The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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JennaGlatzer

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Jeff said:
Time to find honest work, I guess. :)

Noooo! Not that! Anything but that!

Really, that's such a wild rationalization. Doesn't it cease to work when they notice that countless TV, print, and radio reporters are "bashers," too?

Jim: Serious question. A PA author asked me about Lulu and its costs. Am I correct that the only thing you had to pay for was the ISBN, in the realm of $30?
 

triceretops

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Welcome back, Jenna. Wait a minute, you didn't go anywhere. Only your voice did. Look forward to the show when it comes up on the site. Atta, girl!

Jim can answer this better, but Lulu has minimum start-up packages, I think, that range somewhere starting at $150--$200 or so. I did have a friend who said he just loved a $ 399.00 package he signed up for. These figures might be off, it's been awhile.

Tri
 

Gratian Gasparri

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Ed Williams said:
(My mother-in-law just asked if we could all go to the beach together this summer, sort of take a big family vacation together, if you will. I so badly want to tell her that I'd just as soon stick lit match sticks up my heiny....)

Hi Ed, what a coincidence, my mother-in-law was down for the weekend as well. Fortunately, she's the non-intrusive type. Even insists on staying at a hotel whenever she visits.
 

James D. Macdonald

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triceretops said:
Jim can answer this better, but Lulu has minimum start-up packages, I think, that range somewhere starting at $150--$200 or so. I did have a friend who said he just loved a $ 399.00 package he signed up for. These figures might be off, it's been awhile.

Lulu's minimum price is free, or $35 if you want an ISBN.

The $399 people are iUniverse, I think.
 

pepperlandgirl

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I have a book with lulu, and the only money I pay is when I order a copy, and then it's at cost. I think they even offer a discount if you order in bulk, but I've never explored that option because I only ever needed a copy....
 

Ed Williams

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Another new PA author...

...begins learning the painful truth:

I just saw that Amazon & B&N have my new
book listed at $19.95. When I searched
Amazon for other PA titles w/comparable
length, I found they're all selling for $16.95. I've
written Amazon & several people at PA
(yesterday) seeking an explanation, but so far
none have come.
I just can't figure why a 130 page book would
be priced the same as a 228 page book. Any
insight... anyone?
On another front, have y'all noticed that the PA boards now are comprised of almost all new authors? Having inexperienced authors on there benefits them, as they will mostly all say good things. I guess you could say they're in the honeymoon phase of the PA relationship - its like the new author is waiting in bed for their partner to get out of the bathroom, unaware of all the wrinkles and faded places that they're about to see....
 

Ed Williams

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In the "Whatever Happened To Department"...

Whatever happened to:

Multi-author signings?

The Independence Books program?

The much promoted partnership with the New York Times?

POD vs. POD?

The Nightie Girl? Did she and Tonto get banned along with their good friend Shemp?

Hollywood Squares? Modernizing the PA website index page?

Those 200 to 300 book a week release rates?

Those PA author conferences?
 

NancyMehl

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Linda, Linda!!!!

I know what backruptcy is!

It's what you get when you climb too high up the echelon ladder and you slip and fall!!!

(You'd know things like this if you had an aurora....)

Nancy
 

Memphis Ed

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Ed Williams said:
- its like the new author is waiting in bed for their partner to get out of the bathroom, unaware of all the wrinkles and faded places that they're about to see....

Bro Ed- I could have gone all night without this. Keeping on topic, however, PA does blow.

Now, all of you should be thinking of shutting down for a couple of hours and go watch the Elvis mini-series on CBS and then coming back here to disucss how wonderful Jenna is (because she is).
 

Sher2

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NancyMehl said:
Linda, Linda!!!!

I know what backruptcy is!

It's what you get when you climb too high up the echelon ladder and you slip and fall!!!

(You'd know things like this if you had an aurora....)

Nancy
Oh! I thought it was a ruptured aurora, resulting in boils erupting on the back. Good thing I decided not to be a doctor, huh?:roll:
 

Gravity

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Ed Williams said:
Whatever happened to:

Multi-author signings?

The Independence Books program?

The much promoted partnership with the New York Times?

POD vs. POD?

The Nightie Girl? Did she and Tonto get banned along with their good friend Shemp?

Hollywood Squares? Modernizing the PA website index page?

Those 200 to 300 book a week release rates?

Those PA author conferences?

Ed, Ed...you and I both know the answer to that, my brother. They've gone the way of all flesh, or more accurately (we are dealing with PA here, after all) down Meiners' memory hole. (Gad, does that put a disturbing picture in my brain! Out! OUT!)

Yep, Ed, I think you nailed it. The newbies will have no idea of what items you're talking about; and the old hands, being banned, can't tell 'em.

Ya gotta admit it and give the devil his due: The Stooges came up with one sweet scam when they invented PA.

But, alas (for them) its day is done, its had its run, and their fun is done.

I've said this before, and it bears repeating: PA is dying, children, and dying hard. God willing, we'll not see its like again.

John
 

akaa1a

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Whatever happened to:

Multi-author signings? No one can afford their books anymore! Hotels and motels are leery!

The Independence Books program? A Sham within a Scam

The much promoted partnership with the New York Times? PA couldn't pay the bill

POD vs. POD? Italics or not...Either way, we're screwed!

The Nightie Girl? Did she and Tonto get banned along with their good friend Shemp? No...but PA offered them a three person hideaway in downtown Frederick where they can sit and tell each other how great they are and how no one else understands them.

Hollywood Squares? Modernizing the PA website index page? No one knows how to do that anymore. The good employees are all gone!

Those 200 to 300 book a week release rates? Methinks AW has a great deal to do with that!

Those PA author conferences? Fugettaboutit! The "muscle" got ticked since PA made them wear those goofy oversized sportcoats to hide the "heat". They thought they might get fed too!
But I've heard the next PA Author Convention will be in sunny Leavenworth Prison come August. Mark you calendars!
 
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astonwest

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We'd better hurry up and all declare bankruptcy...they've approved new stricter bankruptcy laws, and I believe they take effect soon...

:)

akaa1a said:
But I've heard the next PA Author Convention will be in sunny Leavenworth Prison come August. Mark you calendars!
Sweet, I might be able to crash the party then...
 
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Jeff

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The one post on the PA boards that made me chuckle recently is the one from the PA science fiction writers.

I wonder if they know just what their publisher has stated about those who write fantasy and science fiction and how that was the origin of the idea behind Atlanta Nights?

Nah, I don't think so either.
 

AnneMarble

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Gratian Gasparri said:
What REALLY bothers me is this one thread I caught over at the PAMB from one of their authors who appears to have been molested as a child. Her book revolves around this experience. Of course all her PA friends gave her five-star ratings at Amazon, but then her book was twinned for sales purposes with a similar book from a commercial publisher. This means she actually sold copies to the general public.

Does Amazon often pair other PA books with books from commercial publishers? I think the only time I saw the pairing happen was when I was looking at "Phantom of the Opera" fan fiction published by iUniverse. There was a "Buy Both Now" offer pairing it with a similar book put out by PA. But with the number of PA books available now, I guess "Buy Both Now" offers will happen a lot, simply because of the numbers. Sometimes PA books will get paired with similar books by commercial publishers. And this, of course, is unfair to many PA authors because their books simply aren't ready for a big audience. People expecting something like a Nathaniel Branden book are going to be really disappointed when they pay $20 for something that never saw the hand of a real editor. :(

Gratian Gasparri said:
The reviews she got back from the general public were not nearly as nice as those from her fellow PA authors. Some were downright nasty and, in my opinion, out of line where they attacked the author and her experience. Nevertheless, most of the criticism from the general public was legit: the book was poorly edited, too many typographical errors, spelling and grammatical mistakes on every page, etc.

I can understand complaining about the typos and spelling errors and the like. But I can't understand the "mentality" (and I use that term loosely) of people who attacked the author on other terms. Besides, what kind of nitwit would order a book about child sexual abuse and then attack someone for talking about her experience?! Then again, I remember the reactions to the Christina Crawford book...

Gratian Gasparri said:
Unfortunately, the author is taking this personally.

And blaming the "bashers" for pairing her book with another book on Amazon. But of course, no "basher" has that power. Only Amazon can do that. I don't know if they use individual input or algorithims or a combination of several things. But PA's critics can't influence that. Nor would they want to. I wouldn't want to cause that author that sort of embarrassment. Unlike PA, I care.

Gratian Gasparri said:
...Unfortunately, knowing PA, the technical criticism is probably warranted. And thus she was doubly victimized in my opinion.
Another reason to hate the partners (and "editors") at PA for making this possible.
 
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bdhs

Amazon.com encourages book pairings

I received a notice from Amazon.com that encouraged pairing books as a way to increase sales. Also, I know a PA author who received negative reviews. She was able to call PA and Amazon and have the negative reviews removed. I no longer buy books or anything else from Amazon.com. If the buyer's reviews of a product are santitized to the point where bad reviews can be removed upon request, then I won't trust the seller.
 

lindylou45

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Ed Williams said:
Whatever happened to:

Multi-author signings?

The Independence Books program?

The much promoted partnership with the New York Times?

POD vs. POD?

The Nightie Girl? Did she and Tonto get banned along with their good friend Shemp?

Hollywood Squares? Modernizing the PA website index page?

Those 200 to 300 book a week release rates?

Those PA author conferences?

Don't forget those special book deals for the PA suckers -- I mean -- authors.
 

lindylou45

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NancyMehl said:
Linda, Linda!!!!

I know what backruptcy is!

It's what you get when you climb too high up the echelon ladder and you slip and fall!!!

(You'd know things like this if you had an aurora....)

Nancy

I've tried and tried to get an aurora, but I'm told that you and Dawno took the last one! BTW, PAsucks!
 

lindylou45

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akaa1a said:
But I've heard the next PA Author Convention will be in sunny Leavenworth Prison come August. Mark you calendars

Oooh, sunny Leavenworth is in Kansas, do you think the guards will let me visit the stooges? Maybe not, they probably don't like when people feed the monkeys.
 

astonwest

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lindylou45 said:
Oooh, sunny Leavenworth is in Kansas, do you think the guards will let me visit the stooges? Maybe not, they probably don't like when people feed the monkeys.
Ah, but at the very least, we could take unsold copies of the books we bought, and the guards could let them use it instead of toilet paper...eh?
 

Sher2

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astonwest said:
Ah, but at the very least, we could take unsold copies of the books we bought, and the guards could let them use it instead of toilet paper...eh?
That would be some awfully expensive toilet paper, though. Maybe they should be made to eat them for breakfast instead.
 

Tilda

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PA in Europe

...PublishAmerica's books are now available from the best European distribution channels; through all major European bookstores, to more than 200 million European readers in the following countries:

England, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Norway
Germany, Holland, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden

One of those is my home country. I was intrigued by this claim, so I checked (online) two biggest bookstores in my country for a few PA titles. I picked them out randomly from PA's frontpage and searched by author name. The first bookstore's online system couldn't find one single PA book of those I tried (and this is a biggie store here). The second bookstore found about 50% of the authors I searched, all listed under "English Books". I did search for some keywords that described some of the PA books I was after, but by searching this way, I didn't get any PA books.
What struck me most was the price difference. I have often read at the AW that the approximate difference between a PA book and a traditional publisher book is around 5 dollars (right?). Well, not so here. It was MUCH more in our currency! I'm not much of a maths person, but I did a rough calculation, converted it to USD, and got an approximate 14.23 dollar difference in comparing a random PA book to Dan Brown's Digital Fortress (that was on this month's bestseller list under English Books). Most English books on those lists were priced similarly (they were no sale prices, but regular prices), and so this goes in comparing pretty much any of the traditional pubbers' books to PA books. This price difference was around 50%, nearly the price of Dan Brown's book itself!:faint:
Not good.
(nor is the "2 weeks' delivery" time for every single PA book I found)

New writer: don't sign with PA. At least here people are going to buy the Dan Brown for half the price of your book. That is, if they know your name and your book and specifically search for that and manage to find it.:(
 
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