- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 69
- Location
- The gap between dimensions
- Website
- nexusman.atspace.com
House Elves - PA authors?
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/house_elves.html
I found this information above and it seemed to come right from the Voldeprint author support section:
House-elves is not suppsoed to have fun, Harry Potter. House-elves does what they is told.' Winky the house-elf
Stands on a corner offering out socks. I shall start with you, Carl. Here... catch....
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/bestiary/house_elves.html
I found this information above and it seemed to come right from the Voldeprint author support section:
House-elves is not suppsoed to have fun, Harry Potter. House-elves does what they is told.' Winky the house-elf
Stands on a corner offering out socks. I shall start with you, Carl. Here... catch....
Well, after that post, I can't think why. The very soul of humility and modesty is you, guv.Alien Enigma said:
Ackcherly, whether a "guestbook slimer" mentions this forum in its post has absolutely no bearing on where the slimer is from. Think about it. Were you physically unable to mention the Water Cooler until the moment you registered? Of course not.
The system going is, the mods here invite anyone whose guestbook has been slimed to privately message them (the mods) with their (the slimers') IP addresses. If there is a match between the IP address of the slimer and the IP address of an AW Water Cooler member, that member gets banned. No exceptions, no favoritism. It's been done. Do a search in the Old NEPAT and you'll find examples.
Seriously, if you have a guestbook, and it's been slimed, send the slimer's IP address on in to anyone with a "mod squad" or "moderator" designation. They'll check up. IP addresses are much better proof of origination than any particular code phrase in the slimer's message.
Hon, even if I did, there's no guarantee PA would send you the royalties. PA has a documented reputation for stiffing its victims^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hauthors.
Edited To Add: Hey, I once had a coworker by your name. We did web design for a community college in southern Oregon. Any relation?
Jeffrey,
Your post will not be deleted. Go look up some of my old posts, before I got my first royalty cheque ($0.00, in case you're wondering,) and had my eyes opened. They were arrogant and totally irrational. I do happen to believe in PA authors. I just don't believe in PA anymore. Hey, it's good to see I'm not the only one up at 4 a.am.
Your post will not be deleted. Go look up some of my old posts, before I got my first royalty cheque ($0.00, in case you're wondering,) and had my eyes opened. They were arrogant and totally irrational. I do happen to believe in PA authors. I just don't believe in PA anymore. Hey, it's good to see I'm not the only one up at 4 a.am.
Jeffrey, I do wish you the best. I really hope that your book becomes a bestseller. But I don't think it's right to expect other authors to be your customers. I mean, it's like trying to adopt out your baby to a woman who just had triplets. Not really fair, in my mind. But once again, best of luck to you and your book.
MacAllister
Tired and worried.
El Jefe
Administrator
Super Moderator
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
VPX
Super Member
Registered
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 22,039
- Reaction score
- 10,839
- Location
- Out on a limb
- Website
- macallisterstone.com
Nicole LeBoeuf said:
I'm a mod. I'll vouch for this. If you've been Amazon slammed or guestbook slimed, please feel free to contact me either on this board, or you're welcome to email me--macallisterstone AT yahoo.com.
I'm a mod. I'll vouch for this. If you've been Amazon slammed or guestbook slimed, please feel free to contact me either on this board, or you're welcome to email me--macallisterstone AT yahoo.com.
Jeffery, you might want to spend some time reading the material in the PA threads--and elsewhere on this board--before you make assumptions about how AW works. You're flinging accusations at the people here without any idea of what's actually been going on. How would you like to be accused of doing rotten things you didn't do by someone who doesn't understand the true situation at all?Alien Enigma said:
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 7,705
- Reaction score
- 1,336
- Location
- Where the Wild Things Are
- Website
- www.christine-norris.com
Drive-by or no? It will be interesting to see if he sticks around for reasonable debate or just runs away like the rest. I'm not trying to provoke him, just wondering out loud.
A few questions for Jeffey:
How many books have you sold? Divide that - how many have you personally sold to people face to face, vs how many were sold to people you didn't know or meet?
Why does PA "fit in with your plans perfectly?" I'm interested to know what that means. Really.
How many bookstores were you able to get to carry your book - and by that I mean order it and stock it, not on consignment.
How many books have you bought? Now, if you have a speaking thing/book selling thing going on , well, that's different. I mean how many have you bought to hawk to people on the street/ store in your basement.
Honest questions - just want honest answers. It's always interesting to hear other points of view, as long as we can engage in a conversation and not a mud-throwing contest.
Unlike PA, Jefferey, your posts will not be deleted (unless they break Jenna's first rule of 'respect your fellow authors') - they may be moved if off-topic, but not deleted. And you will not be banned, unless, again, you violate the rules of this board. Which compared to PA's are downright indulgent.
No, sorry, I won't buy your book. With no knowledge of what it's about, it may not appeal to me. I know it wasn't edited, except with spellcheck, and I don't want to pay PA's overinflated prices, nor do I wish to line the criminals pockets.
You go buy my book, if it suits you.
A few questions for Jeffey:
How many books have you sold? Divide that - how many have you personally sold to people face to face, vs how many were sold to people you didn't know or meet?
Why does PA "fit in with your plans perfectly?" I'm interested to know what that means. Really.
How many bookstores were you able to get to carry your book - and by that I mean order it and stock it, not on consignment.
How many books have you bought? Now, if you have a speaking thing/book selling thing going on , well, that's different. I mean how many have you bought to hawk to people on the street/ store in your basement.
Honest questions - just want honest answers. It's always interesting to hear other points of view, as long as we can engage in a conversation and not a mud-throwing contest.
Unlike PA, Jefferey, your posts will not be deleted (unless they break Jenna's first rule of 'respect your fellow authors') - they may be moved if off-topic, but not deleted. And you will not be banned, unless, again, you violate the rules of this board. Which compared to PA's are downright indulgent.
No, sorry, I won't buy your book. With no knowledge of what it's about, it may not appeal to me. I know it wasn't edited, except with spellcheck, and I don't want to pay PA's overinflated prices, nor do I wish to line the criminals pockets.
You go buy my book, if it suits you.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Messages
- 25,582
- Reaction score
- 3,787
- Location
- New Hampshire
- Website
- madhousemanor.wordpress.com
I'm delighted that PA is working out for you, Jeffery.
What exactly are your goals?
What exactly are your goals?
Last edited:
Alien Enigma said:
I'm not a frequent member of this board (because I don't have enough time for writing as is) but as I understood it, posts from the PAMB are reposted only when they exhibit some aspect of how PA is a scam, or how it's different from a commercial publisher.
Since those posts sometimes show ignorance on the part of the writer, the names are left off to spare that person embarrassment. The prevailing philosophy here is to help writers, not make them feel bad about having said or done something stupid.
Some people have suggested in the past that people working for or sympathetic to PA are responsible both for the guestbook slimings and for linking it to AW. There's no way of knowing for sure unless we can trace or match IP addresses, but it's an interesting theory, isn't it?
As for posting or not posting, that's totally up to you. I'd suggest looking at some of the other forums that AW has to offer, if you choose to stick around.
I'm not sure why you're giving yourself code names like Enigma and talking about yourself in the third person ... but whatever makes you happy, dude.
Well ... no. And that's kind of rude and pushy, don't you think?
I do hope you stick around, actually, cause I think you have a lot to learn.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2005
- Messages
- 3,942
- Reaction score
- 965
- Age
- 74
Alien Enigma said:
Jeff, old sock, if you're happy with PA, I for one am thrilled for you. I wasn't, mind. Granted, back in 2001, when I signed my PA contract, there was almost nothing known about them. Thus, I took all their promises at face value. My bad, and I take full responsibility for my inattention.
It was a hard lesson learned. My next three books were agented, and subsequently contracted with a mid-sized commercial house. For me, I appreciate the way they've done it. I like having my novels stocked, on the shelves, in national chain bookstores, at a fair price, with standard returnability.
But as I said, maybe that's just me. Best of luck to you.
John
Post some info on all the bookstores where it can be found, and maybe someone will pop out to their local branch to have a look at it, browse the back cover, and then decide whether to buy it. That's the normal procedure when buying books.
I LOVE it how everyone in the PA boards ganged up on me, because I disagreed with them, originally the topic was building a myspace site to promote your books, now it has turned into a high schoolars attempt into who has more friends, and that to make sure I'm not one of them....HAHAHA...it's funny~J.Beth
Go make me some money and buy my book
Ah, no. but you can buy my book, "The Making of a Bestseller," and find out how the publishing industry really works.
Dee
Ah, no. but you can buy my book, "The Making of a Bestseller," and find out how the publishing industry really works.
Dee
PAMB today
Carl, Carl Carl...sighs, you seem to be a little confused. The sun shines on all AW threads, voices of reason are welcome and cherished and despite that, Jeffrey is still here, loud and proud. Perhaps you need to return back to basics starting with your ABCs. (BTW I know you loved the alternative versions, I know I did) xxx
PS Lies make baby Jesus cry.
Jeffrey:
Congratulations on your second book. BTW read your post on THAT other forum. Of course you've incited the usual feeding frenzy. Voices of reason are not acceptable over there and must be drowned. If you are too reasonable, you get moved to a thread where the sun don't shine.
Carl, Carl Carl...sighs, you seem to be a little confused. The sun shines on all AW threads, voices of reason are welcome and cherished and despite that, Jeffrey is still here, loud and proud. Perhaps you need to return back to basics starting with your ABCs. (BTW I know you loved the alternative versions, I know I did) xxx
PS Lies make baby Jesus cry.
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2005
- Messages
- 1,692
- Reaction score
- 252
- Location
- near Atlanta, Georgia
- Website
- madscientistmatt.blogspot.com
Alien Enigma said:
Welcome to Absolute Write. May I ask what your plans are, and how PublishAmerica fits them?
I will refrain from calling you an oddball unless your plan is to sell several thousand copies of your book to the general public and make money at it.
I hope you are not posting from an alternative universe where PublishAmerica books can be found on the shelves of every bookstore, where the top book from PA has outsold Harry Potter, the Author Support Team has never sent an email claiming "Do not take that tone with us. Your message is barely coherrant," and PA's business model is markedly different. Because if you do not inhabbit the same world that I do, or reality and facts change willy-nilly depending on who you are, we can have no meaningful dialog. It would be like two engineers trying to design a steam engine in different mirror universes where the laws of thermodynamics differ.
I refuse to have a debate without objective reality. I got into a debate with a total relativist once and he cheated by disbelieving in me. While I was trying to come up with a rebuttal, I suddenly ceased to exist. The experience was rather painful, and I haven't been allowed back in that reality again.
On the other hand, if you are willing to concede that we occupy the same reality and merely have different perceptions about it and different beliefs about what the nature of this reality is, I hope you'll stick around and we can discuss those different beliefs.
I haven't been doing this myself, but copying posts can lead to quite a dilemma. Many people have found that posts by PA authors are useful for illustrating PA's business model and contrasting it with that of commercial publishers. Unfortunately, naming the writer can get you accused of mocking someone and singling out an author to pick on, while leaving them anonymous can invite accusations such as yours. Do you, and other authors on the PA message board, hold a consistant position on this?
I certainly hope that you will stick around and share your perspective. I may be arguing with you right now, but my curiousity about how PA fits your goals is genuine.
And I recieved dozens of emails from people claiming to be Suha Arafat, widow of Yassar Arafat. Most of them were claiming that they needed help of a foreign businessman to move a couple million bucks out of Israel. You don't think they were really from the Arafat family, do you?
As a matter of fact, we have a standing policy that any guestbook slimer found posting at AW will be banned. You may see an example of this in action at this post. If you have had the Slimer hit your own guestbook, please post the IP address of the slimer if available.
I doubt you'll be banned at all. I may disagree with you, but I'd like to see you say your part and more fully articulate why you believe PublishAmerica to be the right publisher for you.
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2005
- Messages
- 3,351
- Reaction score
- 968
- Location
- Mid-life Crisisland
- Website
- www.freewebs.com
Alien Enigma said:
Jeff, If I can give you just one piece of advice it would be this: believing in yourself is one thing, but constantly telling others how great you are is something else entirely. Saying it doesn't make it happen; as a matter of fact, greatness often goes unrecognized by the "masses", but not because they refuse to acknowledge it. It's because it sometimes takes years for people to notice how one person has helped others countless times without asking for anything in return.
That, my friend, is true greatness.
If you're truly interested in a meaningful discussion, then pull out some facts, speak plainly, answer truthfully, and, by all means, stick around. If you're only interested in going back to boast how you belled the cat, that only indicates your own breed. Take your choice.
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
- Messages
- 311
- Reaction score
- 69
- Location
- The gap between dimensions
- Website
- nexusman.atspace.com
One who does something well should have no need to boast and one who does something poorly should not draw attention to it.
-Nick
-Nick
Alien Enigma said:
Admittedly, your book looks interesting. In fact the concept looks like something that many folks who read my monthly book review might enjoy. But as I was explaining to Janet, I am not likely to review your book.
I am even less likely to purchase it.
Nothing personal. I'm sure you're a good person who sincerely aspires to be a writer. The problem is your publisher. As I said to Janet, here is is why I would never purchase your book:
1) High cover price. (Over $20 for a 77 page book once you take the exchange rate and increased cross-border S&H costs into consideration.)
2) I peruse your book in advance because PA books are not stocked in most bookstores or libraries. So I will probably go with something I'm a little more certain about.
3) I cannot impulse purchase it for the same reason.
4) PA's poor reputation within the industry makes me unwilling to risk my money and purchase a book over the internet, even when the title and synopsis looks interesting, as is the case with your book. I would take a chance on Stephen King or a book published by a traditional publisher, however, you're unknown to me as a writer and your publisher is too well known to me as a vanity press.
5) For some reason, you strike me as very similar to another PA writer I once knew by the name of HB Marcus.
Sorry. I'm not trying to be mean, but that's how publishing works.
Last edited:
I would have Carl know that the sun shines quite brightly upon the NEPAT Overflow thread, whither posts both reasonable and not get moved if they are not sufficiently on topic here. In fact, the sun shines so very brightly over there that the day I forgot my SPF50, the forehead of me went lobster-red.PAMB said:
That said, Jeff's post was perfectly on topic. I doubt it will get moved. And if he wants to adopt a speaking-of-self-in-third-person self-congratulatory so-over-the-top-who-could-take-it-seriously persona, what the heck. It's not like he's about to out-arrogant Haskins or anything.
Mwahahaha.
Jeff, if you're still about, I'd love to hear your answers to some of the questions you've been asked. You're not under attack; it's just helpful to know more details when someone says they're happy with PA. Me, personally, I wouldn't send my enemy's toy poodle over to PA because PA have been documented as dishonest, thieving, copyright-breaching, and just plain cruel. But if you are happy with them, that's entirely your decicion; all we ask is that you please speak further as to what your plans are and how PA fits with them. We'd like to better understand what sorts of situations result in actual happy PA authors.
We already know many of the situations that result in unhappy PA authors, y'see.