The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

Re: "PA authors" don't leave...

I'd hope that they would be asking the "tough" questions about return policies, etc. - but I think the majority of them probably got drunk and was overwhelmed by the free coffee mug and mousepad that PA gave them on arrival...

the problem would be that the group mentality would take over; decrying and denouncing anyone who would say anything negative about the most generous publisher in the world... after cashing the checks for the "convention" and running for the door.

I mean, a few seminars by PA authors; a trip to Gettysburg and a book signing in a local mall? That's not exactly overwhelming me now, and much less when I read the original invitation. Give me something a bit more solid and something a little better than table scraps and I'll consider it... as it stands now I'd rather pay for a local conference with REAL writers from REAL publishers with REAL experience; not PA authors reading out of their own guidebooks on how to harass family and friends and store managers.

I'll wait for the postings, but I doubt anything controversial got asked and if it did it was shouted down or shuffled under the table by the PA personnel offering the usual mantra of "Us good, Them bad!"

jmo, ymmv.

If wonder if the "Christian nudist"

writer attended. The thread about his book is hilarious.

Interesting post at PA forum

This post at www.publishamerica.com/cg...e/2562.htm was interesting.

I just wish the authors would recognize that we're not against them or their books. Our complaints have to do only with the poor business practices of their publisher. I want to see them given fair deals through fair contracts or negotiation. I want to see some of them become well known because they put the effort into their books. I don't want to see them short-changed by a publisher that overcharges and forces its authors to do all the work the publisher should do as a responsible business partner to get their product out into the marketplace.

Re: oh, my...

I just got my royalty check from PA. I was truly not expecting to get anything due to the way they've treated me.

just over seven dollars.

LMAO!

more so 'cause someone bought two copies at the $12.95 price (but not off of Amazon.com so I dunna know where they got them...) and some store (I assume) bought ten copies at the 40% off...

so for 12 copies I received just over seven dollars.

excuse me while I call the hubby and announce he can quit his day job...



funnier thing is - I've done no promotion since they turfed me in November, so a lot of this must be just good vibes coming back home... I don't know whether to laugh or cry; all I DO know is that I've probably made more than those PA authors spending hundreds on promotion....

*falls back laughing again*

Re: Interesting post at PA forum

www.publishamerica.com/cg...e/2507.htm

did anybody else check out the pictures? is that their real office?

Re: Interesting post at PA forum

<a href="http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/main/9222.htm" target="_new">Another fun thread.</a> (Read it quick before it's deleted.)

Hey, we're famous!

And ... for all the PA authors. Come here, ask your questions. You'll get honest, accurate answers.

Yep, another fun thread

Shows how little they understand about viruses and spoofing. Here's their thread just for posterity purposes since they're blaming us:

Brenweb



2/28/2004
15:11:42
Subject: Suspicious email virus


Message:
I just received this email from staff@books&writers.com with "hi" in the subject line. The body says "you're a bad writer."

My NAV warned of an attachment infected with a virus. Beware!

Brenda
publishedauthors.net/BrendaMWeber

RLBall

2/29/2004
09:35:05
Hanging onto the Cow's Foot
RE: Suspicious email virus


Message:
I got one of those also, Brenda.

Richard L. Ball
www.richardlball.com

marti2003

2/29/2004
11:45:12
RE: Suspicious email virus


Message:

THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAK!

Man, their writing must really suck if they have to go to such measures to knock us out of the competition.

When I posted the article "Organized assault on an American Publisher," I got a lot of hits from a message board called "Absolute Write." Can't draw any positive conclusions from it, but when I went there, they had thread after thread trashing PA. What a waste of time and energy. I feel sorry for them.

But now, of course, they are getting destructive and breaking the law.

Next time someone gets one, contact Microsoft or Norton anti-virsus, k? They know how to track those people down. In fact, one such copycat worm emailer is going to trial soon here in Seattle.

Check it out under
"Blaster Worm 'copycat' Trial"
Trial News
www.geocities.com/martitalbott/

Re: Yep, another fun thread

well, given that the same person took a supporter over at writers.net and blasted him into oblivion, I'm not surprised...

do these people even understand what a computer does?



still waiting to hear about the big convention and how many books were actually sold... probably a lot of "trading" for "reviews"; but probably not a lot....

betcha they missed the NYT article as well.



************

just an add-on - www.publishamerica.com/cg...e/2567.htm

seems the average sale was only 2-4 books after all the hype and hoopla... even if PA gave them 10 "free" (put into the cost of the convention, I assume)...

nothing more than an average outing, tho I think more money was spent on booze than anything else - what a bunch of lushes!

re:

re: the stoker nod for Lisa Wood. I haven't read her book, but I've read a few of her shorter stuff, and she's a very talented writer. I suspect, however, that the fine folks over at the HWA will see her publisher and not even bother reading her book. You think the people here are biased... Man, you should hear certain HWA members rant about POD.

Also, people keep talking about world records and such for the PA weekend booksigning, which had 150+ authors signing. That's pretty big, but it's nothing compared to most book festivals. The Arizona Book fest which I'll be attending in April will have over 200 authors signing/selling easy. And some of those BIG conventions gotta have twice as many as that.

Stoker

Here's the official announcement from HWA's web site. Lisa Wood's book is in the "First Novel" category, so she won't be competing against Stephen King.

Well, I don't like PA, but I have nothing against their authors, so I wish her the best of luck.

DC

looking for the boogie man

The HWA is an organization that advocates for professional writers. Part of that stance is a belief that writers should be paid fairly for their labor.

Many people who are members of HWA and I am one of them have been burned in deals with POD publishers. Some people feel like it is a valuable thing to warn others.

Never once on the HWA message boards or at a live meeting have I heard anyone make judgements about the quality of some one's writing because that writer made a bad business decision.

I think many HWA members will take advantage of Ms Wood's offer to check out a PDF of her book, or will look at the on line sample she has posted. She's up against some very stiff competition and having taken my voting responsiblity seriously and checked out all the folks recommended in that category I really doubt that she will make it to the final ballot. Not because of bias against her for choosing PA but for what is the horror, to me of PA, the idea of premature publication. With proper seasoning this very talented insightful woman could be a very good writer. But, she published without editing and without the lessons learned from an edit. The competition seems to have produced some work that is way ahead of her.

I've seen quite a bit of a pre-emptive strike on a few message boards and I find it a bit off putting, if this talented newcomer does not get on the final ballot, I believe that it is because other talented newcomers were a tad more patient, maybe their first published novel was not their first novel, and maybe the work I have read of their's was edited.

Many many HWA members are pretty supportive of POD and self-publishing, in fact it is a constant topic on the message boards of that organization.

Any belief that Ms Wood might not make the final ballot because of a bias against POD demonstrates a lack of knowledge of HWA.

and

The way she got "the stoker nod" as you put it is that members of the organization recomended her work.

That's how her work got on the preliminary ballot.
People in that organization that you are saying would not consider her work because it was published with a particular company recommended it. That's the only way things get to the preliminary ballot.

Re: and

The reason certain members of HWA rant about PoD is because they've had first-hand experience with PoD.

Armed guards at PA convention?

I kid y'all not, I was reading another board, and one of the PA authors in attendance at their recent convention stated that there were armed guards there, she asked one of them why, and was told it was to insure that there would be no problems. Amazing....

Re: Armed guards at PA convention?

that cracked me up when I read it as well... the only reason to have thugs there (who, btw, cost PA about twenty bucks an hour - my old industry) would be if they figured there'd be angry peeps there either drunk or who asked the "tough" questions... like, any of us...

it's sad and funny at the same time - they also ran out of food (!) and someone pulled the fire alarm to get them out of the hotel before they got too upset over the lack of food....

I've been to kids' birthday parties that were better run, by the sound of it.

Interesting

What forum and topic were you at? I'd like to read what was stated.

Re: Armed guards at PA convention?

Oh, for pity's sake! Rent-a-cops and a fire alarm? Any number of conventions I've been to have had both, and more, and worse besides.

Re: Armed guards at PA convention?

when you accept almost anything, you have to be careful who might show up. I'd want armed guards too, just in case.

Re: Armed guards at PA convention?

here's some more philosophy of the dollar:

www.publishamerica.com/cg...s/1034.htm

apparently, it's a transcendental experience. too bad i'm missing it. wait, wait! i got paid more for my short story in an online magazine than they did for their novel. now, i don't feel so bad.

my favorite by far:

The dollar establishes the fact that PA is a traditional publisher and that PA is paying you for the right to publish your book.

Click to expand...

all of this on another plane of existence, of course...

Re: Armed guards at PA convention?

I personally enjoyed this bit of complete anti-Semetic filth on the same thread:

It is suitable for framing when you get it but it is just that moment of excitement when you get it in the mail. It may be a 'good luck' charm too like someone told me many years ago that the Jews always framed their first dollar they made on a sale for good luck.

And before anyone jumps me because she did not know it was feeding into and part of a lengthy history of absolute hate that ended up with death camps spread across Europe, I do not care, racism, anti-Semetism, and homophobia are not defended by aww I did not know.

That particular urban legend is part and parcel of a whole bunch of hatred.

Here's the thread with the reference...

...to the armed guards at the PA Convention:

www.mindsightseries.com/d...1078387652

and the beat goes on...

www.publishamerica.com/cg...n/9270.htm

so the $100 is going all for publicity, really... the woman's not going to make a dime off of it...

may I be the first to offer these authors a chance to buy the Brooklyn Bridge? If they're buying this one...



and then they have to bring their own books, to boot!

*shakes head*

Anti-Semitism

>> I personally enjoyed this bit of complete anti-Semetic filth on the same thread:<<

I saw this too. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I wondered if it was naive of me to be surprised that this kind of ignorance still exists.

- Victoria

and

What I find more appalling is that no one on the PA board called her on it.

Maybe someone did respond

...and the post was pulled?

Lisa