Troubled: What should I do?

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

Today I opened my local paper to find a one page article on a local teacher who made the grade by having her novel published by PUBLISHAMERICA. They went on about how wonderful it was that PublishAmerica accepted her manuscript within 6 days. For those not in the know, it reads like a publication success. As an aside it mentioned other local authors to check out. One of them was the respected Canadian author Ted Barris. This paper has made a grave error. If I were to write to the reporter and let her know, how would I do this without making it sound like sour grapes. Is there an article or SOMETHING I can source link for her to find out the truth for herself? Should I just do nothing? Here's a link to the article. In the newspaper edition, there is an email address for the reporter. If you click on the reporter's name in the below link it will bring up an email.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/91957

Thoughts, please. It really bugs me that this company gets ligitimate publicity from these scammed writers who have no idea they've just been taken. This woman has nothing to be proud of.

Robert Toy · Jan 20, 2008

KTC said:
Today I opened my local paper to find a one page article on a local teacher who made the grade by having her novel published by PUBLISHAMERICA. They went on about how wonderful it was that PublishAmerica accepted her manuscript within 6 days. For those not in the know, it reads like a publication success. As an aside it mentioned other local authors to check out. One of them was the respected Canadian author Ted Barris. This paper has made a grave error. If I were to write to the reporter and let her know, how would I do this without making it sound like sour grapes. Is there an article or SOMETHING I can source link for her to find out the truth for herself? Should I just do nothing? Here's a link to the article. In the newspaper edition, there is an email address for the reporter. If you click on the reporter's name in the below link it will bring up an email.

http://newsdurhamregion.com/news/oshawa/article/91957

Thoughts, please. It really bugs me that this company gets ligitimate publicity from these scammed writers who have no idea they've just been taken. This woman has nothing to be proud of.

Here are 3 links that I quickly pulled up...there are 100's but I wanted to stay away from Blogs and Forum comments.

http://lib.colostate.edu/howto/publr-com.html

http://www.poewar.com/publish-america-ordered-to-repay-author/

http://boardreader.com/tp/Publish+America.html

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

Yes...thanks, Robert. Much. I wanted to send something that was more than blog and forum. Thanks much.

edgyllama · Jan 20, 2008

That second link isn't so great. The writer says things straight of PA's playbook:

Also remember that it is always your responsibility to promote your work, no matter who publishes you.

Which is totally wrong.

Christine N. · Jan 20, 2008

It's not wrong. It IS the author's responsibility to PROMOTE - do blogs, appearances, have a website, etc...

It is NOT the author's responsibility to MARKET. People get degrees in marketing; most of them aren't authors.

James D. Macdonald · Jan 20, 2008

There's this article from the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20

See also the Atlanta Nights affair. PublishAmerica will publish anything, regardless of merit. The average PA book sells 75 copies, primarily to the author, and the author's family and friends. They rely on exorbitant prices and minimal production values to make a profit on those low sales figures.

jamiehall · Jan 20, 2008

Here's one from the Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20

Edited to add: great minds think alike!

althrasher · Jan 20, 2008

I would do something to get hold of the teacher. Yeah, maybe it's her fault and she should have researched, but I'd hate to see somebody get scammed.

James D. Macdonald · Jan 20, 2008

Here's an article from the Associated Press: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05022/446283.stm

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

Thanks to all. I just spent the last hour drafting an email to the reporter. I just sent it. Fortunately, I found the Washington Post article on my own, but thank you for posting the link.

althrasher...I hear you loud and clear. I wish I could get in touch with her, but she is already in over her head. The book is published. I bet she doesn't know that she's just jumped into the hotpot. I really can't believe that people don't research prior to submitting. I guess it's the cynic in me. I would never submit prior to investigating the company.

I will let you know if I get a reply and what it says.

Thanks.
Kevin

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

Thanks James...I've just been reading that one. It looks great. I wish I had found it prior to clicking send. I will keep it for future use.

Thanks.

Maryn · Jan 20, 2008

Kevin, our local paper has a Local Authors column every Sunday. Some are legitimate authors, but more often they're self-published, sometimes by PublishAmerica. I wrote to the section editor about a year ago, and for a while the names of the vanity presses were replaced with "self-published." That only lasted a few months. I guess the local authors didn't want the item to appear if it said that, so they didn't have enough submissions to run the column weekly.

Maryn, who found it demoralizing

kristie911 · Jan 20, 2008

There have been a couple of authors in our local paper that were published by PA. They were obviously clueless but thrilled. I hate seeing it but I don't want to be the one to burst their bubble either. I'm always afraid it will just look like sour grapes.

Kristie, who really doesn't like to hurt other people's feelings

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

I was afraid it would look like sour grapes, too, Kristie. I was very careful and stated only the facts. It may still come across as sour grapes. We shall see. See...I'm okay with self publishing. Though I would never do it myself, I don't have a problem with others doing it. Why or why did they not just present themselves as printers? I will never get that. I know people who were taken in...I know I might get accused behind my back of being jealous or a bubble burster...but I always tell them. I told one woman I was sorry I couldn't buy her book because it was published by PA. I wonder what she thinks of me...but I will never purchase one, not even from a friend.

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

I find it demoralizing too, Maryn.

Toothpaste · Jan 20, 2008

I'd be interested to see the letter you wrote, KTC, do you feel it is appropriate to post it here?

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

See, what I should have done was posted it here first...to get suggestions on editing, etc, prior to sending it. It's sent now. I don't want to find out that it's a mess. If and when I get a reply, I will post both here. The writer in me is reluctant to do so at the moment.

benbradley · Jan 20, 2008

What about also writing a "Letter To The Editor" responding to the article and warning about PA? It would likely get published in the paper, and though it wouldn't be read by everyone who read the original article, it WOULD get the message out to the public.

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

I thought about that. I also wondered if the reporter who did the piece would just ignore my email...as it would look bad on her for publishing the article in the first place.

Robert Toy · Jan 20, 2008

KTC said:
I was afraid it would look like sour grapes, too, Kristie. I was very careful and stated only the facts. It may still come across as sour grapes. We shall see. See...I'm okay with self publishing. Though I would never do it myself, I don't have a problem with others doing it. Why or why did they not just present themselves as printers? I will never get that. I know people who were taken in...I know I might get accused behind my back of being jealous or a bubble burster...but I always tell them. I told one woman I was sorry I couldn't buy her book because it was published by PA. I wonder what she thinks of me...but I will never purchase one, not even from a friend.

A friend of mine uses Brown Books Publishing in Dallas, they have a wide range of services for the self publishing maket, and a wide range of published books. Unlike most publishers, they actually provide a search function for the books they published/printed, quite an impressive list. But you pay.

http://www.brownbooks.com/

http://www.brownbooks.com/books/type.asp?iType=40&listing=author

brianm · Jan 20, 2008

Our local paper, The Desert Sun, has a "Letters to the Editor" section. I'd send it to the paper in response to the article, if your paper has that kind of section.

Just because you haven't been commercially published doesn't mean you don't know what you are talking about. Although, a sour grapes response is the norm from PA authors.

There are hordes of actors out there that haven't landed roles in a film or TV show, but they can smell a scam faster than a free lunch at the studio commissary.

(Do they still have those? :Shrug:

)

KTC · Jan 20, 2008

I wasn't expecting a reply today, being as it's Sunday. But I got one.

Hello Kevin,

Thanks for the feedback, we'll check it out.

Jillian

I'll let you know if I hear anything else. Not really the reply I was expecting, but it's something. I hope they really do check it out. I imagine a Google check will now bring up this thread, anyway...

Toothpaste · Jan 20, 2008

If you think this is just them brushing you off, why not send it in the to Letters to the Editor thing? You could refine it as you see fit. I see no problem in doing both.

shakeysix · Jan 20, 2008

if i know teachers, and i do, once she figures out the scam she will be hollering bloody murder. --s6

JulieB · Jan 20, 2008

Robert Toy said:
A friend of mine uses Brown Books Publishing in Dallas, they have a wide range of services for the self publishing maket, and a wide range of published books. Unlike most publishers, they actually provide a search function for the books they published/printed, quite an impressive list. But you pay.

http://www.brownbooks.com/

http://www.brownbooks.com/books/type.asp?iType=40&listing=author

I recognized a couple of names, but only because I live in the Dallas area.

Yes, you pay. At least they seem to be very up-front about what they do.

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