The complaint is now posted on the PublishAmerica pages of my web site, as a pdf file. (It's just below the section on the BBB and the Maryland Attorney General.)
The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread
- Thread starter James D. Macdonald
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The complaint is now posted on the PublishAmerica pages of my web site, as a pdf file. (It's just below the section on the BBB and the Maryland Attorney General.)
PA should hope that Vic doesn't pull out his trusty dictionary. Vic's lawyer asked him about that in a Richmond deposition and then chuckled about it when Vic confirmed it.
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Nah. It'll be "Your lawsuit did not reach its intended recipient. We expect your prompt apology."
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"Attention, authors of crime fiction! PublishAmerica is going to appear in an actual courtroom! For $599, we will hand a copy of your book to every random person in the courtroom we see! Don't miss this opportunity!"
(This notice also gets sent out to the romance, science fiction, and middle grade authors, just in case.)
(This notice also gets sent out to the romance, science fiction, and middle grade authors, just in case.)
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Plus the "activation fee" of 6.99!
And Maryland sales tax for residents.
They're no more going to mention the suit on FB than a used car salesman is going to point out the foam on a car's battery.
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"Oh, that stuff? Yeah, that's, uh ... uh, that just means the battery is extra-powerful! Yeah, that's the ticket!"
This information might be of interest to some of you:
Hagens Berman has filed a lawsuit against Publish America LLLP (“Publish America) alleging that the company misleads authors, promising to publish and promote their books when the company actually profits by charging authors for promotion services that are themselves misrepresented.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, alleges that Publish America represents itself as a traditional publisher that pays royalties to authors and profits from the sale of books. However, the company actually operates more like so-called “vanity publishers,” profiting from authors to whom it sells services, according to the complaint.
Specifically, authors sign a contract in which Publish America is granted the rights to the authors’ books for between seven and 10 years, but Publish America does, according to the complaint “nothing constructive to promote their books.”
Instead, it offers authors a number of paid promotional packages. The lawsuit alleges that many of these services are fraudulent. For instance, Publish America claims that it presents books to J.K. Rowling for review, but Rowling has denied the claims, according to the complaint. Publish America also allegedly claimed to have a contract with a major Canadian bookseller, which the bookseller promptly denied.
Hagens Berman’s lawsuit alleges that Publish America’s actions entitle authors to relief under the Federal Declaratory Judgment Act as well as the Maryland Consumer Protection Act. The complaint asks the court to award damages to a class of authors currently or formerly under contract with Publish America who purchased publication, production or promotion services.
Authors who believe they may qualify as part of the proposed class may contact Hagens Berman by calling (206) 623-7292 or by emailing the firm at [email protected]. You can also contact the firm online by clicking here.
Hagens Berman has filed a lawsuit against Publish America LLLP (“Publish America) alleging that the company misleads authors, promising to publish and promote their books when the company actually profits by charging authors for promotion services that are themselves misrepresented.
The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland, alleges that Publish America represents itself as a traditional publisher that pays royalties to authors and profits from the sale of books. However, the company actually operates more like so-called “vanity publishers,” profiting from authors to whom it sells services, according to the complaint.
Specifically, authors sign a contract in which Publish America is granted the rights to the authors’ books for between seven and 10 years, but Publish America does, according to the complaint “nothing constructive to promote their books.”
Instead, it offers authors a number of paid promotional packages. The lawsuit alleges that many of these services are fraudulent. For instance, Publish America claims that it presents books to J.K. Rowling for review, but Rowling has denied the claims, according to the complaint. Publish America also allegedly claimed to have a contract with a major Canadian bookseller, which the bookseller promptly denied.
Hagens Berman’s lawsuit alleges that Publish America’s actions entitle authors to relief under the Federal Declaratory Judgment Act as well as the Maryland Consumer Protection Act. The complaint asks the court to award damages to a class of authors currently or formerly under contract with Publish America who purchased publication, production or promotion services.
Authors who believe they may qualify as part of the proposed class may contact Hagens Berman by calling (206) 623-7292 or by emailing the firm at [email protected]. You can also contact the firm online by clicking here.
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Someone had posted a link to WB's blog post last night. It's gone now.
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Is this a press release from them, or your words? If you're quoting, can you say from where and a link to where it's displayed?
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It's for real. I recommend anyone who has a story to tell contact the attorneys or their investigator listed in the above link.
And it's in the Frederick News-Post today.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=136992
And it's in the Frederick News-Post today.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=136992
From the Frederick News-Post article:
In a written statement to The Frederick News-Post, the company denied the claims and said it would not comment further on the case.
"Plaintiffs' claims are without any basis and we are confident that they will not hold up in court," the statement reads. "Plaintiffs' claims are directly contradicted by PublishAmerica's contracts, websites, its performance under its contracts, and the fact that 47,000 authors have happily joined PublishAmerica over the past 12 years, almost 15,000 of whom have also chosen PublishAmerica as the publisher of their next book.
"The claims distort the facts, omit relevant information, and in some cases are just plain false," according to the statement. "However, PublishAmerica will not litigate these claims in the media. Accordingly, it will respond to each allegation in due course during the litigation to the extent required by court procedure."
In a written statement to The Frederick News-Post, the company denied the claims and said it would not comment further on the case.
"Plaintiffs' claims are without any basis and we are confident that they will not hold up in court," the statement reads. "Plaintiffs' claims are directly contradicted by PublishAmerica's contracts, websites, its performance under its contracts, and the fact that 47,000 authors have happily joined PublishAmerica over the past 12 years, almost 15,000 of whom have also chosen PublishAmerica as the publisher of their next book.
"The claims distort the facts, omit relevant information, and in some cases are just plain false," according to the statement. "However, PublishAmerica will not litigate these claims in the media. Accordingly, it will respond to each allegation in due course during the litigation to the extent required by court procedure."
Wait, PublishAmerica actually bothers to remember what genre you write?
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The comments are interesting...several posters (all with similar name-number combinations) are claiming "newbie authors deluding themselves about writing bestsellers, failed to read contract," yada yada. Sounds like somebody at PA is attempting a weaksauce defense.
Wait, PublishAmerica actually bothers to remember what genre you write?
Well, sort of, apparently. According to the complaint filed, one of the plaintiffs wrote a book called From Catholic to Atheist and PA sent her a promotion to try and get it in a Christian bookstore. So, they remembered she wrote a book about God, they just totally forgot what she actually said about God in the book.
Mags, I wondered the same thing. Some of those comments after the article are just cruel.
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