The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

Re: PublishAmerica and pricing...

No amount of believing in your book is going to change that.

You can believe in your book just fine. You can believe in your book all day long. The trick is making the guy standing in the bookstore believe in your book.

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I've had a happy thought: PA books as Band Candy.

You know those candy bars that schools have their kids sell as fund raisers? They're overpriced, underdelicious, and have wrappers that can be described as "functional at best."

Do you buy one when some long-suffering mother or father brings a case of 'em to work and walks around trying to sell 'em? Of course you do. Would you buy the same candy bar at the same price in the same wrapper if it were sitting on the shelf of a store? No way.

Same thing with PA books, only they cost a lot more than those candy bars.

Re: PublishAmerica and pricing...

Heck, I've bought more than one book just for the cover. (What is Fabio doing these days...? )

A book's title makes a huge difference....

Prime example - my first book was a collection of wild PG to R rated country boy stories about my upbringing in Juliette, Georgia. It was published by a tiny mom and pop press located in Plano, Texas back in 1998 (you know, those presses the PA loyalists say can't get books into bookstores). The book was released in the summer of 1998, and was stocked and sold in three bookstores in Macon, Georgia. Eight months later, the Books A Million chain picked it up and stocked it in all of its stores. The title:

"Sex, Dead Dogs, and Me: The Juliette Journals."

I'll always believe that whatever happens to me in the future from a literary standpoint will be largely due to the fact that my first book had such a wild title. For any of you out there who reads this, titles and cover designs make a huge difference in the success or failure of a book. I know.

Re: A book's title makes a huge difference....

(you know, those presses the PA loyalists say can't get books into bookstores)

Y'know, I bought a small press book off the shelf at Barnes & Noble just the other day.

Re: "the cover of the book doesn't affect sales"

we'd all be buying books with white covers and the title and author in plain black ink.

Click to expand...

That's funny you say that, because my aunt loaned me a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and that actually is the cover. But it's very striking, the font is nice.

Re: "the cover of the book doesn't affect sales"

Ooo, yes. www.jonathanstrange.com/

Notice how it's delightfully evocative and atmospheric.

Re: "the cover of the book doesn't affect sales"

That's funny you say that, because my aunt loaned me a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and that actually is the cover. But it's very striking, the font is nice.

Click to expand...

And it's printed on a nicely textured paper, which sets it apart from so many other covers out there. (The great reviews help, too! )

On the other hand, in the 1980s, somebody got the bright idea of (get this!) generic genre novels. IIRC the guy who thought this up said that most genre novels were too expensive, and he figured people would love to pay a couple of dollars less for paperback novels called "A Science Fiction Novel" or "A Western" or "A Romance Novel" with plain covers and no author listed. Their covers really did look like the labels of generic food. They got quite a bit of coverage in newspapers because it really was in ... interesting... idea. But it didn't work because while the novels were cheaper than usual, they were quite short, so you weren't saving that much. Also, while people will buy a genre novel by a new author, they're going to be hesitant to buy a novel by nobody. How do you know you're not buying a book by someone you don't like? :eek If they had played it as a joke and published parodies of novels, it might have worked, but as far as I know, the books took themselves seriously.

It was a potentially fun gimmick, but it was doomed despite the media coverage and publicity. The books flopped. A lot of stores were stuck with stacks of the things. BTW my mother's response was actually anger because she figured right away that the authors who wrote those were probably being ripped off. Then again, they were most likely hired on a work-for-hire basis, so they came out better than they would if they had been depending on royalties.

BTW does anyone remember why my brain remembers these bizarre bits of publishing trivia? :lol

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Re: PublishAmerica and pricing...

On this note, I'm an avid reader and book buyer. Literally, I love my books. I'm willing to pay upwards of $12 for a children's book, and I did. I paid $18 for a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, a Caldecott award winner from the 1960s. Its a book I remembered loving as a child and I purchased it for my neice. However, I would only pay upwards of $12 for that type of children's book.

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

Carl really got nasty with me over on the Publishers Weekly MB this time. So I couldn’t help but prove him wrong…there’s just too much fun in doing so. Besides, it does my weary heart good to be able to make Carl look foolish, especially when everyone pretty much agrees that it’s really old Willem or whatever his name’s supposed to be.

I’ll not just sit back and let him take potshots at my achievements in life. They’re my pride and joy. He may have stolen my work, (which has been praised as an “intelligent piece of literature”), but I’ll not sit around and let him diminish what I received through blood, sweat, and tears. It isn’t easy obtaining a first-degree black belt, you know.

And another thing: Carl’s really angering me by bringing my family into the picture. Patience is a virtue, but everyone has a limit.<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/mad.gif" />

Tim Johnson
<a href="http://www.timjohnsonsbooks.com" target="_new">www.timjohnsonsbooks.com</a>

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

It isn’t easy obtaining a first-degree black belt, you know.

Stay focused on PA. "Carl" is doing his best to throw dust in the air, to distract, to change the subject. Let's look at this bit from his latest:

<Blockquote> I know of one writer/publisher who wrote a book that was only made available through ordering from a P.O. Box number. You had to prepay with a check or money order before he sent the book. And he waited for the check to clear before shipping the book. </BLOCKQUOTE>

That isn't commercial trade publishing -- that's some guy who self-published. If PublishAmerica wants to compare themselves with self-publishing, that's wonderful, but that isn't what their false and misleading web page says.

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

Sorry ‘bout that, James. But that joker was really starting to make my blood boil. You’re right, of course.

If I could do it all over again, I’d have my book in the hands of at least a legitimate self-publisher. If I’d known about PA beforehand, that is. Those guys give the word “crook” a new meaning.

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

But that joker was really starting to make my blood boil.

That's what he's there to do.

The main points are that the examples he brings up aren't commercial trade publishing, but PublishAmerica advertises itself as a commercial trade publisher.

They aren't a commercial trade publisher -- they're a vanity house that can sometimes function as an overpriced and inept self-publishing service.

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

exactly, James.

and if they would only be honest about it then there wouldn't be as many upset authors.

of course, if they WERE honest about it then they wouldn't HAVE as many authors to start with.

:b

Re: Just Had To Do It...Naturally.

I just received this:
<hr />
Dear Publish America Authors:

We have reviewed the facts stated in your complaint.

While we sympathize with you in this situation, we must inform you that
this office is not empowered to become involved in a dispute between two
business firms. Our authority is limited to complaints arising from a
consumer transaction, which is defined as a transaction involving goods,
realty, or services used primarily for family, household, personal, or
agricultural purposes.

You may wish to contact your private attorney to determine whether a
private legal action would be fruitful.

Very truly yours,

Consumer Protection Division

Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 528-8662
<hr />
I'm still waiting to hear from C.E. Petit. I suppose I'll need to e-mail him once more...it's been quite a while since I e-mailed him the second time 'round.

an email I received yesterday from PA

Good Afternoon,

We had a local retailer order your book (10 copies) but we lost the address on the system. Can you call me to let me know if you know which company ordered the books. We are holding the books here. He needs them before New Years Eve.

I really need your help. (301-695-1707)

Thank You
Patrice
Author Support Team
[email protected]

Re: "the cover of the book doesn't affect sales"

Risseybug responded to my cover comment:

That's funny you say that, because my aunt loaned me a copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell and that actually is the cover. But it's very striking, the font is nice.

Click to expand...

Nah, _Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell_ has a fancy font; a bird, which takes it out of "text only"; _and_ it comes in two colors, which when you seen a big stack of them in the bookstore signals, "Look! This is a Major Book!" (Other books that I can think of with variant covers released at the same time were by Stephen King and Nora Roberts.)

I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it greatly when I have the time for a nice leisurely wallow.

Publish America lost the order?

A retailer finally orders a PA book, ten copies no less, and PublishAmerica loses the order. Amazing. I guess this demonstrates how unusual an order from a retailer is.

Dee Power
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com

Re: an email I received yesterday from PA

Tirgana,
Do you know which company?
Good Greif!

Re: Publish America lost the order?

Why, Dee, they must be literally swamped over there. You know how difficult it must be to move about in a townhouse with sixty employees sitting on stacks of manuscripts everywhere while they balance their computers and keyboards carefully on other stacks while trying to read and edit.

They'll probably find it later where one of their employees published it as a 300-page novel with the first sheet repeated over and over, of course.

In the meantime, I just heard from Molly Brent. Her hard drive was fried by a virus and she lost all her email addresses for her friends, so she's asking that everyone who's contacted her before send her an email so she can recover their addresses and keep in touch.

Off topic, but...

Does everyone have their anti-virus/anti-spyware software up to date?

Go, buy a commercial package. I guarantee it'll be cheaper than trying to reconstruct your data after the fact.

Or: freeware/shareware (for Windows):

<a href="http://www.zonelabs.com/" target="_new">ZoneAlert</a> freeware firewall.

<a href="http://www.lavasoft.de/" target="_new">AdAwareSE</a> freeware anti-spyware.

<a href="http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm" target="_new">AVG</a> freeware anti-virus.

<a href="http://popfile.sourceforge.net/" target="_new">Popfile</a> freeware spam filtering.

<a href="http://www.greyware.com/software/grr/" target="_new">Grr!</a> shareware registry protection.

Take a few minutes to get yourself protected. It's a dangerous world out there.

Why would PA ask for a copy of an author's drivers license?

It seems that new authors are being asked to send copies of their driver's license and social security card along with their signed contract. Why would PublishAmerica require that? I've signed three publishing contracts, and while they require a SS# or Federal ID number, I've never had to send copies of the card itself or my driver's license. And Publish America wants both?

I've also read on the PA board that new authors are being told there is up to a two year wait for their new book to be released. That wasn't in the contract as of August of this year. Why the change?

Dee
www.BrianHillAndDeePower.com

Re: Why would PA ask for a copy of an author's drivers licen

I have had to send my SS# and drivers lic. info. (copies) twice now for three books...
I haven't heard of the two year wait for new books, but I know there is a possible two year wait for second and third books.

Re: Why would PA ask for a copy of an author's drivers licen

It seems that new authors are being asked to send copies of their driver's license and social security card along with their signed contract.

They want to know if the books are coming from real people? They don't want another Kevin Yarborough problem?

I've also read on the PA board that new authors are being told there is up to a two year wait for their new book to be released.

There aren't enough hours in a day for them to produce the books they've already signed.

My guess is that, far from just 20%, they accept darn-near everything they get sent, and the house of cards is collapsing.

That letter from the AG

I got the same letter this morning from the AG office that Tim did, and I have never complained to them regarding PA (nor am I a PA author!) I don't know how they got my email. I guess an overenthusiastic complainant included me as a disgruntled author.


Plus, the email the AG's office sent out wasn't a BCC, so I could see the email addresses of the over 100 people the mail was sent out to. I see from the list several of you here got it, too.

Re: That letter from the AG

Are we certain this email is legit?