The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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T42

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lindylou45 said:
Duh! :crazy:



Scheme about covers it! :Smack:
(Quote)

My scheme involves free retail space in such shops as hairdressers,framers,opticians that would only require a decent display. The books would all be sold as collectable signed copies making PA books premium items

As my five-year-old grandbaby use to say, “That makes me stink”:roll:
 

lindylou45

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Literary Lola said:
Um...like, are we supposed to actually give a rat's a$$ what that narcissistic drip does? Spy for PA? I just may bust my lungs laughing. Poor thing is nothing more than a flea on our butts.

There was a line in the movie, L. A. Story with Steve Martin, let me see if I can think of it. "He's like a gnat flying around the a$$ of a cow chewing her cud by the Grand Canyon." Yeah, I think that pretty well sums up my feelings for "The one who will not be named."

Oh, and hey, PA, you want to see something really funny? Come on over to my house at http://lindadroberts.tripod.com/. It's all you all the time, baby! I think you'll like it! I know I'm having fun! :Jump: :roll: :hooray: :wag:
 

Sher2

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lindylou45 said:
Oh, and hey, PA, you want to see something really funny? Come on over to my house at http://lindadroberts.tripod.com/. It's all you all the time, baby! I think you'll like it! I know I'm having fun! :Jump: :roll: :hooray: :wag:
Linda, isn't that kind of like waving a red flag in front of a bull? LMAO! Wait up though before you invite the barbarians through the gates. I don't even have my bio up yet, or my virtual "sign language.";)
 

Literary Lola

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Quote:
Originally Posted by lindylou45
Ed Williams -- a.k.a. The POD Pickler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Literary Lola
<sigh> There are just so many ways I could go with this...

Go ahead -- I dare ya' :banana:
Okay, I'll for the obvious: "Say, Williams, is that a POD Pickler in your pocket or are you just happy to edit me?"
 

Sher2

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Literary Lola said:
Okay, I'll for the obvious: "Say, Williams, is that a POD Pickler in your pocket or are you just happy to edit me?"
Lola, you are baaaaaddddd. I hope you don't blush easily, because Ed'll probably tell you. LMAO! :hat:
 

lindylou45

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Literary Lola said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by lindylou45
Ed Williams -- a.k.a. The POD Pickler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Literary Lola
<sigh> There are just so many ways I could go with this...


Okay, I'll for the obvious: "Say, Williams, is that a POD Pickler in your pocket or are you just happy to edit me?"

I'm disappointed, I thought you could do better than that! Come on, I'm waiting! :popcorn:
 

lindylou45

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Sher2 said:
Linda, isn't that kind of like waving a red flag in front of a bull? LMAO! Wait up though before you invite the barbarians through the gates. I don't even have my bio up yet, or my virtual "sign language.";)

I'm more afraid of muchkins than I am of The New Three Stooges and The POD Squad!

Get your butt in gear, girlie! We've got POD's to pickle!!! Ed, we need a pickling smilie! :Thumbs:
 

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Well, now my pretty...

Literary Lola said:
Okay, I'll for the obvious: "Say, Williams, is that a POD Pickler in your pocket or are you just happy to edit me?"
...just step behind the curtain with Saint Ed here, and all your questions will be answered....

action-smiley-027.gif


Getting back to business, over on the PA boards we find the following regarding the creation of a vanity bookstore:

No one can supply signed copies on the scale we can and as soon as the potential is seen the sooner we can market the product as something new and original, especially as a gift item. Where people may not spend a lot on any book they will certainly spend a lot more on a gift and what better gift for any avid bookreader than a signed copy?
Let's state the obvious - an overpriced, autographed book by an author you've never heard of is not going to have people busting down the doors of any bookstore, pure and simple. I sure hope no multi-level marketing scam types ever find out about the PA boards, they will definitely find some fertile fields to plow...
 
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orraloon

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Methinks PA doth protest too much

My response to PA Author Support yesterday with copies to thirty PA co-workers, quoting their standard put-down email received the previous day:

In a message dated 04/04/2005 17:21:46 GMT Standard Time, [email protected] writes: (Subject -Eddie Bruce: unusual misconceptions)

"Your letter is barely coherent, and probably does not warrant a response,
but we will briefly respond."


"Barely coherent"? Now where have I read that line before? Ah yes, it's another copy and paste from your standard cowardly, anonymous, Author Insult Team response. Do try to be original and use words in context! Your tone fails to resonate.

"First of all, to get an answer to your contract request, please send your message to [email protected] only. Copying others within the company only furthers your appearance of incoherency. Please send your message again, and, if you are polite and coherent, you will get a response."

Would you care to let me know your name then? It has been my experience that ONLY messages addressed to as many PA employees as possible receive an answer, albeit very rarely. Besides, I'm sure you'd want to share with other members of your staff the plaudits you claim to receive from your 11,000 happy authors. And I don't think I should take lessons in coherency from the company that accepted Travis Tea's "Atlanta Nights" for publication. Then again, maybe just one of the recipients might want to reflect upon their own complicity in PublishAmerica's evil and fraudulent activities.

"No, you are not "In company with many others." Our payments have never been challenged, and questions made concerning this past royalty period have so far shown no errors at all on PublishAmerica's part. So It seems that you do not understand how royalty payments are made. Here is our standard explanation:"

Oh, not again! My lawyer, the Office of Fair Trading, US Department of Justice, IRS and many others are by now as tired of reading this copy and paste form response drivel as I am.



>>Complying with your business model I did buy 50 copies some time ago.

"This is not part of our business model. It is very common knowledge that our business model is strictly that of a traditional publisher, and what you state above is not, and has never been, any part of it."


You really should get out more. Tried a Google search lately? The truth is out there. Far from being a "traditional publisher" PublishAmerica is now universally recognised as the VANITY PRESS it always has been, operating the most corrupt model in the business. Add the words "scam" and "fraud" to a search and you'll find an array of websites posting "beware PublishAmerica" warnings to authors. Check out writers groups and forums, e.g. http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=524&page=582&pp=25 and read heartrending accounts of PublishAmerica authors driven to despair after pleading with bookstores to stock their overpriced, badly edited, nonreturnable books, writers who even find themselves rejected by most self-respecting writers organisations.



"We would be very interested to know what "totally false... hype" you have found. Otherwise, we will expect your apology."

As you are well aware, I have already supplied this information and my lawyer has screen shots of your website from 2003/4, BEFORE PublishAmerica's lies were watered down.



Next time could you please pass my email to someone who doesn't appear to have English as their second language?

Thank you.

Their reply, just in:

Subject - Re: Eddie Bruce: unusual misconceptions.

Dear Mr Bruce,

Yes, as we revolutionize the industry, we're vaguely aware of the false
statements and misconceptions that the Internet contains. We pay very
little attention to it, however. Fortunately, it has recently increased the
number of authors wanting to join PublishAmerica by over 40%.

Also, we think that you should know that there is no problem here at all.
We've recently hired additional staff and moved into larger
quarters. There is no lawsuit pending at all, class-action or otherwise,
no threat of any lawsuit, and no problem whatsoever. What happened was that
a small group of detractors contacted every "authority" that they could
find, and each authority, without exception, found no problem at all with
what PublishAmerica is doing. The result was a boost in our popularity.

Your lawyer apparently agrees with us, and with all of these other agencies
that you mention, as we have not heard from him/her. Please read our
boilerplate national news response below for a better understanding of the
industry.

And again, instead of spouting off in such a fashion with nothing of
substance, please identify what you think we have said or posted that is
not true. We'd be interested to see it! The screen shot you mention
probably says that your book will be available through all bookstores
nationwide, and discusses bookstores' policies on bookstore stocking, right?

Thank You,

PublishAmerica Author Support

..................................................................

Questions -
1/ Why did they bother to reply at all? They don't normally although I email them regularly asking to have my contract cancelled. I sense some panic in the ranks.


2/ What is a "boilerplate" national news response? I could post it (usual PA waffle) but I think I've taken up enough space on the board already.

 

Sher2

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lindylou45 said:
Get your butt in gear, girlie! We've got POD's to pickle!!!
I'd rather just shoot them and be done with it, but okay. I'm telling you right now, though, that if any Stooge tries to show me a pickle, I'm shooting.;)
 

MadScientistMatt

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Yes, as we revolutionize the industry, we're vaguely aware of the false
statements and misconceptions that the Internet contains. We pay very
little attention to it, however. Fortunately, it has recently increased the
number of authors wanting to join PublishAmerica by over 40%.

This is quite reminiscent of at least one cult that I know of who always claimed that somehow God was working through all the bad publicity they were getting to help them recruit more people and separate them from their money.

Or perhaps the 40% increase from this publicity consists of manuscripts that have the same pages cut and pasted 20 times over, manuscripts randomly put together from writing fragments long ago rejected, and other manuscripts sent to see if PA really will print anything?
 

Sher2

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orraloon said:
My response to PA Author Support yesterday with copies to thirty PA co-workers, quoting their standard put-down email received the previous day:

"No, you are not "In company with many others." Our payments have never been challenged, and questions made concerning this past royalty period have so far shown no errors at all on PublishAmerica's part. So It seems that you do not understand how royalty payments are made. Here is our standard explanation:"[/color] [/b]

And again, instead of spouting off in such a fashion with nothing of
substance, please identify what you think we have said or posted that is
not true. We'd be interested to see it! The screen shot you mention
probably says that your book will be available through all bookstores
nationwide, and discusses bookstores' policies on bookstore stocking, right?

Thank You,

PublishAmerica Author Support
Gawd A'mighty, Eddie! When you finally warrant a response out of Poz, you really get a doozie, don't you?

No problem with their royalty payments?! Excuse me while I heave this huge chunk of incredulity out of my throat. Shall we tell the crew here what happened to your royalty checks? I'm game if you are. Never mind shooting 'em; somebody oughta just nuke Poz. I'm getting mad here. Trust me, this ain't a good thing.
 

T42

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orraloon said:
Yes, as we revolutionize the industry, we're vaguely aware of the false
statements and misconceptions that the Internet contains. We pay very
little attention to it, however. Fortunately, it has recently increased the
number of authors wanting to join PublishAmerica by over 40%.

Also, we think that you should know that there is no problem here at all.
We've recently hired additional staff and moved into larger
quarters. There is no lawsuit pending at all, class-action or otherwise,
no threat of any lawsuit, and no problem whatsoever. What happened was that
a small group of detractors contacted every "authority" that they could
find, and each authority, without exception, found no problem at all with
what PublishAmerica is doing. The result was a boost in our popularity.


Oh PAleasssseeeeeeeee!
 

James D. Macdonald

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lindylou45 said:
Duh!


Scheme about covers it!

Give the guy a break. His book doesn't even come out until next month. He's just jawin' right now. Give him a couple of months then ask "Hey, fellah, how's that 'free retail space' workin' out for ya?"

We can only guess what the merchants who are supposed to provide free retail space might think of his plan.
 
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reph said:
...If you pay someone for printing and binding, that's self-publishing, which is pretty much the same thing [as vanity publishing].
I believe that reasonable people can differ about that. Every publishing company has to start somehow, and they are all paying someone to do the printing and binding, whether via contracting out or via salaried staff using in-house equipment. The pure self-publisher publishes only books he or she has written. Once he or she broadens to include books written by others, the company becomes merely a small publisher (small press). Maybe if it broadens enough, it eventually becomes a big publisher.

Granted, the line between vanity and business may sometimes be fuzzy. But self-publishing (the real thing, where you own the ISBN and the copyright and the printed books until you wholesale or retail them to others) is an entirely legitimate business model. Do bad books get self-published? Sure. So do some good ones. Sometimes, even very good ones.

IMHO FWIW

--Ken
 

NancyMehl

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Shemp (once last time)....

Haven't been around much lately due to a wacky back and a lot to do. My back is better, but I almost threw it out again at the idea of Shemp constructing a big "undercover" conspiracy to "die" - destroy his relationships at PA - and sneak over here to build a "secret identity" on a public board! :roll:

First of all.....WE COULDN'T CARE LESS!!!

And secondly (excuse me for repeating myself) IT'S A PUBLIC BOARD YOU SILLY TWIT!!!! LOL!

Oh, man. Only someone like Shemp could come up with a great plan like that!

Sheesh. :Wha:

Nancy
 

James D. Macdonald

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And again, instead of spouting off in such a fashion with nothing of
substance, please identify what you think we have said or posted that is
not true. We'd be interested to see it!


Show it to 'em in a court of law, as they sit at the defense table. Their next notice should be from the process server.

==========

Eddie Williams spied a squad of pickled PODers.
A squad of pickled PODers Eddie Williams spied.
If Eddie Williams spied a squad of pickled PODers
How many pickled PODers did Eddie Williams spy?

 
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Sher2

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James D. Macdonald said:
Eddie Williams spied a squad of pickeled PODers.
A squad of pickeled PODers Eddie Williams spied.
If Eddie Williams spied a squad of pickled PODers
How many pickeled PODets did Eddie Williams spy?
Probably about a bevy. :ROFL:
 

Patricia

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I noticed. . .

. . . that the "name" has been mentioned a couple of times on today's post. Let us remember that is "he who lives no more." We don't want to favor him with more google power.
 

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Dancre said:
...grab a copy of 'writer's market guide' (isn't that the name of it? someone correct me.) ...
Writer's Market, published by Writer's Digest Press. Annual. Current edition is dated 2005. Not the be all and end all of resources, but worth some serious browsing. Libraries should have it for those who do not want to pop the $30 or so to buy a copy. R. R. Bowker publishes the far more expensive and comprehensive Literary Marketplace. Might want to look for that in a library, too. Browse bookstores and see who publishes stuff like yours (good advice that pops up here regularly). Write down company names and addresses. Request catalogs and writer's guidelines. If you have the time, find Publishers Weekly in a library and absorb what you can from that. See www.publishersweekly.com. Foreword is magazine devoted to small presses, probably also worth a look. See www.forewordmagazine.com.

--Ken
 

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Gratian Gasparri said:
Okay folks, I found HB! Since the cut-and-paste function does not appear to be working for me, check out ISBN 0815330103. Talk about a change in the focus of one's writing!

[size=-1]The History of the German Public Accounting Profession (Routledge New Works in Accounting History)
[font=verdana,arial,helvetica][size=-1]by H. B. Markus[/size][/font]




Is it possible?
cool.gif
Nahhhh, he's not that smart & doesn't have two cents to rub together, let alone write about it. [/size]
 
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