The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

[Kevin Yarbrough]

Kevin, I'm thinking we could start our own cult. There would be no Kool-Aid in the Kult of the Krispy Kreme. Your eyes might glaze over from sugar OD, but it won't poison you. Oh, and we'd have some of Christine's brownies, too, just to keep things lively. There will be absolutely no book peddling! No mortgaging the house to buy, buy, buy the book you can already quote in your sleep. And no Enforcers. 'Ya think?

I might not have to mortgage my house to by my books but I would have to to buy all of those delicious Krispy Kreme donuts. And we might need enforcers. Someone would have to keep Ed from stealing all of our donuts and you would also need someone to pull the fire alarm when the donuts were almost gone.

So, can I be the engimatic prez of this new cult? I think I got a kinda cute, scary and "he looks psychotic" look. I can persuade people to follow us blindly, and send out emails saying...

"Since this is a wonderful time we are offering this special on boxes of Kripsy Kreme donuts.

50-100 boxes, 40% discount and you get royalties.
101-150 boxes, 50% discount and you get royalties.
151 and up boxes, 60% discount and you get royalties.

And as always, you can sell the boxes for whatever your price. In fact, we encourage you to do so. After all, how else will we get more people to join us?

If you have any questions feel free to email me.
KKCultprez@don'ttakethattonewithme.com

Hey to all the newbies. Glad to see you here. Just be careful where you step, a lot of us here are full of it and we like to spread it around.

 

[Christine N.]

I don't think my brownies would liven ANYTHING up. But they might mellow you out LOL.

I'm such a dunderhead. All this time, and I have a different point of view for people. My sister works for a publisher, not far from where I live. They publish some of those books that Uncle Jim likes to remind us don't belong on bookstore shelves - medical textbooks. When I went to college, one that her company published was required for a course.

Anywho, she's not involved in the actual publishing. She sets up meetings for doctors, all over the country, and sometimes overseas. (Lucky duck got to go to Paris last year) Her job is to is in the distribution and promotion of her company's textbooks, mostly during conventions of opthamologists or dermatolgists or whatever.

She works hard, both at the meetings and the companies' booth. Point is, that company, not even maistream publishing, puts up tons of money to get their books into the hands of the intended audience.

I'm not sure what that has to do with PA, except that it's another model of a real publisher. And the company is not that big, and they're in Southern New Jersey, in an industrial park, not anywhere near New York.

 

[CaoPaux]

Textbooks. Now there's a racket.

*cough* Um, where was I? Oh, yeah, has anyone heard from pete-awes since his lambasting?

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/lounge/8068.htm

 

[Sher2]

That is sad. And it makes me angry that PA would do that. This is me, doling out punishment --->

I seem to remember reading (somewhere in this thread) that PA is one of the only printers of this sort that allows minors to sign up with them. Maybe the only one. The vanity presses (that is, the ones honest enough to admit that they have a fee instead of hiding their fees) don't do this.

I know there's at least one other minor who posts on the PA boards. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to learn there are others. I wouldn't put anything past PA. They may well be looking at this type of situation with dollar signs in their eyes; i.e., these children will be 9-days wonders with lots of relatives, teachers, and schoolmates lining up to buy copies because of the sheer novelty of it. I know it's a moot point (because it'll never happen), but PA ought to be ashamed.

 

[Sher2]

Someone would have to keep Ed from stealing all of our donuts and you would also need someone to pull the fire alarm when the donuts were almost gone.

Well, yeah, there is that.

So, can I be the engimatic prez of this new cult? I think I got a kinda cute, scary and "he looks psychotic" look. I can persuade people to follow us blindly, and send out emails saying...

Nope, no prez, no Big 3, no blind following. It's gonna be a democratic kult. We might have to put the kibosh on dramatic escapades, though, although we will let people take that tone with us.

Hey, Christine, "mellow" was what I was going for.

 

[Gratian Gasparri]

So, do I just chalk up this book or better yet the entire trilogy because of PA? I invested years in these books and now that a TRADITIONAL publisher is interested in them, I can't get my rights back with the first one!!

Uncle Jim is right, talk to a lawyer well-versed in this aspect of the law. Additionally, you could just change the name of the characters and use the second book as the start of the Trilogy. Then in seven years when PA releases the first book, make the appropriate name changes and reintroduce it as the prequel. Just thinking aloud.

 

[Jaws]

Something on another thread punched one of my buttons. And then I saw it here, too. So don't take this personally…

There is nothing wrong with a trade or a craft. But there are no professional authors. A "professional" has formal training and qualifications of some sort, is licensed, is regulated, and if he/she commits misconduct can be removed from the profession. Neither authors nor agents are "professionals." (Nor, for that matter, are "professional athletes," except perhaps boxers.) So, therefore, I am sick of hearing about "professional authors do or don't do x"—because there aren't any. It's just a rhetorical label, like calling the study of politics and government "political science." However, it's a misleading label.

OK. I've got that out for now. (I'm extra grumpy about the issue right now because I've just been forced to send a naughtly lawyer to the ethics commission.)

PS Before I was a lawyer, I was a professional of another kind. In my career, we managed violence. (I'm dead serious—that's the academic description of what military officers do.)

 

[Jaws]

Uncle Jim is right, talk to a lawyer well-versed in this aspect of the law. Additionally, you could just change the name of the characters and use the second book as the start of the Trilogy. Then in seven years when PA releases the first book, make the appropriate name changes and reintroduce it as the prequel. Just thinking aloud.

Authors, don't try this at home!

Republishing works already under contract can be done. But it should be done only under a professional's guidance—and I don't mean a "professional editor" (see my last post…)! It requires a lot more than just changing names and swapping things around.

 

[momwrites]

What else does it require? The only problem I have is that the first two books are written and the last one is in the works, meaning when I get a traditional publisher to accept the last two books, they're going to want the first one too, right?

I self-published my first novel with Xlibris and am now rewriting it and can do whatever I want with it, because they didn't take my rights.
Dang them PA! #@$%&*

Authors, don't try this at home!

Republishing works already under contract can be done. But it should be done only under a professional's guidance—and I don't mean a "professional editor" (see my last post…)! It requires a lot more than just changing names and swapping things around.

 

[priceless1]

So, do I just chalk up this book or better yet the entire trilogy because of PA? I invested years in these books and now that a TRADITIONAL publisher is interested in them, I can't get my rights back with the first one!!

Hi Momwrites, I rarely post, but I felt compelled to jump in here. My suggestion to you is definitely do not give up on your series. Get a lawyer and see what can be done to get your rights back.

I seriously am thinking of changing the title, revising it and sending it to another publisher. After all, its not the same book.

NO, NO, NO. I know you're upset right now, but don't blow your reputation by doing something smarmy. I, for one, check authors, and I know other publishers who do as well. If you're caught in a lie, that's curtains for your credibility and you'll never be given a second chance to make a first impression. There are few things that frost me more than discovering I've been lied to.

Look at it this way: Is this a good way to honor your work?

 

[James D. Macdonald]

Diana Hignutt got the first book of her trilogy back from PA. It can be done.

 

[momwrites]

You're right. It just makes me sick to see my hard work going down the drain. Does anyone have advice on who I should look for in a lawyer?

I have never had to do anything like this before and feel a little lost.

Thanks, in advance.

NO, NO, NO. I know you're upset right now, but don't blow your reputation by doing something smarmy. I, for one, check authors, and I know other publishers who do as well. If you're caught in a lie, that's curtains for your credibility and you'll never be given a second chance to make a first impression. There are few things that frost me more than discovering I've been lied to.

Look at it this way: Is this a good way to honor your work?

 

[momwrites]

HOW?? Please tell me!

Diana Hignutt got the first book of her trilogy back from PA. It can be done.

 

[Gratian Gasparri]

Authors, don't try this at home!

Republishing works already under contract can be done. But it should be done only under a professional's guidance—and I don't mean a "professional editor" (see my last post…)! It requires a lot more than just changing names and swapping things around.

I have pulled the original post and will defer to your expertise, but would the book still be under contract in seven years' time? (I'm also assuming that one would be upfront with the publisher before attempting to re-rlease it.)

 

[Ed Williams]

The reason I asked Uncle Jim about query letters...

...is that I wanted y'all to see what sending one means. Basically, you send a query letter to a publisher describing something you have written, and the whole goal of the letter is to create enough interest in your writing to get the publisher to request the completed manuscript. A favorable response shows that the publisher thinks the project could possibly be viable, and therefore they want to take a look at the entire work.

Okay, given that, and given how PA claims to be selective in what they publish, I decided to have some fun and send them a query letter. I am putting it up in my next posting, y'all decide just how viable the proposal is, and just how quality conscious PublishAmerica is re their response....

 

[Dolan]

Beijing Book Fair

See you around, suckers. Me and my PA author pals are soon off to the Beijing, China, Book Fair. They will get our books placed on bookstore shelves. I'm about to hit the big time!

 

[Alphabeter]

Psst Dolan. Lighten up on Christine's brownies. They're giving you sugar shock.

Now if you want to get your PA book into a real live bookstore with shelves. I have this great idea. It will only cost you $5 per book, plus the book. And extra for mileage. But nevermind that now. All will be revealed in the extra fees bonus bill.

Mmm toasty.

 

[Ed Williams]

The query letter...

Hello,

My name is ** *******, and I live in Macon, Georgia. The past several years I have been working on a manuscript that I think has potential. I've interviewed probably thirty people who work for *****, and have thoroughly discussed their experiences as pesticide appliers. The stories they have to tell are remarkable, everything from termite infestations so bad that the home had to be evacuated, to one woman customer who wanted the insecticides applied to certain private areas of her body (this particular pesticide applier indicated that the lady might be a card short of a deck, and I tend to agree). The stories are sad, poignant, and even humorous in some cases.

This is the kind of quirky book that could sell. I can visit all the area ***** locations, and they will buy lots of them. I even have a newspaper columnist friend who loves movies like Willard, The Fly, and others, and I guarantee he will give us some coverage if I ask him.

The book comes in at around 70,000 words, and I can even provide pictures if desired. Thank you very much for considering me, I know this book can have a future.

** *******

P.S. I have the emailed copy, should anyone like to see it...

 

[Sher2]

Additionally, you could just change the name of the characters and use the second book as the start of the Trilogy. Then in seven years when PA releases the first book, make the appropriate name changes and reintroduce it as the prequel. Just thinking aloud.

I think that could work very well. It might require some tinkering around with the second book, but it would be worth the effort if you can make it work. I'd definitely start working on it from that perspective.

 

[SeanDSchaffer]

James D. MacDonald

Yes, I think I will take you up on your suggestion to read the whole Neverending Thread. It's been an interesting read so far, if I may use that terminology.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Ed Williams]

The answer from PA....

Dear Mr. *******:

Upon reviewing your query letter, I would like to invite you to send your
complete manuscript to us. Please send your complete manuscript to the
below mentioned mailing address.

Please include:
* Your Complete Manuscript
* Any pictures you want considered for the manuscript (if you don't have
pictures yet, please include a note that you will be including pictures in
the final draft of the manuscript)
* An Author Bio
* An email address through which you can be contacted.

If emailing your submission, please send to: [email protected].
Please put "submission" in the subject line of the email along with your
book's title. As we receive many submissions via email, please title your
files with the book's title followed by what the file contains. (EX: book
title is The Hobbit. Author Bio file: The Hobbit Author Bio. Manuscript
file: The Hobbit).

If mailing your submission, please mail to:
PublishAmerica
Attn: Nikol Destatte
PO Box 151
Frederick MD 21705

We understand that choosing a publishing company is no easy task. We
welcome you to learn more about PublishAmerica as the prospective publisher
for your book by visiting: http://www.publishamerica.com/facts/index.htm

We look forward to receiving your submission package.

May we please know how you learned of PublishAmerica?

Nikol Destatte
Assistant Acquisitions Editor
PublishAmerica
[email protected]
Nikol Destatte
Assistant Acquisitions Editor
PublishAmerica
[email protected]

Folks, they will publish anything...

 

[Sher2]

Hello,

My name is ** *******, and I live in Macon, Georgia. The past several years I have been working on a manuscript that I think has potential. I've interviewed probably thirty people who work for *****, and have thoroughly discussed their experiences as pesticide appliers. The stories they have to tell are remarkable, everything from termite infestations so bad that the home had to be evacuated, to one woman customer who wanted the insecticides applied to certain private areas of her body (this particular pesticide applier indicated that the lady might be a card short of a deck, and I tend to agree). The stories are sad, poignant, and even humorous in some cases.

This is the kind of quirky book that could sell. I can visit all the area ***** locations, and they will buy lots of them. I even have a newspaper columnist friend who loves movies like Willard, The Fly, and others, and I guarantee he will give us some coverage if I ask him.

The book comes in at around 70,000 words, and I can even provide pictures if desired. Thank you very much for considering me, I know this book can have a future.

** *******

P.S. I have the emailed copy, should anyone like to see it...

I love it, Ed. Shoot, I'd even buy the book, just on general principle. I don't think PA even requires a query, though. I don't remember sending them one. I think that, like a big dummy, I simply clicked the "submission" button. We know, of course, that they read every single word sent to them.

 

[mdin]

lol. To be fair, I'd probably be interested in reading such a book. I like bugs almost as much as that CSI guy does.

 

[James D. Macdonald]

Folks, they will publish anything...

Well, yeah, but ... the book you described in the query could be great, or it could stink. All depends on how it's written.

Remember Watt-Evans' Law of Literary Creation: There is no idea so stupid or hackneyed that a sufficiently-talented writer can't get a good story out of it.

 

[lindylou45]

Found an interesting post on the PA board. This author wrote a how-to guide on ferret care. It's not printed yet, but she states that she has presold 500 copies.

Another question is do the 500 potential readers know how much this book is going to cost? I had several people tell me they were excited about my first book and couldn't wait to buy it. Then it came out at $19.95 for a trade paperback.

Very few people were willing to pay that price for the book. I wasn't made aware of the price of the book until after I had received my author copies. When I found out I was extremely embarrassed and certainly couldn't blame any of those people for not buying my book.