My story is that the author who made the online recording for points such as Themestream, Written By Me, and The Vines, someone trying to find real literature, poetry, and nonfiction, recommended PublishAmerica. She claimed that it was a traditional book publisher. I got stuck with their slogan: “We treat writers in the old way, we pay them.” Isn't that what the publishers should have been doing?
But since my novel simply sat on the DiskUs publication site and did nothing, but provided me with enough money to buy a pair of laces on skates every three months, I thought that maybe he would have more chances in PublishAmerica, where he will be available in both paperback trade format and offline.
So this author, Ellen Du Bois, had a great thing on his Geocities website about books available in bookstores with bricks and mortars, and they have ISBN numbers, and they will be online and all that. She also had a full book cover, so I sat there for 5 minutes, waiting for this damn thing to appear. Not impressive, but she liked it. Ellen was a supporter of her book and sent testimonials from the weekly all-union rag, and she sent a large number of e-mails to several census sheets on those main days when her book was in a preliminary order and then went on stage in the summer. I broke down and bought a copy from Amazon - it took almost 3 weeks. And I struggled to read all 176 pages. Scar. Cliché abounded. There were no spelling / grammar mistakes, at least. But the letter was subtle. The story has moved too fast. The main character was the most realistic, since it was most likely based on the author. The dialogue was fine. Descriptions were minimal. If there was a real editor, the book could be very good. I wrote Ellen and told her positive things about the story, avoiding negativity. She was an online correspondent for almost two years, but after I hadn’t reviewed her book on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, she didn’t contact me. Almost a year later, she sent me another email - to promote a book of her poetry. I was just someone who sold the book, and she was only interested in selling and, I hope, a shining record.
Future PublishAmeric Author
Since I have already signed a contract with PublishAmerica, I wanted to cancel it after reading this garbage. Now my book will be associated with a company that has released almost any literature that has appeared in its path. I did not expect that with my affairs with extinct eNovel and RJ eBooks, as well as with a tiny e-book publisher called Crafts across America, where I was not paid monthly, as promised. And my novel and short collection of stories languished in DiskUs, the home of the supposedly authoritative author of the book “The Best” of all time, Leta Nolan Childers.
PublishAmerica sent me an author questionnaire where they asked me to provide basic biographical information; covers as well as a long list of people who might want to read my upcoming novel.
“Please prepare a list (names and addresses) of people who know you well to become interested in your success as a writer: personal friends, collections, relatives, etc.,. To get an announcement of a book ... Please list your labels no more than 100 contacts. Also, do not include businesses or organizations of any type, including bookstores, media contacts or government organizations. Include only friends and partners. ”
The process of editing my manuscript took two weeks in the Christmas holidays. I was able to make sure that the first few pages were read, as some minor changes were made, but no changes followed 50 pages or so. One of the errors that occurred was clearly the result of a spell check by PublishAmerica, since the question mark appeared after the end of the statement. I read real authors who receive instructions for changing chapters, changing endings, deleting multiple pages, in other words, really struggling to rewrite a book. Why so much effort? Names Reputation. The publisher wanted to put his name in the best quality book they put in. The author needed a book that was salable, but well written and proud of something. Editing PublishAmerica was still perfect because everything they did was included in the computer's spelling / grammar checker.
My two free author copies arrived in early March, and it was nice to see that my paperback book is printed without a cheesy cover and a cross-linked spine. North of Sunset & # 39; actually had a decent look at the cover art of several silhouette palm trees, a noticeable font and a spell, in which the name of the book, the name of the publisher and the author was named. I thought it would look good on the shelves of bookstores.
Reviews - What are the reviews?
What did the publication in America do to test my book? Nothing. I decided to contact the local daily and weekly newspapers by emailing a press release. The only answers I received were two email responders announcing editors on vacation.
I spent 40 dollars on copies of my bookshop and processed them in three national newspapers and in the Journal Journal. Then I called the book reviewer at the San Diego-Soyuz-Tribune. and asked if he would be interested in reviewing my book, but before I could even describe what I was talking about, he asked who my publisher was. I told him. “We do not consider the books of this publisher,” he said.
I called all the local bookstores and talked to managers and / or community people about my book, including a couple of shops that were physically located on the street I wrote about. The independent bookstore owner told me that since the PA did not have a return policy, she could not publish my novel. Another said that I can sell my book on a lot. Chain stores Borders and Barnes & Noble stated that my book will be available through Ingram if someone wants to order it.
I tried to get PublishAmerica to send reviews, and it took several weeks. I had to call and make sure that two times that the books were sent by mail. Perhaps quoting one of their enthusiastic promoters on the bulletin board, a guy with a natural genius for marketing and a budget to support him got three books sent to reviewers.
Then I sent my book to Pierce Anthony, a famous science fiction and science fiction author of more than 100 books. I have been in contact with him since 2000, when I warned him that eNovel was rip-off. Although the action in his books usually occurred in alternating periods of time / universes, he is not averse to reading the main Hollywood novel. He did it. "North of Sunset Liza Maliga." She is listed in my survey since I am a noberist Ha-Ha! Ha !, Appropriate warning for stellar novice writers. ; she says it the way it is. If you’ve done a few weeks since my age and changed your gender, the result may resemble Lisa. suppose it is a reality. This is written from the omnisite point of view that I don’t like, but it showed my interest. "
I found that, with the help of the frustrated PA author, on the bulletin boards I read sometimes, someone complained about PublishAmerica. Detecting the Absolute Record Check reference area I spent several hours reading, at the time, more than 40 pages of complaints about PublishAmerica. Authors do not receive books in time for books that they themselves have created. Bookstore owners / managers refuse to place their shelves with unedited PublishAmerica titles. Writers could not revise their books.
When I searched LexisNexis, a reputable online research system for all PublishAmerica books that received newspaper reviews, I saw that from July 2002 to June 2004, only 24 books were viewed at the national level. Reports were made in Syracuse New York, Tulsa, Oak, Fort Pierce, Florida, Wilmington, North Carolina and Lakeland, Florida. Only Salt Lake City Morning News Deseret, Tulsa World, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette No. 39; and the suburban newspaper, the Chicago Daily Herald, was in fact large newspapers. Obviously, the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times did not publish PublishAmerica publications. According to the PublishAmerica website in the Facts and Figures section, Fact No. 3: again, unparalleled among all traditional publishing companies, every day in the media, in newspapers, magazines, radio or television, the average is published 15 times PublishAmerica. Even mathematically challenged people can determine that, using LexisNexis search statistics, we find out that on average it’s a pity once a month that the PublishAmerica book is mentioned in a newspaper somewhere in the United States.
Editing - What is it?
This is what the post on the PublishAmerica message board wrote: “When he appeared in book form a month ago, my friends reported problems with editing, so my friend with the masters in education went through it, I had about a thousand editing errors in the 182-page book . So, if someone really knows what literary content should be in the book, read your book before sending the final project back to PublishAmerica. ! how the book will be when it comes out. "
I found that through spelling errors, grammatical errors and a general bad letter, that almost all were available for publication through the traditional & # 39; publisher located in Frederick, Maryland. Messages like: “I'm not the best editor either. LOL! I received my finished books. There are chapters. ” Several PublishAmerica authors have discussed editing. “I felt that you did it when I discovered mistakes, but then I realized that people read it for history, they don’t look for errors on a typo! LOL Now I just keep on watching! ”
Sales figures
Question: I really like to know how many copies I have sold.
Answer: Buy all the books yourself, and then count them.
No matter how naive the authors of PublishAmerica, they will someday come to the realization that PublishAmerica is not really a traditional publisher, especially when these biennial royalty checks arrived. Every few months, PublishAmerica sent them an e-mail extolling their success, bragging about the author of a big name with whom they are negotiating, or, more recently, about a deal with the New York Times. On August 17, an e-mail was sent that read "Hot Topics" "Advertising our top sellers in the New York Times." appeared in the mailboxes of the author.
PublishAmerica was well-named in that they want to publish someone in North America who released the manuscript, regardless of its quality. They claim to have between 9,000 and 12,000 “happy” authors, and they want more and more, as this obviously means more money for greedy owners, namely Willem Meiner and Larry Klopper.
The name and logo of PublishAmerica are considered a joke for those in the media, bookstores and libraries. Books can not be returned. All PublishAmerica publications do not have the required CIP. [Cataloging-in-Publication] data that libraries need to order titles, and who wants to read unedited and inflated volumes, except for author friends? Oh yeah, and although PublishAmerica claims to be the traditional publisher of & # 39; why they have on the main page the keywords list the term “self-publishing”. three times? And in the description of their site they boast: “PublishAmerica, Inc., a traditional publisher, accepting and publishing manuscripts and books in NO CHARGE to the author.
In early September, I received a fee. To my surprise, I not only could afford to buy a pair of laces for my skates, I read 12 dollars to sharpen my blades. Who knew that this company would provide additional income, allowing me to continue to participate in my exciting skating? But it cost me more than $ 160 in books bought by the author, $ 40 for gallery owners, which were probably loaded into a dustbin, $ 87 card business cards, a $ 20 press release and countless hours building and repairing my a site so that people can visit it and buy a book that is only available online — just like any other e-book.
PublishAmerica allows the myth of being traditional & # 39; a publisher, a term that was not used before the advent of the Internet, fester. Lies are committed in those HTML source codes that search engine robots deliver; future authors have led to the promised sphere of publishing, the Internet network of woven myths that swell across cyberspace. PublishAmerica is reminiscent of most other ePublishing companies promoting stories about best-selling books and authors. PublishAmerica is another scam, another future point.
If you are the author of PublishAmerica, or if you know someone who is unhappily published and tells his story, please contact:
Federal Trade Commission
attn: CRC-240
Washington DC 20580
FTC Consumer Complaint Form
Frederick County County Council
Winchester Hall
12 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: 301-694-1100
Fax: 301-694-1849
www..co.frederick.md.us / baskets of building components /
John L. Thompson, Jr., President
Winchester Hall
12 E. Church Street
Frederick MD 21701
Phone: 301-694-1028
Fax: 301-631-23
Mention the following points:
Your book is not available in bookstores and libraries of brick and mortar
Your book will not be returned if the owner / manager of the bookstore needs to stock it.
7 year contract dealt with inappropriate time
Your book is published by vanity.
You had to pay for your own copyright.
PublishAmerica will not apply for CIP, which allows you to buy libraries
PublishAmerica reevaluates books
PublishAmerica offers a non-standard discount.
Business model PublishAmerica - sell to its authors
PublishAmerica books are NOT edited — of course, not in turn, as they state on their website, but have since admitted that they only edit for grammar and writing.
PublishAmerica accepts about 80% of submitted manuscripts [most publishers reject 99% of their submissions]
PublishAmerica will only accept applications for a credit card by telephone when booking at one of its seminars or purchase its own name.
