The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

aliceshortcake

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I would have thought the last thing PA wants is for their authors to get together. What if an angry mob of torch-waving, pitchfork-wielding dissatisfied customers descend upon these conventions? PA can't chuck real live people into the cornfield.
 

allenparker

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Has anyone heard anything about this? (It was sent to me by a small publisher; apparently PA got mixed up and sent them the literary agent form letter.)

Would they let you go and represent them? If so, I want to be your +1. I'll sit at the table filming and keeping my mouth shut. I promise. We would be safe. They are bound to have armed guards around us all day.
 

Scribhneoir

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What if an angry mob of torch-waving, pitchfork-wielding dissatisfied customers descend upon these conventions? PA can't chuck real live people into the cornfield.

No, but they can pull the fire alarm and sneak out in the resulting confusion.
 

Gillhoughly

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They've done that already.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5562090&postcount=4459

From Priceless1:

Their first con was surreal. They had a dinner at one of the cheesier hotels in Frederick. Clopper and Meiners had armed guards walking around the banquet hall - yes, they were armed. We could see the bulge of the gun butt in their sweaters and jackets. One of us at our table was so incensed that she asked one of the guards why he was armed. His reply was that it was "for our safety." She asked what the hell that meant, but he walked away.

It got weirder when Clopper gave his "aren't-we-the-best-evah-and-thank-you-for-making-us-rich" talk from on high. No, really, I do mean on high - he was on the first floor balcony looking down at us. We heard it was a "safety issue." In fact, he never really did come down and speak with us peons. Meiners, on the other hand was a dandy gent, parading his wonderfulness around with his girlfriend in tow (as he introduced her) even while proudly wearing his wedding ring.

It didn't take long before the food stations ran out and only half of us had eaten. Everyone was furious. But wait - it gets better. What do you do when you have a mob of angry authors? I mean, you can't have your armed guards shoot us all. So they pulled the fire alarm.

Sure, they tried to make it look very innocent, but oddly enough, the only people evacuated were the PA writers. The hotel guests remained in their rooms. It was one of the cheapest, pathetic attempts at extolling their virtues, and they really became the laughing stock of us all.

So to the new PA convention suckers, I have two pieces of advice: pack a burger in your purse, and bring some mace for the armed guards.
 

DaveKuzminski

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Not if any of the guests then sue PA for jeopardizing their safety with a false alarm. That could end up costing PA big if any one is injured.
 

JulieB

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At least PA titled this one correctly.

From the description:

We're going to spend the next few days calling your local bookstores, Walmart, Kmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, Starbucks, and urge them to stock your book NOW.

Local managers of chain stores generally get no discretion on what to stock, or sometimes even how to display the stock. Corporate sends them items, and often diagrams and pictures (probably with circles and arrows on the front and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it is) to show them where the items go on the shelves.

If a manager has any discretion, you're better off contacting them yourself and setting up an appointment. Don't walk in cold with all of your promotional materials in hand, but do have them in the car if the manager happens to say "now." However, you have to be prepared to offer a decent wholesale price so they can sell at retail and still make money.

Oh, and your local Starbucks or other coffee shop might be willing to host a book signing and let you sell your own books. I know PA authors in my area have had signings and readings at Starbucks locations.

And calling local stores at the busiest time of the retail year for this sort of thing? Uh, no. They don't have time to listen to a sales pitch.

ETA: I've worked in retail as a salesperson, a manager, and at the corporate level.
 
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falconesse

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Another thing to note, for PA lurkers:

Most publishers have dedicated sales forces who do this kind of calling for you. It's simply part of the publisher's job, and how they make money for both themselves AND their authors. These reps already know which bookstores are located in what towns, and don't need to be told by their authors.

While it's different from publisher to publisher, it should also be noted that for the most part (and I'm referring to the Big Six here), independent booksellers, B&N, supermarkets/superstores, and specialty stores whose primary business is not bookselling (like Starbucks) tend to have completely different sales reps, because those are all very different kinds of businesses.

Smaller publishers might have much smaller sales forces, or might have their books sold through rep groups (people who go into bookstores and present catalogs for several unrelated publishers at the same time).

Also worth noting: most publishers present their lists months in advance of the books' actual pub dates. While it's not hard for a small bookstore to free up some shelf space for a title they hadn't intially brought in, supermarkets and Target and Walmart plan their inventories months in advance. Once those buys are done, it's not easy to get them to change. So PA calling and saying "stock this book NOW" isn't likely to be met with success. (Not that I think PA is actually making those calls, or if they are, not that I think they'd be talking to the right people.)

Whatever the case is, in none of those situations do authors have to pay their publisher to reach out and sell their books.

Ugh, PA. Just, ugh.
 

allenparker

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From the description:



Corporate sends them items, and often diagrams and pictures (probably with circles and arrows on the front and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what it is) to show them where the items go on the shelves.

Julie, I'm sorry that I missed that. I was stuck on the Group W bench with a mother stabber. Nice guy though.
 

BenPanced

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Dear author:

Start the new year with your own literary agent.

Our literary agency department has had a very busy year. They take their job very seriously. In the second half of last year they submitted PublishAmerica books to publishers all over the nation and the world.

The average agented book has been introduced to 15 other publishers in 2011. The vast majority of these are U.S. publishers, some really big; twenty percent is foreign, including countries as far away as Germany, South Africa, Australia, India, and Spain. Last week, for example, we finalized the sale of foreign translation rights to a publisher in the Czech Republic, for good money: an advance plus royalties!

In today's book world, exposure is everything. Last year, more than half a million new books have been released, begging the question: how does your book stand out in that ocean of new books?

Having your own literary agent represent your book around the industry in all of 2012, that certainly helps it stand out! No, it does not guarantee sales. But it sure as heck guarantees that your book is seen in places where you want it to be seen! And that's exposure! Of all the books that are never represented, none makes it anywhere for sure!

Hire your own literary agent today: go to (*link baleeted*) to activate. You will be contacted within 48 business hours by your new agent.
Must choose a shipping option to activate. No use of coupons is allowed.

Thank you,
--PublishAmerica Bookstore
For the low, low price of $99 for a single title and $149 for multiple titles.
 

LindaJeanne

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Hire your own literary agent today: go to (*link baleeted*) to activate. You will be contacted within 48 business hours by your new agent. Must choose a shipping option to activate.
Does that mean they ship the agent directly to me? Do I need to be home to sign, or will they leave the agent on the porch, behind the flowerpot?
 

Richard White

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Yep, Bouncing Bobby would be happy to be the Agent of Record for these Publish America books.

Just send X money in and get assigned a real honest-to-god agent to represent your already published book to other publishers.

Folks, I thought you were already published by Publish America, the largest publisher in the U.S.*? Why would you need an agent to show your book(s) to other publishers?

Something seriously isn't adding up here, folks. Please, please look at your current publisher and start asking the questions that need to be asked.

* - according to their web site.
 

Marian Perera

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Folks, I thought you were already published by Publish America, the largest publisher in the U.S.*? Why would you need an agent to show your book(s) to other publishers?

This is probably aiming at those of the PA family who really don't know anything about publishing* and therefore don't realize that their books can't be represented to other publishers while under contract with PA. Anyone who falls for it is probably hoping that Random House might be willing to take a look at their manuscript - especially now that it's bound in an attractive book form and represented by a real literary agent.

*Not an exaggeration. One of the messages on PA's Facebook page says, "I am writing another book, and when I am more familiarised with using the Computor, I shall send in some more!"
 
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LindaJeanne

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Somehow I missed that the agenting offer is for books already published through (and hence possibly still under contract with) Publish America.

We'll show your book to other publishers! We won't let them buy it, even if they want to. But we'll show it to them! For a low, low fee, of course.

That's just. Um. Yeah.
 

LouLucy

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Same exact promotion as before

PA ran this same exact promotion in the summer..remember agent Emily and Alexas. They probably made a pretty good profit and sounds like they are trying it again. Yes please do not fall for it again because notice this time they name no agent by name because they have no employees left to be a fake agent.
 

Momento Mori

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Publish America Drivel:
Last week, for example, we finalized the sale of foreign translation rights to a publisher in the Czech Republic, for good money: an advance plus royalties!

Does that mean they sold a book for more than a shiny dollar?

MM
 

Stacia Kane

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Having your own literary agent represent your book around the industry in all of 2012, that certainly helps it stand out! No, it does not guarantee sales. But it sure as heck guarantees that your book is seen in places where you want it to be seen! And that's exposure! Of all the books that are never represented, none makes it anywhere for sure!

(Bolding mine, of course.)

That one is true, when it comes to books PA prints. Too bad the ones that are "represented" probably won't make it anywhere either.
 

DeadlyAccurate

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Sounds like they're implying that a literary agent is like a publicist.

Please, PA authors, learn about the publishing industry before you give PA any more of your money. You spent time and effort writing your book. Spend a little more learning about the industry in which you wish to sell it.
 

thothguard51

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How is PA going to make all these phone calls to booksellers and agents when they supposedly laid off over half their staff?

I doubt Miranda is going to stay late and make calls.