PublishAmerica is back in the news. The Washington Post wrote about the company, and this is author Lynn Viehl’s take on it (she says it so much better than I can):
PublishAmerica is also an "advance-paying book publisher" with a company banner motto that reads We treat our authors the old-fashioned way — we pay them.
Except that the old-fashioned way it pays authors an advance is — hold
onto your hat — a whopping total of $1. Now, I made twenty-five
thousand times that as the advance for the last book I wrote, but hey,
maybe I’m just ridiculously overpaid.PublishAmerica states on its web site
that its titles "are available through most major bookstores." Except
for this one little thing: "Availability is not necessarily the same as
bookstore shelf display." Translation: you can’t get them in the store,
but you can order them through the store’s computer. Assuming you have
psychic power and can envision the titles, because they’re not on the
shelf. Have I got this right?
The Post managed to get Larry Clopper, president and co-founder of PublishAmerica to speak on the record about his company’s approach to publishing. He should have kept his mouth shut.
To Larry Clopper, the
company, in relying on its authors to largely sell their own books, is
"revolutionizing" an elitist industry. It has, he says, "always
operated on the highest principles of honor and integrity."
PublishAmerica’s authors often knew "decades of failure, dozens of
rejections and life-changing disappointment," adds Clopper, who twice
failed to find publishers for his own books. "Now they hold their books
in their hands, and they are sneering down at the publishing industry
that shunned them."
It’s not the industry they’re sneering at Larry, it’s you. The Post article goes on to discuss the pitfalls of Print-on-Demand publishing, the latest evolution of vanity press.
Because there have always been more would-be authors than mainstream
publishers are willing to sign up, writers can turn to a variety of
do-it-yourself alternatives. The major difference is that, one way or
another, those writers wind up paying, instead of being paid, to be
published.POD companies like iUniverse and vanity presses in general
don’t appear to generate much public rancor, however, because they make
it quite clear that the author bears the expense. Besides, such
publishers do serve a purpose. The Authors Guild, for example, has an
arrangement with iUniverse to keep its members’ out-of-print books
available. For a PTA planning to sell a cookbook, or a family elder
passing her memoirs around to the grandchildren, a vanity or POD press
makes sense.
But it’s very unlikely to lead to a career. Once in a great while, a highly entrepreneurial author gets lucky.
A few POD books have sold well enough to lead to a deal with a mainstream publisher. But if your book comes out through PublishAmerica, that’s not going to happen to you. You sign over your publishing rights for seven years. So if Random House comes knocking, PublishAmerica negotiates your deal and keeps
half the proceeds. Not a bad trade off for your $1 advance, is it? Larry Clopper says that his detractors represent a "miniscule faction" of the authors published by his company.
But the fact remains that his authors
can’t join the Authors Guild. Having heard complaints about
PublishAmerica for years, the guild doesn’t recognize its titles as
membership criteria. "There’s a long history of vanity presses and
others taking advantage of the hopes of would-be authors," says
executive director Aiken. "This might fall in that noble tradition."
True, too, many major book review sections (including Book World) won’t
review POD books. "Some of our proudest moments come when authors are
not allowed into certain exclusive clubs," Clopper retorts.
Those who petitioned the Maryland
attorney general seeking "an investigation into this massive scam" had
a different understanding, however. They weren’t interested in sneering
at the exclusive club; they thought that, at last, they were being
invited into it.
Now that the mainstream press — like Publishers Weekly and The Washington Post — are picking up on the PublishAmerica scam, maybe people will finally stop falling for Cloppers clumsy con.
“A few POD books have sold well enough to lead to a deal with a mainstream publisher. But if your book comes out through PublishAmerica, that’s not going to happen to you. You sign over your publishing rights for seven years.”
Exactly, which is some PA authors, even when they “move on” as they put it still are under contract to Clopper and Meiners. They take EXCLUSIVE rights. I gave PA a sting book already available from iU and kept it all through the process. It took me over a year to get them to return the rights, by fighting shills all over the Internet. Most sign the gag order to get out and even more remain kidknapped.
I was a source for both stories, but my level of victimization, which since it was a deliberate sting, didn’t play as well as Ms. St. Amour and Easton’s. I also have them on infringement as I have evidence of 4 sales after reversion. The lawsuit is worth about a nickel.
The 49 copies of stock scam is better lawsuit fodder. They make the more gullible buy this stock to be released. They print them after the check clears. Ka Ching.
I dont understand the point of your “sting.” You submitted to PA a book of yours published by iUniverse… then you spent over a year trying to get the rights back from PA. What was that supposed to prove?
It was never removed from publication by the first printer. The point was to expose Publishamerica for what they are: a predatory vanity press scam, and entrap them into copyright infringement and deceptive business practices, which I have. The idea is to put them out of business. That can’t be done from the outside, and it may not be possible from any direction.
At any rate, an iUniverse book is not a great risk as you know, but at least with that the rights are mine and the work can be resold should that be possible. It’s not a novel either. It’s a collection of journalistic travel essays. I can see your point from your perspective and positon. I didn’t get any credit for working background on your show either try as I might.
Keep in mind the level that Publishamerica plays to. They don’t deserve what they’re getting, Lee. That’s my only motivation as an altruist.
I still don’t understand your “sting.” YOU were the one who violated your own copyright… not PA. Even when you sign a contract with a real publisher, YOU warrant that the work is original and is yours free and clear, unemcumbered by any other contracts, etc. If anyone is at fault in this scenario, it’s you.
I think PA is a scam and a fraud and should be put out of business. Your sting, at least as far as I can tell, doesn’t illuminate any deceptive business practices by PA. If anything, it proves that you intentionally violated your agreement with iUniverse. Seems to me that all you managed to do was sting yourself.
No offense, Mark, but I also don’t see what this “sting,” and me not understanding it, has to do with working as a background extra on Diagnosis Murder and not be “credited” for it.
It has to do, only as a side issue, with the “unsung” Hollywood warriors that get nothing but the dregs on the floor and no credit for participating. Most aspiring writers are also in this category. Some deservedly so, but others just shut out by the sheer numbers and lack of connections.
If it is indeed me that is at fault, it is nothing more than a misunderstanding and a lack of any checking on the part of Publishamerica. They solicited the book. They knew it was published and did not ask on thing about having it released from iUniverse. Of course I was aware of it, but nobody who deals with PA would be and that’s the role I was playing in this script. It’s the perfect defense on that charge. I’m well-aware of it and was then.
PA printed the book after they released it. I have the records.
Consider this Hollywood veteran in your PS neighborhood: Stephen Lodge. HE fell for it.
No offense taken Lee.
Here’s another sting book. Atlanta Nights
Hi Lee,
I am interested in publishing, but I am not sure where to go and who to talk to about my desire in publishing. I am fully aware of many publishing companies make promises, promises, promises. I have little knowledge in this area and am in dire need of advice.
I also have 60 pieces of poetry posted at http://www.poets.com
and am very interested in exposing my work. What would you suggest?
Thanks, Saby J.R.
My e-mail address begins with a capital “J”. Jasby33@aol.com
Poetry is almost always self-published.
I’m a PA author, and I have to say I’ve been SOOOOOOO Disappointed in them. I just don’t know what I can do about it but ride out the 7 years on the contract.
I am positive they aren’t paying me for the entire amounts of books I sold. I kept track last year of famiy and friends and online reviews I could find, but only got paid for four books and I knew I’d sold triple that.
My emails were never answered inquiring about it. I’m frankly one very pissed off author. My aunt is an author too and led me to researching PA. I would love to be involved in any Class Action Lawsuit agains them, but I myself don’t have the funds to pursue one.
I want my book back so I can get it done by a REAL publisher, not a publisher who pretended to be real with false promises and flashing ‘celebrity’ names at me.
I am going to keep following your blog.
This past month, I actually google searched several book reviewers, got them to request a review copy, I forwarded these requests to PA, PA was nice of enough to send review copies out, and now I got the three star treatment on Amazon.com. And more is to come! PA did a wonderful job of getting out these review copies to the various book reviewers and I thank them for it. My editor did a fantastic job of editing and am very proud of her work. My first book, Prescience Rendezvous, however, wasn’t even edited and the publisher will not give it a second round of proofs, but I the amazing thing is this– a person can google search a publisher, get their work published, google a reviewer, and get a major a reviewer to review their work on which leads to book sales. This is incredible. Only in America this could happen. Yes, there are negatives to every story, but through proper preperation, and planning, maybe a major reviewer on amazon will give you the three star treatment like myself. Now if only ‘Prescience Rendezvous’ was edited properly, but we all can’t get what we want, but get what you need. Who knows maybe a bigger publisher will look at these reviews and take it on. Life is what you make it. Not all of us are overly connected sorts, but please take a look at these reviews and google me! I am always working on another manuscript and am not bitter at all. Thank you PA! If you they could give ‘Prescience Rendezvous’ a second round of proofs, I now have the connections to get those three star reviews. Google me! All the best!
Paul Collins
author of King without an Empire
August 14, 2005
1)Reviewer: Daniel Jolley “darkgenius” (Shelby, North Carolina USA) – See all my reviews
“Highly imaginative sci-fi with complex spiritual aspects. King Without an Empire is an unusual novel, full of exotic ideas and notions from advanced nanotechnology to hallucinogenic spiritual journeys.”
2)Reviewer: Lesley West (St James, Western Australia) – See all my reviews
“This is a rich and detailed science fiction novel – quite a feat of the imagination!”
To critics of PA read this:
1) I dont care if PA keeps 100% of my royalties because they risked their money on my book.
2) I dont care if my books never appear on the shelve of a brick and mortar book store.
3) I totally understand if PA requires a seven contract because as mentioned before they put up their money for my book,
When PA accepted my book, it was the happiest day in my life.
You, sir, are a moron.
“I dont care if PA keeps 100% of my royalties because they risked their money on my book.”
I don’t even understand what this means. If you pay THEM to print your book (just like paying Kinko’s to make photocopies), then what money did THEY risk?
Wow! I know a gal who got published with PA last year. She is so excited, she’s writing a second book now.
I have some manuscripts and was considering submitting but after working in a university bookstore and trying to deal with print on demand publishers, I know better. People want a book they can hold in their hand while they are deciding if they want to buy it.
I’ve seen university professors use POD who then make their students buy their vanity books as part of a class.
I read the PublishAmerica contract carefully before signing it. It is worded to sound like it will fulfill everything a new Author needs. You don’t pay them up front, (unless you want to buy some of your own books which is highly recommended by them.) They handle all publicity and shipping to the stores, (as they see fit,) and the Roylaties look very competitive, (If somehow your book sells.)
But look at that same contract in a different light, (the light of reality,) and you will see that it means nothing will be done to help the new Author at all. There are no press releases, no publicity, nothing at all unless the Author does it. Book stores sneer when PA is brought up and my interveiw almost ended when I mentioned PA as the publisher. I have tried to get out of the contract with them for various reasons and was told in effect, “You signed on the bottom line, tough!”
PA has no heart for it’s Authors unless they are already well known stars who don’t need name recognition.
I regret signing with them and will do everything I can to help others by warning them away from this company.
Larry Cloppers and Willem Meiner should feel shame at how they treat the Authors who fall for their ‘contract’. I do.
We’ve been doing that for years. Meiners and Clopper have no shame. Fooling people is the job.
I would like to know a little bit more about
Publish America here in the United States? If
you would be so kind. Thanks and God Bless.
Pastor D
Note: I would like to publish my book with
them???
Pastor D:
My thoughts concerning PublishAmerica:
Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves (Matt. 7:15).
Hi Pastor D. Publish America are not the people you should choose. What they do is pretend to be one kind of publisher while actually being another.
There are legitimate publishers, who are highly selective about the books they publish, give the author an advance, publish the book at their own expense, spend money promoting it and making sure that bookshops have copies so that people can buy them.
Then there are vanity publishers, who look to authors to cover all the expenses of publication, AND do all the work of promoting it. What scammers don’t tell you is that an author trying to promote a book without a publisher backing them up is a single voice with no authority in a howling sea of competition, and stands almost no chance of getting anybody to listen to them; without the credit of having a selective publisher’s endorsement, most bookshops will assume that your book is incompetent and was only printed because you paid for it. Vanity publishers trade on the fact that most aspiring authors don’t know enough about how the publishing industry works to know that getting your book printed is really only the beginning of getting it out there. That, and the fact that many people want publication enough that they’ll pay for it, even though if you pay for it, it’s not what most people understand by the word ‘publication’.
Publish America is a company that, I think, grew up in response to the fact that people are getting more savvy about vanity publishers. There are lots of warnings telling you that if a company demands money upfront, they aren’t legitimate, but what PA does is move the costs to the author after the book is printed. They charge far more for copies of their book than a normal publisher, so bookshops will be very unwilling to carry them.
The result is that the only people who are likely to buy the author’s book are his/her friends and family. But PA produce the book so cheaply and quickly that those few dozen sales are enough to make them a profit. And the author has to buy every copy of their book from PA, meaning that it’s an ongoing expense for you if you want to get copies shifted. In effect, they’re putting as little effort as possible into producing the books and then holding them to ransom, knowing that you’ll buy enough copies to make them some money.
To keep it profitable, they need large, large numbers of authors, as they’re only making a few hundred dollars from many, which means that, whatever they claim, they are not selective about who they publish. This compounds bookshops’ unwillingness to carry their books, because, while being published by PA doesn’t prove your book is bad, it doesn’t prove it’s good either, and bookshops don’t want books that aren’t definitely good. It’s in their interests, not yours, that they publish so many thousands of people.
It’s called an ‘author mill’; check out the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Author_mill
If you want to see your book in print, there are two ways to go. The first is to try to get your book selected by a legitimate press, which will mean the odds are against you but if you luck out you’ll be making money rather than spending it. If, on the other hand, your book is just something you’d like to have some copies to give to friends, family and parishioners, and you don’t mind doing the work of selling it yourself, then you should go to a straight-up printing company that is honest in saying that they are a printer, not a publisher. I’ve heard good things said about Lulu.com, for instance.
Your call, but I really, really don’t advise Publish America. Good luck with finding the right place for your book.
I am an author and if you are having trouble getting to traditional publishers, you don’t have to go to publishamerica. You can do the exact same thing on LULU.COM. But there’s a difference. With Lulu, you won’t get ripped off, you may stand a good chance of getting into bookstores, your book won’t be overpriced, you have good marketing material within your grasp and you’ll retain all rights to the book. Self-publishing is not a bad option, take the move “A Time To Kill,” for example. It was a book beforehand and was first self-published. You get out of anything whatever you put into it. Having done an author’s work may look good on you when heading for traditional publishers. Get as much under your belt as possible, just don’t allow yourself to fall into a scam.
Nobody will even pass a glance at a new author as if all the authors were created by Intelligent Design already.
So I gingerly signed a PA contract for my novel, Reaganville. It seemed that I would have that chance I needed. Predation is all over the American landscape and I am now aware that a lot of people are unsatisfied with PA.
In any case, my novel has a character based on a real person who is doing exactly what I fictionalized him to do and it is a political thing so Reaganville may be in demand in a certain city in California.
Kiss of death, I am worried about. Such a closed system this publishing thing is.
http://www.newmillguitar.com/editor.html
Larry Cooperman
I really think it’s safe to say that any publisher is better than publishamerica. LOL. By the way, I didn’t find any of Lee Goldberg’s books on Barnes and Noble or any major bookstore. Anyone who’s trying to find a good publisher, keep a few things in mind.
1- All companies have complaints, even the companies who issue the complaints to the public have complaints, but none like publishamerica, good God.
2- If a publisher has a return policy, descent editors, a good cover design, and does not overprice your book, you should be fine. If you have those basic needs and your book fails, it wasn’t because of your publisher.
Anyway, getting back on subject, publishamerica is not the place for serious writers. Period! But if publishamerica would just stop overpricing their books, get themselves some good editors and place a return policy on their books, they’d have no problem. I don’t understand why they find that so hard to do.
It’s not that hard to see that PAs a scam. They sign you to a contract for 7 years, when no traditional or even ligitimate publisher would sign you for such a short amount of time. Do the research and you’ll see that every real publisher signs you for the duration of the copyright of your book, which means it’s theirs unless they go out of business or decide to release you. That should be a dead giveaway right there.
Their contract says that they “Print as the market demands.” What do you think that means? PRINT ON DEMAND, and no traditional or good publisher works with that.
Letting people know is they key. You probably have no idea how many authors PA has missed because of these reports, so keep it up.
” “A Time To Kill,” for example. It was a book beforehand and was first self-published.”
This is crap. Wynwood Press was not a self-publishing vanity press. That makes this a false statement and the other would be Lee’s books aren’t in Barnes & Noble. Au contraire. Signed lost in Lulu.
I can’t agree with the statement that PA is not for serious writers. I can agree with that statement up to a certain point. My contention is just the simple and well known fact: First time writers of serious literary fiction will not even get an agent to look at their work. It is a hat trick that I’m not able to do thus far. Second of all, and adjunct to the first: Agents are looking for bucks and literary fiction has less bucks in it than a thriller. So in the words of that old Total commercial; What’s a mother to do?
Reaganville is a tight and unique piece of literary fiction. I’m the author so you can take it in any fashion, but you can read the first three pages at my website and some other excerpts there, but the first three pages will establish some of the feel of the rest of the book.
I figure that I have a few legal reasons to ask for my copyright back from PA. I’d say that one is the way that present themselves; We are just like a traditional book publisher. They are not, and that’s just plain deception. Second is that they say they have editors. They don’t. Now that part was a joke. The edits they did were either farmed out to India or just some kind of search and replace computer program.
I agree that PA is a scam, no doubt, it’s pretty obvious. However, I don’t agree that just because a publisher charges a reasonable publishing fee that they’re a bad publisher. Authorhouse, is NOT reasonable, however, the movie “legally blonde” went through them first, regardless of what Penguin or Random House may tell you. Second, a publisher who charges a reasonable publishing fee is not always a bad decision if they have descent editors and a return policy. A return policy is the key to getting your books into bookstores, period. This profession is all about money for the industry. Barnes and Noble doesn’t care if your book can knock Stephen King on his ass and make Harry Potter look like Dr. Seuss, if there’s no return policy, they will probably not stock it because they’ll lose a lot of money if they don’t sell. See for yourself. When an author calls a bookstore to ask for a signing, one of the first things they ask is, “Is there a return policy on your book?” They don’t care how good or bad it may be as long as they know they’re not going to lose any money over it. If they can return what doesn’t sell and get their money back, they know they have nothing to lose. Remember the old saying. “Money can’t buy love, but it can buy everything else.” I’m telling you, it’s all about money. Publishers who don’t charge an arm and a leg, but want some financial committment from you up front, do it because they don’t know if your book’s going to be a success, so they want to make sure they get something out of it. No matter what the circumstances financially, a return policy, good editors and decent book prices are always going to be to your advantage. And just because someone’s manuscript’s rejected, does not mean they’re a bad writer. Stephen King, JK Rowling, Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele were all rejected countless times, over and over. Harry Potter was rejected by 15 different publishing houses and when it was finally accepted by a tiny company, JK Rowling’s editor told her that she should get a day job because she didn’t have much of a future in children’s books. So, no matter what hype you may hear, don’t let it get to you. If you feel you have a great story to tell, do what you have to do to get it out there and work damn hard at it. You can’t go wrong there. There’s a way around everything. Let’s say you pay to publish with the advantages I listed above and a reviewer still doesn’t want to look at it because you paid. But, it has good editing, well, submit it to an agent who’ll send it to movie studios. There should be nothing in your contract that forbids that. There’s always a way around everything, just look. Remember, you have to start somewhere, but you don’t have to stay there. Godspeed to ALL published authors and may your futures be bright. By the way, for the most part, predators and editors is NOT a ligitimate website. It’s owned by one guy who, for the most part, gives publishers a bad name if they don’t pay him. There are some he can’t mark as good because of their numerous complaints, like PA, and there are some he can’t mark as bad because of their good records, like Penguin, no one would believe it. But, for the most part, predators and editors is overrated. I’ve researched some publishers he’s called: vanity and self-publishers, also known as POD, and their contracts clearly offer a full return policy. No vanity or POD publisher would offer anykind of return policy.
You wrote: “a publisher who charges a reasonable publishing fee is not always a bad decision if they have descent editors and a return policy. A return policy is the key to getting your books into bookstores, period.”
It’s ALWAYS wrong to pay to have your novel published, whether the vanity press has a returns policy or not. Barnes and Noble and most bookstores won’t stock a vanity press title whether it has a returns policy or not (your local bookstore *might* do a one-time signing for you out of pity or a sense of community, but most likely only on consignment).
Just try to get Barnes and Noble to stock your Authorhouse novel in their stores. It won’t happen. iUniverse PAYS to have a copy or two of their books stocked on shelves in a handful of Barnes and Noble stores so they can tell their customers they’ll be “distributed to bookstores…but the number of iUniverse books that actually sell in brick and mortar stores is negligible, as their CEO has reluctantly admitted.
You write: “Publishers who don’t charge an arm and a leg, but want some financial commitment from you up front, do it because they don’t know if your book’s going to be a success, so they want to make sure they get something out of it.”
That is absolutely false and the kool aid that the vanity press industry wants their suckers to drink. The only companies who charge a fee to publish a book are the ones that make their income off of authors, not from selling books. They aren’t publishers. They are a printing service for desperate, badly informed aspiring authors.
You write: “If you feel you have a great story to tell, do what you have to do to get it out there and work damn hard at it. You can’t go wrong there. There’s a way around everything.”
This is what the vanity presses are all about — rejected authors who mistakenly believe there is a “way around” the obstacles to publishing success. There isn’t. If you pay to have our novel published, the only thing you will succeed in doing is emptying your bank account.
Vanity presses don’t offer a short-cut to becoming an author. They offer a swindle that preys on your desperation and ignorance.
You wrote: “Let’s say you pay to publish with the advantages I listed above and a reviewer still doesn’t want to look at it because you paid. But, it has good editing, well, submit it to an agent who’ll send it to movie studios.”
This is the most monumentally ignorant comment in your post. No reputable agent is going to take your vanity-press book and hock it to the studios — because no studio will read it.
You have it totally ass-backwards. If you want to submit your book to an agent, submit THE MANUSCRIPT!!! There’s no need to spend money to have it printed in book form by some vanity press first.
And if the book is any good, he will submit the manuscript to publishers who will PAY YOU TO PUBLISH IT. And then when the book is published by a real publisher, you or your agent or your publisher can submit it to a studio.
You write: “By the way, for the most part, predators and editors is NOT a ligitimate website. It’s owned by one guy who, for the most part, gives publishers a bad name if they don’t pay him.”
This is a total lie, one that makes me suspect that you are a shill for one of the vanity presses. P&A was founded by one person but there are many contributors and it is highly respected by organizations like the SFWA and the MWA as a resource for writers. The vanity presses and sham agencies loathe P&A because it makes it easy for aspiring authors to learn who the scammers are. Another handy resource is the Writers Beware blog (http://accrispin.blogspot.com/), which is sponsored by the SFWA.
You write: “No vanity or POD publisher would offer any kind of return policy.”
Actually, there are many that do in the hopes of taking advantage of the ignorant. Hilliard & Harris is one of them. They are essentially a Print-On-Demand vanity press that gets you to pay on the back-end rather than upfront (if you don’t include what you have to pay to buy copies of your own books). Here’s how they do it: they load their contract with an enormous number of egregious charges against royalties so that in the highly unlikely event that your book does make money, you won’t see much of it. It’s the PublishAmerica model.
So, in summary, my view is that all of your advice is dead wrong and should be ignored.
Lee
Lee Goldberg, sir, with all due respect, you sound like a pissed off author who never made it. First of all, I am not anykind of spokesman or suppoter of any publisher. What do you mean that a return policy doesn’t make a great difference? And what do you mean that studios won’t read submissions from agents when that’s the only way they’ll look at them? They know that the only way a good agent will accept the manuscript is if it’s good and will sell anyway. Look at Legally Blonde, as I said before. Great novels and stories, such as Legally Blonde, start off with the “not so great publisher” everyday and end up on the big screen. If an agent or studio will not read a self-published book, how’d she gets hers into a movie? A publisher can like your book all they want, but if most of the public does not, it probably won’t do too good. Let me ask you this, if I were to say, “Lee, Let me have 1000 copies of your book, without me paying you a single dime, and let me take them off to Alaska to sell. Hopefully, I’ll sell enough to give you back all the money you spent on buying them.” Would you do that? Of course not, why? Because you don’t know if they’re going to sell or not. It’s the same with publishers who charge a reasonable fee, they don’t know if it’s going to sell. Ofcourse vanity and self-published titles will have a harder time getting into bookstores than those do that are labeled with a traditional. I agree. As for Predators and Editors, so what if he’s recieved high up recognition? Scam publishers recieve those all the time. All I’m trying to say is that when your book’s labeled with a traditional publisher, a return policy, good editing and descent prices, you have the materials there to make your book a success. You shouldn’t have to spend $1000s of dollars on promotion, but a small financial committment, there’s nothing wrong with. Look at all these people who started their own businesses like grocery stores and auto shops for example. Do you think the state came along and said, “Hey, here’s all this money, start your own business?” No, they had to place some of their money into it. But they knew that the long-term effect would be greater than the short-term. It’s the same with being an author, it’s a business of yours. I agree that publishers like Authorhouse charge way too much and that they’re not a good choice, but there’ve been some successful authors to go through there. I would not, because they’re self-publishers, but some have. And it’s a fact that, of all the authors there are, Penguin or Publiahamerica, only one in a thousand will get to write for a living, if the odds are not even worse than that. I had a friend who became a PA author, which I warned him about, and when he called his Barnes and Noble to set up a booksigning, they let him, but, before the decision was made, all they said was, quote, “If there was a return policy on them, there’d be no problem.” And they could clearly see on their computer that PA was a POD, all bookstores can. It’s all about money, Lee, like it or not. Do you think that JK Rowling’s publisher spent all that time and money promoting Harry Potter because they liked the story? Probably partially, but for the most part it was because they knew it’d make money. They know kids go crazy over it. You may be a Penguin or RandomHouse author, but, guess what, I’ve never heard of you. I never did until I found this site, and your books are not even on the Barnes and Noble website. Perhaps some should consider your crediability.
Good day
Hey, Lee Goldberg, I think this “Marcus” guy you’ve been talking to lately is off his rocket. He must be from a foreign nation or is just messing with you. No one’s that stupid. Saying Lee Goldberg’s books is not in Barnes and Noble is like saying JK Rowling’s are not. Take it from me, this guy’s either crazy or is just pulling your chain. I wouldn’t pay him too much attention.
“Take it from me, this guy’s either crazy or is just pulling your chain.”
Definitely…since, according to your IP address, you and Marcus are the same person and are calling from one of the hotels, travel agencies, or cruise ships operated by The Carlson Companies.
Nice try.
Merry Christmas,
Lee
Lee. Yeah, he’s a friend of mine, I’ll admit. He’s a good person, just extremely mis-informed. I’ll try to keep him off the computer. LOL. Have a nice day.
Oh, once again I didn’t pay a cent to have Reaganville published. I can buy them, and they expect authors to do this, but that is the so called scam. Vanity will cause you to buy them at wholesale from an inflated price.
I do agree that a publisher that charges is not worth salt.
Don’t judge anything until you’ve read it. That’s all there is, nothing more. Banter back and forth all you want about PA, but my novel is as good as they get. It is literary, and that is not exactly what sells quickly.
If your books’s so damn good, why couldn’t you get a real publisher that would pay YOU rather than the other way around?
Because nobody reads a new author in the literary field right off the bat. Something that I didn’t understand but do now (and watch your mouth, be respectful). An agent will scan a book looking for well sold hooks, divide the book length and sample by formula. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
Another thing I said, that you didn’t register, is that I DIDN’T PAY! Not one red cent (it’s hard for me to keep my composure when dealing with someone who doesn’t read well). Once again, I DIDN’T PAY, and you must be an agent since you don’t read.
Hey non-reading person. Buy my book. I dare you! It’s damn good, and what have you written?
So, once again: I didn’t pay, they did for the printing. The publishing game has changed quite a bit where big advances are not forthcoming to new authors. Because you haven’t gotten an agent or publisher is no indication of your worth as in classical music, a composer may not get recognition until after death. Americans don’t read literature, poetry or listen to classical music. Evidenced by the non-reading person who posted the comment that I am responding to, Americans (I am one but old-fashioned) are the refuse of the universe in the realm of arts and letters, impoverished in the cultural realm and literature is not what an agent wants. Publishers may but they want it presented by an agent and therein is the problem.
So why I post here is that most of the posters are intelligent and understand something about this GAME. And it is a game. It’s all a game. I hate this word but I’ll use it: political. There is a song and dance similar to a political situation. It is who you know not what you do. I’ve seen it in music and now it is repeated in books. Politics in The United States is by reduction. The candidate is made into something that is highly reduced and a icon like, carved in stone representation of some reduced mantra. So I would imagine that an agent is frightened to bring something to a publisher that is full of depth. It is based on a non-reading public or a public that reads crap.
I thought, “my god, I have written something great and everyone will want it!” Now I think, “I’ll have to finish my historical novel and then I will sell Reaganville.” A game I tells ya! Like fishing you change your bait.
You’ll pardon me for saying this, Larry, but you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.
If you read Publishers Marketplace, you’ll see debut novels (literary, genre and everything in-between) being bought by mainstream publishers every day. And the authors get paid actual money.
What a concept!
Sorry Todney,
I’m the “fuck” talking about the comment above my post, sandwiched between my other post stating that I DIDN’T PAY FOR MY PUBLISHING, and adding the fact that American readers are looking for quick entertainment and nothing even slightly deep, and the politics involved, sometimes, in the publishing world. You show me your level of comprehension maybe?
If you have tried to publish a work then you would know what I was talking about.
I see here that some things run out of sequence and you could have fucking left the word “fuck” out but I guess you’re just a fucking low brow, as I reduce myself to your level and use “fucking.” Understand how one word can taint a conversation? But what am I doing here? Absolutley nothing but jacking off for a moment. So, Todney, with all due respect and in the language of the moment, what the “fuck” do you do? Have you written something? Do you understand the game? Do I understand the game? I dunno how much of it I do, but I have written and I know some of it, and no, I won’t pardon you for adding the word “fuck” because it doesn’t add anything but emnity and stupidity to an already contentious and close to the bone subject, which is a person’s creative life and the word. I won’t look for you when I need a minion.
Shalom
Shit, Tod and everyone reading,
All I am really ever talking about is who reads. I read, by extrapolation I write, but I am not the ordinary American reader.
If people read there wouldn’t be a PublishAmerica, who published me and I thank them for that, as crummy of a deal it is, and it makes the author have two jobs, one to write and two to sell. Huh? I have to write AND sell me? That’s crap for a creative person who could be tooling up his chops on guitar to do a book performance.
Americans don’t read and poets starve, children bleed, but that’s not our fault. Tod writes, I write & roll and do my own peculiar thing which I don’t blame anyone for skimming my Reaganville, an agent or publisher, and not get it. They are not supposed to. The only people in the business that GET IT are book promotion people because they HAVEN’T read it. It’s simply a marketing thing and they get that and the title is good.
But you people out there will not buy Reaganville unless I pelt you with it, dare you to read it, and welcome your wrath after that point. You’ve bought it, underprice from me, and then you get to say, “he ranted Online and he sucked!” Try me, will you? I say probably not, but you are reading my words now. Hup, good gawd! Pomp and circumstance there Tod. If I am not pretentious now it won’t be ascertained that I am worth the pretentions. You have a legit publisher but my work is so, um, groovy that it is maybe not reducable to a formula. When you’re reading 100 books a week you reduce it to a formula based on page number and some kind of traditional form so certain things have to happen by a certain page, and in Reaganville it ain’t gonna happen (remember that Seinfeld episode about the exclamation points?)!! I’m a composer so my book form is more “informed” and “plastic.” I have guitar lessons in my novel and a character accompanies God to cocktail parties!
So I rant therefore I am, and I’m without a doubt, me. So screw petigree. To use a tool, fuck them. They aren’t good enough for Reaganville and that’s probably where they live.
PA is damn lucky to have me. I legitimize them more than anyone in their stable. Fuck, Tod. What the fuck am I talking about? You know now. History is a long progression of diminution. I’m closer to romance. I get more ass. My writing is more revolutionary and I dare you to buy Reaganville. Shit, I’ll say that if you have a novel you’ve written, I don’t care by who reading this, and I’ll give more attention to so-called vanity publishing authors of novels, I’ll trade Reaganville for it. How’s that? Otherwise, if you don’t have a published novel, I’ll give you a grave discount and then you can call me stuff in public.
I always thought that all of these interactions where all about artistic dick size. Read Margret Mead about that. We can all be alpha authors on this bus. Right? No omegas? Except the moderator? Do I sound frustrated? Well, at least I’m not bitter. Give me a few more years, or maybe not. Tod, you there? Am I a lonley voice in the wilderness? Do Americans read? What? Like Steve King?
Yes there David,
But do you know the exact details? How close to the publishers were they? Did they have an agent? Was the book just genre fiction? Did you try yourself? Do you write? Can we be alpha males together?
Not good enough to write Reaganville off. You are all cowards. You look for petigree. You will dis a guy and try to deflade him because you are worried about yourselves? I mean, could a book actually come out, with grand import that I don’t sanction, you think, by proper petigree? Can use the tool, fuck? Boom!
David, you don’t know the work in question so I’m not about to say that you are doing anything but making bad breath in the wind. I don’t care who you are, you know of things that have just missed because they were revolutionary. You can’t decide anything by reading a trade paper. You’re just as corn held as anyone else in the business and arts and letter should not have a business in the sense that they decide what will cause business to happen in a tragically commercial way. This is what has happened to American literature sometimes. And I say tragic. And it is tragic and read my novel and then dis me. I’ll venture to say that you will taint it because it doesn’t have Penguin on the spine or you’re a real person and artist and will accept something without a petigree. Hey, mutts are smarter.
Larry,
To put it bluntly, you are woefully misinformed…and just plain wrong.
You wrote: “Because nobody reads a new author in the literary field right off the bat. Something that I didn’t understand but do now (and watch your mouth, be respectful). An agent will scan a book looking for well sold hooks, divide the book length and sample by formula.”
Where do you come up with this stuff? I have been a professional writer for over twenty years. I sit on the board of the Mystery Writers of America. I have been published by half-a-dozen different publishers. And nothing in my experience backs up a single one of your contentions…particularly your totally delusional notion about how agents judge a manuscript. No wonder you got suckered by PublishAmerica — you have absolutely no understanding how the publishing business works.
You write: “So I would imagine that an agent is frightened to bring something to a publisher that is full of depth.”
You’re right, it is a figment of your imagination. It is merely the rationalization you’ve created to explain why no agent wants to represent your book:
“When you’re reading 100 books a week you reduce it to a formula based on page number and some kind of traditional form so certain things have to happen by a certain page, and in Reaganville it ain’t gonna happen”
Has it occurred to you that the reason that agents reject your book is because it’s unsaleable crap?
I’m not just saying that to be cruel…I’ve written books and scripts that are still sitting in my drawer because my agent told me they weren’t very good…or simply were unsaleable. The difference is I haven’t taken the manuscripts to a vanity press.
Lee
One more thing and it’s really important. No agent, publisher, aside from PA, has read the manuscript. Presentation? I dunno. The way I put the novel; it is about a 500 year old curse placed on the conquistadors and their descendants, by the natives of Central Mexico and Internet dating?
I actually couldn’t get anyone to read the manuscript except schiesters, and the agent that read it subjected to my above statement of method and given formal characteristics, as in “by this time I need some kind of explosion.” That guy is named Peter Miller and I forgive everyone as a true son of gods will do. I have had people, that is, people who read a lot of novels read Reaganville and they say that it is great. Some I know, some I don’t.
It was the same way with my compositions. Finally I get recordings but I wasn’t supposed to be there doing something so totally different than the prevailing stream of whatever it was they were streaming.
Go ahead, dis me and not read my novel. Be completely pale.
Larry,
You write: “If you have tried to publish a work then you would know what I was talking about.”
Tod does, every day. So do I. That’s why we have agents and publishers pay us to write books for them. That’s why he knows what he is talking about and you don’t.
You didn’t pay to be published…but you aren’t savvy enough to know that PublishAmerica is a back-end vanity press with no standards whatsoever. They will “publish” anything. They make their money off authors buying their own books (and convincing their family and friends to buy). That is why nobody considers them reputable, legitimate or professional in any way…or the works that they “publish.”
Lee
I’m serious guys,
This is my experience and nobody can tell me any different. And also, I am a student of other artists and arts. And a cursory read of the past will be enough.
I still say, none of you have read Reaganville. I would like to know what you’ve written but I’m sticking to reading others but I swear, read reaganville and then make your statements to me. They don’t mean a thing to me now, respectfully and for all eternity, things slip through the cracks, this has been my experience in my classical music and I don’t really know your work but I don’t think that it poses what Reaganville poses.
I have no respect for formula writing. Not saying that it is what you do but you just don’t know what I’m talking about because you are writers and I am not. Basically I am not a writer but I am generic creative, you know, one of Jerry’s kids so to say and I don’t offer up anything that is formula or genre. You maybe do.
So you are on a board. You’re part of my problem, and I’ve taught college and I see the club that professors erect. No respect in that but give me a reason to respect your artistic dick size. Clubs? Really! Go ahead, read Reaganville and then act sanctimonious.
yes, I agree, first time writers get deals but first time writers with something really different are not going to offer the hooks, conventions and just plain straight forward comprehensibility that the business looks for. I’m just more radical and you guys are in clubs. Think about it. A club doesn’t make you anything but a bored member, not a board member. A club.
Savvy? Yes, I made a mistake but so did Jesus (not that I am a member of that club). Tell you what Tod, Bubba, I am not a businessman. I am a creative artist and your savvy is spittle and I can get out of this contract easily because I am savvy. I am so slick that you don’t even understand me. And take Reaganville as a work not as a petigree. Otherwise you have a sickness that can’t be cured.
As for me, I think that we are all in agreement about PA except when it comes to me. I have written a great book–you will not read it since you think it is flawed in some way. The system that has worked for you couldn’t possibly be wrong. And once again I say that nobody read it so how could the system know me? It plainly didn’t work for me so there must be something wrong with my work? Tell that to many artists that have hurt themselves on the system and gone on to be lauded. Again, nobody read it like congress doesn’t read legislation.
To make the contention that my work could be crap is an easy way out for an audience that may follow your logic, that the system works to always weed out the banal, but haven’t they also weeded out truly revolutionary work? I ain’t talking about that Harry Potter shit, which is shit and that is almost my point; this is what they want and a mystery writer does not make a literary icon. Neither do I but I may. My writing is not at all typical because I come from outside the box completely. I respect inside the box, Kennedy, Doctrow, but I am not hanging on to conventions by any means. My only convention is to tell the story that will be as true to life as possible and also be fantasic. And I do know how story has become out of fashion in literature, that is the straight forward story. Mystery writing, I know nothing of. I have read literature all of my life and I don’t consider this as literature. Can be, no doubt, but as our brother here, Lee, contends that if I can’t get anything besides PA then it isn’t any kind of writing. I contend that if it is genre then it ain’t literature, mystery, science-fiction and romance. Now we all know that some things in these genres have ascended beyond their lowly beginnings but as a rule, not. This is the way Reaganville has been dealt with here and this is the way I deal with The Guild of Mystery Writers. Big deal. I don’t read it anyway and it, to the best of my knowing, has not won Pulitzers. Only literature has done this and Reaganville may get one yet, a mystery novel not likely.
No offense, not necessarily beneath me but not a good use of my reading time. Do like good stories though so it can ascend into a good time but make me think? Show me; I’ll show any of you people Reaganville, but you’re not likely to take me up on it because it may rock your contentions. Quite pale and beneath an intellect, but this is what I contend, and I’ll thank you to discuss this and help me understand some things. I am really not savvy, just looking for multiple means of expression. Now if you guys want a fine guitar then I am a all business and sales otherwise I can’t sell myself. I’ll sell you someone else. I could be an agent. Got nothing against the profession. I do have a problem with those who think it works like clock work when it almost never has with the revolutionary.
I have no desire to turn my blog into the Larry Cooperman/Reaganville page (though I foolishly contributed to the lengthy and pointless tangent). I have unpublished all the recent irrelevant posts, including my own, about Cooperman’s book. This is a discussion about PublishAmerica, not Cooperman or his book. I apologize for letting the discussion stray so far and so pointlessly off topic.
FAIR WARNING — From this point on, I will delete any comments revolving around Larry Cooperman and his book. Comments relating to PublishAmerica and its business practices are fine and dandy.
Lee
That’s fine Lee,
I know what this is all about. Do you? It’s so nice to start a “thing” that You can’t handle.
I’ll send you a link to my soon to be posted blog and maybe you can learn something there. I surely learned a lot and I do thank you for your time. I know I’m just too hot to handle so I doubly appreciate your patience.
All the best to you, Tod and all these folks. Read a piece of literature sometime.
Larry
Lee, I was wondering, were you one of the unfortunate ones who got lured into the PA scam? The reason I’m asking is ’cause you seem so dedicated to exposing them, like it’s personal.
Thanks.
Toby
Does anyone know if there is an ongoing case against PA, I have an issue that potentially could be included.
Toby,
Nope — I just hate self-publishing scams that prey on the desperation of aspiring writers.
Lee
I’ll admit. I was one of the unfortunate authors who fell into the PA scam when I was completely new to the business and had no idea of how it worked. However, thank the Gods, I was able to get out of my contract within only a month of my book’s release. I am now with a real publisher, not these vanity and self-publishing scams like PA, Authorhouse and IUniverse. PA needs to be ousted from the industry. Even though all they do is there in the contract in one form or another, they still should not be able to scam people like that, even if they do tell them in writing beforehand. It’s sad to say that, in America, it’s okay to scam someone if you tell them you’re going to do it. When reading a publishing contract, look for things like “Print as the market demands.” This means “print on demand,” which is bad for business. If the publisher offers no return policy or offers one at your expense, you can be sure they’re going to make their money off you and not off selling your books. PA only holds you to a contract for 7 years, no real publisher would hold you for such a short amount of time. Most would sign you for the duration of the copyright. I cannot say enough how crucial a good editor is. My so-called “editor” of PA did virtually nothing to my manuscript. Even after they claimed to have checked for typos and errors, I still found such in the story. The editor I have now has a couple stages of editing, in which she sends my manuscript to me with her edits and suggestions. She takes as much time as necessary to turn it into a good book. Then, after she’s done checking for typos and errors, it enters copyediting. PA will never do anything like that. They publish thousands a year, so they cannot possibly take the time to care for every manuscript accordingly. PA is just one big POD printing press, like LULU, but LULU does not have such a bad reputation because they don’t lie about what they truly are. The worst writer in the world can become a PA author, that’s why no author of that company is considered ligitimate. We have to do something to oust PA, and information is the key. The more people know, the better they’ll be able to make the right choice.
When I signed up with PA I did not expect anything great from them. I mean how can you if you are a new writer. They pay out all expense and ask for only a seven year right to some of the profits. What do you think; their suppose to pay out for you and not get reembersed for at least some of the cost. I mean who knows it may take that long for your book to take off, so the truth is their taking a chance on you. I have read all the things that people have been writing about PA and so far all I’ve understood from it is that all you new writers seem to have expected PA to work magic for you, to make you a famous author overnight and when you were hit with the real world or you could say the truth about life and you in it. Well it’s upseting I know but all I’m saying is don’t put the blame on someone else.
You wrote:
“Don’t put the blame on someone else.”
We don’t. PA places the blame on its own self. Look, they lie about everything they are, as I clearly outlined in my previous blog. It is not “Magic” for a first-time author to have their book stocked in bookstores and a return policy so that bookstores will do so. PA does not charge anything to publish because they’re a back door vanity press. They’ll make their money off of you, not off of selling your books. A PA author will never “take off” because of the horrible reputation PA has as a POD press that’ll publish anything. All of these PA books on their website that they claim have been made into movies, I have not seen a damn one, nor have I seen the previews for one. Real publishers work to get your book to sell so that they’ll get paid. At PA, unless you buy your books, no one else will. Go into any major bookstore and tell me how many PA titles you find on the shelves. Go to LULU.COM and read how their process works, it’s the same as PA. A simple Print on Demand system, nothing more. Anyone can publish that way. You can write the biggest load of shit ever written, and PA would accept it.
I think everyone should have a chance to succeed, even if you can’t go with Penguin or Random House your first time out. But, I think that PA will not give you a ligitimate chance. Yes, there were some POD and vanity authors who made it big, but very, very few. There’ve been rumors that Stephen King has taken a self-publishing route with some of his newest books. Well, if so, you have to consider that he has the money to promote it and no bookstore would ever refuse to stock his book. I think that authors, especially first-time, should seek a traditional publishing route to have at least a ghost of a chance at making it big. But even then, there’s no promise. I am willing to bet that only 1 out of every 50 authors are successful enough to be able to write for a living, no matter their publisher.
Lee, if you’re writing a series of books, at what point do you think the author should end it? At what point should they say, “Okay, I’ve written enough sequels to this story, it’s time to quit?
Chris.
Lee, if you read the article about “ATLANTA NIGHTS,” the sting the science-fiction writers placed upon PA, you’ll see that the author’s name is “Travis Tea,” and it tells you to say his name fast. I just don’t get it, do you? What is it supposed to sound like?
Chris.
“Travesty.” Appropriate eh?
Oh, Okay. I get it. Travesty, meaning a literary or artistic work that’s terribly inferior and very poor in quality.
🙂
I still say that the reason PA gets so many authors is because they don’t charge anything. And while first time authors read these scam reports, they still convince themselves that it’s not going to happen to them. That’s why.
Lee, I am about to be published through a traditional publisher, but I was wondering if you know about the self-publisher LULU and if authors have had virtually no success with it.
Thanks.
Chris.
Lee, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve read your books, Monk and Diagnosis Murder, and I would like to say that I think they are absolutely, positively, the dumbest pieces of literature I’ve ever read in my 50 year life. 🙂
Have a nice day.
Hey Cathy, aka Kim, Mike, Toby, Chris, Dionysus, Aaron, and Tracy…posting from The Radisson Hotel, 135 S. Main Street, High Point, North Carolina:
Don’t you have anything better to do than to spam my comments under a dozen different names and try to provoke arguments? It’s pretty pathetic.
Have a nice day.
Lee
Either that, or your blog is a big hit with Southern midrange-hotel customers. Maybe this is a market you should be exploring?
Hey, I just got a contract from PA for the publication of my manuscript. It’s the story of an African-American family living in the south during the turn of the nineteenth century. After reading your blog from 05 to present I don’t know if I dare to go with them. Does anyone no an agent that I might get to take a look at my work?
Lawrence Cade aka Patrice Lorca, No Room, title of first book.
Lawrence, run.like.Kunta Kinte.
Is it ready? How many years have you worked on it? Taken a class?
http://www.agentquery.com
As a great writer and intelligent man, Lee, has it not occured to you that the Radisson Hotel could have had a writing expo? Or does it not occur to you that there may be more than one person of writing and literature that knows you, who’s staying in the Radisson Hotel for a time? Are you honestly suggesting that they are all the same person? A person who woke up one morning and decided, “I’m gonna harrass Lee Goldberg because of his blog?” I have stayed at the Radisson in High Point and I can tell you that their entire internet system registers under the same name. So anyone who sends a message from anywhere, it will say ‘Radisson.’ Now I know that there may be some hotels that are different, but the Radisson of High Point is unique. Believe me, try staying there one time. Obviously, that person, if the same one, does not want you to know their real name. Now, think, why would someone who you do not know, not want you to know their name? I would investigate people I knew and who knew me. I don’t even know if you’re referring to me, because there are a lot of Chris’s in the world. Did you ever stop to think that more than one person could be using the same computer? If I am one you’re referring to, all I’m trying to say is that there are many different possibilities. Personally, I have better things to do with my time. Have a nice day.
Chris,
Unless that mythical writer’s conference you’re referring to has lasted for months, I’m guessing the jerk is an employee with too much time on his hands.
The “Chris” I was referring to has posted from the Radisson’s IP address since August under that name and the others that I listed. You have posted consistently from a different IP address.
All commenters should know that I am well aware of the few of you who occasionally post under names other than you own (most of whom only do so to attack me multiple times on the same day, particularly when I post about fanfic). My blog notes the unique IP address of each person who posts, no matter what name they choose to use. You might be fooling my readers, but not me.
Lee
Well, Lee, look at it this way. If this person or persons starts an arugment with you that you know you can win, it is good for them to do so. Because would you not then be able to bash them and, therefore, reveal more truth to the people by doing so?
Hey,
My first two books, Prescience Rendezvous and King without an Empire were published through Publish America. Well I now have a third book coming out through a new publisher and my next book is called Mystery of Everyman’s Way. Publish America even released Prescience Rendezvous from contract and sometime in 08 I will hopefully have a new, updated, and improved edition of Prescience Rendezvous. You can find my new book at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Everymans-Way-Paul-Collins/dp/1605301183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203198161&sr=1-1
Paul Collins
author of
Mystery of Everyman’s Way
PAUL COLLINS PRESENTS:
“Mystery of Everyman’s Way”
An expatriate American, Gregory Henry Case, was a quantum physics professor at Oxford University in London, England. His life was rather dull and predictable, until his relationship with his long time girl friend abruptly ended. Case then found a body. Naturally, the authorities examined the corpse. They tested it for its DNA composition, blood type, and conducted a myriad of tissue extractions. Dental records were matched up. Thus Case was then told that the cadaver in question was not an unknown person, but was Gregory H. Case himself—one hundred and fifty years in the future!
It was in this point in the narrative where Case met a mysterious Agent Derek Stratton, who warned Case about the exterritorial plot to kidnap him and others too. The intelligence officer labeled this enemy as the ‘The League.’ Case was manipulated into believing that members of the League were nothing but a mysterious group of astronauts, explorers from another level of reality. They eventually kidnapped Dr. Case from a British military installation.
In time, a spacecraft craft then rocketed him and others into a series of fiery chasms. As they flew into the cosmos, ghosts emerged from the space bound chariot. They tried to inculcate the men into sahaja yoga, a form of Eastern Thinking.
Eventually the men landed in another time and place, where dinosaurs walked the earth and early man lived in the caves. It was here where Case and his unknown travel mates met Father Thomas Toomey, a humble archivist. Toomey initiated them into a secret society called ‘The League.’
Eventually, this archivist sent Case on an adventure of a life time by placing the professor in a holographic existence. Through an inexplicable set of circumstances, Case unwittingly drunk a secret love potion, which made him fall in love with Princess Daphne, who was a young Barbarian royal. As a matter of fact his new love interest was set to marry King David, which would bring peace throughout the worlds of Everyman’s Way.
Forbidden passion became their sin. This was where the most powerful and prominent members of this society, the Land Owners, saw a seer and learned if the Daphne abdicated from the throne, a nuclear war would be the result, annihilating Everyman’s Way. Will Gregory Henry Case survive. Find out more by reading the Mystery of Everyman’s Way, where sci fi and romance collide.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Paul Collins was born in Toronto, Ontario Canada. In 1998, Collins directed a 30 second commercial that went to air on Cable Pulse 24. In 2002, he directed a documentary about young people called Just Talk. Its world premier was at the Final Cut Short Film Screenings DJ & VJ Sets in the city of Brighton in the fall of 2003. Collins has written Prescience Rendezvous and King without an Empire. Mystery of Everyman’s Way is his latest book which has just been released as a paperback through http://www.EtreasuresPublishing.com . Etreasures Publishing is also now republishing a revised, updated, and improved version of Prescience Rendezvous which hopefully be available in 2008.
Lee, I am curious as to your opinion on this. What do you think motivates authors to sign with publishamerica, even after they see the rip-off reports and hear how thousands were scammed?
Chris.
Lee, I recently submitted a manuscript to a traditional publisher. They said “If we’re interested in your work, only then will you hear from us.”
My question is, how long should I wait before I abandon them? On average, how long do you think it should take them to reply if they want it?
Chris,
Did you submit it through an agent? My guess, from your comment, is that you didn’t. What you heard was as good as a “no.” If I were you, I wouldn’t wait to not hear something and would submit to other publishers.
That said, you will have a better chance at success with an agent. You might be better off submitting your book to agents rather than publishers right now.
Lee
Okay, one more question. And, I’m not trying to argue or start an argument, I’m just asking, okay? Are you saying that no ligitimate publisher will accept a book without an agent?
Chris,
No, that’s not what I am saying. But you have a better chance of selling a book with an agent, who know the marketplace and what the needs are of various editors/publishers at any given time. And editors are more likely to give your book serious consideration if it comes through a reputable agent (who usually calls them, talks up your work, and gets them interested *before* he sends them the manuscript). Unsolicited/unagented submissions end up at the very bottom of the pile.
Lee
In the fiction market, most of the larger publishers (if not all) will not accept unagented submissions. Some of the smaller presses will. But even there, you’ll find that most of the authors have representation. If you’re trying to break in without an agent, the barriers are stacked so high against you. Chances are, if you can’t find an agent (of which there are many), you won’t be able to interest an editor (of which there are few).
The one thing PA can claim is the traditional publisher canard. In the real world it’s commercial. Something PA clearly isn’t. Agents are the first line of filtering for publishers. They alwats will be. Submit to agents.
I see, thanks a lot. By the way, I thought I’d leave a comment about PublishAmerica. Back in 2007, they released my first book, that was shortly after discontinued for a rewrite and is now ready for a reporduction by a publisher. Now, you would not believe they were written by the same author. The old and new are like apples and oranges. Anyway, my local Barnes and Noble gladly hosted my booksigning and said that they would stock it again if it were not discontinued. I’m glad I got out of my contract with PA, but perhaps bookstores go easier on local authors than they do ones from a distance, I don’t know. I just know that my bookstores had no problem with it. I am NOT defending anyone here, I’m just saying what truly happened to me. I was able to get my contract cancelled by hinting that there “may have been” a copyright violation. They signed ’em right over. Apparently, they did not want to take any chances. However, during my short time with PA, I cannot lie. Things went well. Would I advise anyone else to sign up with them? Probably not. Because what happened to me may have been the one-in-a-million thing. As I said, my first book has yet to be reproduced by whoever, so you will find info on it, but you’ll not find the book itself anywhere at this time. And, if you do, by some miracle, happen to find it, I would advise you to wait for the new one. At the time, I was very inexperienced and the first version is by NO means my best work, at all!
Hope this was helpful.
Chris.
Hi, Lee, how are you? I am writing again to ask about something I just saw that is a little hard to believe, for me anyway. I mean, I don’t know because I have not read the records book, but is it true that Publishamerica holds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest booksigning in history?
Chris.
I have no idea.
It probably just one of those technical things, if ya know what I mean. Take care.
Chris.
Lee, I’ve been meaning to ask you. At the top of your blog here, it says that your last book earned you an advance of $25,000. My question is, is it possible for a first time author to recieve that kind of advance? Or, for that matter, is it possible for a published author who’s not as famous as you to get that kind of advance?
Chris.
Many first-time authors earn considerably larger advances than that — so yes, it’s definitely possible. (And many, most even, earn less.) I’d say $25k is about average for a midlist writer. It’s certainly not the typical advance you’d expect of someone who’s “famous.” (And I’m sure Lee won’t be offended when I say he’s not famous.)
David,
Do you think publishers give such an advance so that that author can focus more on their writing?
PA sent out an email to it’s authors recently. It looked like a panic attack. Amazon is dumping PA’s books from it’s databases. PA’s days are truly numbered. The reason being, is that Publish America’s cover art is below standards, just as the size and price is way over standards, and their editing sucks. The normal print book is 5.5X8″ and sells from $7.99 to $13.99, depending on page count. They want $21.99 & up. They offer 8% royalty on the wholesale price, where a real publisher would offer 15% on the retail, giving the author a chance to make more money.
If Amazon’s editors were to read their books, the 30,000 would dwindle down to around 100, if that! I’m sure Amazon is getting too many complaints and issuing too many refunds for those books.
Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, and Books-a-Million all should be held liable for participating with PA in such corporate fraud scheme. Us authors and book buyers should all boycotte Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, and Books a Million and send these criminals to jail, where they belong.
It is good to see a company like Amazon.com has some standards. PA is a terrible company with corrupt owners. I like it to hear that Amazon.com has in house editors and a printing department where they can improve the work for the book buying public. I hope the other book chains do the same. A good shake up is good once and a while. Encloed is their cry for help:
Dear Author,
PublishAmerica is intensifying its ties with BarnesandNoble.com as its primary online vendor. At the same time, we are devaluating our relationship with Amazon.com. Unfortunately, we are doing this under pressure.
Amazon has informed us a few days ago that they are insisting on printing every PublishAmerica book they sell, in their own recently bought in-house digital printing facility. We have been given just over two weeks to comply. Their ultimatum implies that PublishAmerica must submit almost 60,000 separate book files (text and cover), and redo every single one of them so they conform to the complicated technical specs that Amazon’s in-house press requires.
They also demand a huge increase of their own profit-per-book, which would lead to dramatically lower royalty payments for our authors on all books sold through Amazon.com. Amazon’s threat: if you do not play ball, we will disable the “Buy” button for your books.
Not surprisingly, PublishAmerica refuses to be swayed by anyone’s strong-arming tactics, big name or otherwise, especially given the fact that budging would mean an additional expense on the publisher’s side of tens of thousands of dollars, on top of the unacceptable royalty losses for our authors.
When they tried to force our hand in the past, Amazon representatives have suggested that PublishAmerica should simply pass on its Amazon-caused expenses to its authors. Of course we have refused this. PublishAmerica never charges its authors as much as a single penny, ever. We are not going to change this winning policy under the threat of anyone’s intimidation, nor are we willing to involuntarily accept any royalty cuts on behalf of our authors.
PublishAmerica’s almost 30,000 titles remain available to Amazon, and we will continue to also make all future titles available to them. Amazon continues to be able to access our books the same way they, as well as all other retailers, have always accessed them, through at least four separate venues. One of those venues is LightningSource, a daughter company of the world’s largest book wholesaler Ingram, which prints our books for retailers. (Amazon was attempting to take away a portion of this printing volume from Lightning Source until we prevented it.) If they want to obtain any PublishAmerica title, they can at all times, as they always have.
PublishAmerica’s books will furthermore continue to be available to just about every other book retail venue as well, including all Barnes and Noble, Borders, Waldenbooks, Books-a-Million and many other chain and independent bookstores, and to online outlets such as BarnesandNoble.com.
Barnes and Noble remains PublishAmerica’s number one customer: more of our books have always been sold through Barnes and Noble and that company’s online store than through any other vendor. Given the new circumstances, we now fully anticipate significant sales increases through BarnesandNoble.com and other places.
Thank you for your support. If you feel inclined to let Amazon.com know what you think of their actions, we encourage you to contact them at cust.service@amazon.com or call them at 206-266-1000 or 1-866-216-1072.
Thank you,
PublishAmerica Author Support Team
I submitted my manuscript to PA on line. They recently got back to me to say my manuscript has been accepted. Sound Familier anyone? They attached a sample copy of their contract for me to review. I contacted them and asked for the the actual contract and Mentioned I was interested. Just out of curiousity I googled Publish America complaints and all of this negitivity came up. OMGosh, I am so confused, or maybe not at this point. Now what do I do??? I still have the contract and haven’t signed it. Did I just answer my own question? I know of a woman who just had her book published by PA and is doing book signings at Barns and Noble and she is enjoying her ride and will be doing a series through them. It’s only been a few short months for her. HELP!!!
If you have read everything about PA, how can you still be considering signing their contract? Has your desperation completely blinded you to reality? PublishAmerica is not a publisher. It’s a scam. And now that Amazon won’t carry their “books,” where do you think your book is going to be sold? PA will publish ANYTHING from ANYONE. They make their money on authors buying their own books not on book sales.
The buttons are dead. That’s who has the power.
Mark, I see that you said that the claim that “A Time to Kill,” was first self-published, is a lie. I too thought that A Time To Kill was first self-published, as I was told that by many publishers. I think the key word in that statement is “First.” It was First self-published. I mean, I don’t know, but that’s what I’ve heard.
Chris,
That’s a popular myth, perpetuated by the vanity presses. Grisham’s first book, A TIME TO KILL , came out from Wynwood Press and bombed. So he bought the “remaindered” copies and sold them out of the trunk of his car at speaking engagements.
His next book, THE FIRM, was published by Random House and, as you know, sold millions of copies and made him a world-wide celebrity author. His first book was later republished and sold millions of copies as well.
Lee
And The Firm story is even more bizarre. It circulated in Hollywood without an agent and someone in the biz got wind of it. Grisham had nothing to do with it. Charlie Rose. Check the transcript. Talk about lucky breaks.
Okay. I guess there’s something we can all
learn from that experience. Never give up.
Take care.
Chris.
Lee, it’s Chris again. I hope you’ll purchase a copy of my book when it’s released this summer. My good friend, Karan Ashley, backed it with her comments that it was a great story. And, yes, if that name sounds familiar it’s because she played Aisha, the yellow ranger in the 2nd season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I’ll send you info on the book here when it comes out. And, no, it’s NOT through PA or anything like that.
I don’t know how big you are on fantasy, but I think you’ll enjoy it. My stories are really for young adults, like teenagers and early-twenties.
One more thing I’d like to add to your blog. Although I don’t think that publishamerica is a great publisher, I don’t think it’s fair to look at someone and say, “You’re publisher is publishamerica, therefore you’re a bad writer and don’t deserve any attention.” I don’t think that’s fair. That’s just my opinion.
I really hope that such a narrow-minded outlook changes in the future. Just like it’s ignorant to say, “You’re arab, therefore you’re a terrorist.” I don’t think you should say, “You’re a PA author, therefore you are a bad writer.” The problem, I think, with the actual good authors of PA boils down to “guilt by association.”
Chris Aldridge
I think the most frustrating thing for me about PA is that they make terrible writers think they are good. Then there are those of us slaving away, dedicating our lives to the craft and wouldn’t touch PA with a ten foot pole who have to deal with siblings and friends who could barely construct a complete sentence if their life depended on it touting that they’ve been published….as if! Some days I laugh, some I just want to cry. In short, I really hope someone shuts them down soon! They are polluting the literary arts!!!
On a side note: I pray that millions of years from now when humanity is gone that whatever humanoid species discovers our planet doesn’t stumble upon one of their books in a time capsule and judge us all based on the level of ignorance they are willing to publish!….sigh
For the good of humanity let’s band together and shut them down!!!!
Vanessa, that was funny about the time capsule thing.
Well, I was accepted at PublishAmerica but I want to actually go somewhere with my book. I don’t have any connections to any companies and I don’t know any people. I just want my book in print because that’s very exciting to me. Where should I go, as a first time author, that would consider, probably publish and do something to help my book?
Beware the “Term of License” Contract
In this month’s Authors Guild Bulletin, Mark L. Levine warns writers to be very wary of publishers offering a so-called “term of license” contract (signing you for seven to ten years with an option to renew) unless you are already…
From the Author’s Guild:
Recently, a handful of POD publishers have been soliciting and “accepting” manuscripts at an astonishing rate and not requiring money up front to publish a book. They even offer what on its face apperas to be a relatively standard publishing agreement and sometimes agree to pay a nominal advance (eg one dollar). This has led writers — particularly novices– to think they are being published by bona fide trade publishers.
[…]They typically will not publish any copies other than those ordered at the authors discount. Apparently, the total number of books purchases for friends and relativesat the “special” author’s price by the presumably large number of people taken in by this scheme makes it a profitable venture for the ethically challenge.
[…]If you are still interested in proceeding in the hope that your publisher is bona fide, be sure to insert, in addition to the requirement that the book be published within a specified time period at the publisher’s sole expense, language stating tha the number of print-on-demand copies of the book initially published at the publisher’s expense “will not be less than ______ copies” (eg 500 or 1000). Language like this, as well as a good out-of-print clause, should flush out the intentions of the publisher and save you from a bad surprise.
Let’s tell it like it is. I know people who self published. It cost them several thousand dollars.When I found PA these self published authors went with PA.
PA has published my two books, The Tornado Struck at Midnight and What Women Know.
It didn;’t cost me a dime.
No they don’t publicise my books.
No, my books are not bestsellers.
Amazon lists over twelve million books. How many are bestsellers.
I have written an Author Alert on my home page which describes my relationship with PublishAmerica. It is terminated with “It is my opinion based on my experiences and with the experiences of several other PA authors with whom I have been in communication”. I believe my experience is well described.
If you wish to link to my books web page from yours please do so. I hate seeing anyone succumb to this greedy group.
Symm H. McCord
Waynesville, NC
smccord@cbvnol.com
Symm H. McCord
Well, it’s Christmas time, 2008 and Publishamerica seems to be at the end of their rope.
Their latest grasp for survival is to ‘auction’ the rights for a PA author to have an ‘advertisement blurb’ be placed in the books of all other PA authors.
I asked them if they had the authority and how they chose which books:
“Thank you for your email. The books chosen are books that are actually ordered, and can be chosen from all genres. The authors are not paid a portion of the auction funds….”
This email is clear: Every book ordered will be automatically printed with an ad for someone else’s book. So, not only will the parasite books have better marketing than any host book – she went even further to ward off my next email which might ask if the host author will be paid.
“…placing ads in books is well within our rights under the contract.”
Well, actually it wasn’t written that way in the contract, but by now they have enough attorneys on staff that they won’t be able to pay their actual staff for much longer.
At the rate of about 18 email pleas per month to purchase our books at cut-rate prices, I think they might not last until the next ‘royalty’ period.
Thought I would give you all something to smile about.
I am disgusted, let down, emotionally drained!!! I have more to say about this Publishing Company that Lies! but at the moment I am all tears….
I will favorite this site
You see Publish America counts on writers who are emotionally attached to their books. From this they seem to believe they can do whatever they dang well want.
I will get out of this fist punching my emotional body, and then I will share my nightmare with everyone so perhaps Just ONE PERSON will NOT SIGN THIS CONTRACT
thanks
colleen
The back and forth conversation about PA was quite interesting. I have signed with PA, but my situation is a little different. My book is a short (70 pages) manuscript aimed at helping young men in prison. I realize that I will have to promote it and try to get the book viewed by correctional depts. and correctional education agencies in all the states. However, I am a licensed teacher and the book counts towards 90 points of my 180 points that I need to recertify every 5 years.
I hope to sell the book, but even if sales are hard to come by, I can still write another 70 page self-help manual and bam, I have the points necessary for recertification. The book is well-written and really can help the intended audience. My only expense will be how many books I buy and I have the manuscript already on my computer. I guess this PA deal is good for me. Besides, I appreciate them publishing my work. Nobody else would even talk to me.
This way at least poor school teachers have a chance to become authors and recertify in the easiest way possible.
One last thing Lee. Any suggestions on the best way to promote books aimed at prisoners and their families.
I just got my book published by PublishAmerica in the past year and I was amazed to see that my book was not only on their company website, but also for sale on other sites such as Target, Borders and Barnes and Noble. Also, not only is my book being sold exclusively in the US, but I found sites in Hong Kong, India, Ireland and China that advertised my book as well. I am not in it for the money (I have more practical means of earning an income), I wrote my book to have a voice in the world and I want to share that voice with other people. If I get the chance to make a few bucks along the way-hey! But I am not trying to be a starving writer bound by my work. I think PublishAmerica is a wonderful way to get one’s foot in the door. It might take some time and a few more books on the market- think this way, many authors didn’t even get famous or even noticed until after they died. But at least I have a work of literary art out there for others to read and in which I could be proud of writing.
This letter is in response to non payment of commission i requested.
Although it appears that you have some sort of complaint about PublishAmerica, it does not appear that you want to resolve this dispute reasonably. Rather than sending a single letter or e-mail explaining your position, you have sent PublishAmerica over 15 messages in the span of 15 minutes. These e-mails are not coherent, do not explain your position and appear to be intentionally insulting.
In fact, you never gave PublishAmerica a chance to respond to the first e-mail before deluging it with the others. This constitutes harassment and we ask you to cease and desist immediately. See Md. Code Ann, Article 27, section 555C; Nev. Rev. Stat. section 200.575.
If you have a complaint, please provide a detailed explanation so that we can investigate. If you do not like our response, please comply with the dispute resolution procedures set forth in the Contract.
Thank you,
PublishAmerica Support
support@publishamerica.com
How does one get out of their Publish America contract? I stupidly signed their contract, and 3 months later I was contacted by a bigger, more well known publisher who was interested in my book. I had sent out simultaneous submissions and P.A. was the first to respond so being naive I jumped at it.
I had to turn down the second offer since I had already signed. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I will never let myself live down the fact that I did no research before hand on them and I let myself be duped into signing with them and lost out on maybe a more lucrative offer from a better publisher.
But am I doomed to wait out the 7 years of my contract? I haven’t received a royalty check bigger then four dollars and even they stopped coming last year. I have received a whopping $11.00 total in royalties from my book in 3 years which makes me so sad.
Is there a way to get out of it that won’t cost me thousands worth of lawyer fees?
so……. how does a person go about getting a book published and who do we go to when we know nothing about publishing a book?
I am get’n my first book publish’d with Public America, and so far I have been treated fairly. True, I may not be get’n treated the best, but I know from experience that most places won’t even read anything if I just send it to them. Most were kind enough to send me an email, tell’n me how to go about get’n publish’d. PA will publish books, when others won’t talk to you, cause you are an unknown. Not all books will be in all stores, the stores order what they think they will sell, if you’d ask PA, they will tell you there is no garantee that certain stores will get the book, if they have many like it, and aren’t sell’n them, they won’t get another, but if they are sell’n similar books like it, they will most likely get many books in to sell. I hope to write many books over the years, and I’m only 21. If I can sell a good amount, on this first series, great, maybe I can get some people to review it, and if it’s good, I’ll just be making a name for myself, if it doesn’t sell, at least it’s out there. I want to become a full-time author, and to do that, you have to make some sacrifices, If I don’t become rich work’n with PA, that’s fine, I’m writing to express how I feel, and what I believe in, so as long as my work is out there, as long as people I know can go to the website, or some stores and pick the book up, and I start get’n a few fans I’ll be happy. I’ve heard many good as well as bad things about PA, but my representative answered any questions I ask’d, you need to do researce about a company, and read the contract before you sign it, I was at least smart enough not to put my two biggest projects in for review, cause if my book “Fantasma” doesn’t do well, then I still have the best to send in. You can’t just write a book, and become Stephen king overnight, you have to start where you can, I am glad to be work’n ten hour days, writing whenever I can, get’n little money for my work, cause I have faith that one day it will pay off. It’s better than get’n rejected and think’n that you are a failure.
Lee,
I sorry to say that I’ve been taken by PA. I had my childrens book published in 3-08 .I went to Barnes&Noble to find my book, only to find it wasn’t there! after some research, the manager told me it was list as preorder. PA said that was because it was a full color book. what childrens book isn’t full color. that wasn’t mentioned in my contract. any help you can give I would appreciate.
Cindy
I just realized that this post is from 2005. Wow!
I just signed a contract a few days ago, and a few hours after signing, I read such horrible stories about them. I do not want my name to be associated with PA as I do not want to swim along and help them scam other aspiring writers only to manipulate their dreams to fill their pocketbooks. Over several emails I have requested contract termination and they said they cannot do it at this time. I am contemplating not sending in my complete manuscript, author photos, contacts, back cover text, or any other thing they need to publish my work. In doing so I would be breaching my contract, which in a sense to mean seams like a sensible business move. If you have any other suggestions on how I can get out of my PA contract I would appreciate it.
Well…. Take it from a long time writer….Here’s the facts…:
1)—Publish America publishes anything.
2)—Try and go to Create space or lulu and your pages come out all wrong.
3)—Send your query letter to a thousand publishing companies and you can use all the rejection letters as wall paper for your kitchen!~
What’s a writer to do??
email me if anyone has the answer?
animalover4@comcast.net
I had my book published by Publishamerica….they didn’t even what to edit it….Yet the contract clearly stated that the were suppose too ….and then they offer me a dollar per copy sold…and they set the price at 24.99…this is nuts no one is going to buy it for that price. I get emails everyday about how specials for me to buy my own book…I HATE THIS BULLCRAP COMPANY.
Wow, I can’t wait to run out and buy Larry’s Reagan book….NOT. I too am an aspiring author, and find that there are a lot of scams out there. Good info at the Long Ridge Writer’s Group website. Also found that if you know someone who has been published, ask if their agent is accepting new writers. Or use the latest ‘Writers Market’ to send quieries for new article ideas. Start small, work big
thanks, Mark
I have signed up with PA, and now i feel so stupid. why didnt i see this before?
i may have just signed my future away…. dear god!
My then 7 year old daughter had a book published with PA. Have you guys made any progress? I am afraid she may have been taken advantage of as well.
I am going to fly from Portland Oregon to Frederick, Maryland in January, 20010 to rally in front of the Frederick County Courthouse for author’s rights and to protest my eight months of emotional stress as an author with PA. I have been in contact with the police department and other county officials and they seem to understand my position. This is an invitation for all authors with issues against PA to come and join me, January 11th, 2010 in front of the Frederick County Courthouse and corner of Market and Patrick Street. Before leaving to Frederick. I will be forwarding pictures of my book to the news media in the hopes to go on national television and let future authors be aware of PA and their doings. If you are joining me please do the same, get in touch with your local news team and let them know your story, what you are doing and what is going to happen in Frederick, Maryland. If you can’t afford the cost of the trip you are welcome to send me your name and your grievance, all in one line. For example: John Smith – Not getting royalties. Susan Smith – Book riddled with errors. Peter Smith – Books are overpriced. And so on. Please do not mention the name of your book; I am not out to publicize my book either.
“United we stand divided we fall.” My email is handson13@hotmail.com
I’ve focused on getting my book contract released. My website is up and running and PA authors can go there and sign my guestbook.
I received an offer from PA to release my contract if I buy 50 copies with a 50% discount, but declined.
I made a visit to my local FBI office on the 29th, and have gained momentum in my endeavors.
It’s not a matter of whether we are all “schollarly professional writers” it’s a matter of principle. I am in the process of recomposing a different version of my book and have taken the attitude that my exxisting book is lost. ISBN 1-60563-294-5
http://www.whypublishamerica.webs.com
I am a twice published PA Author who had a no complaints with PA on my first book. I was treated like a queen with, book signings and everything was fine. Then I got my royalty check that was big enough to buy me a pair of boots and a magazine. On my second book with them I still after one year after release have not received a Royalty Check, no book signings and no communications with them except for emails wanting me to buy and donate my books!
This company needs to be SHUT DOWN! They have been in Chapter 7 Bankruptcy for 8 years I read.
Where does that put us Disgruntled Writers?
Check out my Twitter @CreativityCove and @AdoptAnAuthor. We are gathering together the slammed PA Authors and trying to raise funds for us to go to a Traditional Publisher and continue our careers.
iUniverse will republish out failed books if we sale at least 500 copies and will help us for $399.
We need to get PA shut down..Who’s with me?
email caitlyncarrington@publishedauthors.net
870-652-3926…If we could just get $1 per Twitterer..140,000 of us could go on with our careers!
Cat Starr Carrington
Author Realm Of Hope/Earth Uprising
Whoops, my bad. I missed the line about iUniverse. But you do realize that that still isn’t “Traditional Publishing,” right?
My own experience with PublishAmerica has been somewhat different than most of you. They accepted the book without question and, when I got the proof pages, I found over 60 typesetting errors and misplacement of five photographs so that they made no sense whatsoever to the text. I submitted the proofs within the 48 hour time limit and they promptly found a false excuse not to enter all but one correction–removal of a duplicate photograph. That proves that they examined the proofs but found it too much trouble to make the corrections. Their typesetting staff is lazy, uninterested in the quality of the book. They promptly issued the book without the proof corrections.
I have continued to demand that it be corrected. It is offered on a number of bookseller sites now but I see that PA has removed it from their online book store. I shall keep after this. If they do not comply with the contract within the year they have to complete the book, they will be sued. I would relish have company in this venture, because these people need to be off the publishing street. We would have to search for an attorney who would take the case on a contingency basis; i.e., he gets parts of the settlement if we win.
And win we would, because PA has no defense. They have not produced my book, only a badly distorted substitute with a pretty cover. I have written and self published four other books and published over 40 others, so I am not foreign to the business. I would delight in finding some of you who would join me in this effort. Please e-mail me if you are interested.
There’s been at least one successful arbitration against PA. Some elderly gentleman in Missouri as I recall. This is the cesspool of publishing scams. I was a background source on this WP story back in 2005 and another for the AP. I got closer than I would like to this story.
Guess my previous comment didn’t go through. Short version: Real publishers don’t want any money from you. Ever. Why you expect members of the public to contribute to your vanity aspirations is beyond me.
I agree.
Have been reading y’alls comments about PublishAmerica. Thanks for the tip-off, we’ll definately not sign with them. Keep up the good work. However, does anyone know anything about Eakin Press? I can’t find out anything other than that they are in Texas. Thanks.
Phylly,
You obviously didn’t try very hard. Did you try this newfangled thing called the Internet and Google? It took me all of 2 seconds.
http://www.eakinpress.com/
Lee
PA has agreed to publish my book. Havn’t sign contract
yet, any advice for me would be appreciated. Thanks
Run, Ella.
Ella,
Don’t sign the contract. That’s my advice. And if you haven’t come to that realization on your own after reading my post and all of these comments then, well, you deserve exactly what you are going to get: ripped off.
Lee
My book was released in April 2009 by Publish America. I was supposed to receive royalties in August and February (twice a year). I didn’t even receive my August statement until November, after many requests. Their figure was incorrect, also. Then they said the amount was too small so they would add it to my account in February (you have to make at least $49.00, or the amount will be “rolled over” to the next pay period). February came and went – no royalty money or statement. I know that I sold 40-50 books in July. All I have received is excuses – NO MONEY! On March 22,2010, I went online to the Better Business Bureau (of Frederick, MD) and filed a complaint. There were already 136 complaints ahead of me!! Their rating is F, because of all the complaints and how they handle their business. I urge anyone to file a complaint, as well. If we have any other recourse, please let me know. Thanks and good luck to you all!
Authors victimized by Publish America must UNITE!
Authors, if you’ve been victimized by Publish America and in addition to feeling violated, misled, cheated, bullied, ignored, taken for granted, exploited, and/or approached with extortion, and you feel powerless to right the wrong perpetrated against you, take heart. You are not alone!
Bullies are cowards who prey upon the unsuspecting, timid, and weak. They also operate in the dark. TOGETHER, WE will aggressively and unrelentingly take the fight to them. WE will expose them, individually and severally, very publicly and ultimately kick their ass! Refuse to be their victim! Become soldiers in the army against the Publish Americas victimization of yourself and aspiring authors everywhere!!!
Following is a step by step approach to unite victimized authors and to involve powerful agencies for their assistance and enforcement. Many of these agencies are already aware of Publish America, their rotten reputation, their negative press, and how they prey upon the unsuspecting. It is very important that you do everything outlined below and name the deceiving Publish America individuals that you dealt with. Follow up with each organization to your satisfaction. VERY IMPORTANT – copy/paste this letter to Publish America related blogs and websites all over the www.
1. Call, write, email, and fax Publish America daily, expressing your issues with them. They can be reached at: 111 E. Church Street – Frederick, MD 21705, P.O. Box 151 – Frederick, MD 21705, 4510 Metropolitan Court , Frederick – MD 21701, Phone – 301.695.1707, Fax – 301.874.4793, and emails – support@publishamerica.com, Support2@publishamerica.com,
shawns@publishamerica.com, christopher@publishamerica.com, sydney@publishamerica.com, gail@publishamerica.com, jeannetteg@publishamerica.com, pr@publishamerica.com,
carriel@publishamerica.com, acquisitions@publishamerica.com, jenny@publishamerica.com.
2. File complaint with Maryland’s Attorney General Doug Ganzler at 410.576.6300. http://www.oag.state.md.us.
3. File complaint with Maryland’s Senators Ben Cardin at 410.962.4436 and Barbara Mikulski at 410.962.4510.
4. File complaint with Maryland’s Congressman Roscoe Bartlett at 301.694.3030. Fax – 301.694.6674. Seek out Ashley Collier who will coordinate with the Frederick MD police, as well as with the local FBI.
5. File complaint with Maryland’s BBB at 410 347.3990
6. File complaint with Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley at governor@gov.state.md.us.
7. File complaint with Maryland’s Mayor Randy McClement at 301.694.1380.
8. File complaint with Maryland’s Assistant City Attorney Rachel Depo at 301.600.1391.
9. File complaint with Frederick, Maryland’s police Sergeant DeGrange at 301.600.2118
10. File complaint with your own states Senator.
11. File complaint with Maryland’s Volunteer Lawyer Service at 800.510.0050
12. File complaint with Frederick County’s Bar Association vs. Publish Americas attorneys at 310.663.1139.
13. File complaint with Maryland’s local network television news crime tips, crime watchers, and investigative teams.
14. File complaint with Baltimore, MD FBI at http://www.ic3.gov. They are aware of Publish America and want victims to post their stories and complaints on their site.
15. File complaint with the Maryland State Police at 301.600.4151.
16. File complaint with Maryland’s State Attorneys office at 301.600.1523, 301.600.2026, and 301.600.2993.
17. File complaint with the US Attorney General at 950 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20530-0009. 202.353.1555‎.
18. File complaint with the FBI at Federal Bureau of Investigation – J. Edgar Hoover Building –
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20535-0001. 202.324.3000.
19. File complaint with ISBN at 908.219.0274.
20. File complaint with Ingram Book Wholesalers at bookbuyer@ingrambook.com. 800.937.8200 and 615.793.5000.
21. File complaint with Baker & Taylor Book Wholesalers at 800.775.1800 or 908.541.7000. Ask for publisher relations.
22. File complaint with Brodart Book Wholesalers at 570.326.2461. Ask for Jim Bobak in acquisitions or email Mindy Engel at mindy.engel@brodart.com.
23. File complaint with amazon.com.
24. File complaint with Borders.com at 734.477.1941 or 734.477.1100. Ask for someone in acquisitions, publisher relations, etc.
25. File complaint with the federal BBB at 202.393.8000.
25. File complaint with Maryland’s FBI at 410.265.8080.
27. File complaint with the Attorney general in your home state.
28. Put your thinking cap on and come up with additional ways to FIGHT Publish America. Share these ideas via blogs, newsletters, websites, etc
See. You are not powerless. It is critical, however, that you do all of the above, follow up with the agencies, and keep the heat turned up fully on Publish America and it’s complicit co conspirators. The might of our right will crush their wrong!!!
I am sooooo with you on this. I absolutely hate PA. You are right about the contract. It sounds like they are going to do everything to help you market the book. Nothing at all was done…and I tried to get Barnes and Noble and other book stores to stock it..and was told they would not put PA books on the shelves. I know several of friends and relatives that have purchased my book…the only check I have recieved was for $3.81. When I called them about it…they sent me a statement with a -12.95 total on it..saying that one book was returned…so when a book is returned…I guess they take that away from your royalty check. I too would be glad to join any Class Action Law Suite against Publish America.
I am a PA author and I could not be more disappointed! They never answer my questions, yet I get marketing crap almost every day. In my “press release” they spelled my daughters name wrong and the name of the book incorrectly. In fact, the press release was more a commercial for them than my book. I am currently waiting on a digital copy of my second book, which was to be done in March, and will never go through them again. Does anyone know if I’m able to pull the second book? And moreover, they won’t send the info to Barnes and Noble to even be available online…very pissed off. I’ll take any guidance you care to offer… mattiesmere@yahoo.com
Katie Blake Zeiders
Let me say I am one of those fools who went with PA..and Yes..it was a total mistake. Everything Lee is saying is 100% true.The one thing I will say is I am proud of my manusripit even If I do feel like a complet fool. And as far as he who will not be named..hehe..sounds like he’s very needy and trying to get Lee to read his work..well it would be one copy sold..btw PA has my book for sale at the low low price of 24.95..I will not buy my own work ..after all I own the origenal. I refused to sent PA my friends and families email addys..and I will not try to sell it in anyway.
From: Rev. Richard Skaff
Publish America
Complaint Rating:
Company information:
Publish America
Baltimore, Maryland
United States
publishamerica.com
Publish America is the biggest scam in the publishing industry. This Publish on demand (POD) c0mpany has been misleading authors for years. They claim to be traditional publishers, which is a total lie. This company has made bundles of money off new gullible authors by publishing their books and selling back the books at discounted rates to the authors. They do not conduct any promotions or distributions, unless the authors pay for it by purchasing more and more of their books. Their representatives are addressed by first name only or anonymously as Publish America support. It takes miracle or a month for them to get back to you with the simplest question. Most book stores will not stock Publish America books, because they equate PA to any other self-publishing houses or worse. It also takes over two months to receive a book after you order it from Publish America.
Their royalty statements are vague and inaccurate. They can basically do whatever they want. This is an unethical and integrity free company. You are better off being unpublished than being stuck with this alleged publisher. Review the innumerable complaints against this company on the internet. It is truly a publishing mill that publishes anything sent. They actually have an electronic editor that will keep your book filled with mistakes. You better hire an editor before you approve your final transcript assuming that you will decide to go with this scandalous company. Their representatives are taught to defend their scams, and they pretend to have pride and ethics. Publish America is truly the biggest scam in publishing history. It’s so big that many other scam artists have started their own POD publishing houses.
Beware!!! Research this publisher before you submit your transcript.
Publish America is the biggest scam in the publishing industry! This Publish on demand (POD) company has been misleading authors for years. They claim to be traditional publishers, which is a total LIE. This company has made bundles of money off new gullible authors by publishing their books and selling them back at discounted rates to the authors. They do no conduct any promotions or distributions, even if the authors facilitate it. The alleged promotions are paid for by the authors when they buy their own books. No one will actually ever know if these promotions have actually taken place. PA’s representatives are only addressed by first name or anonymously as “Publish America support.” It takes miracle for them to get back to you with the simplest question. Most book stores will not carry Publish America books, because they equate PA to any other self-publishing house or worse. It also takes over two months to receive a book after you order it from Publish America.
Their royalty statements are vague and inaccurate. You will never know how many books your book has sold, unless you hire a private investigator. They can basically do whatever they want. This is an unethical and integrity free company. You are better off being unpublished than being stuck with this alleged publisher. Review the innumerable complaints against this company on the internet. It is truly a publishing mill that will publish anything they receive. They actually have an electronic editor that will keep your book filled with mistakes. You better hire an editor before you approve your final transcript assuming that you will decide to go with this scandalous company. Ironically, their representatives are taught to defend their scams, and they pretend to have pride and ethics. Publish America is truly the biggest scam in publishing history! It’s so big that many other scam artists have started their own POD publishing houses.
Beware!!! Research this publisher before you submit your transcript.
I am a signed PA author and SO SO SO mad. I posted just on Saturday on their message board about their lack of communication and they banned me from posting. I am really just sad that they would do this to anyone. I did my research but obviously not good enough. I am just glad that they have the terms for seven years and in 2016, my contract will be terminated but I have three books I am sending to other publishers and to a online only publishers, at least they tell you whats up right in the front.
Lee,
My first book is ‘stodged’ by a Vanity Press Publisher – can’t get it moving; my local bookstore wants to promote local writers but not if the book’s not on their stock list! Subsequently, I’m five months into a 36 month contract where the publisher has exclusive rights in the ‘UK, the world and the solar system’ – actual words on the Publishing Agreement’. Not sure if I can get my manuscript out to Alpha Centauri before the 36 months are up!
I have a second book and will definitely steer away from PA after reading your blog. But what options do I have?
What’s your take on Writer’s Literary Agency? Are they also a scam?
http://www.wlwritersagency.com/index-a.html.
Regards
Mark
Here is my latest email to PA in an attempt to terminate my contract. Hope it is helpful.
RE: 16 CFR Sect. 255 (2007); Sect. 5 of the FTC Act Prohibiting unfair and deceptive acts in commerce; USC Title 3–The President, E.O. 10214(quoted in pertinent part) (5) False pretense. With respect to obtaining property by false pretense, the false pretense may be made by means of any act, word, symbol, or token. A false pretense is a false representation of past or existing fact. In addition to other kinds of facts, the fact falsely represented by a person may be his power or authority to effect a certain result, his opinion, or his intention. Consequently, one who represents that he presently intends to perform a certain act in the future, but who at the time of his representation does not honestly intend to perform the act, makes a false representation of an existing fact–his intention–and thus a false pretense.
Paragraph 2. of the contract provides: “it is specifically understood and agreed, that the said volumes(s) will contain all manuscript pages as submitted by the Author . . .”
Based on this statement I have a reasonable expectation that integrity of my manuscript will be preserved, especially in view of the statement contained within the cover:
PublishAmerica has allowed this work to remain exactly as the author
intended, verbatim, without editorial input.
The e-copy submitted to me for my approval prior to publication was completely butchered, and of decidedly inferior quality, requiring forty eight pages of corrections. This is unacceptable and I do not approve this as the “final version of the manuscript” stipulated in paragraph 8. of the contract. Quoted in pertinent part: “8. Delivery and Advance: Author agrees to deliver to the Publisher the final version of the manuscript (hereinafter referred to as the “Completed Manuscript”), as an electronic file, within 15 days of the Effective Date. . . . After the Author’s submission of the Completed Manuscript, no changes and/or corrections shall be made except to correct Publisher errors. . . .” A comparison of my manuscript (see attached) and the PublishAmerica manuscript (see attached) readily demonstrates the multitude of publisher errors.
Evidently I am not the first author to complain of PublishAmerica’s substandard performance regarding manuscript integrity between what is submitted and what is printed. Accordingly, I submit the following string of self-explanatory e-mails:
Publish America email exchange
________________________________________
From: PublishAmerica Pre-Production Dept
Date: 9/8/2009 8:30:48 AM
To: championbd@aapt.net.au
Subject: Brian Daunter: Time Bandit: Text changes
Hi Brian,
As indicated in our cover letter when we
Submitted your book’s proofs for your final
Review, in accordance with what you agreed to in
Your contract, no more changes can be made to a
Completed Manuscript, other than correcting
Publisher’s errors, if any. The Completed
Manuscript is presumed to contain the voice and
The language precisely as the author means to express them.
The list you are now submitting contains changes
Of a different nature. Unfortunately, no such
Changes can be made at this point unless we
Interrupt our production process and withdraw
Manpower from already scheduled assignments. If
You insist on us making these changes anyway, we
Must charge you $99 for rescheduling text department assignments.
Please let us know how you would like us to
Proceed. If you opt for having the change
Implemented, we will call you for your credit card information.
Thanks,
Pre-Production
PublishAmerica
From: Brian /Richelle
Date: 9/17/2009 10:16:17 AM
To: theresa@publishamerica.com
Subject: Time Bandit Brian Daunter
Hi Theresa,
The errors are in the proofs; therefore unless they are corrected PA is in breach of contract and it is now null and void.
PA’s response indicates the possibility of lack of due diligence or deliberate production of incorrect proofs. If the later is the case then the situation moves from civil contract law to criminal law.
Kind Regards,
Brian
From: Brian /Richelle
Date: 9/21/2009 6:30:36 PM
To: Lorettal@publishamerica.com; jeannetteg@publishamerica.com
Cc: kristineb@publishamerica.com
Subject: Brian Daunter Time Bandit
Because the prima facie evidence suggests that Publish America is attempting
To defraud with the intent to extort; I have had to refer the situation to
The Internet Crime Complaint Centre (ICCC). The ICCC is a partnership
Between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); National White Collar
Crime (NWCC) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The ICCC will
Assign the appropriate agency (FBI; BJA) to conduct the investigation.
Officers of Publish America (PA), such as yourself, as well as PA, are
Liable for prosecution if any criminal impropriety has been committed.
If as officers of PA, you consider that you have acted rightfully in a
Proper manner, and or unwittingly or coerced in to duplicity, then you are
Advised to contact the ICCC or FBI.
Kind Regards,
Dr. Brian Daunter
Then you produce it without my permission or contractual agreement (fraud; extortion)
I have forwarded your email to the ICCC.
——-Original Message——-
From: PublishAmerica Author Support
Date: 9/21/2009 7:51:22 AM
To: championbd@aapt.net.au
Subject: Brian Daunter: nonsense
Dear Brian Daunter:
Please explain how you have been defrauded, extorted, or otherwise
Maligned, not frivolously but convincingly. In the absence of such
Convincing explanation we will continue to produce your book as scheduled.
Thank you,
PublishAmerica Support
support@publishamerica.com
If any one has had or having similar experience with Publish America, contact ICCC
ic3.gov/default.aspx
________________________________________
Last edited by championbd; 09-28-2009 at 08:51 AM.
From the foregoing it would seem that I am in a similar situation to that related by Dr. Daunter.
Paragraph 13. of the contract provides in pertinent part: “The Author agrees to actively participate in promoting the sales of the said literary Work in his home town area and elsewhere, by making himself available to media interviews, book readings and/or signings, and other public sales promotion appearances.” When I first made an inquiry regarding your, “too good to be true” advertisement on the Author’s Den website I informed you that I was leaving my previous publisher because I could not afford their fees to promote my book. You assured me that you did not want my money only my book. I have just now retired after 28 years of service to my country first in the Coast Guard, then the Army, and finally the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command. Therefore, I am on a fixed income that has been further complicated by the total destruction of my home by fire on 10 March 2010, and cannot afford to spend any money to promote my book, nor can I afford to buy any of my books from you at any price.
The Restatement of (Second) of Contracts states in Section 153 (“Where a mistake of one party at the time a contract was made as to a basic assumption on which he made the contract has a material effect on the agreed exchange of performances that is adverse to him, the contract is voidable by him if he does not bear the risk of the mistake under the rule stated in Section 154, and (a) the effect of the mistake is such that enforcement of the contract would be unconscionable, or (b) the other party had reason to know of the mistake or his fault caused the mistake.”)
Since PublishAmerica advertises openly on the Author’s Den I had every expectation that PublishAmerica was a “traditional” publishing house as depicted in their ad and that they adhered to the highest ethical standards of the publishing industry as also promised in their e-literature. Imagine my chagrin when I discovered that PublishAmerica has been ripping authors off for years. Having just made that discovery after signing the contract I hereby declare that it is unconscionable, as set forth in Section 154(a) that I would have signed the contract had I been aware of PublishAmerica’s reputation prior to that signing. Therefore, the contract is void by reason of mistake.
Section 153 changes the traditional doctrine stated in the original Restatement in
two ways. First, a unilateral mistake can render a contract voidable if “enforcement of [such] contract would be unconscionable” whether or not the nonmistaken party had a duty of disclosure. Second, a unilateral mistake can render a contract voidable if the nonmistaken party had “reason to know of the mistake,” even if he or she did not have actual knowledge of the mistake. Of eighty-nine cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Claims Court and Court of Federal Claims, and other federal courts within every circuit but the First Circuit and Federal Circuit and from local courts in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Colombia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, MARYLAND and thirteen other states none of them rejected Section 153 or cited it in a negative manner. Accordingly, should it become necessary to litigate my contract with PublishAmerica in either federal court or Maryland state court my assertion that the contract is void for reasons of mistake and unconscionability would most likely prevail.
I will send this e-mail notice of termination of this contract to you via certified mail return receipt requested No. 7008 3230 0000 5209 7790 as required by paragraph 25. of the contract dealing with termination. The one dollar ($1) advance tendered by PublishAmerica to me will be returned to you in the same envelope.
By return certified mail you will send me written notification of your understanding that the contract between Author JAMES WILLIAM GILLIAM, II and Publisher PUBLISHAMERICA has been terminated.
James W. Gilliam
Author, Point Deception
PublishAmerica is still the embarrassing swill of the publishing world. Stealing royalties just gets easier for them.Cloppers & Mieners must be very wealthy scumbags by now.I purchased 50 of my own books for a signing at $12.99, my lady bought 80 a week later at $7.99,the neighbors bought several that I signed.Between these & other booksignings I know at least 300 books were sold just in my area,yet I got paid for 50 at $7.99.I’m ready to get in on any lawsuit,tar and feathering,hanging,burning at the stake or any fresh ideas anyone else has.
You are a fool, publish america is a rip off and they need to be treated just like any other theft and corrupt buisness, if you understand thefts then you understand PA. Sad that your such a fool, it’s people like you that are making it ok for them to rip off so many, because you just sit back and let them
You don’t pay PA a dime actually. I’m going through PA myself, with my first book. No one else would look at me. Partly, because I need to have a literary agent, that I can’t afford. The contract is legit. If I wanted to make money as an author I’d have invested in a real editor, a literary agent and gotten in bed with a good publisher. But, for my first book I’m not picky. I went in knowing they’re a no name mass market publisher that doesn’t put books on shelves in major chains. It still gets printed and I can have my folks buy it. Which is all I’ve ever wanted.
Yes, P.A. is a scam and not forthcoming. I was so nieve as a first time author and I think the desire to be published clouded my inner sense of good judgement. I had read some things of a disgruntled author and thought like others that he was merely upset because his book sales weren’t doing well. This wasn’t the case. Publish America takes advantage of people’s desires. Maybe I am not such a good writer to sell a lot of books, but I feel that P.A. is out to make a buck and more than a buck! They are not ethical in their business practices. I tried to get out of my contract and they wouldn’t let me. I got an email saying that I could pay them like 90 dollars or so to be release from the contract. I appreciate people spreading the word about PA. Because if you are really serious about writing you would not choose them as your publisher. God bless them, and I don’t mean to be negative, but God also knows what they are up to. He doesn’t like it when His children are taken advantage of!
I agree with you, it’s people like him that pay publishamerica and keep them going. I wrote Jake’s Justice, it has been on sale for about 2 months, i have received about 80 e-mails trying to get me to buy my own book at
$29.95 and you should read some of the e-mails.
i have just signed to pa and after finding this site wonder what the fuck i’ve done has anyone got anything positive to say about them
I am reading more and more about PublishAmerica and its scam. Unfortunately, I am one of the scammed. I sincerely feel at this point that The Attorney General needs to get involved in this matter. I for one, would like my manuscript returned free and clear of their atrocious contract. In note…it is hard to find an agent, and every person who has spend the time to write, obviously would like to see their work published. You must keep a grip on this and do what you can to resolve the matter. I am in full contact with the BBB of the area involved, and am in the process of attracting the attention the Attorney General. With enough involvement, and the proper approach, this can be be done. Hopefully, every person involved can get their work returned to them…. Please feel free to forward this comment as seen fit. I hope that everyone that is caught up in the PA scam can get their matter resolved. Signed, AKnovelist.
I wrote a book and have Publish America’s contract sitting on my desktop…I also tried a small publisher in Toronto, who also showed interest. I sent them sample chapters of my book that have the action and drama, not the more mundane beginning. I’ve added a preface from the action part, just to show people there is a high paced action part. But if submitting in ms form, are you saying formula-based editors or agents have a system to weigh the action versus the historical background? If so, they’d miss the action, and misunderstand why the action happened. I’m now afraid to sign with P.A., as I’d rather send it around to big pub houses, hoping someone will see the potential, rather than toss away the rights for 7 years. Does P.A. actually count as previous publishing history, or does it belittle you in the eyes of the big guys?
Another left-handed scam by PA. In April 2011 they came up with another gimmick where they allowed a new book published choice called “Zoftcover” to be printed at a much lower cost point, which sounded good meaning the author could be more competitive when pricing their book for their retail sales. Of course to activate the Zoftcover application, the author had to make the purchase via the much higher “Softcover” cost purchase. Adding the hidden (overpriced) shipping charge AFTER the credit card locked in the sale (and its too late to back out) brings things back to the same high cost reality. I made that purchase and after the delivered goods were shipped to me, I reversed to ship back to the same place that they were sent from. My shipping charge was 1/3rd less than what PA charged me. Sock it to the author, right PA?
PLEASE EMAIL ME AT sweetsoot1@yahoo.com or go to my new website—————great news from Edinburg Scotland
on promo scam with Publish America
web site ishttp://paulaspublishamericainformationsite.weebly.com/
I dont understand how they subtracted a returned book. When there policy is no returns accepted. That is the main reason book stores want stock the book. Because if it doesnt sell it will not be able to return to publisher. Yes I too was scamed but iam over it. If your a good writer another good idea will come up. You and I both will know next time seek else where for publishing. If they had clearly stated there books would not be on shelfs or no return policy. I would have never signed but its a lesson well learned. No bad deed goes unpunished. They will crumble sooner or later. Hopefully we will reap some type of benifit from it.
Paula’s website has updated information on Publish America–it’s promo fraud . I am hoping something comes of this investigation with News Post in Maryland as I am getting very tired of all Publish America’s crap !!! I have offered help to all authors wanting out of there contracts, and we did get Daryl out of his. Author’s are not contacting me !!!!!! The latest promo fraud is just terrible . i feel like I am hitting a brick wall time and time again.
http://paulaspublishamericainformationsite.weebly.com/
Publish America published my novel in 2001. I didn’t pay them anything to publish it and it was in the local Barnes and Nobel, Faith Christian Bookstore and on Amazon.com, which it still is. I didn’t sell a huge quanitity but they did send me royalty checks and I was paid for all of the books that were sold. I wasn’t able to do a lot of publicity for the book because my husband became ill at the same time it was published but it was still a fun ride. Speaking of editing, mine was terrible. I had them find a different editor and do it all over again. Much better the second time.
I have a problem maybe you can help me out. I have a book being published right now through PA. I never wanted to get rich off my book but after seeing all these things about PA how can I get out of my contract.
Hey, So I need a lot of help from who ever is willing. Here is the story: when I was 17 I finished writing an Adventure Story and then I as well got suckered into PA… Well the book I wrote was the first of a series (at least that was my hope.) now I am in veterinary school for the next 4 years but my contract will run out in three. If there is anyone willing to help me as to what to do from here, if it is possible to recover from this and actually promote the book in some way and find a new company for when the three years are up. I would greatly appreciate it. My email is AuthorbrandonEngland@gmail.com. If anyone reads this and would like to help please don’t Hesitate I love to write and I want to figure this whole system out, It is a lot more complex than I first thought. Thanks
PA published my first two books in rapid succession before I realized my mistake.They overpriced both books making it hard to sell them. Their neatest trick is to send the Author a come on promise to promote your book at the “book fair”or to book sellers in India, Walmart,etc. for a fee.up to $200 or more,then they send you a number of books for which you must pay overpriced shipping, and yet your book never shows up anywhere.I am still getting 3 or more email come on deal offers every day, even after I got wise and stopped responding. They cannot be contacted except to order books, so they never have to address a complaint,or even a question.Now they have exclusive rights, so I cannot republish my books, so I will have to rewrite them find another publisher, and fight with them over copyright.
Ed said:
If a class action suit is started let me know.
I want to be in on it.
Here is the latest e-mail I recieved from PA after I once again complained to them about their fraud and how they duped me into believing their lies.
I’m not praising them at all!! Publish America Scam needs to be driven out of business!!!! For good!!
Dear William Propsner: No, what you say is false. There are no lawsuits pending against us. What you read is false. As you can see below, we only read part of your message, and we deleted the rest before reading it. We will be happy to remove you from our email list. We understand your concern, but you should know that what you read is simply false. The websites to which you refer have long ago lost credibility, and it would appear that they are rarely taken seriously. If even ten percent of it were true, PublishAmerica would have been out of business a long time ago. These folks are not singling out PublishAmerica. Try a Google search on any vanity publisher, and you will see similar nonsense. And those are vanity publishers who charge authors money. PublishAmerica charges nothing, and works in the traditional publishing way. Actually, our reputation is stellar! We have been growing, for 12 years! We have 57,000 titles under contract. And THOUSANDS of the authors keep telling the world how happy they are: http://www.publishamerica.com/testimonials/index.php. Over 4,000 now, unsolicited. That, of course, is the real story. For every one author who complains, there are many more who praise us. Our books are widely available, through numerous sources around the world. We have sold millions of books. We have been making the authors of 57,000 books happy now for twelve years. Please read the following information carefully, and we will be happy to answer further questions. You’ll want to do the math in comparing our 4,000,000 happy customers, and our 4,000 written testimonials to the widely-mocked handful of complainers that you mention. Apparently you have read some very old, and very false, news. Here is some standard boilerplate info; please read it, and if we can answer anything further, it would be our pleasure: PublishAmerica represents traditional publishing for tens of thousands of authors, both new and old, plus, tellingly, it represents the end of the vanity publishing industry. Therefore, we are bound to make headlines, and to cause concern to those who profit from charging authors money. Partly as a result of the on-line efforts that you read, our popularity has risen so dramatically that each day over 100 new authors contact us, wanting to join PublishAmerica. You have apparently read some very old false statements on the internet. You may be interested to know what happened to someone else who made false statements about PublishAmerica. The one-man “leader” of the one-man, widely-mocked, Preditors & Editors “organization” lost credibility long ago, and was recently sued by PublishAmerica’s attorney. He falsely accused PublishAmerica and its attorney of numerous unethical and illegal activities. He was served a summons to attend trial and testify, and a judgement was entered by a jury. What he said was found to be simply, plainly, false and malicious, and the jury rejected his testimony. He was ordered to pay $53,000 in damages, and his paychecks are being garnished. Also, with this type of judgement, seizing personal property is a common occurrence. Additionally, websites with content related to what he said have long ago lost credibility, and it appears that they are rarely taken seriously. We’ve seen them mocked many times, and their ringleaders are being sued in New Jersey for libel and other objectionable behavior. Their attorney in that case, who also was a frequent poster, was suspended from the practice of law by the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission because he defrauded an elderly lady. The Commission’s order said that he is “unfit to practice law”, “poses a threat to the public and the integrity of the legal profession”, and that he was “lying upon lying upon lying”. Fortunately, few people take them seriously, and we rarely hear their name mentioned from any of our roughly 40,000 happily contracted authors or from the more than 200,000 aspiring authors who have sought a PublishAmerica contract to date. Among these are thousands upon thousands of professionals, including lawyers, doctors, and professors, plus many previously published authors and celebrities. If you care to know what real PublishAmerica authors have to say about the nonsense out there in naysay-land, these links may be very helpful:http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=28502&sid=2d3a123b5e6fae91120fc887bcad1303http://bb.publishamerica.com/viewtopic.php?t=28758 Seeing that, it should come as no surprise that 40 pct of our current authors request that we also publish their next book. That’s an astonishing number, given that this reportedly amounts to roughly 100 pct of all authors who actually finish a second book. It tells you something about our authors’ satisfaction rate. Many businesses proudly boast that they have a 95% customer satisfaction ratio. Our ratio is far, far and away above 95%. We operate within only the highest ethical standards. See http://www.publishamerica.com/testimonials for more information. Here is a brief overview of PublishAmerica: – Each day, over 100 new authors request to become PublishAmerica authors- Each year, over 25,000 new authors request to become PublishAmericaauthors- 4,000,000 households served- Proud authors of 57,000 titles contracted- Thousands of positive newspaper reviews, interviews, or feature stories- Thousands of book signing events in bookstores across the nation- 12 years in business- 12 years of steady growth- 12 years of doing what no other publisher has ever done before,much less for free: bringing a status of class to a previouslyignored mass of aspiring authors. Barnes and Noble alone orders books from PublishAmerica each day. Thousands, each and every month, of PublishAmerica books are sold in bookstores across the nation. Bookstores buy a PublishAmerica book almost two thousand times every day. The PublishAmerica message board is overflowing with testimonials from our authors about their books being stocked in bookstores. Hundreds of bookstores across the nation stock our books. In closing, it’s good to remember that in the not too distant past, authors who were spurned by the established publishing houses had only one alternative left to them: self-publishing through a vanity press. According to industry insiders, when all is said and done vanity publishers charge an average $1400 in return for “publishing” someone’s book. Since the arrival of PublishAmerica, who charges zero dollars, period, our authors have kept almost $50 million (!) in their own pockets, money that otherwise could have ended up in vanity coffers. And you still wonder where the mud comes from? When PublishAmerica entered the market now almost twelve years ago, there were three major vanity houses angling for the wallets of authors. Today, after authors discovered PublishAmerica and came running to us in droves, only one of those pay-to-publish entities is still left standing. And you wonder why we, the ultimate agent of change, encounter some hostility? We hope that this information is helpful, and that you will be very happy with our ever-growing family of authors. And again, if you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let us know. PublishAmerica is hosting authors conventions!Register at http://www.authorsconvention.com/ PublishAmerica Supporthttp://publishamerica.com/support/
I’m the author of the Megan Martin and Ember Reign series. Megan Martin was selling fine with my old publisher but she went out of business for personal reasons. I reedited and condensed Megan Martin – Medallion Mystery and “sold it” to Publish America. I also bought two boxes of books that I never got for a year of calling and emailing only to hear them say they didn’t know where my order information was.
I sent a certified letter to their CEO about that which was refused returned unopened but 3 or 4 days after we got it back we got an Email from PA saying they had found my missing orders! A year late! Put me on rush order and 8 weeks later we got the first box and two more weeks we got the second.
They priced my children’s novel for ages 8-13 at $25 each. Charged me another $100 to put it into Nook and Kindle format then charge full price for them to.
I raised heck with them in Email to get the response “there’s no reason an Ebook should cost less than a printed book, if so I wish someone would explain it.” And I did. I sent them a two page detailed message telling them why E books should not cost as much as printed books. I also challenged them to show me the numbers. “How many of my books have you sold to anyone but me?” They didn’t answer because the truth is they do not work to sell our books! They work to fleece us of every dime they can get.
I told him I have 6 more in that series and 3 more in another series and you won’t get them or another dime from me. They did not answer but the spam messages trying to make their authors feel guilty has increased 100 fold since then for people complaining to them about their high prices and lack of being a real publisher.
They said if a book is good people will pay their price and if it’s bad you can’t give them away. My books were selling before I went to PA with that one, but not anymore. Not only that Books A Million won’t do business with PA. They shake their heads if you mention the name.
They are very skilled at deception and lying to their authors. There’s no way to know if they actually do anything they say once they get our money. Now they are charging $35 for each book to submit them to Amazon.com. I have news for them Amazon.com has their own publishing company and you can publish your own books with them for FREE!
Log on there and look up Ember Reign – The Crown and see for yourself. That’s the first book in my second series and it’s $4.99 for download. I would rather sell a million books at $4.99 than none at $25 each.
Publish America is a scam.
I have no idea what happened to my last message, it flashed and was gone.
Yes Publish America is a scam. I regret the day I ever gave them one of my novels, the first of the Megan Martin series.
They fleece their authors for everything they can get and over charge for our books. They charge us for everything. They will not get another dime or novel from me.
They are charging $35 to submit our work to Amazon.com and you can publish with Amazon.com for FREE! Look up Ember Reign – The Crown on there, it’s the first in the other series I’m working on. $4.99 download. I have three full length novels in that series and we are looking for a good “REAL” publisher.
Mr Goldberg you are correct and I agree 100%.
omg i thought i was the only one getting these e-mails where they are asking me to buy my own book @29.95.this is crazy and i do agree this company is such a waste of time.i just published my book in March of this year 2012 and im already dissapointed.i feel as if i should have waited and send my hard work to a real company that would deliver instead of making foolish promises and lying to new authors.
I published 2 books with Publish America in the last two years. Yes the do only pay 1.00 in advance, that is correct. And they charge nothing to publish the book, but anything extra you have to pay for…I paid about 69.00 to have my book put into ebook form to see on (just One) online site. They send out emails to each author for anything extra they are offering. It is a business, and first time authors do not get published as easy… and for the cost of it.. There is a clause in the contract that states that if you don’t sell at least 40.00 in royalties they owe the author nothing for that period. They pay every 6 months… They offer the books to the authors at discounts for at least 1 year. Every author wants to be a money making author, but that is not always possible. They way I see it, it is a business, they offer a pre contract for authors to go over before signing it, and each one has to option to turn it down. As a service a person gets what they pay for, and that 1.00 is just to seal the contract.
I was one of the many who were duped into believing all of PA’s lies and mistruths. I lost my interest in writing because of them. Trouble is that i’m a 2 time loser with them. I didn’t learn my lesson the first time. I should have done more research. Now I can’t get out of their decieptful contracts. And here is posted another ‘royalty statement’ that has read the same for 4 years. Shame on PA……..they need to be put out of business!!!
Royalty statement period: February, 2012 to July, 2012
Per your contract your book sold under the required amount to be due a royalty payment during this royalty period. The royalties earned under this period will carry forward and be included once you have reached the amount required by your contract. If you would like a breakdown of sales, please contact us, and we will be happy to provide you with one.
Author: William Propsner
Title: An Ageless Moment
Total Amount of Royalties Payable: $0.00
Frequently Asked Royalty Statement Questions:
Why aren’t books sold last month on my statement? All books bought directly from PublishAmerica are included in this statement; books sold through vendors, including Amazon, may not yet be included. PublishAmerica pays royalties on sales proceeds that it has received. Vendors, however, have up to 90 days or longer to pay PublishAmerica. Thus, PublishAmerica may not have received payments yet for books sold by some retailers and online vendors. PA will include royalties for those sales on the next royalty statement.
Are ebook sales included? Yes. Just as with physical books, if your book had any ebook sales that PublishAmerica has received payment for, those sales are included in this statement.
What are my royalty cut-off months? January and July, typically the last week. We forward our semi-annual statements at the end of February and August.
Where are the royalties on copies of my own book that I bought? Authors are not paid royalties on books that they purchase themselves, per your contract, unless they were purchased when we ran a special promotion that indicated otherwise.
Who do I contact for questions about my statement? Please visit http://www.publishamerica.com/royalties and see if your question is answered there. If not, simply fill out the form, and we will make every effort to get back to you within seven business days.
I am currently a (trapped) PA author that spends every day of my writing career kicking myself for ever making the mistake of signing with PA. They are worse than the most putrid of opportunistic diseases. In my opinion, they suck the soul right out of writers.
Following is a link to a report I composed telling my truth about PublishAmerica. In it I have posted actual e-mails between PA and myself which prove how threatening, belligerent, careless, and unprofessional they are.
It is my hope that if enough of us tell our truths, eventually PA will shut down. They are sucking dry too many of us. They are damaging our careers – to be signed with PA displays us as a joke to other publishers. This is a sad truth.
http://mypublishamericanightmare.blogspot.ca/
I am one of Publish America’s Authors and I am hurt and very disappointed at the amount of disrespect that this so-called publisher have for it’s authors. I am without words to say the least. I’ve tried to contact PA several times and the phone number I have for them is out of service. I worked on my book for two years or more and to see my hard work in the hands of this publisher is nothing but painful. I pray that this publisher will go out of business so that all work will be released by to the authors and out of the hands of this company. What goes around will eventually come back around.
I have to agree on most of your points but because I paid for an order of my books I’m anxiously awaiting their arrival to sell them and make my investment money back. Otherwise, I am just happy to be a real published author and can’t wait to see my book in print.
I am also a little discouraged to read how my books will never be accepted in bookstores. I’m guess I’m stuck with PA for 10 Years too.
I signed with PA too and I don’t think there is any way out of this ten year contract but if there is a way I’d like to know too.
Sad to say but you are not a “Real published author,” when your books come from PublishAmerica. They are a printer, not a publisher, and they make it next to impossible to earn any money from your book. With all the information there is out there exposing PublishAmerica as a scam, I am stunned there are still people gullible enough to be fooled by them. Take the time to Google a publisher before getting into business with them!!
Lee