The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

DaveKuzminski said:

Well, T42, you should write back and tell them you're sorry that they're jerks.

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Dave, they have no doubts that I think they are jerks. I have about 20 letters of communication with PA since I signed the contract. They send the "basic" everybody loves us letter and The Barnes & Noble are team players of PA and then the "don't take that tone" and "send an apology"....on and on. I continue to ask them if they have an inside source because as far as I know, Hell still hasn't froze over!

bikrpreacher said:

I can promise you all that in my PA year, I never thought like this:

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/lounge/7911.htm
Message:
Every morning I turn on this computer and head for the message boards. Man, what a treat. I thank my lucky stars that I came here. It appears that everyone is making oodles of money writing because it seems that no one has a regular job. They're always here. Now that's for me. Make it all writing. To heck with working for a living. What a life!!!!

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OMG! I can promise you that I never thought that way either. Someone help that poor person.

keltora said:

The title of the story is "Beelzebubba..." It came up after a discussion with one of my editors (the one who edited BUBBAS OF THE APOCALYPSE and FOUR BUBBAS OF THE APOCALYPSE), so it's planned for a future chapbook that will include me and two other authors with the same house.

The premise of my story is "He don't want your soul...he's just after your beer..."

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Oh, wow, what a concept -- beer-craving Bubbas of the Apocalypse. I love it!!

KellyS. said:

OMG! I can promise you that I never thought that way either. Someone help that poor person.

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Holy Crappola! Me, neither. I only go check out those boards to see if anybody's come to their senses yet, and I have to be well fortified with coffee, cigarettes, and Ibuprofen before I can stomach it.

Just received a four page reply from PA that the BBB in Maryland forwarded to me. I'd think it'd be of interested to ann or victoria, perhaps Dave. Who ever is in charge of gathering evidence PM me and I'll send it to you via snail mail.


AND WHERE ARE YOU DEE WITH THAT NEWS!!!!

tina

A ringer?

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/general/2109.htm



I wonder if this is one of PA's terrible trio posing as an author. What he/she describes just doesn't happen to PA books. Period.

ouch...

so who wants to give them the news?

***********

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/newauthors/2963.htm
Message:
Hi fellow writers, we just had to pass on some more good news. Our marketing seems to be 'snowballing', and we haven't even got our own stratagy underway or better yet, spent a penny of our marketing budget.
It all started with 'Connect' our company's magazine that featured us, then two BBC Southern Counties Radio interviews. Now our regional newspaper wants to do a feature with photographs and our town website is going to run a series of our 'Travel Bite' articles!
All this is great, but a pity it is all before the book is available (awaiting cover art stage).
Now we would like to pose the question, have any of you been able to liase with PA regarding the retail price of your books?
We are convinced that to achieve volume sales, that a realistic price needs to be fixed. What is starting to be a widespread marketing stratagy could negated at a stroke by a high retail price.
We have found that our most benificial marketing tool to date is a website with an easy to remember address And linking it to our town website. Often town information websites are visited by local press and radio journalists seeking suitable people to cover/interview. So be pro-active on their message boards and letters pages, get yourselves noticed.
Cheers for now.
Steve & Linda
Two Clots in a Camper
www.twoclots.com

wkhammer

2/22/2005
14:54:28
RE: Retail Pricing????


Message:
The boards seem to be rather silent about the pricing of PA books. I offered that thread a month ago and got only one response. However, disgruntled anti-PA authors started discussing my thread on their own non-PA boards, saying that my book might end up being a $40 paperback. I hope they're wrong, as it will be nearly impossible to sell a paperback that costs more than $20.

Here's to selling a cheap paperback!

*************

I wish I was still able to post on the PA boards - here's the truth; your paperback is going to be unsellable at whatever price PA puts it at. Between the no-return policy and the price you're dead in the water, friend.

realitychuck said:

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/general/2109.htm



I wonder if this is one of PA's terrible trio posing as an author. What he/she describes just doesn't happen to PA books. Period.

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no, I think she's a real person - who has neglected to post that these are the ONLINE sites.

everyone gets all excited about seeing their books online until they figure out that you can't SELL them only through online stores.

not at those prices, anyway.

another "virgin" about to find out the 'orrible truth about PA.

ever notice how they get really quiet not long after they get "published"?

realitychuck said:

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/general/2109.htm



I wonder if this is one of PA's terrible trio posing as an author. What he/she describes just doesn't happen to PA books. Period.

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Well, there's a Margaret Meyer that is probably in bookstores, but I doubt it's the same one.

The title of the book is the person's username, Angel Assurance. It does appear on Target.com and amazon.com, but the cover doesn't show up, and it also isn't available until April. The book is 60 pages long and costs 12.95.

As already pointed out, the poster must be referring to online stores, although he/she doesn't say that in the post. This is going to confuse and probably set off the other authors who read the thread.

I asked a manager at my local Target once about how they obtain books for their in-store bookracks. The answer was exactly what I thought: all their books are corporately ordered and based on best-selling lists, like the NY Times Bestsellers, etc. There's not a chance on this earth that a PA book will be in a local Target store. And if it does happen and it is pointed out to me, I will eat an aluminum can. That's my pledge. Then I'll try to get my books in there.

Other PA books show up on Target's site, but, well, so do mine.

utc

realitychuck said:

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/general/2109.htm


I wonder if this is one of PA's terrible trio posing as an author. What he/she describes just doesn't happen to PA books. Period.

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The Target.com lists books, but they do it in partnership with Amazon.com. So as long as a book is listed on Amazon, you can also purchase it through Target's online store.

Although I've never tried it, I think it's handy to know in case you have a Target gift card and want to buy books instead of a pink and brown wastebasket.

Damn you, Under the City! Foiled again by the 'ol answer posted minutes before.

Sheryl Nantus said:

no, I think she's a real person - who has neglected to post that these are the ONLINE sites.

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That explains everything. I got the impression that she thought the books were actually in the bookstores, and it's possible that's what she thought when she saw the online listing.

*chuckles*

well, she's already getting yelped at by the PA regulars to make the distinction - as in, "how did YOU do it!"... expect a fast retraction to mean only the online stores, which is where ALL the big sales are, doncha know.

*shakes head*

http://www.publishamerica.com/cgi-bin/pamessageboard/data/general/2109.htm

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Bonnie is there to save the day and ask the all important question, do you mean it's there or available...

www.fanstory.com

...a few months ago the PA website touted a new partnership between themselves and www.fanstory.com. I just took a look a few minutes ago, and there's nothing on the index page of either website regarding the other, at least that I can see. Is the partnership still intact, or has fanstory.com started smelling the coffee?



P.S. And while we're on the subject of partnerships, what about the highly touted PA/New York Times one? Has that one sunk as low as PA's BBB rating?

P.S.S. Kev, we can hang, man. And Zaz, more posts please!

Ed Williams said:

...a few months ago the PA website touted a new partnership between themselves and www.fanstory.com. I just took a look a few minutes ago, and there's nothing on the index page of either website regarding the other, at least that I can see. Is the partnership still intact, or has fanstory.com started smelling the coffee?

P.S. And while we're on the subject of partnerships, what about the highly touted PA/New York Times one? Has that one sunk as low as PA's BBB rating?

P.S.S. Kev, we can hang, man. And Zaz, more posts please!

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Interesting question Ed, I just emailed FanStory and will let you know what they have to say about that.

DaveKuzminski said:

God doesn't have any lawyers, they're all working for the devil.

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Haha...more like..God doesn't need any lawyers..lol..good one, Dave.

"Gee, now Larry, Willem, and Miranda are being ridiculed in other languages worldwide."

Om my gawd, now that was funny!

underthecity said:

The title of the book is the person's username, Angel Assurance. It does appear on Target.com and amazon.com, but the cover doesn't show up, and it also isn't available until April. The book is 60 pages long and costs 12.95.

As already pointed out, the poster must be referring to online stores, although he/she doesn't say that in the post. This is going to confuse and probably set off the other authors who read the thread.

I asked a manager at my local Target once about how they obtain books for their in-store bookracks. The answer was exactly what I thought: all their books are corporately ordered and based on best-selling lists, like the NY Times Bestsellers, etc. There's not a chance on this earth that a PA book will be in a local Target store. And if it does happen and it is pointed out to me, I will eat an aluminum can. That's my pledge. Then I'll try to get my books in there.

Other PA books show up on Target's site, but, well, so do mine.

utc

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I noticed that the reason PA books are listed as available through the online Target bookstore is because they are in some partnership with Amazon. If it's at Amazon then chances are it will also be listed at Target. You probably already know this, however, I agree with you, I too will eat an aluminium can if a PA book is actually available in the actual Target store, cause I'm pretty damn sure it isn't going to happen. Uh..ok, I lied..I'm positive..lol..

Well, Larry Clopper made the statement that he and PublishAmerica are about honesty and integrity. Well, I'm calling them on it at http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/letters.html . It's time to put up or shut up, Larry.

Took this message out of here...not that it'll do any good, but it's no sense leaving it up for someone else to copy for bad use...

DaveKuzminski said:

Well, Larry Clopper made the statement that he and PublishAmerica are about honesty and integrity. Well, I'm calling them on it at http://www.scifi.com/sfw/current/letters.html . It's time to put up or shut up, Larry.

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As we all know Clopper and PA know absolutely nothing about honest and integrity. And the statement Clopper made is laughable because we all know ol' Clopper is full of s*** and not going to attempt to match wits with anyone...well because he obviously isn't the brightest crayon in the box as it is.

Though if Clopper did accept the challenge (snickers, yeah right) I want front row seats!

Dave, OUTSTANDING!

bikrpreacher said:

Here is mine, quite a review, (message )
Bogus Travis, well, ha-ha, aren't you so very cleaver? So you know how to copy and paste, so very smart and cleaver.

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Hey, there was someone on the PA boards -- a woman, I think -- who misspelled "clever" the same way. I remember reading one of her posts and getting a mental image of a pissed off woman waving a cleaver.

Yep, and I looked at that and almost changed it. Well, I did tell James I was learning to write, that's just some left over PA message board dust on me, sorry about that. I could have just fixed it but I think it's funny, so I'll let it stand. Wonder if it was me on the PA board that did that! It'll be the next thing on the fake reviews I suppose and if that's the only thing I ever do wrong, then I am blessed.