$99 for my rights back!

Even the itty bittiest, teeny weeniest legit publishers don't charge an author money to return publishing rights (that's all you gave them, I hope). They just write you a letter dismissing you and telling you that your rights are returned. They eat any production or editing costs, too.

There are no strings attached to this termination except the $99 processing fee that covers our administration costs and our de-listing obligations to vendors and/or wholesalers. You must choose a shipping option to activate your rights return instruction.

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Crikey, they aren't charging enough! You know how hard it is to remove a title from your lineup?

You need to notify your distributor to list the book OP. In this case PA will have to think very hard before they remember they don't have a distributor - so no email needs to be sent.

Next you need to get into your Bowker account and change the status from Active to OP.

You need to change the status with LOC. Again, they'll stumble around screaming and crying trying to figure out how to do that until some Einstein remembers that they make their authors take out their own copyright.

And...that's it. Bada bing, bada boom. Even if they took all the steps real publishers do, the time expended is about five minutes. In their case, it would take them all of one minute. So given all that work, one can see why that $99 fee isn't nearly enough. [tongue firmly planted in cheek]

In truth, real publishers don't charge fees to return rights. We eat our investment.

I'd be very leery about trusting anything they say they'll do. I won my case years ago, yet PA still illegally has my book up for sale. Even if I hadn't prevailed, more than seven years have passed, and repeated requests to remove the book have gone unanswered. Eh.

For Merri

We've seen a lot of ex-PA writers come and go on these boards. It's relatively easy for one to post here and say 'Yay, I've got a new pub deal so f*** off, P.A.' but the ones who haven't YET achieved that but still keep posting here just to save others from falling into the same net are in a very special class.

Merri, you make me ashamed. I try to post on AW to help other writers, but I know perfectly well how much ego lurks behind what I do. The implicit urge behind the most innocently helpful post to make the point 'guess what my publisher does for me' is near overwhelming - and I suspect I'm not the only one guilty in that respect.

No-one here is throwing rocks at you, and you knew they wouldn't. The majority of writers who post regularly in B&B are good, kind people - like James, like Gillhoughly, like Queen of Spades. I'm not regular, and I doubt I'm much of a good person, but I want to go on record saying you're in a class of your own. Anyone can fight the good fight in a way that makes them look good, but you're prepared to do it even if potentially it makes you look gullible or 'stupid' or anything people are prepared to think. And now you'll not only take this deal, you'll tell everyone you're doing it in the hope what you're doing will make it easier for others to decide - even if the price is you yourself being scammed.

I so hope you do get your rights back. Your writing on these boards must have inspired so many people that I can't believe it won't inspire many others once it's given the chance.

Lady, you rock.

Louise

Yes, you do rock Merri!

Merri, I want to echo publicly the comments above. Your posts are some of the first I read upon finding AW (about 8 weeks too late, after signing my contract). Had I read them earlier, I might not have stepped in "it." I've already seen some people post that they've avoided PA based on the info here, there's no telling how many we've actually helped.

Gosh, thanks Louise, Marie and Chris. I know how much I want to scrape PA off the bottom of my shoe and how it almost sucked the life right of me when I learned the truth about PA (and I learned earlier on in the process than some folks), so I can't even imagine how I would feel if I'd been with them five years or more before learning who and what they really are. If I can help even one writer become more aware, I'm happy to do it.

No-one here is throwing rocks at you, and you knew they wouldn't. The majority of writers who post regularly in B&B are good, kind people - like James, like Gillhoughly, like Queen of Spades.

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You are right, Louise, I knew no one would throw rocks at me here and I have encountered the very best, most amazing people here at AW. I think they are the ones who rock!!!

Toni1953 said:

So maybe in a few months the cost of termination will drop to $59.99?

Ridiculous.

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Sooner than that.

Returning Your Rights

by PublishAmerica

Price: $49.00

No details about "processing fees" or other bogus charges.

BTW, is there any difference between "reverting" your rights for $99 and "returning" your rights for $49?

Other than $50?

See the ISBN listing. $99.

And here. $49.

I also got the message for returning the rights. They didn't mention which book and I know one sold at least one copy in the last year - and not to me. I e-mailed them and asked them which book they wanted to return my rights for and where in the contract is such a term and have received nothing in reply.

Gene said:

I also got the message for returning the rights. They didn't mention which book and I know one sold at least one copy in the last year - and not to me. I e-mailed them and asked them which book they wanted to return my rights for and where in the contract is such a term and have received nothing in reply.

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Welcome Gene!

You're not likely to get a response from your email. The way the rights return is being run is you go to the PA website, find the "rights return product" being offered (http://www.publishamerica.net/product94553.html), and you enter the information, presumably including the book title. From what I understand, PA then contacts you and you go from there. One of our regulars is doing this and promises to keep us updated on the process. So far, she's submitted her termination request and is waiting for PA to get back to her.

This process is outside the terms of your contract. By my reading of my contract, reversion of rights is only free at the end of the 7 years and only if I inform PA more than 90 days in advance of the end of the contract. It seems they can charge for early termination. That's what they're doing, anyway.

Hi, Chris

Hi, Chris. Nice photo.
I've already been informed by PA that they were going to stop printing my books - one notification came about three months before the second one - and I'm one of their original authors. I have copyright dates of 2001 and 2003, so this is not an early out.

Wow, a PA "old timer". Welcome doubly. I've been with PA since 2007, btw.

Doing the math, you have renewed your contract on the first book, and possibly on the second. I have a bunch of questions, which you can decline to answer if you want, but I am genuinely curious.

Was the returning your rights email sent separately from their announcement that they would no longer be printing your books? Did they give a reason for no longer printing you? Any thoughts on why this notification did not terminate your contract? Seems to me that if PA discontinued your book at their discretion you should not have to buy back your rights. Like I said, I'm genuinely curious about your experiences, both positive and negative.

Gene said:

I also got the message for returning the rights. They didn't mention which book and I know one sold at least one copy in the last year - and not to me. I e-mailed them and asked them which book they wanted to return my rights for and where in the contract is such a term and have received nothing in reply.

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Hey Gene! Welcome to AW =) Be sure to check out some of the non-PA boards here as well, this place has a load of ridiculously valuable writers' tools.

The Baker and Taylor contract has the following section: (e) Title Setup and Storage
You can access it from this page: http://www.baker-taylor.com/supplier_textstream_GetStarted.cfm

The first year a book is listed it cost the publisher $35 per title. Every year after, with sales of less than 10 books, there is a fee of $5 per title. That could be a lot of money for PA. Are they dropping titles that aren't paying?

Gene said:

Hi, Chris. Nice photo.
I've already been informed by PA that they were going to stop printing my books - one notification came about three months before the second one - and I'm one of their original authors. I have copyright dates of 2001 and 2003, so this is not an early out.

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Chris P said:

Doing the math, you have renewed your contract on the first book, and possibly on the second. I have a bunch of questions, which you can decline to answer if you want, but I am genuinely curious.

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Not necessarily. The early contracts stated that the contract expired at the end of seven years unless both parties renewed in writing. PA apparently changed that to an automatic renewal unless one or both parties opted out later.

So, Gene, check your contracts. If you didn't actually renew, you might already be free.

And wouldn't it be just like PA to offer to sell rights back for those early contracts that have expired? I mean, they sent the e-mail offer to at least one author here whose rights were already returned. Why not try to sucker inattentive people out of money?

Sorry this scanned in so large. I received a slip in my mailbox yesterday stating I needed to sign for a certified piece of mail. Went to the Post Office this morning and signed for it. It was my return of rights letter from PA.

I'M FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome, Gene!

merrihiatt said:

I'M FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Big congrats, Merri!! YOWZA!!!!

Merri: You ROCK! If I could find a champagne cork popping smiley I'd use it.

In the meantime:
Now, go out and enjoy the

w00t! Gratz Merri!!!!111!!!!

Gamer moment ...

Thank you!

I'm still a bit stunned that PA actually followed through and did what they said they would do, and in a timely fashion. No gag order, either. I simply cannot believe that I am really free of PA and they are no longer holding my book hostage. I don't have to send them any more e-mails requesting my rights back (only to be ignored, of course!). It doesn't seem real yet.