The Newer Never-Ending PublishAmerica / America Star Books Thread

DaveKuzminski

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Oh gosh, does this mean we'll have to reciprocate so PA can finally claim to have won an award? Hmmm, wonder how much PA should be charged?

Of course, I'm fairly certain PA doesn't want the one they've earned.

Just occurred to me: I hope PA doesn't think that each store will purchase a copy of the award to post on its wall.
 
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HapiSofi

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Right. Leonard Riggio's going to fall for this. He's a goody two-shoes naif, y'know.

Hell, any of the top execs in publishing would fall for it. They're all like that.
 

James D. Macdonald

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Right. Leonard Riggio's going to fall for this. He's a goody two-shoes naif, y'know.

Hell, any of the top execs in publishing would fall for it. They're all like that.

PA doesn't want Leonard Riggio to fall for anything. They don't care about him, or about Barnes & Noble. The only ones they want to fall for anything are their own authors. They're trying to trick their authors into buying more copies of their own books, again.

They're trying to suggest that B&N might, possibly, stock some lucky PA author's book (but only if the author buys enough copies of his own book to get his name listed on the award).

That's what it's all about. Unethical, immoral, but still skating along just-this-side of illegal.
 

Anon76

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He did visit a womens prison during a humanitarian Hellocopter trip. *sarcasm*
Probably recruiting new employees from a minimum wage work release program.

You know, that's so darn plausible it's not even funny.
 

Katrina S. Forest

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Okay, I'm calling the next PA offer:

"The 2010 PublishAmerica Author's Helper Award goes to... TREES!

PublishAmerica honors trees for their excellence in oxygen-production, helping our thousands of authors write their novels every day! So, in this special offer, we are giving you 95% off! Order however many books you want, and in honor of trees, we won't actually print or ship any of them! Save more trees by ordering more books that we don't print!"

Yeah, I think I need more sleep. ^_^;;
 

LexiCan

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I only post occasionally on these threads but...

Do they seriously send out new email offers like every other day?
I actually get one almost everyday. I only post the super outrageous ones.
 

narnia

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Just dropping in to tell a little story about my weekend.

I was in a small town that had one bookstore, an independent full of charm and character. I fell in love with it, and on impulse asked if they hosted book signings. (For future reference of course, :).)

She said, oh yes all the time! And then asked me if I had a book to promote. Not yet, I replied, but I am working on it. Well, she said, please don't be offended, but if you are using Publish America or a similar POD company, I'm sorry but we don't do those types of books.

I assured her that I was not, and she said she was relieved. She said the staff made an effort to steer new writers away from companies like that if they were serious about their writing.

The word is getting around!

:D
 

SC Harrison

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Yep. Just about every day. Today's quite possibly sets a new record for shamelessness, using puppies, kittens and Sarah McLachlan as unwitting accomplices in their scam:

Dear author, dear animal lover:

PublishAmerica helps rescuing animals this week. Dogs and cats that are subject to animal cruelty, pets that the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) works so hard to save.


Did you see that animal rescue commercial with singer Sarah McLachlan? "In The Arms Of An Angel." We have, we heard the call. Today we answer.



For each book that you help us sell this week we will donate two dollars to help the ASPCA rescue puppies and kittens from cruelty and help them find a safe home. That'll add up quickly! Together we could turn this into a many thousands of dollars gift. In fact, we will ask a committee of PublishAmerica authors to deliver the check!

Will your book help us help? Here's how we do it:

Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your book, use this discount coupon: PetWriter. There's no minimum order volume; each sold book is worth $2 of direct help. But there is also no maximum! Hardcovers and fullcolor books are included. And your discount is a big 50 pct!

In the Ordering Instructions box you may write a note to those animal rescue people. Also let us know if you want to be considered for delivering the donation check at ASPCA headquarters in Manhattan, New York. Write "Media Yes" if you want us to contact your local media: we're going to tell the world about this project.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, right. I'm sure that "personal note" will actually find its way into the hands of the animal rescue people.
 

Anon76

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Yep. Just about every day. Today's quite possibly sets a new record for shamelessness, using puppies, kittens and Sarah McLachlan as unwitting accomplices in their scam:



Yeah, right. I'm sure that "personal note" will actually find its way into the hands of the animal rescue people.

Hey mods, can we get a "bashes head on keyboard" icon.

Seriously, who was the brilliant mind that came up with this? That commercial has been on TV forever. Truly, PA owners, be more creative and in the loop. Have a campaign to send monies to the Gulf States to "Save our Shrimp" or "Save our Pelicans" and the like. Puppies and kittens are so passe right now.
 

DaveKuzminski

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Tomorrow, they'll do the "Save the Shrimp Campaign" followed the next day by the "Save the Pelicans Campaign" although the pelicans might not care about the shrimp.
 

merrihiatt

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Hey, PA, how about offering a REAL DEAL, tell the truth about how your business model is to sell books to your authors, not readers. Offer a decent price for authors to purchase their books ALL THE TIME, if they so choose. Stop sending the daily "special offers." Man up and simply admit who and what you are. You'll sleep better at night, really, you will.
 

BenPanced

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Hey mods, can we get a "bashes head on keyboard" icon.

Seriously, who was the brilliant mind that came up with this? That commercial has been on TV forever. Truly, PA owners, be more creative and in the loop. Have a campaign to send monies to the Gulf States to "Save our Shrimp" or "Save our Pelicans" and the like. Puppies and kittens are so passe right now.
:Headbang:
 

Chris P

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I normally chalk up my PA experience as I would a bad relationship from which I've moved on, but an email this afternoon caught my attention.

If I buy 19 copies of my book, it will be entered into a "Book of the Day" deal where everyone who buys any book that day (which could be as many as 150 customers, they say) will get one free copy of mine, no cost to me or them, and I get the normal royalties.

My book lists for $25. I buy 19 books, that's $475 I pay. Now, let's say I get royalties from books I bought myself (they've done it before). That's $38 coming back to me.

Now, PA has a banner day and gives out 150 copies of my book, that's equivalent to $3750 in sales. 8%, or $300, comes back to me in royalties.

Net profit to PA/loss to me: $137. $475 - 38 - 300. The math's so simple I figured it out literally sitting at a stop light on the way home.
 

Chris P

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If 365 people do this, it can be up to a year before they give out my books. Would you participate in a lottery where the payout was "only losing" $137 versus $437? The odds of "winning" being 1/365?
 

merrihiatt

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That's if PA actually sells 150 books in one day. 150 x 365 = 54,750. If the average PA book costs $24.95, that equals $1,366,013 PA is taking in (minus expenses and author royalties -- which they currently aren't even paying). If, of course, they really are selling 150 books per day. How much of that goes to their authors? Currently zero. The most recent royalty statements stated PA couldn't pay their authors because bookstores had reneged and not paid PA.

Need another reason not to sign with PA, how about that their business model is to sell books to you, their author, not bookstores, actual readers, or even libraries. They make their money by selling to their authors.

As Gil says, "Are you mad yet? You should be."
 

xXFireSpiritXx

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*slams head on desk* I...wha...I have no words for these promotions anymore. They go so beyond ridiculous it is laugh out loud funny.

Oh PA, are you possibly in your final death throws? What's next?

Buy books now and we will donate to the Megalodon research fund! Help discover the most ferocious species of shark ever to grace the waters! For every book you sell we will donate $.28.6 cents to help discover if these animals really are extinct!
 

Kweei

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I actually get one almost everyday. I only post the super outrageous ones.

Then, if you're an author and every single day you are being pushed to buy your books for one reason or another, often with the offers contradicting each other, wouldn't you stop and say, "hey wait a minute..."

I'm not trying to slam anyone here. Just trying to understand. Does it just not cross most people's minds? Too excited about being published? Or denial?
 

Anon76

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Then, if you're an author and every single day you are being pushed to buy your books for one reason or another, often with the offers contradicting each other, wouldn't you stop and say, "hey wait a minute..."

I'm not trying to slam anyone here. Just trying to understand. Does it just not cross most people's minds? Too excited about being published? Or denial?

But you see, by the time you are flooded with those offers you are locked into a seven year contract. They are sooooooo not going to hit you with this many emails before everthing is signed and dotted. After that, they have you snared A captive audience,
 

M.R.J. Le Blanc

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Probably a lot of denial. Things soon quickly go downhill for a lot of PA authors when books are missing, or errors show up in their books, or the price is turning people off from purchasing that they don't want to admit they've made a mistake. So they're more focused on selling their books any which way they can no one's stopping to think that something doesn't smell right. It's a very unique sort of entrapment that PA runs.