the frame and start over again. It is the same with books.

I think it was Jim who said to write another book and then talk about a re-release later. It seemed to work for me, but I would not necessarily suggest this route.

Amen, Allen.

WHen I reworked my PAvidian tome for my new publisher there were so many things I had to change and so many things I discovered upon rereading the book that I was embarassed for having submitted the manuscript to anyone. It took two rewrites and a ton of editing and reworking dialogue before I felt the novel was okay for submission. This was before the Lachesis editor even saw the manuscript. After two more edits with my editor (Jeremy) from Lachesis the book is clean. Writing the sequel was much easier and far more enjoyable. In my case, the books are 'follow ons' so I wanted the first one to be with my new publisher. I fought like hell to get my rights back and faced a felony harassment suit from PA for my troubles.

IN the end my book was returned and I have a happy ending. I wouldn't wish Publish America on my worst enemy. I think they are an abomination and do a disservice to legitimate writers and authors.

I'm happily writing my third book (CLANS)and working the outline for the third novel in the HYBRID series. There is life after PA, but one has to be tenacious in order to have rights returned. I sincerely beleive that PA keeps rights out of spite in a perverse effort to crush people's spirits. JMO Vic, don't get your knickers in a knot.
 

Glenda

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It has been a long while but I still remember. I guess I wasn't one of those that PA is the greatest and gave me the chance of a life time, who cares about the money crap. I made the mistake of posting I DO, I care about the money when I noticed people were excited about selling one book. Hello, that is why I wrote a book. But, I thought I would really work hard at pushing my book, after all I wrote a great book. (this is where I'm really snickering, feel free to snicker also).
First it was the cover to a romance that looked like a fisherman's swamp I complained about. Then it was the questions of how can you charge so much for a paperback book. How could I sell an over priced book? (I felt the air leaking out of my balloon at this point). I let them know I was embarassed to ask family and friends to pay 20 dollars for a 190 page thin paperback book. Buy this time I realized there would be no money with PA. I got banned first and then when I let them know I refused to buy or promote my book to anyone, it got pulled from their library right before I recieved my rights back. Of course that could be because I thought I had a say so in what my cover looked like and the mistakes made in by published book. Lord knows it had enough without them adding to it.
 

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I was banned about 6 years ago when I mentioned in the author boards there something to the effect that the only books you'll sell will be to yourself.
 
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Sora

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I'm trying to get banned, because I told them that PA is a scam and to run away. Maybe they'll give me back my rights if I do.
 

CatSlave

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I don't think getting banned is going to help get your rights back. JMO.

As a PA author, you have access to the private boards which most of us non-authors don't.

Think Trojan horse. *hint, hint*

:evil
 
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Sora

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Wait, what?

Besides, I'm having fun. I think it's hilarious to tick them off, lol.
 

CatSlave

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Wait, what?

Besides, I'm having fun. I think it's hilarious to tick them off, lol.
I mean you can report what goes on behind closed doors over there, like when they move a complaint to the private boards.

They don't get ticked off. They get even.
 

Sora

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I have hackers on my side as well, lol.

And I really don't care either way.
 

poetinahat

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I'm certain that AW management would completely condemn that sort of behaviour. It's not what AW is about, and it only makes you look worse. I fail to see how antisocial or criminal behaviour serves anyone in this situation.
 

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I don't let them hack anyways. I face my own problems by myself, as the adult I am. I just said that because I'm in a wicked moon.

Beware :D Beware the wickedness, lol.
 

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Well, I just found out that I've been banned for the second time. Tried to log in this morning and whadya know... login failed.

Last time (couple years ago) it was because I was a little too bold in something I'd said about a particular price hike. This time I'm honestly not sure. However yesterday they deleted two of my posts that asked what kind of discounts they give bookstores now (I was actually even very polite about it). Otherwise, maybe someone found out I was over here and/or contacting other disappointed authors. Who knows.
 

Marian Perera

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I saw that your posts about the bookstore discounts were deleted. Probably because PA wants to foster the illusion that they sell to stores - that's part of being a "traditional publisher", after all.

Except infocenter stated clearly that returnability was an "ongoing experiment" which was "currently on hiatus". Couple that with the poor discount, and bookstores aren't likely to bother.
 

Wrider

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Yep. At the place where I work, I'm in charge of our resource area which we consider our "bookstore." I'm going to call PA from here today as the bookstore and ask them about their wholesale discounts - that way I can get away with it without lying as to who I am. I just want to know. 1) For the simple knowledge. And 2) because where I work does actually stock one of my books - from here on out I know they'll purchase them straight from me until I run out or can't afford them anymore, but I, as the bookstore, legitimately need to know.
 

merrihiatt

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Well, I just found out that I've been banned for the second time. Tried to log in this morning and whadya know... login failed.

Last time (couple years ago) it was because I was a little too bold in something I'd said about a particular price hike. This time I'm honestly not sure. However yesterday they deleted two of my posts that asked what kind of discounts they give bookstores now (I was actually even very polite about it). Otherwise, maybe someone found out I was over here and/or contacting other disappointed authors. Who knows.

I was banned after agreeing with another author that the price of PA printed books was too high and that PA's main goal was to sell books to their authors.

** blip **

I was banninated. Welcome to the club.