The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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Gratian Gasparri

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Nobody is giving anything away

Ed Williams said:
Okay, let me get this straight. Two hundred authors will give away material to be used in this book, which basically sounds like a catalogue. All proceeds will benefit all PA authors, but this is at the discretion of the author spearheading the project. If the money is evenly divided, PA claims about 11,000 authors, so whatever the royalty amount that's involved would be split between 11,000 people. When you factor all that together, one burning question must be asked....

Is there such a thing as a partial penny?

I love you Ed, but you're missing the point. The authors for the most part will not be giving anything away except cash from their wallet. After all, who else will buy the book? :)

So with tongue-partially-in-cheek, allow me to propose some alternative accounting. Let's go with 11,000 authors, even though PA maintains that 1000 of these authors never sold a single book and other PA authors have been released from their contract with PA in recent months.

So you have 200 authors contributing to this book. Let us assume that this is one of PA's bigger books, so it retails for $25. Let us also assume $5.50 of this is royalty. If each contributing author convinces one friend or relative to buy a copy, then we are looking at $1,100 in royalties. That's a dime for every PA author!
 

Christine N.

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Jonathon Michaels said:
Hi everyone!

I have a question that while sounding strange on the surface does indeed relate to Publish America. I have my ideas here, but would like some more experienced feedback. (This will likely all become much clearer on our website shortly.)

What is the industry standard for the age range on books written for "young adults?"

Thanks in advance for your help. We're just looking to make sure we react to an issue with the appropriate level of concern.

Jonathon

Depends on who you ask, but generally middle grade is ages 9-12 and YA is 13-about 17 or so. Harry Potter, I think intended for middle grade (or at least it was, at one point), while something like The Outsiders might be considered YA. YA has more edge to it, or it can.

At least, this is what I was led to believe. If I am mistaken, someone please feel free to correct me.
 

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Or $1,100 for one PA author. Their agreement does state that the one author controlling it has sole discretion on how and where to award it. I didn't see anything mentioned about having to maintain accountability to those other writers, so how are they going to know who received the money? Because of that provision, they won't have any grounds for ever claiming that the money was fraudulently handled unless it goes to a non-PA author.
 

Christine N.

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JohnGalt said:
The mean IQ on the Stanford-Binet test is 100, with a standard deviation of 16. One standard dev below (84) is considered mentally retarded. Two standard devs above (132) makes you eligible for Mensa membership.

- JG

Cool. I took a test somewhere and scored a 136. My nine year old nephew tested at 135. Not that I'm bragging, just saying...
 

Sheryl Nantus

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DaveKuzminski said:
Or $1,100 for one PA author. Their agreement does state that the one author controlling it has sole discretion on how and where to award it. I didn't see anything mentioned about having to maintain accountability to those other writers, so how are they going to know who received the money? Because of that provision, they won't have any grounds for ever claiming that the money was fraudulently handled unless it goes to a non-PA author.

this can only go bad in the long run...
 

NicoleJLeBoeuf

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Sheryl Nantus said:
I'm not a parent, but I do thank you for being responsible enough to take action on this situation.

if I had children and bought a book with the two stories you've described here, I'd be furious.

thanks again for taking a stand and not just ignoring the potential problems here.
My husband and I are as yet childless, so as yet any of our theories about child-raising are untested, but we would probably place no limitations on our children's reading material, having encouraged candid discussion of any matter from the moment they start talking. That being said, my mind is boggling trying to imagine the potential family discussions this book would inspire. Topics would no doubt include sex, why adults like doing it and why it should be approached with great caution; the pros and cons of prostitution; what sorts of vampires actually exist, and which ones were made up by Hollywood and Bram Stoker; and, of course, the varying standards of honesty in the publishing industry...

Hmm. Vampires and the publishing industry. The classification of PA as both a financial and an emotional vampire, possibly also a creative one. Come to think of it, this story is immensely appropriate for PA to publish...
 

Ed Williams

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Now wait a second....

I love you Ed, but you're missing the point.
Now Gratian, if you want this to go any further, you gotta buy me dinner first, I ain't easy, ya know!

cheeky-smiley-004.gif
 

Jaws

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Age Ranges

The "age range" guidelines for books are largely a crock; they've been established by people who don't actually/didn't actually read them. What they really refer to is the educationally consistent age range for the books… but kids who select their own reading materials generally get to the material in question about two to three years prior to the purported "age range," and generally outgrow it at the same rate.

For example, if one looks at library borrowing and book sales patterns, the biggest cohort for Brian Jacques' Redwall books is from 9–11ish, although they're classed as "YA." The problem is that so-called "reading level" and "interest level" are two entirely different things that can't be combined in one categorization. And believe me, it's worse in nonfiction; just try writing a book on significant Supreme Court decisions that are rigorous enough to use as adjuncts in a high-school class, but must have a reading level no higher than sixth grade! (It can be done; I've done ittwice. And earned out both advances in the first reporting period.)

I don't know whether this is peculiar to the publishing industry or not; I suspect not, as it seems about as realistic as a "PG-13" rating on a movie. For what it's worth, the editors in nonadult nonfiction with whom I've worked consider the "age grouping" to be a guide to the oldest kids who might possibly be interested in a given book, not to the youngest for whom it might be "appropriate." Your experience may vary; in fact, it almost certainly will.
 
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T42

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My Contract

As of yet I have not heard again from PA concerning my contract. I guess they did not like me asking them NOT TO TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME! I did send a letter again yesterday along with the reply I got from B&N. We will see how they try to spin this one.
Hope everyone is having a great day. The sun is shining in Texas today so I guess I will work on some art.
 

Ed Williams

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Wait now....

As of yet I have not heard again from PA concerning my contract. I guess they did not like me asking them NOT TO TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME!
Because I'm a thoughtful guy, here's a letter that any PA author reading this is free to use to request their rights back - it goes something like this:

Dear all wise and knowing printer/publisher,

I would like to formally request the return of the rights regarding my book, "Ten Ways To Remove The Pickles From a Big Mac." I've thought long and hard about it while sitting here in my brick and mortar home, and I think it's the best thing for me to do. Believe me, it's not due to the money involved, as the last royalty check I received for $3.68 is still resonating strongly right here in my wallet. It's the main reason I can afford to have those pickles removed from my Big Mac at no real cost to me. Anyway, back to this important matter at hand. If you, at your leisure and at a moment of your choosing would consider my request, it would greatly be appreciated. More than appreciated. I would write y'all more, but I've got to go turn my CD player down - it's taking a tone with me that I don't like, and I am going to end its escapade once and for all.

Sincerely,

put in your name here
 

Andrew Jameson

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Ed Williams said:
1. IQ ratings - A 180 level IQ is not impossible, but, if you consider the scale I posted earlier giving a score of around 140 as an appropriate IQ level for a research scientist, you'd have to say that not too many people are walking around out there with 180 plus level IQs. I imagine even less of them would be posting reviews about "Atlanta Nights" on Amazon.com.
Indeed. The standard deviation for the Stanford-Binet IQ test is 16, which makes 180 five full standard deviations above the mean. "In the 180s" implies even higher, and other IQ tests appear to use 15 as their standard deviation, which would place 180 even higher for a standard deviation.

If I've calculated correctly, only about 1 in 4 million people should have an IQ over 180 -- and only 1 in 100 million should have an IQ as high as 190. So in the US, with ~290 million people, you'd expect there to be about 70 people with IQs "in the 180s." Of course, there's no particular reason that all of those 70 people couldn't be reviewing books on Amazon, but...
 

roach

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Age appropriate reading

NicoleJLeBoeuf said:
My husband and I are as yet childless, so as yet any of our theories about child-raising are untested, but we would probably place no limitations on our children's reading material, having encouraged candid discussion of any matter from the moment they start talking. That being said, my mind is boggling trying to imagine the potential family discussions this book would inspire. Topics would no doubt include sex, why adults like doing it and why it should be approached with great caution; the pros and cons of prostitution; what sorts of vampires actually exist, and which ones were made up by Hollywood and Bram Stoker; and, of course, the varying standards of honesty in the publishing industry...

Hmm. Vampires and the publishing industry. The classification of PA as both a financial and an emotional vampire, possibly also a creative one. Come to think of it, this story is immensely appropriate for PA to publish...

I have a 9 month old at home so it will be a little while longer before I have to worry about what she's reading. (Although she has already shown her good taste by going after Edith Wharton, Jane Yolen and J.K. Rowling, but of course this could just be because she can only reach the bottom shelf right now). I can't say how I will react to her choices in reading material, I'd hope that I could be open-minded, but I'm sure there will be plenty of tests as the years go on (do I really want to allow her at age 11 to pick up Anne Rice's Sleeping Beauty trilogy?)

I also published a kid's fantasy magazine for four years and I saw all sorts of inappropriate submissions along the line of the second story mentioned. This was long before I had a baby and it still gave me a serious icky feeling when I'd read those kind of submissions.

I haven't read the review yet (the baby has grown bored with chewing on Neal Stephenson) but is PA advertising this as a YA title? If so, I'd think it'd be appropriate to drop them a note. I'm sure they won't pay any attention, but I always like to at least do something.
 

T42

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Ed that letter is a hoot. That is going in my files just in case I need to send them another one.:)
 

Jonathon Michaels

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roach said:
I haven't read the review yet (the baby has grown bored with chewing on Neal Stephenson) but is PA advertising this as a YA title? If so, I'd think it'd be appropriate to drop them a note. I'm sure they won't pay any attention, but I always like to at least do something.

I just checked and found the title under the Young Adult section at PA. Quite frankly it didn't much matter to us how it was classified. Another e-zine editor made the comment that this book was sort of like combining Alice in Wonderland with Debbie Does Dallas, and therein lies our disagreement: the two should never be in the same section, let alone between the same covers, so to speak.

I'll get with Terri and one of us will definitely send something to PA, although I'm pretty sure your assessment of their lack of response is entirely accurate.
 

WhisperingBard

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Originally Posted by Sheryl Nantus
I'm not a parent, but I do thank you for being responsible enough to take action on this situation.

if I had children and bought a book with the two stories you've described here, I'd be furious.

thanks again for taking a stand and not just ignoring the potential problems here.

I think we have here more evidence that PA doesn't read a damn thing before they publish a manuscript.
 

Jonathon Michaels

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Sheryl Nantus said:
I'm not a parent, but I do thank you for being responsible enough to take action on this situation.

if I had children and bought a book with the two stories you've described here, I'd be furious.

thanks again for taking a stand and not just ignoring the potential problems here.

Thank you for your kind words. We discussed at great length what action we would take on this and we believe we've done what we should.

It's nice of you to take the time to post this, and it'll help to counter the emails from those still supporting PA, which we're pretty sure will be less than pleasant. (Not that we mind, but it's still nice to hear both sides.)
 

WhisperingBard

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I got a check from AT&T the other day for $.07... I'll pitch it in if it will help keep the partial pennies to a minimum... that'll cover 7 of the 11,000.

Moondancer, that's a mighty fine gesture. Makes me feel guilty now that I frittered away our $.03 refund from the gas company when I could have contributed to this worthy cause. ;)
 

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Ed Williams

John is not dividing the money among PAauthors, he plans to give it to only one. I think her name is Lynn something or something Lynn. She obtains copies of book covers from other PAauthors, ties them together with a cute ribbon and places around her town in stores, banks, etc. This was her idea as a way to advertise PA books. John believes that she should be rewarded for her good work by receiving the royalties from the great 200 Author book.

Desnarked
 

NancyMehl

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ROTFL!!!!

Dear all wise and knowing printer/publisher,

I would like to formally request the return of the rights regarding my book, "Ten Ways To Remove The Pickles From a Big Mac." I've thought long and hard about it while sitting here in my brick and mortar home, and I think it's the best thing for me to do. Believe me, it's not due to the money involved, as the last royalty check I received for $3.68 is still resonating strongly right here in my wallet. It's the main reason I can afford to have those pickles removed from my Big Mac at no real cost to me. Anyway, back to this important matter at hand. If you, at your leisure and at a moment of your choosing would consider my request, it would greatly be appreciated. More than appreciated. I would write y'all more, but I've got to go turn my CD player down - it's taking a tone with me that I don't like, and I am going to end its escapade once and for all.

Sincerely,

put in your name here

Oh, man. I love it! I'm still laughing!!!!! :ROFL:
 

NancyMehl

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I.Q.

Andrew Jameson said:
Indeed. The standard deviation for the Stanford-Binet IQ test is 16, which makes 180 five full standard deviations above the mean. "In the 180s" implies even higher, and other IQ tests appear to use 15 as their standard deviation, which would place 180 even higher for a standard deviation.

If I've calculated correctly, only about 1 in 4 million people should have an IQ over 180 -- and only 1 in 100 million should have an IQ as high as 190. So in the US, with ~290 million people, you'd expect there to be about 70 people with IQs "in the 180s." Of course, there's no particular reason that all of those 70 people couldn't be reviewing books on Amazon, but...

One thing I've learned: People who really have ability and talent don't need to tell everyone. This is true for writers - and in most other areas of life. I'd bet my sweet bippy that our Amazon friend probably couldn't scrape together 180 dollars on a bet.

My understanding of I.Q. is that it is a measurement of a person's ability to comprehend and analyze information. It doesn't mean that the person tested has the resolve to fully utilize their ability - or to keep from acting like an unmitigated moron! Some of the stupidest people I've ever known (socially retarded) were members of Mensa! (Now don't attack me if you belong to Mensa!)

I would rather know how to relate to other people and be capable of using the talents I have - than measure my success on a number that means nothing in the scheme of things.

I think it's great to have a high I.Q. - as long as you use it to your best advantage. But none of us can hang our hats on it - cause all you're really doing is covering up your brain! :Lecture:
 

AnneMarble

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Jonathon Michaels said:
I'll get with Terri and one of us will definitely send something to PA, although I'm pretty sure your assessment of their lack of response is entirely accurate.

I wonder if they'll tell you not to take that tone with you? :rolleyes: Or do they only use that sort of letter with their own authors.

This book does sound weird. Now lately, I've seen some stuff in the YA section that really pushed the envelope -- or even ripped the envelope and stepped on the pieces. But those are definitely aimed at older teens. And they're not being published along with something aimed at a younger audience.
 

DaveKuzminski

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Jonathon Michaels said:
I just checked and found the title under the Young Adult section at PA. Quite frankly it didn't much matter to us how it was classified. Another e-zine editor made the comment that this book was sort of like combining Alice in Wonderland with Debbie Does Dallas, and therein lies our disagreement: the two should never be in the same section, let alone between the same covers, so to speak.

Makes you wonder if PA is trying to appeal to pedophiles with that sort of sick combination.
 
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