The Old Neverending PublishAmerica Thread (Publish America)

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Sher2

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Ed Williams said:
Premium books in a hairdresser's shop? If one of them mentions Jiffy Lube in that thread, I'm gonna be hacked off about my idea being stolen!
Yeah, I'd go to the hairdresser's and plop down $20 or $30 for a paperback by somebody I've never heard of. Somebody is waaaaaaaay down the rabbit hole. They might have better luck making their pitch in bars -- say, right around last call. :Headbang:
 

victoriastrauss

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Re-posting Phase Two of the PA Project:

---------------------------------
Several months ago I started a project with PA authors who were currently on the Absolute Write boards. It involved doing nothing illegal, immoral or fattening. (Ask Victoria Strauss, my partner in running Writer Beware.)

I asked PA authors who are unhappy to write to me. I organized the project, and there are some signs that it has a beneficial effect in getting the news out about PublishAmerica.

I'm now going to start phase two of The Project.

So...if you are a brand-new PA author who has just joined the AW this year, or if you are one of the "old faithful" who doesn't mind wading back in for Round Two, OR if you are a writers' advocate who doesn't like seeing his or her fellow writers scammed and jerked around, please write to me.

I will be collecting email addresses for about two weeks, then you will be hearing from me, approximately April 1st. I'll write you a detailed letter describing just what to do.

It's your choice then whether you want to be part of the The Project, Phase Two.

My email address is: [email protected]

Also, please cc Writer Beware, because aol can be wonky! [email protected]

I learned a lot from Phase One. I have a few new wrinkles for Phase Two.

If you want to be part of this, write to me. Feel free to copy and past this post in other writer forums.

Thank you for your attention.

-Ann C. Crispin
Chair, SFWA Committee on Writing Scams
Writer Beware
Author: Storms of Destiny/HarperEos
www.accrispin.com
 

DaveKuzminski

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Sher2 said:
They might have better luck making their pitch in bars -- say, right around last call. :Headbang:

With any luck, the purchaser will be too sloshed to notice the amateur cover or the poor editing that many PA books possess. On the bright side, he won't get an STD for the twenty bucks he spends. ;)
 

Sher2

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DaveKuzminski said:
With any luck, the purchaser will be too sloshed to notice the amateur cover or the poor editing that many PA books possess. On the bright side, he won't get an STD for the twenty bucks he spends. ;)
Yeah, that was my thinking. LOL. And let's hope he avoids the STD -- some of 'em might be so desperate they'll promise anything if only he'll buy a copy.;)
 

Crystal Rivers

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Sher2 said:
Yeah, I'd go to the hairdresser's and plop down $20 or $30 for a paperback by somebody I've never heard of. Somebody is waaaaaaaay down the rabbit hole. They might have better luck making their pitch in bars -- say, right around last call.
EmoteHeadbang.gif

Sher2, I love your reply!

Some people are clueless, and don't want to even listen when you're trying to pull them out of a burning house.
EmoteShrug.gif
What ya gonna do? Guess we still for conscience sake have to keep trying to warn as many as possible BEFORE they sign the contract. Most of the people defending PA are neophytes and have yet to receive their author copies. They will soon discover that they made a humongous mistake once they try to pedal their overpriced firestarters.

I did a web search before I signed with PA, but could find little information about them. AFTER I signed, was when the reality set in as new info emerged, and I got that sick feeling in my stomach that I had made a mistake. It continues to get worse as time goes on. Live & learn...
emoticoncry.gif
 

Sher2

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Crystal Rivers said:
Sher2, I love your reply!

Some people are clueless, and don't want to even listen when you're trying to pull them out of a burning house.
EmoteShrug.gif
What ya gonna do?
Honestly, Crystal, some people are so clueless you wonder how they've lived so long. You just have to remember that you can't help anybody until and unless that person is ready and willing to accept help. Therefore, all you can do is help those you can and don't worry about the rest.:)
 

PossiblyPerfect

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I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty
 

keltora

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty

Lulu.com won't cost you a red cent and you will get as much as you do (if not more) with PA...
 

underthecity

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PossiblyPerfect said:
What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help! Patty
Patty,
Boy did you come to the right place at just the right time. Get ready for a deluge of information. It's coming. Don't sign that contract!

Now, get comfortable and start reading.

While you're hear, please check out all the other forums. Start with the Novel Writing forum.

Uncle Jim will be along shortly.

underthecity
 

Crystal Rivers

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Patty, Are you just looking to just have your book in print, or do you actually want to be able to sell it? PA sticks it to you when you try and order your books. You'd pay more that way than if you found a reputable publisher to self-publish your book. PA sets prices on books that are not competitive, and it costs a small fortune to buy your own copies. (Other publishers allow their authors to get better discounts when purchasing their own books.) PA's so-called discounts are a joke and no real bargain. First time buyers get a 50% discount, but you still have to order a min. of 50 copies to get it. Please keep searching for other publishers, but knowing now what I didn't know when I signed my contract, I'd advise you to RUN, RUN, RUN from PA as fast as your little feet can carry you, and don't look back.
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Dancre

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty

Oh, Patty, hon, don't sign that contract!!!! PA is just a shortcut that leads no where!! i'm in the same boat as you are in looking for a publisher for my novel and i know PA looks soooooo tempting!! all nice and pretty, like the apple in the garden of eden. (i've had 26 rejections so far so i really understand.) but if you want to be a legitimate writer, you're going to have to travel down the long road. any publisher or agent that asks for money upfront is a con artist, run from them. you'll have to start from the beginning and grab a copy of 'writer's market guide' (isn't that the name of it? someone correct me.) look up the publisher/agent on editors and preditors or on this board and see if they are legit, then start sending out those query letters. yes it takes a while, but its soooo worth it. i'm sure uncle jim has some more to say. listen to him, he's very wise and smart.

kim
 

Sher2

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty
Patty, please, take it from someone who's been there -- run! Run as far and as fast as you can in the opposite direction. PA offers nothing but smoke and mirrors. Invest your time and energy in educating yourself about legitimate publishers. PA is not even on the same planet as legitimate publishers.
 

nuthin4u2

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I’ve been watching this board and laughing my but off. ‘The nameless one’ pulled a bigger stunt than you think. I’m just amazed nobody figured it out yet. I read this in one of the threads here and figured it out.

Somehow, I can't help but to think that H.B. Marcus has actually died. Let me explain.

H.B. Marcus is not a real person, rather a pseudonym for a writer. In his own unique way, I can picture this writer as actually turning towards new projects and breaking from his past by, in fact, burying the name of the pseudonym used until a few days ago.

Regardless of the opinion of the writer, the pseudonym of H.B. Marcus I believe has died a much needed death. Whether the writer comes back under a new name or redirects his efforts to another facet of writing will remain to be seen.

Like him or hate him, the creator of H.B. Marcus knows how to create attention.”


He’s here right now among the posters as a spy for PA. Why do you think he hasn’t posted at PA? He’s been posting here for months already. I don’t need to point him out either. You just have to ask yourself what would cause him to shed his name. If you think that idiot could keep quiet for this long, he has not. He’s just been on here gaining your trust. Don’t point him out or name him. You can come up with the same conclusion I have as to who he is. Just don’t share anything with him he can take back to PA.


Jim
 

clintl

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty

What is your book about? Have you searched for an agent yet? Submitted it to major publishers? You shouldn't settle even for Lulu.com until you have exhausted the publishers that can actually get your books into book stores.
 

T42

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Just say NO to Pukeamerica!

Welcome Patty,

I have to jump in here with both feet as I scream, Don’t Do It! Pa has hidden fees!

Seven years of your life that your book will set on pa’s non-existent shelf

Cost of an attorney when you want your contract terminated (and you will)

Embarrassment when you try to get a bookstore to carry your book and they won’t because of who published it.

Shame when your royalty check is only $1.36

Your Pride

Your self-esteem

Your time

And the list goes on and on….
If you never do another thing in your life, at least listen to these people!
Mem
 

Kevin Yarbrough

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DaveKuzminski said:
With any luck, the purchaser will be too sloshed to notice the amateur cover or the poor editing that many PA books possess. On the bright side, he won't get an STD for the twenty bucks he spends. ;)
Don't knock it Dave, I sold a few books that way. Although the women bought the books after I promised to leave them alone and not say that I would sleep with them if they bought a book. Wasn't going to try it with the men, they were all bigger (not that way you sick people) than me.
 

Literary Lola

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty
Patty, you blessed soul...to quote the brilliant Monty Python in The Holy Grail...RUN AWAY!!!! You should NEVER have to worry about money. That's your publisher's job. Your job is to write. Unlike polo, writing is not a rich man's game. It's for those who have a story burning in their heart.

I have no idea what other publishers you're looking at, but for starters, good commercial publishers offer a teensy pesky thing called editing. Yes, my tongue is in my cheek because PA doesn't offer that.

Marketing. This is to be done by your publisher. If you're up to doing signings, it's their job to get them for you. All you should do is show up wearing a smile and a pen for autographs. PA will never do this for you.

Other aspects that PA will never provide are:
  • Advertising
  • A detailed royalty statement
  • Accessibility - you'll never hear from them if you have tough questions.
  • Catalogues
  • Book competitions - you'll never be entered by them. You'll have to do it yourself
  • Sending your book out for reviews. That will have to come from you, on your dime and your copies that you've purchased at a one time whooptie-doo discount in which you're expcected to be eternally grateful.
Do yourself the favor of going through the posts - yeah, there's a lot of silliness and I'm guilty of a fair share. But in between the silliness, there are grains of truth to what this scam company is about. And the very best of luck to you!
 

realitychuck

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PossiblyPerfect said:
I am currently being offered a contract on a book with PA and I appreciate the posts on AW in regards to "beware of PA"...I am not a great researcher but have tried to find an alternate publisher because of what I read here...however, I have no money to spend and what is attractive about PA is the no cost to the author bait and hook...I have tried to find suggestions of a different publisher before I sign the contract but haven't been able to! So, what other publishers offer what PA offers but go one step further? What options do broke writers have? I really appreciate the warnings but I don't know what options I have and where to go! Hope you understand and can help!

Patty
As others have said,

DON'T SIGN THE CONTRACT.

As for what to do: think about a mainstream publisher/agent. A lot depends on the nature of the book, but if you can interest a legitimate agent, you're in good shape (first rule: Never, under any circumstances whatsoever, pay money to an agent. Corrollary to the first rule: if the agent asks for money, for any reason, no matter how plausible, run away).

Also check out small presses in The International Directory of Little Magazines and Small Presses. Your book might be of interest to them.

If you can't find a publisher in those areas, then you have to consider self-publishing -- with is going to cost.

And while you're working on these prospects, write another, better book. Repeat this step until you get a contract from a legitimate publisher.
 

Literary Lola

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nuthin4u2 said:
I’ve been watching this board and laughing my but off. ‘The nameless one’ pulled a bigger stunt than you think...He’s here right now among the posters as a spy for PA. Why do you think he hasn’t posted at PA?...He’s just been on here gaining your trust ...Just don’t share anything with him he can take back to PA.
Jim
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.
 

Jeff

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I’ve been watching this board and laughing my but off. ‘The nameless one’ pulled a bigger stunt than you think.

Nuthin',

No offense, but the truth is that you are not going to get the reaction/outcry you want by trolling here. Simply put, ol' whatsisname is just not that interesting any longer.

We here have bigger fish to fry and more people to help.

Joliet Jake: "Fix the cigarette lighter."
 

Kevin Yarbrough

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Patty, there are other small publishers out there that can give you a heck of a lot better deal than PA with no money up front. Check out LBF publishing and Behler. They both will be a heck of a lot better

Found a quote that might resonate well. I can see this board, and others, mentioned here and why we take the time and energy to oust PA and try and save authors. Anything in ( **) are my additions.

"Only for you, children of doctrine and learning (authors), have we written this work. Examine this book (board), ponder the meaning we have dispersed in various places (other boards) and gathered again (condensed thread of PA); what we have concealed in one place we have disclosed in another, that it may be understood by your wisdom."

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim, De occulta philosophia

Another quote.

We have a weight to carry,
and a distance we must go.
We have a weight to carry,
a destination we can not know.
We have a weight to carry
and can put it down nowhere.
We have a weight to carry,
from there to here to there.

--The Book of Counted Sorrows
 
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