• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Robert D. Reed Publishers / Petersen Publishing Group

Atani

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
221
Reaction score
55
Location
In the backwoods, literally...the tiny country tow
I didn't see this publisher listed among the threads, and I wanted to comment since I just had a conversation with them. I'm clearly still a novice in this world, but I'm beginning to learn fast what kind of operations to avoid thanks to the experienced people here. A long while back I found this publisher's website, and it seemed pretty interesting. So I sent them my query. Several months later I received a call from Michelle wanting to "talk about my book."

I must mention, that subsequent to my query I did find them listed on the predators & editors site & discovered they are affiliated with Petersen Publishing Group, and are apparently a vanity publisher.

Knowing this, I went into the call interested to find out what they would tell me. After a few moments of polite conversation regarding what my book was about, Michelle proceeded to tell me "how the publishing industry works." Needless to say, her information does not match what the authors here describe.

My warning to anyone looking at this publisher is to run away. They claim it takes $40,000 to launch a book and their authors are asked to pay a "1 time investment" of $15,000 to $20,000, and they get a discount on any reprinting that might need to be done in the future (1 time, huh?). That and the author must do most of his/her own publicity as well. Oh, and of course they will work out payment plans. Now that's the scariest deal I've run across so far. Oh, and I was also informed that they had over 80 years of experience and many authors had left other publishers to come to them because they allow authors to keep such high percentages of their royalties (all books an author sells on their own they keep 100% of).

Somehow I politely told Michelle I was not interested in paying to publish my book, but thanks anyway, and she had the nerve to claim they are not a vanity publisher. Wow, I wonder who can afford to publish with them? Anyway, I wanted to issue a warning for any new, green authors out there who may be very wealthy :) to run far away from these guys.
 

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess
Kind Benefactor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
6,704
Reaction score
1,315
Location
Far from the madding crowd
Website
www.victoriastrauss.com

Atani

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 7, 2008
Messages
221
Reaction score
55
Location
In the backwoods, literally...the tiny country tow
Thank you for that addition. I forgot to include the links. I also just wanted to note that I only learned about the affiliation on the P&E website, where it was mentioned:

"Robert D. Reed Publishers: Not recommended. Appears to be a vanity publisher. Part of the Petersen Publishing Group."
 

Sobel318

Beta Readers!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
69
Reaction score
4
Location
The Sandbox...
Robert D. Reed

Okay, I made sure this time that I checked the other threads as best I could this time cause my last two posts were moved cause they all ready existed. However, this time I'm really stumped. I can't even find him in querytracker.net.
Robert D. Reed sent me a letter (though I'm positive that it's a form letter, just with the title of my book filled into slots) with a few brochures that have pictures of other books he's published (I'm assuming he's a publisher and not an agent, though I can't recall sending this guy an email or anything, though it is perfectly possible that I did and just can't remember, he might be in the Literary Marketplace. I have an awful memory, though I must have legitimized sending him an email for some reason). He has a website rdrpublishers.com, and it looks legit enough, though I don't if it looks all that professional.
Can someone help me out here?
 

ChristineR

What happened?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
1,307
Reaction score
124
Location
Ann Arbor, Michigan. Downtown. Near the Universi
Overpriced vanity. Existing thread here, but not much info. It's not clear whether he's an agent, or a publisher, or publicist--the publishing arm appears to have changed name. But if they want $15,000 for a book, you can see why they might be e-mailing authors more or less at random.
 

Stanmiller

Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2009
Messages
1,822
Reaction score
331
Location
Back of Beyond
Sobel,
P&E has Robert D Reed in the Publisher listings, with a note of Vanity Publisher, Not Recommended.
 

brianm

Brian Boru
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 4, 2006
Messages
3,170
Reaction score
976
Location
The desert of S. California and the coast of N. Ir
Okay, I made sure this time that I checked the other threads as best I could this time cause my last two posts were moved cause they all ready existed.

The best way to search the threads is to use google. Type the name you are searching in the google search box plus this:

site:absolutewrite.com


To have found this thread, you would have typed:


Robert D. Reed Publisher site:absolutewrite.com


~brianm~
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,954
Reaction score
1,751
Location
Coastal Desert
The best way to search the threads is to use google.
And for y'all's convenience, there's a custom Google search box at the very bottom of every page. :D