The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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gena140

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JennaGlatzer said:
Gena, stop. This is out of hand. No one called your book porn. No one's even read your book.

I am HAPPY to have you here, to have you express your opinions, etc. I am NOT happy to have you "play the system" on a site that I own. I respectfully ask you to stick around and not be so quick to react; you might find that there are a lot of pro writers here who will volunteer to help you learn more about the publishing industry if you'll be open to listening.

When Gena talked about putting the "smackdown" on a vanity press-owned site, I assume she meant Writers Weekly. That's owned by Booklocker, which is a vanity press, though that has no reflection on the writers who post(ed) there.

I am hereby asking *everyone* to put this entire discussion to rest; I'll delete all further posts on this topic. Time to move on.

Question: Has anyone else contacted the IRS about missing royalties, and if so, what kind of reaction did you get?

I didn't mention any vanity press and I don't belong to Writers Weekly.

The site I was on was Blackplanet.
 

bluwinteryfox

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Sparhawk said:
you've postd more in one night than several members have posted in a month.

I've posted more today than I have ever. Look at how many posts I've had and I've been a member of AW (the other site) since October of 2004.

Thanks Victoria and Jenna. Calm voices of reason.
 

SeanDSchaffer

A quick side-note to Jenna

Something might be wrong with the board. I quoted a post from AnneMarble, and her post promptly disappeared. Because of this I had to remove my own last post, but I thought you should know I think something might be wrong with the boards.
 

JennaGlatzer

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Nope, nothing wrong with the board... like I said, I'm deleting anything else that continues the Gena discussions. Just want to move on.
 

writerjenn

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T42 said:
Thank you Ed, and how many times must you post this? I have grown really weary of this conversation! I even left for quite awhile and still it goes on.


Holy moly, I keep reading and thinking I'm getting to the end of the thread and it keeps on going and going and going....

I'm about ready to ask for the short version between here and the end?

Jenn
 

SeanDSchaffer

Understood!

Thanks for clarifying that, Jenna. I get paranoid sometimes and what with all the traffic this thread's been seeing, I was thinking...

Anyway, thanks again for the clarification. I definitely appreciate it.


:Thumbs:
 

NancyMehl

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Exactly....

Literary Lola said:
Why? People love good writing, even if the author is green and orange and hails from the outer reaches of Mars.

I've reviewed books for many years now. This puts me in touch with publishers, agents, AND writers. I've never seen any indication that anyone cared about the color of the author. What was important was the quality of the writing.

I can't tell someone's ethnicity through their work unless the story is targeted to a particular group. This kind of specific novel, geared to a target audience, could affect publishing options. That's true with any book - not just books geared toward a Black audience.

Nancy
 

gena140

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NancyMehl said:
I've reviewed books for many years now. This puts me in touch with publishers, agents, AND writers. I've never seen any indication that anyone cared about the color of the author. What was important was the quality of the writing.

I can't tell someone's ethnicity through their work unless the story is targeted to a particular group. This kind of specific novel, geared to a target audience, could affect publishing options. That's true with any book - not just books geared toward a Black audience.

Nancy

As asked by Jenna I am moving the black authors discussion to another thread. Please bring these comments there as I plan to have other black authors with the same experiences to share t hem.
 

writerjenn

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gena140 said:
I was asked to add more sex, and market my book as erotica. I chose not to do that. I was asked to remove all references of God from my book. I chose not to do that either

All revisions do not equal porn but in my case it did.


Unfortunaley Gena, erotic is hot right now so I'm not surprised that you were asked to make those revisions. Kudos to you for standing your ground and NOT turning your book into something comparable to Penthouse or Forum!

Jenn
 

AnneMarble

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SeanDSchaffer said:
Something might be wrong with the board. I quoted a post from AnneMarble, and her post promptly disappeared. Because of this I had to remove my own last post, but I thought you should know I think something might be wrong with the boards.

I deleted one of my posts because someone else answered first and with more accuracy. :D
 

bluwinteryfox

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Thanks

:thankyou: Thanks :thankyou: to those of you who added to my rep points and told me how to give the negative ones. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw my total had risen.

And to get back on task PA stinks, they don't edit and they don't publish, they print books.
 

NancyMehl

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Quoting myself....

NancyMehl said:
I've reviewed books for many years now. This puts me in touch with publishers, agents, AND writers. I've never seen any indication that anyone cared about the color of the author. What was important was the quality of the writing.

Is answering yourself a sign of narcissism - or simply the product of a split personality??? LOL!

One other thing I think publishers care about - the temperament of an author! Argumentative, immature writers don't get very far. Pitching fits and throwing tantrums doesn't lead to publishing contracts!

'Nuff said. :Ssh:

Nancy
 

SeanDSchaffer

AnneMarble said:
I deleted one of my posts because someone else answered first and with more accuracy. :D

Right on. I was so worried originally because my ISP is doing weird things right now; I can't even log on to their home page to check my own email. I thought with the weird things going on with them, it might be happening around the country. You know... Servers crashing and scary stuff like that. At least it ain't happening on this site. So, that's good, at least.


:Coffee:
 

book_maven

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How many of you have sent letters to Mem's list or Dee's or responded to Jenna's call for those willing to be interviewed? Now would be a good time, wouldn't it?
 

lindylou45

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book_maven said:
How many of you have sent letters to Mem's list or Dee's or responded to Jenna's call for those willing to be interviewed? Now would be a good time, wouldn't it?


I sent about twenty letters this afternoon to different media outlets. I'm also serious about posting any emails any of you have from PA exposing the denigration the authors face when they ask questions, etc. I'll also post your stories if you'd like. I just need the info so if you can get it to me, I'd really appreciate it.

Kevin, I still don't have your sidekick audition. Can you PM me with it, please?

Thanks
 
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gena140

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NancyMehl said:
Is answering yourself a sign of narcissism - or simply the product of a split personality??? LOL!

One other thing I think publishers care about - the temperament of an author! Argumentative, immature writers don't get very far. Pitching fits and throwing tantrums doesn't lead to publishing contracts!

'Nuff said. :Ssh:

Nancy

Jenna...I believe this needs to fall into the deleted pile.

Nancy I would appreciate you bringing your perspective on reviewing books by authors of any color to the thread I started for that purpose.
 

NancyMehl

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Okay....

gena140 said:
Jenna...I believe this needs to fall into the deleted pile.

Nancy I would appreciate you bringing your perspective on reviewing books by authors of any color to the thread I started for that purpose.

Sigh.

First of all, I did not mention you - and I think I have a valid point. I hope it stands. And I don't think deciding what should or shouldn't be deleted is up to you. Jenna does not need your help.

And no, I won't come to your thread. I don't have the time, nor do I have the inclination to get into a debate with someone who only wants to shove her point of view down everyone's throat. It's a waste of time.

As suggested, I'm moving on.

Buh-buy....

Nancy
 

gena140

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NancyMehl said:
Sigh.

First of all, I did not mention you - and I think I have a valid point. I hope it stands. And I don't think deciding what should or shouldn't be deleted is up to you. Jenna does not need your help.

And no, I won't come to your thread. I don't have the time, nor do I have the inclination to get into a debate with someone who only wants to shove her point of view down everyone's throat. It's a waste of time.

As suggested, I'm moving on.

Buh-buy....

Nancy

I'm not trying to shove anything down anyone's throat. That's the reason for starting an open discussion of the topic.

I started a new thread as requested by the moderators to discuss a topic you claim to have an expertise in.

I respectfully asked you to contribute to that thread you have every right to decide not to.

Moving on.
 

James D. Macdonald

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Goodie! Line by line time!

Infocenter
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4/13/2005
17:57:29

RE: Option 1 or Option 2???

So good to see you again. Do you have a name? Any experience in publishing?

Message:
Oh, and as for the myth about us using spellchecks, and other nonsense,

PA's reliance on spellchecks is obvious to anyone who reads their books. Take, for example, A Handsome Guy by Phil Dolan, one of their Best Sellers from last year. In that book we see Ernie Pyle, the war correspondent, turned into Ernie Pile. That looks like a mistake with a spellcheck. Are you saying the author made that error and the editor didn't catch it? Well, okay, maybe. In that same book, the town of Itoman (a place on Okinawa important to the action -- the book is a nonfiction account of the WWII Battle of Okinawa) was consistently spelled AUTOIMMUNE (yes, all caps). How did that happen if it wasn't through editing by spellchecker?

In another PA book (which I refrain from naming, since the author sent me the .pdf in confidence), the editor didn't spot the difference between peak, peek, and pique. That's the sort of error that a spellcheck would miss, since all three words are spelled correctly, but a human editor wouldn't miss. At least, not a competent human editor.

here is what some of your peers have had to say recently:

Dr. Gerald Roe, author of "Terror in the Steel Mountains": "As to the editing process, I found PublishAmerica to be careful, detail oriented, and, on occasion, rather tough. It was obvious to me in the several "back and forths" with my own manuscript that a fine tooth comb was applied to my every word. As a college professor, I deal with editing, grading numerous student papers. The work is tough and exacting. There are times when even the closest scrutiny fails to spot every editorial need. Perhaps those who complain the loudest should spend more time developing their own editorial skills. We do, after all, claim to be writers."

179 pages, $19.95, November 2004, ISBN 1413741363

John Shiffert, Director of University Relations, Clayton College & State University: "Please accept this note of highest commendation for "my" editor, Jennifer Hendershot. As a first time author, but also an editor (of books, and in the newspaper, magazine and business fields) of many years experience, I must tell you how impressed and appreciative I am of Ms. Hendershot’s work on my book, 'Baseball: 1862 to 2003'."

312 pages, $24.95, January 2005, ISBN 1413742769

Eileen Bennett, author of "Incidental Tears": "YOU are my hero! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it... It was a joy having you as my editor!"

208 pages, $19.95, March 2005, ISBN 1413754120


Gloria Lewis, author of "Rain on Red Clay": "Dear Sandee, You are a jewel of a lady. Your guidance in the editing process has made me feel so much better about my book. I hope PA pays you well because you more than earn your salary, having to deal with insecure writer such as this soul. I sincerely appreciate all your work and help. PS: I'll miss working with you."

216 pages, $19.95, December 2004, ISBN 1413741568

We have over the years received literally thousands of such thank-you notes. That's the real story about our editing. So can we now go back to reality, please?

Back to reality would be a good thing. Do your editors still have a quota of twelve books per month? Are you honestly claiming that your people can properly edit on three books per week, especially considering that none of them have ever worked as editors before? Why are you only quoting recently published authors? Have the older guys figured out what happened?

Earlier, same thread, Infocenter said:
We are increasing our editing team, hiring more editors than the roughly forty that we already had, so it makes normal business sense to also increase our efficiency.

Someone stop me if I'm wrong, but didn't they claim to have already hired those extra editors?
 

JennaGlatzer

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It is a valid point. Personality/attitude count for a lot in the publishing world. I've actually gotten assignments because the publisher fired a person who was too argumentative and immature.

I'm letting it stand, but please, let's get back to the topic at hand:

PA. Evil. Fighting evil. Etc.
 

Ed Williams

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Infocenter makes a grand appearance...

...over in the Great and Mighty Land of Poz, weighing in on the editing/no editing controversy. The following transcription and reality-based translations offered here are done so via courtesy of Pickle Palaver Interpretations, Inc.:

Message:
C'mon guys, let's not get overboard here. Nothing new is going on.
Translation: This is absolutely true, we've never truly edited anything, and we're not changing that in the least. We are changing our PR spiel regarding it, though.
For as long as we have been around, some authors have asked us to no not touch their text, period.
Translation: These are the wiser authors who got tipped off beforehand what would happen if they allowed us to touch it.
They want it to read exactly as-is, they have spent countless hours editing and re-editing it, some have even hired outside help.
Translation: We love this because then we're commended by the author for not editing their work, which is what we were gonna do anyway.
In such cases, we go through their final draft (as it may have changed since we first saw it during their initial submission), and we decide whether to honor their request or not.
Translation: We couldn't be lying more if we were a rug, but you know the old saying about the bigger the lie...
Only a minority want us to only format and typeset, all others want us to do the regular editing, and that's exactly what we do.
Translation: Most of our authors are new to publishing, and they don't have a clue as to what they want or should expect in this regard, so that's what we give them - no clues, nothing, nada, zilch.
All we are doing now is asking them before they ask us. It's a matter of efficiency, so that we can plan our workload better.
Translation: We're losing money, and we pay our editors maybe fifty cents an hour above the minimum wage. If we can successfully cut that cost even further, Larry can pay for a much needed hair transplant.
We are increasing our editing team, hiring more editors than the roughly forty that we already had, so it makes normal business sense to also increase our efficiency.
Translation: Of course this is a baldfaced lie, but since none of our authors have the remotest clue as to how many employees we have in the first place, this is one of the easiest and most effective ones of all.
It's no rocket science, really.
Translation: Thank God, this is proven by the fact that actually we run this business.
All these wild suggestions about quality, upfront fees, and what have you, well, we'll chalk it up to lazy-wednesday-afternoon-nothing-better-to-do. They are simply, plainly, untrue. But you already knew that.
Translation: This sounds good, and god forbid that you do an internet search anytime soon...
 
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