Return of a Man Named PAMB and its Quotes

[Richard White]

Does someone have a link to the fact that PA charges shipping for an e-book?

[HistorySleuth]

It didn't look that way. I clicked on "add to cart" on a random book and it just had the price and a space for tax if you lived in Maryland. I went to checkout and nothing else was added. (No I didn't buy anything.)

[Queen of Swords]

Book signing problem

I have had success in school visits, library workshops, etc. I've had an article and photo in the paper, but I can't seem to get any stores to allow me a book signing since my books are nonreturnable. I offer to bring my own books and they say it is against store policy. I even offered to buy back the books they didn't sell at Barnes & Noble.

Author Support then seems to have told this author that she could send them a list of stores and they would contact the stores regarding a signing, though I'm not sure how they'd overcome the problem of returnability.

Maybe someone will suggest holding the signing in a restaurant or flower shop.

[Gillhoughly]

Or a candy store to sell lollipop trees or a funeral parlor if it's a mystery or a 10-minute oil change place if there's cars in it or a grocery store parking lot until the cops chase you off or....

[Queen of Swords]

5 gets you 25

I exercised the offer to purchase 5 copies of my book, ELUV, and received 25. That was five weeks ago. I paid immediately when I placed the order and wonder why it is taking so long. Has anyone placed a similar order? If so, how long did it take?

Five weeks is actually normal for PA. You pay immediately, though - as the author points out.

A cheerleader responds,

My understanding is that PA is very backlogged.

But a third author seems to be catching on.

I am curious to know how much the total for the 25 books was...
I know that on the surface some of PA's special offers look very alluring, until you add in the mailing expenses which can be outrageous. For this particular offer, I believe 5 books very mailed for free, while the 20 "free" books weren't.
You can contact me directly at <email> with your reply, if you want.
Thanks!

[Little1]

perhaps they took it down.. I could have sworn I saw a note that said to make sure to add shipping or the order would not go through... Perhaps I was hallucinating. Its not there now.

[Snowstorm]

Little1: I swear I saw that too. I searched up-thread for it and couldn't find it. I clicked on Queen of Swords' post in #2339. I thought I saw it there, but it's not.

Must be mass hallucination, huh?

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

Or could be we're so used to PA's ridiculous shipping we're seeing it everywhere

[christwriter]

Too bad they didn't think to write it off as a bandwidth charge.

[Stacia Kane]

Originally Posted by Little1

perhaps they took it down.. I could have sworn I saw a note that said to make sure to add shipping or the order would not go through... Perhaps I was hallucinating. Its not there now.

I saw that two nights ago on the listing for a book on the PA site.

[merrihiatt]

I saw it, too, in red at the bottom of the screen.

[Snowstorm]

Praise the Lord and pass the potatahs!

It was a mass hallucination! I wonder how many people saw PA's disclaimer before it mysteriously vanished.

[CatSlave]

Originally Posted by Stacia Kane

I saw that two nights ago on the listing for a book on the PA site.

Diddo.

[TheTinCat]

I offer to bring my own books and they say it is against store policy.

Because you sitting at a table in their store, selling books you brought yourself and pocketing the profit, isn't exactly good business for them.

[Richard Falk]

Mutiny is breaking out on Infomonster's thread about the new Oprah Winfrey show. As one poster astutely puts it:

I just hope it wont be one of those things where we would have to buy our own book in order to be included in this. That's getting rather tiresome! Plus I feel it would benefit PA better to market our books for these types of things regardless of whether or not we buy our books. Also why arent full color books included in those deals? They get shafted quite a bit.

Deletion and a "tone letter" dead ahead, I'd say.

[ctripp]

I am so proud, I am a published author of a children’s book. A book that will all probably will never get a chance to be on a shelf at Barns and Noble, Waldens and probably not any library, classroom or at your favorite bookstore. They put a price of 24.95 on a children's book, why??

I have let friends and family know that it is out there and ready for purchase, they want to know if it is lined with gold. Why would they price it sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo high? I have spent the last week looking at prices of books for children and this book is so over priced I can forget about ever getting it into Barns and Noble in my local bookstore. How do they set the price? I understand a book for older readers would sell for that but a 26 page children’s book. If it price too high no one will buy it, I know I couldn't afford to buy it for my grandchildren at that price. They would have to have a better known author, a book priced at about half the cost.

I am happy to be published but really dissappointed to know that this is all the farther it has a chance to go because of the price. I was looking so forward to being able to push it up to the top. I even had my stores all lined up but when I told them the price, let's say "they will think about it."

This new author is cluing in fast. Not sure how long this post will last.

Plus I feel it would benefit PA better to market our books for these types of things regardless of whether or not we buy

This is more evidence for those few that say PA does not mislead new writers. Once again you see that most of the authors DO believe PA is a publisher. Of course a PUBLISHER wants to make book sales to the public. They are still confused as to why PA will not market the books to other then the writers themselves.

[PVish]

Two replies to the above:

I'm in the same boat. I know we werre warned in the information "due to special consideration they do for children's books the prices are higher than normal" I am also curious to what those "special considerations" are. I have been buying my own books with the discounts so I can sell them cheaper. I struggle with it though. With buying them low and selling them lower than they can buy online I am undercutting PA. How can anyone make ANY money when we are doing that? Right now I am in a holding pattern until I sell the books that I have at my book signing, etc before I buy more books.

I do have some friends and family that are buying the book just because they know the author, but to be sure I do hear often about how expensive the books are. Even a hard cover with paper sleeve copy of "The Kissing Hand" with full 2 page pictures sells for less.

I am just waiting this out to see what happens. I'm curious to how this will play out.

I think she already knows how it will "play out."

I too wrote a book for middle graders. I had to purchase the books myself prior to planning any events at the schools, libraries etc. Due to the severely overpriced nature of the book I had only sold 7 per their royalty statement. I had actually purchased almost 200 under their deals.
I have book readings/signings scheduled throughout the summer at some of the local libraries and one small 'mom & pop' shop. Even with the discounts offered to the bookstores; the book is still way overpriced. That and the fact that if they don't sell I had to promise to buyback these books should the signings be done.
I am having enough trouble with the major bookstores due to availability and the fact that I am an unknown. I have hit a roadblock and even though the book is now available through Borders website; I still can not book a signing for these reasons.
I would also love a response on why my book is so highly overpriced. I am a disabled vet and do not have the money to continuosly buy these books on their promos and then try to resell.
Any information they could provide as to how they determine the price would be great.

[Little1]

Originally Posted by merrihiatt

I saw it, too, in red at the bottom of the screen.

YES!!!! I was not the only one... I thought it was those... erm .. perhaps its not good to talk about such things in an open forum..

[JulieB]

I am having enough trouble with the major bookstores due to availability and the fact that I am an unknown.

The fact that you're unknown isn't hurting you at all, author. The availability bit is.

When I booked my first signing the bookstore manager didn't know me from Eve, but the publisher had gone to the trouble of making sure that my books were on shelves across the country, and available for order on favorable terms. The bookstore risked nothing but a little floor space and the pitcher of water they so kindly provided.

Unknown authors get picked up by publishers all the time.

[Gillhoughly]

With buying them low and selling them lower than they can buy online I am undercutting PA. How can anyone make ANY money when we are doing that?

PA is making plenty of money--from you.

Your book costs them about 3.00 to print. Work it out from there to see who's making the money.

I had actually purchased almost 200 under their deals.

They must love you.

I am a disabled vet and do not have the money to continuosly buy these books on their promos and then try to resell.

Stop. Please stop. They don't care about you, your sacrifice while in service, or anything decent. They just want you to shut up and keep buying. They wave the flag and praise Jesus but see them for what they are: greedy, heartless monsters.

Any information they could provide as to how they determine the price would be great.

They will put as high a price as possible, based on what they think a desperate, inexperienced writer might pay in order to have a book in hand or one who has the sad hope that it might sell and turn into something big if they can just buy enough copies.

There is no "tipping point" to be had selling a few books on your own here and there. PA is simply incapable of doing that or it would have happened by now and they would be a legit house.

Please go to a bookstore and ask the management--they're the front liners of the industry--why PA books are not stocked, never sell, and never ever sell big.

[amergina]

Uh oh. Trouble in Paradise! Someone has noticed the shipping rates!

Shipping Rates?

I rodered just one of my books last week and the shipping rate was $3.99. However, earlier today I ordered 6 more copies of my and noticed that I was being charged 23.94 for shipping.

Why does PublishAmerica charge a 3.99 shipping rate per book??? Do they send each book out separately? If not, then there is no reason for them to charge per book. Standard shipping rates don't apply to the quantity that is being shipped. Is this just a glitch on their site? If it isnt, could someone please explain this to me?!

Sorry, it's not a glitch. It's the way they make money.

[TheTinCat]

Is this just a glitch on their site?

The whole damn company is one big friggin glitch ...

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

*poof* Gone to the cornfield!

[Jersey Chick]

And we are all shocked, right?

[Cyia]

From the Oprah's Book Club thread:

I agree with the other comments. It's a no-brainer. PublishAmerica should certainly obtain airtime with Oprah if possible. That's more exposure for all the PA family. But I'd be very interested to hear what Oprah and her audience had to say about PA and all of us.

Yeah, "interesting" could certainly be applied to that scenario. (Is it me, or does it sound like someone's Kool Aid soured?)