The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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Renee

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I think the focus on everyone against PA is long gone from this thread. I think the focus needs to get back to PA and not all this other b/s about everything else (cutting up, long website signatures, pickles, green crap, flirting, bash on bash).

Ed, I can see why you'd do what you did. Since I've been here I see someone griping everyday about something - or someone setting up some new "rule." Takes all the fun out of posting to post. I know what ya mean. And I was a PA author and nothing you've said has ever bothered me, so if it bothers anyone else: well they are just taking it personal for no reason. Anyone who has been to this board for very long can see this is about PA. You're the man, Ed!

:Hug2:
 

Sarashay

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That sounds eminently sensible. They pretty much are LuLu with free cover design and formatting already and some people have been using them as such. Heck, Gena used them as a way to self-publish without the stigma (in the circles she travelled in) of self-publishing. Frankly, their slogan "We treat our authors the old-fashioned way--we pay them" has always struck me as a way of setting themselves apart from typical vanity press.

Though that brings up the question. If PA decided to confess that they were really just self-publishing with a few bells and whistles, what would happen to all the authors who fervently believed that they'd been published by a "traditional publisher"?
 

DreamWeaver

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Sarashay said:
Though that brings up the question. If PA decided to confess that they were really just self-publishing with a few bells and whistles, what would happen to all the authors who fervently believed that they'd been published by a "traditional publisher"?
They discover the truth a few months earlier?

Perhaps the diehards would simply focus on the differences between the new model and lulu.com, emphasize the advantages of the new model over a traditional vanity publisher, and still be happy.

Kris
 

lindylou45

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These are the first two items that come up when you google Larry Clopper's name:

Who are The New Three Stooges?
Willem Meiners, Larry Clopper, and Miranda Prather -- Principle partners in the
publishing scam -- PublishAmerica, also known as Publish America, or PA.
lindadroberts.tripod.com/ who_are_the_new_three_stooges.html - 39k - Cached - Similar pages

News Articles
... and Miranda Prather, Larry Clopper and Willem Meiners, the three publishing
... PublishAmerica's reported purpose by Larry Clopper, its founder, ...
lindadroberts.tripod.com/news_articles.html - 115k - Cached - Similar pages

We're making a difference!!! :guns:
 

Dolan

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This is for those readers who don't mind someone pointing out a PA author's posting of a lie. This lie could give false hope to potential authors. This lie is being believed by other PA posters and furthers PA's big lie that they are helping their authors. If it is not an intentional lie, then my debunking will aid the poster by providing the truth.

The PA poster wrote: "My book (title deleted) was released on March 31st of this year. PA and the Veterans administration are working on a deal for 2,400 - 3,000 copies."

Can't be true. Purchases of books by the VA are made through a Prime Vendor Contract negoiated with the VA Office of Acquisitions. The vendor contract would have to be made with a distributor of books not with a publisher. There is no way for the VA to buy 2,400 copies of a single author's book, outside the vendor contract. Can't happen.

Can you imagine the scandle that would be created if the VA could sign a contract with one publisher to buy one author's book?

Why doesn't PA stand up and correct and protect their author? They have to know this can't be done.

Phil Debunker Dolan

Ed, please come back.
 

Sheryl Nantus

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Message for Ed!

found this in my mailbox - long day with family at the hospital; nothing major but late in posting this:

Ed Williams, you get your hamdog-eatin’ self back here! That post really didn’t sound like you – perhaps a POD person? After all, I saw all your green blobs were gone, you only had one black one, and now I’m not able to post. I think there’s something hinky going on. But you had better not be serious about leaving. I’m going to hope it was a delayed reaction to eating a hamdog and a Fried Twinkie, washed down with a Butterfinger Blizzard.



I’m glad Sheryl is posting this message for me (thanks, Sheryl!), and I hope to be back soon. NY Passionate Lady, you have class. I love that you can disagree with us without being disagreeable. J Okay, I hope to have my posting abilities restored later. It’s terrible to be able to read you guys’ posts but not be able to respond. L



Susan G.

******************
 

MMo

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800 number anyone?

I appreciated the information on the results of running a Google search on Larry Cloppers' name, so I ran one on Willem Meiners. Buried in an old notice by a then-new PA author, I found this:

We are offering you to secure your personal copy of (name deleted by me)'s exceptional book of fiction, at the special pre-release discount price of
$19.95, including shipping & handling. Please fill out the coupon below and
mail it today, or call us toll-free at 1-877-333-7422.

I know you will enjoy the read!

Willem Meiners, Publisher
 
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Christine N.

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Research Guy,
If PA did all those things, yes, then at least they would be honest about what they do. Will they? Nope, not in a million years. The main reason is because they beat authors over the head with the "fact" that they are a "traditional publisher". But bigger than that is the "Fact" that all their authors are "published." They tell them that they are part of the gang, one of the few. It's what they hang their seedy little scam on.

If they came clean, they'd have to admit that all their happy authors really are vanity published. And that's not what most of them wanted. Those happy authors would be VERY unhappy PDQ. Then the money river would dry up just as quickly.

And that's why it's a scam.
 

ResearchGuy

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Dolan said:
This is for those readers who don't mind someone pointing out a PA author's posting of a lie....
The PA poster wrote: "My book (title deleted) was released on March 31st of this year. PA and the Veterans administration are working on a deal for 2,400 - 3,000 copies."...
The person who posted that, however, might have been given that misinformation by someone else, or might have read WAY too much into some doubletalk from one of the usual suspects. He or she might not have known the statement could not be true. (Probably should have, but might not have.)

--Ken
 

ResearchGuy

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keltora said:
... If you're a new author, you may have more trouble unless you are willing to go the route Uncle Jim went with ATLANTA NIGHTS where you go ahead and pay for the ISBN Plus package....
Uncle Jim got his money's worth. My three copies of AN arrived this afternoon. NICELY printed and bound. One copy will be a gift for my unsuspecting brother. The three copies, delivered, cost about thrity-six bucks, total. The content is tripe, of course, but such magnificent tripe.

--Ken
 

akaa1a

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reph

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No, Jeff (this continues from several pages back), I can't define "ridicule" in a way that will satisfy you or anyone else, maybe not even myself. "Ridicule" is one of those touchy relationship words that turn up in domestic arguments.

"You ridiculed me!"
"No, I didn't. I was teasing you."
"Yes, you did. You said . . ."

It's too much of a judgment call. I still think it's best not to ridicule PA authors. Leave the ad hominems to those who have no other weapons.

Now, another item for the list of steps that would make for a rehabilitated PA: accurate royalty payments. I'm not sure this wasn't mentioned, but I don't remember seeing it.
 

postshy

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Hi Ann (Crispin)......

Mission accomplished.

postshy
 

Canada James

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In All Fairness

zizban said:
Wow, they are putting a lot of work into promoting their works. Real publishers tend to do this for you.

Real publishers want new authors to be that tenacious. This is exactly why I'm seeing success in my writing career: I work hard at getting my name out.

It worries me when I see authors believing that once they get a book with a "real" publisher that the publisher will book all their signings, get their interviews, find reviewers, etc. That misconception could cost you a contract and a career.

However, a "real" publisher stands behind its authors. When I meet a reviewer and ask if s/he'd be interested in reviewing my book, that information goes directly to the marketing department. When I get a bookstore interested in doing a signing, the publisher handles the details. When I get contracted by a school to speak, that information goes to the reps (it helps sell books to bookstores) but *I* still do all the work. (Please note: I spend exactly *0* dollars in everything I do.)

PA authors are notorious for being aggressive marketers/promoters. Most of them, if they have produced a publishable manuscript, are perfect for smaller-mid-sized presses that look for that in an author.

Please PA authors: keep up your hard work, but wait to do it when you get a book with a publisher who will back you up! You're work ethic is wanted elsewhere!
 

DreamWeaver

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akaa1a said:
When authors start throwing numbers around, things could get a bit toasty 'round royalty time...
I checked out the website of the author who mentions crime scenes. Unless he splurged for his own editor, I think he is in for a big disappointment, as he has written this on his homepage:
[font=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial]If you noticed spelling and grammatical errors, don't bother patting yourself on the back. I can't spell or write. That is what editors are for.
He says his novel is now in PA's editing process; it will be interesting to see how long the honeymoon lasts. As always, sad to see anyone caught in the scam.

Kris
[/font]
 
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ResearchGuy

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DreamWeaver said:
I checked out the website of the author who mentions crime scenes....
"[font=Trebuchet MS, Verdana, Arial]This web page was created by [------]. (Is there anything this man can't do?)[/font]"

Oh, my ... what an ... interesting site. [Note: comment has been filtered through the Nice-O-Matic(TM), patent pending.]

--Ken
 

James D. Macdonald

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The way I look at promotion is like this:

Figure an author can, by his own efforts, move an extra 500 copies of a book.

What's that as a percentage of the expected sales of the book? If you're expecting 2,000 copies to sell (that's small press/local press), 500 copies is 25%. That's huge. If you're looking at selling 50,000 copies (midlist at a major pubisher) 500 copies is 1%. and that's in "Why Bother?" territory.

If you're looking to sell 500,000 copies, the publisher will have their own plans for you, with which you will cheerfully agree.
 

Canada James

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James D. Macdonald said:
The way I look at promotion is like this:

Figure an author can, by his own efforts, move an extra 500 copies of a book.

What's that as a percentage of the expected sales of the book? If you're expecting 2,000 copies to sell (that's small press/local press), 500 copies is 25%. That's huge. If you're looking at selling 50,000 copies (midlist at a major pubisher) 500 copies is 1%. and that's in "Why Bother?" territory.

If you're looking to sell 500,000 copies, the publisher will have their own plans for you, with which you will cheerfully agree.

Publishers, even those wanting to sell 500,000 copies, need something for the reps to tell the bookstores. It's easier for bookstores to sell a book when they have tales to tell of what the author does, than it is to sell the books of the authors who wait for the publisher.

This falls into the "marketing you don't see your publisher doing".

Canada James
 

Paolo

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This stuff is epic. I just read through this chain. It's every bit as good as the novels we might write. It's got good and evil duking it out, petty intrigue and nice little plot twisters. I wonder how it will turn out?

Standing by for the next chapter.
 

bdhs

They did it anyway

I know someone who was warned about Publish America, but ignored the warnings. She is now "published" by Publish America. But it seems that the enthusiam has worn off her and a few of her fellow Publish America poets. Why would I buy a 60 page paperback book of poetry by an unknown author for 12.97 plus shipping, when I can buy a hardcover bestseller from Zooba for 9.99 with free shipping? I thought about buying a copy of her book, but I was offered a chance to use my club bonus points to get two hardcover copies of the Da Vinci Code for the cost of shipping. I think that if this person could not find a publisher, but wanted to see her book in print, then she would have been a good candidate for Lulu.com. When someone uses a printing company, at least there is no illusion that the book will be a bestseller and garner fame for the author. It can happen, but most people aren't expecting it. An author would also expect to do his or her own marketing. But, when a "traditional publishing house", publishes your book, then most would expect at least modest sales in the thousands and extensive professional marketing. It is distressing to see her dreams dying. She alienated so many people after she received a letter of acceptance from Publish America, by saying the PA critics were jealous and didn't want her to succeed. Thanks to Absolutewrite, some other person won't be caught in the same trap.
 
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Diana Hignutt

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My dark and mysterious Anti-PA plan...

...begins today. Clearly, though, you won't notice anything because it is dark and mysterious. Eventually, said secret plan will be revealed. Trust me.

On another note: ED WILLIAMS PLEASE COME BACK!!!! You are one of the Big Eight. This thread needs you! It needs your humor, your compassion, your wit, your ham dogs, your everything else... PLEASE? If you do leave, please don't do it out of anger. I don't think it will take too much longer to achieve our goals here. Please come back and stay until the end. Sure, I left too. I don't think I managed to stay gone for two weeks. This work is too important. I hope you change your mind too.

diana
 
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