PubliSHAMErica- SHAME is our middle name!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
PublishAmerica scam wants to hear from you
Calling all PublishAmerica authors. We want to hear from all of the authors who feel they have been cheated in one way or the other by PublishAmerica. Every voice needs to be heard. We are aware that there may be a class action lawsuit and plan to move quickly.
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100 comments:
A Victim of Publish America Hi my name is Raymond Taylor I have a big problem with Publish America they suggested I change my title to Rise of the Humanoid. The problem it's been over 1 year and my contract still shows the old title The UnKnown. I feel cheated because they asked me to change my title after I signed the ocntract also they never tell me about any royalties ever. If you have a class action started please let me join? Thanks Raymond Taylor
My name is Deanna Lee Warren. I am the author of three books: There Is Something Wrong with Jacie, published in 2006; In Dreams, published in 2007; The Greatest Tragedy of All, published in 2009. My third book was accepted based on increased sales of my second book. To date I have been paid enough to buy two packages of gum, and not the big value pack. I receive e-mails daily with offers to buy my own book. Some of these e-mails have been threatening; one stated my book would never see the light of day. To which one do they do refer? I have written three. I believed in PA for so long, but it is like they have killed my inspiration, and my faith in people. I would be interested to hear other author's comments.
OMG, I am SO stupid! I ALWAYS check for scams before I commit, but I was so overwhelmed about hem publishing my book, I just didn't THINK!!!! I see this now...OMG I sent them my ss# too! WHAT NOW???LET ME JOIN THE FIGHT..I will NOT be conversing anymore with PA..I haven't sent them any money as this just occured within the last week...BUT they DO have my SS#..OMG, I am very nervous now who may be getting this info and who may steal my identity..How could I have been so STUPID!!!!!
PLEASE email me and let me know about the lawsuit..
dgorton@comcast.net
OMG..ya know USUALLY, I am so skeptical of these scams..BUT I was so excited that they wanted to publish my book, I didn't think twice. I ALWAYS check on someone before doing something like this, but in this case I didn't..WHY WHY WHY! NOW they have my SOCIAL SECURTIY NUMBER!! ANYONE could steal my identity now...although, I email it to a "Loretta and a CHris at PA.... PLEASE add me to the joint lawsuit! I have NOT paid them any money as this only occured this past week...but I DID sign the contract, rather TYPE the contract..and sent them the letter for using my illustrations...I PRAY I DON"T gET MY IDENTITY STOLEN>>>>>OMG OMG
Please email me with wht I need to do next.......I feel SO STUPID!!!
OMG...they have my SOC SEC NUMBER???OMG HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID TO BELIEVE this could happen....I only signed the contract this past week, but who KNOWS who has access to my ss#NOW? How could I BE so stupid! PLEASE let me join the suit...I am always SO CAREFUL< but was so excited about them accepting my book that I totally didn't do my research until now...DUH! Please let me know by email what i need to do next...
Pray they don't send your social security number to the news media like PA attorney Vic Cretella did to a reporter who did an expose on them.
Debbie, you cannot sue them because you provided them with your Social Security number.
I am a very recent victim of PA. They keep promising that if I buy my own book, blatant blackmail, they will send some to major bookstores, and then I read that major bookstores refuse PA books because they don't edit them...except to run them through a spellchecker that actually adds typos. I get an email a day, sometimes two, with some new deal. My book has only been available for 3 months (providing you know the name of my book or my name) yet I recently received an email from them stating that my book had not sold any copies in over a year (but I just autographed two...) and they were willing to sell back my rights for $49. I wrote back and told them logic would dictate that a book out for three months would have a hard time making sales for over a year. No comment from them. When I agreed to buy back my rights, they resumed with email deals. They ignore every email I send them. Although I did piss them off enough to get one nasty letter where they didn't appreciate being called a POD. I have all 80+ of theirs since the beginning. Am considering writing a book with them and letting PA publish it. The latest email swears that B&N is begging for my book...if I buy some first of course. An outright lie that I'd stake a years salary on. I will definitely join in a class action lawsuit. I want this company shut down. It's hard enough to get a book pubbed with out people like PA gumming up the works. I hope this gets to other people before they make the mistake of signing with them.
Thanks.
Bree.
Hello Bree. Barnes and Noble does not want your book and in fact they were previously unaware of any sales gimmicks mentioning their name. This is the link to the website of the investigative reporter, Sinthyia Darkness who continues her important work for all writers. http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/2010/08/publishamerica-in-trouble-with-barnes.html . You should spend some time searching that website for her posts about this company. Her research is outstanding and she is regarded as an authority on PublishAmerica.
One other thing Bree, PublishAmerica is a Print on Demand publisher. Read this http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/2010/08/publishamericas-lean-mean-book-printing.html
Dee,
"To which one do they do refer? I have written three"
PublishAmerica would be so thrilled if you would buy copies of all three of your books. Think it matters to them which one(s) you choose?
Can you post the threatening email you were sent that says your book would not see the light of day again? I would be interested in seeing it.
The e-mail where PA said my book would never see the light of day, followed by an e-mail with an offer to buy my own book, was deleted. I emptied the trash. I also received one telling me about their other publishing house; the name of which now escapes me; and offering me a new start on my book for $$$ was also deleted. I emptied the trash. Wish I still had them, but wasn't aware of the lawsuit site.
I received an email from PA on July 13,2010. It stated that my book "has shown no sales for more than a year." No kidding, I cannot afford to buy any copies. They further state that I may want to have my "book's publishing rights reverted back to" me.
Page 7, Paragraph 24 of my "seven year contract" states that if public interest in my book is deemed insufficient by the Publisher, the Publisher may opt to dispose of any electronic files, etc and discontinue manufacture. The Author will be notified of such a decision and be offered the opportunity to have the work and its rights in the copyrights thereon transfered to the Author. The Author has 30 days to accept the offer and pay the amount set forth in writing ($99+shipping & handling). If acceptance is not forthcoming the Publisher may dispose of said work, copyrights, electronic files, etc. without further liability to the Author.
What is the publishing industry's definition of "dispose of" and since I cannot pay to have anything transferred to me what does that mean in regards to my copyrighted book?
I hope there will be a class action against PublishAmerica LLLP. It cannot happen soon enough for me.
I received an email from PA on July 13,2010. It stated that my book "has shown no sales for more than a year." No kidding, I cannot afford to buy any copies. They further state that I may want to have my "book's publishing rights reverted back to" me.
Page 7, Paragraph 24 of my "seven year contract" states that if public interest in my book is deemed insufficient by the Publisher, the Publisher may opt to dispose of any electronic files, etc and discontinue manufacture. The Author will be notified of such a decision and be offered the opportunity to have the work and its rights in the copyrights thereon transfered to the Author. The Author has 30 days to accept the offer and pay the amount set forth in writing ($99+shipping & handling). If acceptance is not forthcoming the Publisher may dispose of said work, copyrights, electronic files, etc. without further liability to the Author.
What is the publishing industry's definition of "dispose of" and since I cannot pay to have anything transferred to me what does that mean in regards to my copyrighted book?
I hope there will be a class action against PublishAmerica LLLP. It cannot happen soon enough for me.
Hello Brian,
Thank you for your comments. Congratulations on your book doing so well! If you google my name, Deanna Lee Warren, it would appear that my books are selling all over the internet. They have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Dutch, German, Spanish, and French. It all looks impressive and exciting, but is it real??? There are some e-mails I wish I hadn't deleted; the ones that sounded threatening followed by an offer to buy my own book. According to the Random House Webster's Dictionery, the meaning of extortion is: To obtain money, information, etc., by force, intimidation, or abuse of authority. Thanks for the offer to send me e-mails, but I think I should wait and see if there is an actual lawsuit. You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. But, I am most interested. Best to you.
Dee Lee
Hello Diane,
Thanks for your comments. I, too, received an e-mail stating my book had not sold a copy in over a year. I have written three books; to which one do they refer? It is my belief these e-mails are sent en masse, and that they haven't the slightest clue to whom they are sent. I also received an e-mail offering to return my rights to me ($99. plus shipping and handling).What does this mean as far as my book(s) are concerned? It is my understanding once you are published, you are published! Please enlighten me. I would think PA would be embarrassed to send out such e-mails; it speaks volumes about not only their selling ability, but their integrity. I am aware that a writer must promote his/her own book, but it is difficult when Chapters, etc. will not stock PA's books. I cannot afford to buy large quantities of my own book(s) Their record keeping is laughable.
Isn't a publisher supposed to promote their writers? With 50,000 writers this is an impossible task. The questions raised by you should be addressed to a literary lawyer. What should be a happy, positive experience has turned into a nightmare. All the best.
Dee
My name is Darren Finch and I am the author of Fair Target. I signed a contract with PA in summer 2005 and was told the book would be available before Christmas. I did a lot of publicity work myself and drummed up loads of support to sell it over Christmas with local shops etc. I was finally told it was ready in January but having proof read the final copy again I found it full of errors that weren't in the original ms.
I got in touch and they corrected some but not all and also refused to make changes to the cover.
I pressed on and tried my best and managed to get some TV/newspaper exposure in MARCH 2006 when it was eventually released.
I received some royalties early on but was suspicious they were not right. I didn't bother chasing them as I was working on a new project and the figures weren't great. But in 2008 several friends bought copies which they brought to me to sign and I never received a penny.
I can't be bothered to fight as I've moved on to other things.
You can't be "bothered" to fight for money that you claim you were cheated out of? That's sad.
PublishAmerica loves authors with this kind of attitude "yes, they cheated me but who cares?" They hope that ALL authors share that attitude. If you were walking down the street and somebody stole your wallet would you just throw your hands up and say oh well or would you report it to the police?
Thats just really a lazy attitude.
Hello Darren Finch
After seeing my books online at Chapters/Indigo, I arranged a meeting with Dave Reynolds, the Regional Consultant/Inventory Specialist re placement of my books. They could find my first book online, but not my second. Mr. Reynolds stated they do not stock PA books. I, too, did a lot of publicity work; contacted local media. I also edited my own work. I helped with design of the covers for my books, but I was still on writer's shakey legs for the second, and too overwhelmed with being published to ask to change it. As I know people who bought copies of my first book, I was in a state of disbelief when I received my royalty check. I contacted PA, and they said it takes time for a book to gain momentum. Generally, when I try to contact PA with a question regarding royalties, the e-mail is undeliverable. I was once restricted from the PA message board because of a negative comment about royalties. I can understand that you can't be bothered to fight, and it is probably a positive thing that you have moved on. For me, I will move on, but I hate injustice, and even more I hate to see them get away with it. We have far too much injustice in this world. All the best to you.
Dee
Well, I would like to know whats going on with publish america because I was stupid to sign a contract with them with my book that was published back in 2005 with them and I hardly ever hear anything about this book and its progress and I cant do nothing with the book till my contract ends cause I allready signed what is going on please someone tell me email me at walley79@atlanticbb.net thanks
Walter
Thanks for the offer to send me e-mails, but I think I should wait and see if there is an actual lawsuit
Dee, Brian was not offering to send you these emails, he was offering to send them to us, the owners of this website.
"According to the Random House Webster's Dictionery, the meaning of extortion is: To obtain money, information, etc., by force, intimidation, or abuse of authority. "
Words have different meanings under law and to get a full understanding of what "Extortion" means in law, you should be reading Black's law dictionary and not Websters.
Thank you for your comments re e-mails, and for making me aware of the Black's law dictionary.
Dee
I would like to know more about this. I was published with them in 2005 and am outraged at their business practices. Please email me the info to contribute to the suit.
hey; i have two books published with PA and like all of you I have since then realized how bad they are. Please answer this for me.. is there anyway to have them stop selling my books and after I do some changes to them can I send them to a different company?? any info is greatly appreciated.
I won't give my real name since Publishamerica is using scare tactics and intimidation, obliquely threatening with lawsuits for libel. But I do wish very much to join the class action lawsuit against them.
The contract promises that they market and advertise the books and they do no such thing.
Further,I was lured twice into their promotions:once to purchase my book at a discount price to be sent to a "reviewer';there was never any review;the book eventually came to me without any review. When I complained about it they told me to contact the reviewer,as if I know who or where he is-well obviously there is no reviewer.When I asked them to send me the contact info for the so called "reviewer" they never answered.
My second and only other purchase was one book of mine at full price with a "super sale" coupon. which promised to get me 4 books free for that purchase-I never received a single book for that purchase.They plain stole my money.
Dora Green
Please let me know about the class action lawsuit.
tsilla77@yahoo.com
Dora Green
I am Michael Gilwood, i am just another scammed author. Did anyone actually get any money this time of year. I didnt even get the email. I had to remind them about it!! This is breach isnt it? If Publish America is what it means to be part of that American dream, My God. They totally disgust me in every manner, i check the internet everyday and see sales yet they deny all payments. If you are part of this cesspool company spread the word to others thinking of joining. They are to big to squash like the bug they are, they have fingers in too many pies yet they still want me to buy my own book. Something has to be done.
You can contact me at jonathanjholloway at hotmail http://bookstove.com/book-talk/publish-america-fraud-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing/ - that is my article and i still have all evidence and emails saved. I agree with most of you i'm usually careful i actually found the several publish america scam articles the day after i signed the contract. I was upset to learn they were true during my experience.
I am a recent vicitm of PA I believed they would actually sale my book, edit my book and present it professionally. I get tons of emails for ads, even ones that ask me to buy my book so they can send me a royality check out. On the books i would be buying. WTH! Anyways i have all my emails saved with them. PA responded rather quickly to accept my book then after i signed the contract it would be 6 weeks to hear from them after sending 3 or 4 emails. I was told my book was being edited. Then after 2months i was told they didn't even have my book. Then a couple weeks later they found it. And it was then being edited. Only at the end of it all my book was never edited like they promised me. They told me not to worry about that they would do so. Also in the contract if they didn't receive my book by the date arranged they said they would cancel the deal. 2months they didn't have it yet they were tell me rather rudely to send it in. and eventually found it. Thats about when i figured they were a scam. Now i get advertising emails about buying my own book. O and they got emails from me about editing my book. So they send me a email saying i could change/edit i was excited feeling like finally only to realize i had to buy 10 copies in order to do so. I save every email even the ads. And especially the emails proving they are a scam, i mean one person was supposed to be assigned to my account i never heard from that person again after 1 email. Its probably more stuff if i go back and read through.
I am a victim of publish america i actually found articles implyin they were a scam after i signed the contract. I have proof of their scam. They said they would edit my book and never did. They told me to have my book to them on august 1st. I sent it a day before, and sent them emails asking if they received and started working on it. 4-6 weeks later i get a response. Which after i signed the contract they were not so speedy in their responses. They told me though they received it and it was being edited. I contacted them weeks later with questions no response till after several emails on my behalf, apparently they didn't have my book after telling me it was being edited. I wasn't going to send it to them i reminded them about the contract they were going to cancel if i didn't send it on time (which i did). They said something like i better send my book in. a couple weeks later they reply they found my book. and it was then being edited. Once again the book wasn't edited at least not for the better, for the much much worse. If you look at their editing job you will see they are a scam. They know i wanted editing/chances offering to do it myself, they sent me a email for it only if i buy several books first.
My name is David White and my penn name is Keith Bennett. I grew suspious about PA after my first royality check which was $1.20, this after friends purchased books through them. I gave it 1 year and uptil this date all I received was 2 additional checks for $1.20 each. I KNOW that at least 20 novels have been sold and purchased by friends.
Unfortunately I live in Canada and can't walk into their office and throttle them myself. PA is nothing but scam artists and thieves. I say we shut them down and sue the ass off them...Then maybe we can finally get paid.
Hello to all. I also had a book published by PublishAmerica. They sent me a letter saying that only one of my books was sold. I got an email from my mother stating that alot of my books werre being sold. My mother bought one and she didn't get it when she was suppose to. So she emailed them to see what the problem was. That's when they sent her an email back stating that it was taking awhile because my book was selling good and they needed to make more copies. She sent me the email. I need to find a good lawyer to look at my case. Can anyone help me out?
So many,where do I start? First PA was sent about 80 e-mail addresses announcing my bk being published & that it could be published through PA. According to contract I was to receive a report of royalties in Feb. & in Aug.My book release was Dec.of 2009, this is October of 2010, & I have yet to receive any report of my book sales. There were those that ordered that did not receive their books sooner than 3 months or so & on a couple of the orders I had to call w/protest to get their books sent.
Second, my book was listed on the Barnes Noble & Amazon sites By Feb. 2010 at $16.95. It is no longer listed with Barnes Noble & I have not received an answer from my inquiry or why which was sent to them in May.When the inquirey was posted on the author's lounge author's board with PA it was taken off & I received an e-mail from PA that the question was not allowed & had been eliminated. Amazon no longer keeps my book in stock but has a note that they will order as they receive an order which makes since but my book has gone from the charge of $16.95 to $24.95 with no explination given as to why the increase. When I checked last week on the PA site under the bookstore I see where they have increased the price to $24.95 which is why Amazon has increased their price.
Third, I was sent e-mail promotions that my book would go to Tom Hanks t oreview & be considered for a movie, & one stating that my book would be dedicated to Oprah Winfrey during the Reading Expo in May & there would be a special booth set up just for that purpose. With each of the offers I had to purchase a specified amount of books to have this done. I purchased the required number of books with each of the offers & have never heard as to whether either of the promises of my book being delivered to Tom or Oprah had been done.There has been no proof given that it had been followed through with.I feel that the success of my book has been hindered by PA rather than helped. My book is no longer on the web sites that had featured them except for Amazon, so customers will have to either order from Amazon or PA with there being no guarantee as to when they will redceive the book if ordered through PA.The increase of the cost of my book has gone against the affordability of the book. They are even less affordable to me even with the author's discount when ordering a substantial amount & have the shipping charges for each book added to the cost of the book. I have not received any feed back from PA as to how the sales of the book has progressed over the year's time. It has all been a big disappointment for a first time writer with trust & expectations from the publishing company.
I am writing this on behalf of my father who is a published author with PublishAmerica. His book title is UFOs and Other Strange Bible Phenomenon and was released for distribution on 6/27/2010. To date my dad's book is only reflected as "in stock" or "available" on a couple of websites. The remainder of the major book seller sites list it as either "out of stock" or "unavailable". Also, it does not appear to be in any of the local book stores. He has contacted the managers of two local major book sellers and they are most willing to set up a book signing and support the local authors, however, since the book is unavailable to them for order as stock, they are unable to schedule the book signing. My dad receives in his e-mail multiple promo e-mails from PA offering the book to him at various special prices and events (have them all saved), but he only takes advantage of those at deep discounted prices so he has some to sell on his own. Now he is coming up on 1 year with PA and is very concerned that he may have sold some books to the book sellers who appear to have it listed as "in stock", but will not receive an accurate accounting of books sold and the royalties.
He's very interested in having his name added to the list of authors in the class action suit. His name is Bob J. Howard.
Thanks so much,
Donna
I am a Publish America author and feel that they have taken advantage of me. I would like to join in the suit. Please contact me with pertinent information.
I am an author who has been dealing with Publish America for over a year. I would like to join in this class action suit. Please contact me for further information.
Interesting post. I have more to say about this class action lawsuit.
http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/2010/10/publishamerica-class-action-lawsuit.html
Dee Lee said...
The e-mail where PA said my book would never see the light of day, followed by an e-mail with an offer to buy my own book, was deleted. I emptied the trash. I also received one telling me about their other publishing house; the name of which now escapes me; and offering me a new start on my book for $$$ was also deleted. I emptied the trash. Wish I still had them, but wasn't aware of the lawsuit site.
Hi Debbie,
Whether there was a "lawsuit site" or not, emails of this nature should have been saved and protected. With evidence like that, you wouldn't need to come to this website claiming to be organizing a class action. You should have printed those off and let an attorney have a look. While I have never read any threatening letters such as what you have described, I have certainly read some goofy letters and have been the focus of their retalliation for the news expose I authored.
"PublishAmerica Scam said...
Pray they don't send your social security number to the news media like PA attorney Vic Cretella did to a reporter who did an expose on them.
August 12, 2010 2:26 PM"
They did that to me out of retalliation, yes.
"Bree said I am a very recent victim of PA. They keep promising that if I buy my own book, blatant blackmail, they will send some to major bookstores, and then I read that major bookstores refuse PA books because they don't edit them...except to run them through a spellchecker that actually adds typos."
Bree, these sales pitches are not blackmail. They are deceptive yes, but that does not constitute blackmail. If PublishAmerica was threatening to publish privileged info about you or send it to somebody unless you purchased so many copies of your book then yes, THAT is blackmail.
The legal defininition of blackmail (according to Black's law dictionary and NOT Websters)is
"Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal embarrassing, disgraceful or damaging information about a person to the public, family, spouse or associates unless money is paid to purchase silence. It is a form of extortion. Because the information is usually substantially true, it is not revealing the information that is criminal, but demanding money to withhold it."
PublishAmerica isn't doing that, at least not to you from what you have posted.
Second of all, Bookstores are not snubbing PA because of lack of editing. I can name a list of books published by major publishing houses that I feel need editing work and few of them writen by best selling authors. That doesn't stop the book stores. Read my expose on this company and you'll understand why booksellers do not carry PA books.
You guys need to read this. This is my investigative report on PublishAmerica.. read about what they are and what they are not.
http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/p/publishamerica-investigative-report.html
I am also a victim to PA bullshit. I published a book through them in 2008 “Galaxy Zoo” I have not received a dime from them….Every Royalty payment says no sales… The book is even on sale in India and Japan. I live in Canada….there are several copies, both new and used all over the world. Please add my name to the list if there is any type of law suit happening….lets shut the buggers down!!!!
What a shame that PA authors are still continuing to post these comments about this "class-action" after I just gave the link that disspells rumors that I am somehow organizing this litigation. I have no clue where this originated but am interested in finding out. This news may not make me popular with the PublishAmerica authors, but it makes me honest.
To my knowledge there is NO attorney looking into the allegations involving PublishAmerica for a class-action. This is not to say that individual authors aren't taking action on their own behalf.
http://sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com/2010/10/publishamerica-class-action-lawsuit.html
Read this article.
You can shut them down by filing lawsuits in your hometowns. If you don't have the money to file your complaint, most courts will waive the fee. The more they have to spend on lawyers, the sooner they will be closing down.
I have not been swindled out of any money so far, but I see that PA has no intention of promoting my books. In fact, my first book has been listed "unavailable" just this past weekend, just two weeks before the official release date. I would be happy just to be released from the contract and shop my books to more reputable publishers.
hoI am like so many of you who was excited to find someone to publish my first book, then saw the "scam" information weeks later. PA has disappointed me in ABSOLUTELY EVERY way possible. They disregarded my submitted idea for a cover and used a totally inappropriate one instead. (I could have changed it for $100)which I didn't have. Their "editing" if it can be called that, merely mixed up some words that I had to correct. They did not catch any typos or do anything helpful. Then, they priced the book so high that I can't even keep a supply of them myself, let alone entice anyone to pay PA's price. Also, PA's idea of helping with marketing is by trying daily to sell me my books to "market" myself. As if the price wasn't high enough, the shipping of $2.99 per book makes purchases even more difficult. As a 60+ woman working at two part-time jobs, I can't afford to buy any of my books.
hoI am like so many of you who was excited to find someone to publish my first book, then saw the "scam" information weeks later. PA has disappointed me in ABSOLUTELY EVERY way possible. They disregarded my submitted idea for a cover and used a totally inappropriate one instead. (I could have changed it for $100)which I didn't have. Their "editing" if it can be called that, merely mixed up some words that I had to correct. They did not catch any typos or do anything helpful. Then, they priced the book so high that I can't even keep a supply of them myself, let alone entice anyone to pay PA's price. Also, PA's idea of helping with marketing is by trying daily to sell me my books to "market" myself. As if the price wasn't high enough, the shipping of $2.99 per book makes purchases even more difficult. As a 60+ woman working at two part-time jobs, I can't afford to buy any of my books.
By these comments, I can see that my investigative reports have fallen on deaf ears, which is extremely disappointing to me.
"Anonymous said...
You can shut them down by filing lawsuits in your hometowns. If you don't have the money to file your complaint, most courts will waive the fee. The more they have to spend on lawyers, the sooner they will be closing down. "
Anonymous, read your contract. You signed an agreement that does not give your hometown jurisdiction. It must be filed in the state of Maryland. Your contract does provide you with a remedy- that is one of the very reasons why there can never be a class-action lawsuit.
Visit my website sinthyiadarkness.blogspot.com. Search under the keyword PublishAmerica. Read the facts instead of another splash blog about this company.
Anonymous said...
Please let me know about the class action lawsuit.
Sure, that's an easy question to answer. There isn't one.
JonathanJamel,
I'm afraid you're going to need much more compelling evidence if you were to ever file a suit against PA. The court is going to want to know how you can prove that you have been shorted...and then present that proof. Sending you solicitations to buy copies of your book is not illegal.
I was told my book was being edited...ok, but WHAT does your contract say about editing?
I had my book published in sept of 08 it was my first time ever writing anything. So i didn't know anything about publishing. However afterwards i learned real quick what was wrong.
I went to the US copywright website and did a search for my title and nothing.. then i searched under PublishAmerica's name and Nothing.. then i searched under my name and Nothing..So then i called them. the woman who answered the phone helped me and she searched their data base and Nothing... So I bought the copywright and now hold the cert. when i emailed PA about this and other issues I had with them i got a threating letter from them stating they were going to sue me and take ALL MY PERSONAL belonging from me etc. Last time i checked they nor anyone else couldn't just take my house car etc. in a law suit unless i owed them such debits. And i am glad to give anyone who ask a copy of that email.
I have been searching for a publisher for my book. I was elated when P.A. left me a message 3 days after I submitted my book to them that they had accepted my book. Before I signed the daunting contract they sent me I decided to do some on-line investigation. I was dismayed by the multitudinous complaints I found. I emailed the woman who had sent me the contract with my concerns. This is the email I got from her today 12/13/10: ( it won't all fit, so i will attempt to post the rest later)
Thank you for expressing your concerns. You seem to have read some very old, and very false, news. What you saw posted is simply, plainly, false. Please read the following information carefully, and we will be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.
P.A. 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 P.A.
The websites to which you refer have long ago lost credibility, and it would appear that they are rarely taken seriously. Unlike what you may think, these folks are not singling out P.A. It's whiner city out there. And those are outfits that charge an author lots of money. P.A.charges nothing, zero, does everything the traditional way. Yet we receive just as much flak online as any of the vanity publishers that our detractors love to paint us in the same corner with.
It means nothing to us. That's why we presented you with the real numbers, which are impressive no matter from which angle you look at them. People who actually have a life and who don't spend their entire day on the internet understand this. They see what opportunities P.A.offers all these tens of thousands of authors at no cost to them. And if they even notice the nonsense out there (many actually do, because most people tend to do their homework before they entrust someone else with their book) they see right through it and climb on board with us anyway.
Again, our numbers speak volumes. In a much better language than what you'll find anywhere in the gutter and the bowels of the web. If you care to know what real P.A. 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=2d3a123b5e6fae91120fc887bcad1303
http://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. Bringing a status of class to a previously ignored mass of aspiring authors.
Barnes and Noble alone orders 120 books from P.A.each day. Thousands, each and every month, of P.A.books are sold in bookstores across the nation. Bookstores buy a P.A.book almost two thousand times every day. The P.A.message board is overflowing with testimonials from our authors about their books being stocked in bookstores. 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? And you wonder why we, the ultimate agent of change, encounter some hostility?
Thank You,
Emily
Acquisitions Editor
PublishAmerica, LLLP
So I decided to do another search for recent complaints and I found your site. Thank you for saving me from making a bad decision.
I have been searching for a publisher for my book. I was elated when P.A. left me a message 3 days after I submitted my book to them that they had accepted my book. Before I signed the daunting contract they sent me I decided to do some on-line investigation. I was dismayed by the multitudinous complaints I found. I emailed the woman who had sent me the contract with my concerns. This is the email I got from her today 12/13/10: ( it won't all fit, so i will attempt to post the rest later)
Thank you for expressing your concerns. You seem to have read some very old, and very false, news. What you saw posted is simply, plainly, false. Please read the following information carefully, and we will be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.
P.A. 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 P.A.
The websites to which you refer have long ago lost credibility, and it would appear that they are rarely taken seriously. Unlike what you may think, these folks are not singling out P.A. It's whiner city out there. And those are outfits that charge an author lots of money. P.A.charges nothing, zero, does everything the traditional way. Yet we receive just as much flak online as any of the vanity publishers that our detractors love to paint us in the same corner with.
It means nothing to us. That's why we presented you with the real numbers, which are impressive no matter from which angle you look at them. People who actually have a life and who don't spend their entire day on the internet understand this. They see what opportunities P.A.offers all these tens of thousands of authors at no cost to them. And if they even notice the nonsense out there (many actually do, because most people tend to do their homework before they entrust someone else with their book) they see right through it and climb on board with us anyway.
Again, our numbers speak volumes. In a much better language than what you'll find anywhere in the gutter and the bowels of the web. If you care to know what real P.A. 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=2d3a123b5e6fae91120fc887bcad1303
http://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. Bringing a status of class to a previously ignored mass of aspiring authors.
Barnes and Noble alone orders 120 books from P.A.each day. Thousands, each and every month, of P.A.books are sold in bookstores across the nation. Bookstores buy a P.A.book almost two thousand times every day. The P.A.message board is overflowing with testimonials from our authors about their books being stocked in bookstores. 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? And you wonder why we, the ultimate agent of change, encounter some hostility?
Thank You,
Emily
Acquisitions Editor
PublishAmerica, LLLP
So I decided to do another search for recent complaints and I found your site. Thank you for saving me from making a bad decision.
I have been searching for a publisher for my book. I was elated when P.A. left me a message 3 days after I submitted my book to them that they had accepted my book. Before I signed the daunting contract they sent me I decided to do some on-line investigation. I was dismayed by the multitudinous complaints I found. I emailed the woman who had sent me the contract with my concerns. This is the email I got from her today 12/13/10: ( it won't all fit, so i will attempt to post the rest later)
Thank you for expressing your concerns. You seem to have read some very old, and very false, news. What you saw posted is simply, plainly, false. Please read the following information carefully, and we will be happy to answer any further questions that you may have.
P.A. 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 P.A.
The websites to which you refer have long ago lost credibility, and it would appear that they are rarely taken seriously. Unlike what you may think, these folks are not singling out P.A. It's whiner city out there. And those are outfits that charge an author lots of money. P.A.charges nothing, zero, does everything the traditional way. Yet we receive just as much flak online as any of the vanity publishers that our detractors love to paint us in the same corner with.
It means nothing to us. That's why we presented you with the real numbers.People who actually have a life and who don't spend their entire day on the internet understand this. They see what opportunities P.A.offers all these tens of thousands of authors at no cost to them. And if they even notice the nonsense out there (many actually do, because most people tend to do their homework before they entrust someone else with their book) they see right through it and climb on board with us anyway...what you'll find anywhere in the gutter and the bowels of the web. If you care to know what real P.A. authors have to say about the nonsense out there in naysay-land, these links may be very helpful.
Seeing that, it should come as no surprise that 40% 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. Bringing a status of class to a previously ignored mass of aspiring authors.
Barnes and Noble alone orders 120 books from P.A.each day. Thousands, each and every month, of P.A. books are sold in bookstores across the nation. Bookstores buy a P.A.book almost two thousand times every day. The P.A.message board is overflowing with testimonials from our authors about their books being stocked in bookstores. 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? And you wonder why we, the ultimate agent of change, encounter some hostility?
Thank You,
Emily
Acquisitions Editor
PublishAmerica, LLLP
So I decided to do another search for recent complaints and I found your site. Thank you for saving me from making a bad decision.
For now, I want to be anonymous - but call me Ray...
This is tragically sad. After getting yet, another PA email offering my book for sale, to me at a discount of 50% off because it's their 50th birthday, I clicked on the link in the mail to find my book. For the second time, my book was nowhere to be found.
I never expected to be published, when they did accept me, it was a lifelong dream come true. After reading all those emails for over a year and only having 1 book be sold outside of what I purchased, I realized their intent was only to sell the book to me, unless I paid for promotions, then what?
When I questioned them, they just referred back to clauses in the contract, like I would back off because I had no choice?
I was amazed to find so much when I googled their name.
If there isn't a class action lawsuit against them, then there should be. One consideration is they already have an attorney as one of the owners of the company according to county licensing records, according to the research I found when I considered them to be my publisher, so they already made sure their tracks are covered.
The biggest thing is, they have messed with more than people's money...they messed with their hopes and dreams of a lifetime.
No author really expects to sell a million books(though it would be nice to sell more than one), but they do expect to find their book if they want to buy it.
I would definitely join a class action suit without question, I plan on drafting a complaint to the state attorney general's office, thats the place to start. I am sure their arguement is that they don't break the law regarding their contract agreement.
I know I wrote a comment earlier today out of sheer disgust at Publish America. I believe in hitting the source where it begins to stop a problem. I chose to write a letter to them, asking to void my contract. We shall see.
Ray
I feel incredibly bad for all of you that have been scammed. In 2005 I self-published my first novel as both a free audiobook and a Lulu book. Upon my husband's suggestion, I actually seriously considered sending my book to PublishAmerica and had some regret when I met another author who published with them!! Of course I'm very relieved now that I didn't, but I feel awful reading these terrible stories of authors who have been taken by this evil corporation.
What I would like to see is an absolute deluge of scam-baiters set upon PA like a swarm of hungry locusts. A scam-baiter is a vigilante that monopolizes the time and resources of a scammer like a parasite exhausting its host. There's entire groups of scam-baiters called 419 eaters (Google it, the scam-baiting process is fascinating!) who frustrate and turns the table on the cretins who send out spam campaigns from places like Nigeria telling you you've inherited millions. They're getting revenge on behalf of all the innocent naive people who fall for these scams.
I'm suggesting that anyone who despises PA send in a manuscript, or two, or eleven. Clog PA's mailbox with fake manuscripts (like Atlanta Nights), send them nonsense, copy & paste War and Peace with a different title and author, or maybe "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy" ten thousand times in various paragraph formations a la The Shining. Make sure that you don't send any real information: fake name, fake SS Number, fake everything. Jam up their works with a constant flow of bogus material, and every time they are stupid enough accept a new bogus manuscript, advertise it throughout the land! Pretty soon they'll be forced to read every manuscript with a fine tooth comb.
And meanwhile, sue their pants off. I hope you win!!
So I bought the copywright and now hold the cert. when i emailed PA about this and other issues I had with them i got a threating letter from them stating they were going to sue me and take ALL MY PERSONAL belonging from me etc. Last time i checked they nor anyone else couldn't just take my house car etc. in a law suit unless i owed them such debits. And i am glad to give anyone who ask a copy of that emai
Sure, I would love to see this. POst it here so we can all see it.When I put the word out for such lawsuit letters and threats for my investigative reports, mot one person could produce these letters. They all claim to have them but when I ask for them...oops, I guess it was deleted.
. I chose to write a letter to them, asking to void my contract. We shall see.
Ray, why would you think that a simple letter could void your contract? You signed it and nobody forced you to do so. Your contract gives you a specific means of resolving any complaints you may have.
You can shut them down by filing lawsuits in your hometowns. If you don't have the money to file your complaint, most courts will waive the fee. The more they have to spend on lawyers, the sooner they will be closing down.
October 30, 2010 6:56 PM
anonymous,
hate to burst your bubble, but no you cannot file in your own hometown. read your contract.
The only way to close PA's doors is for authors to sto buying copies of their own books. Period.
What I would like to see is an absolute deluge of scam-baiters set upon PA like a swarm of hungry locusts. A scam-baiter is a vigilante that monopolizes the time and resources of a scammer like a parasite exhausting its host. There's entire groups of scam-baiters called 419 eaters (Google it, the scam-baiting process is fascinating!) who frustrate and turns the table on the cretins who send out spam campaigns from places like Nigeria telling you you've inherited millions. They're getting revenge on behalf of all the innocent naive people who fall for these scams.
I'm suggesting that anyone who despises PA send in a manuscript, or two, or eleven. Clog PA's mailbox with fake manuscripts (like Atlanta Nights), send them nonsense, copy & paste War and Peace with a different title and author, or maybe "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy" ten thousand times in various paragraph formations a la The Shining. Make sure that you don't send any real information: fake name, fake SS Number, fake everything. Jam up their works with a constant flow of bogus material, and every time they are stupid enough accept a new bogus manuscript, advertise it throughout the land! Pretty soon they'll be forced to read every manuscript with a fine tooth comb.
First of all.. nobody should do this. It is stupid, childish and illegal! I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to post this at all, but it was so incredibly off the wall that I couldn't resist.
What this poster is describing is an email bomb. Those will get you taken off the net and the FBI at your door. Every email that you send has an IP address and it will be traced directly to you.I a sure PublishAmerica would enjoy that more than you know. If you feel you have been wronged, do it the responsible and legal way.
What I would like to see is an absolute deluge of scam-baiters set upon PA like a swarm of hungry locusts. A scam-baiter is a vigilante that monopolizes the time and resources of a scammer like a parasite exhausting its host. There's entire groups of scam-baiters called 419 eaters (Google it, the scam-baiting process is fascinating!) who frustrate and turns the table on the cretins who send out spam campaigns from places like Nigeria telling you you've inherited millions. They're getting revenge on behalf of all the innocent naive people who fall for these scams.
I'm suggesting that anyone who despises PA send in a manuscript, or two, or eleven. Clog PA's mailbox with fake manuscripts (like Atlanta Nights), send them nonsense, copy & paste War and Peace with a different title and author, or maybe "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy" ten thousand times in various paragraph formations a la The Shining. Make sure that you don't send any real information: fake name, fake SS Number, fake everything. Jam up their works with a constant flow of bogus material, and every time they are stupid enough accept a new bogus manuscript, advertise it throughout the land! Pretty soon they'll be forced to read every manuscript with a fine tooth comb.
First of all.. nobody should do this. It is stupid, childish and illegal! I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to post this at all, but it was so incredibly off the wall that I couldn't resist.
What this poster is describing is an email bomb. Those will get you taken off the net and the FBI at your door. Every email that you send has an IP address and it will be traced directly to you.I a sure PublishAmerica would enjoy that more than you know. If you feel you have been wronged, do it the responsible and legal way.
What I would like to see is an absolute deluge of scam-baiters set upon PA like a swarm of hungry locusts. A scam-baiter is a vigilante that monopolizes the time and resources of a scammer like a parasite exhausting its host. There's entire groups of scam-baiters called 419 eaters (Google it, the scam-baiting process is fascinating!) who frustrate and turns the table on the cretins who send out spam campaigns from places like Nigeria telling you you've inherited millions. They're getting revenge on behalf of all the innocent naive people who fall for these scams.
I'm suggesting that anyone who despises PA send in a manuscript, or two, or eleven. Clog PA's mailbox with fake manuscripts (like Atlanta Nights), send them nonsense, copy & paste War and Peace with a different title and author, or maybe "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy" ten thousand times in various paragraph formations a la The Shining. Make sure that you don't send any real information: fake name, fake SS Number, fake everything. Jam up their works with a constant flow of bogus material, and every time they are stupid enough accept a new bogus manuscript, advertise it throughout the land! Pretty soon they'll be forced to read every manuscript with a fine tooth comb.
First of all.. nobody should do this. It is stupid, childish and illegal! I had a difficult time deciding whether or not to post this at all, but it was so incredibly off the wall that I couldn't resist.
What this poster is describing is an email bomb. Those will get you taken off the net and the FBI at your door. Every email that you send has an IP address and it will be traced directly to you.I a sure PublishAmerica would enjoy that more than you know. If you feel you have been wronged, do it the responsible and legal way.
by the way, the Nigerian 419 scammers prey on the something for nothing crowd. You cannot possibly compare Nigerian scammers to authors. PublishAmerica is not doing anything illegal and that's what you peope don't understand. They have an attorney who draws up these contracts.
OKAY...SO I WAS STUPID TOO. There I admit it. However I would like all of you that were ripped off, lied to, cheated by, or conned by PUBLISH AMERICA to do one last thing. Go to www.ic3.gov
and tell your story. This is the official complaint site for THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS/WHITE COLLAR CRIME task force. They deal strictly with fraudulent internet websites. The more people that they hear from the better. These are our books, our stories and I don't know about you, but I'am not going to sit back and watch my dreams go down the toilet.
So fire up those computers friends ans send the FBI everything you have on these bastards.
Publish America had better be thankful that I live in sunny California and not Maryland.
What they're doing is a crime. PERIOD. Let's take the fight back to them.
My email is sundance@usa.net if you need any help. Those of you who lost money to these crooks might not get any of it, but at least we'll get our books back.
And to think I almost sent them everything I've got... ten full size 500 page manuscripts. Thank GOD I didn't. don't give up just yet.MY NAME IS EARL GOBEL, AND I'M PISSED!
Earl,
The FBI? WOW! The FBI would never get involved in anything of this sort. This is a civil matter and the FBI only gets involved in criminal investigations.
Makes no difference that you live in California because according to the legal contract that you signed, any disputes have to be filed in Maryland.
To the anonymous poster who sent us the letter from Emily of PA.
"You seem to have read some very old, and very false, news. What you saw posted is simply, plainly, false."
My news reports are very much timely and every word written is the truth, backed by resources. They cannot and have never discredited me. They were so intimidated by this truth that they sent a silly notice to the Examiner News and threatened to sue them. I simply placed a link on the article pages pointing to my own website and have never gotten any direct threats from PA. In fact, they still have me on their up in lights page! Oh, and during this drama, their attorney Vic Cretella decided to include privilaged information about me to this news outlet, including but not limited to my social security number. so much for the lie "We operate within only the highest ethical standards."
Its the same old responses that look like they just copied and pasted them out of the company handbook or something.
"P.A. represents traditional publishing.." there they go again with the word traditional, which in the publishing world, means nothing. To inexperienced authors, they think it means commercial, you know like the big names they like to associate themselves with in their dear author letters (Random House). As I revealed in my reports, PublishAmerica's own articles of incorporation tell us that they were set up to be a vanity publisher...they also operate as Publishers Printing House by the way.
"The P.A.message board is overflowing with testimonials from our authors about their books being stocked in bookstores."
The PA board is the ONLY place on the web where you will read anything positive about this publisher and its treatment of their authors. They are known to remove any negative posts from authors and ban them from posting there again.
I too, like many people that are posting on this site was so excited to get my first book published that I didn't do the research I should have before submitting my manuscript. I was published in 2009 and since then have become so frustrated with PA. For one thing when I recieved my first copy of my book I noticed a lot of typos, I know they don't edit, but I compared the book with the origional manuscript I submitted and they were different. They was mistakes in the "published" book that weren't there before!!! Then about six months later I got one of their famous "offers" that said I could make any changes to the book for $100... hmm coincidence???? Also I posted a message just yesterday asking about why the title of my book was messed up on amazon.com and they sarcasticaly remarked "Must be the bogyman" (they spelled "boogyman" wrong, LOL, but that wasn't the first time I had seen that sort of response. I have seen them rudely comment back to people, and they have erased comments I wrote when I question them about certain things, then deny that they erased it. Like many writers on here, I too, have never recieved a cent from PA (besides the first $1). I personally know a lot of people who have bought my book and discussed it with me and I KNOW that I am not recieving the royalties that I am due. Also, what frustrates me is when I have people calling me because they ordered my book 2 months prior and still had not recieved it, and in one case they never recieved it all, I ended up giving them a personal copy of my own. I am so tired of dealing with their B.S. and I am so glad that I found your site. I just wish I had done more digging around before I had lost my book to them.
I read just a few posts on this site having read posts on other, similar, sites. I would say I felt like many others do, that PA doesn't do enough to promote my book. I don't understand paying them to show my book at the London Book Fair or to the librarians of America, etc. If they want to make money, then they need to make me money, too. I have accepted the fact that they are a bit incompetent, but will still do my part to promote myself. I have managed to get articles about me and my book into local papers and I want to plan a book signing to follow that up. They state on the website that it works best for authors who are willing to work on promoting themselves. But, I will not publish with them again, unless I cannot find another firm willing to help. They are better than nothing, but only slightly.
Bob Crihfield
I promoted my book like mad in the UK, I even asked advice from PA, and I was doing everything they suggested. Then I found out that NO bookstore will take them in either the USA or UK. I've spent 5 years promoting and all I can do was buy my own books from PA, for some very obscure reasons, to sell on.
Beware authors, once with PA your book, like mine, is "dead in the water" until you can get out of the contract.
I purchased my book rights in January - guess what! Nothing has arrived and no one will get back to me on my emails! Now how can I try to have my book re-published!!!
All these comments I read are, I'm sure, definitely true. I posted 3 comments July 2010 on the PUBLISH AMERICA SCAM website,TO TRUST OR NOT TO TRUST. PA is a POD company, nothing more, nothing less.It took me forever to get the books I ordered. I even had to pay $49 for the rush production copy that I was supposed to get for free. I asked for a hardcopy so I could edit it before publication. They sent it in an e-mail attachment. Ever notice they don't use the post office to mail you anything? It's always by FEDEX or UPS. They're afraid the postal inspectors could shut them down for violating federal law. I finally got the books I bought. I've never received any royalties. That's because they sell ONLY to the authors and the contract specifically states authors get no royalties on books they buy.
PA iks the biggest SCAM in the publishing industry. They hurt all the legitimate publishers out there.
I can't even fathom why I decided to go with these people. What I read on their web site was so appealing, the stars in my eyes blinded me to any suspicion, and I went forward.
Am considering paying the $99 just to get out of the contract, and off of their annoying mailing list!
Hi, my name is Brian Petty II and was unfortunate enough to have my book, Drifters: Forced Evolution, taken on by one, Publish America. I was skeptical at first from the royalty rates and how suspicious they seemed. I mean, 8% for the first thousand sounded pathetic, but like many others I was blinded by the possibility of 25% (1001-2000 sales) and 50% (anything over 2000 sales). Then I got my royalty invoice claiming sales are next to nothing. Luckily it has only been published for roughly a year, so my potential income loss is nothing to cry over and I haven't put much effort into marketing (since PA does not of this for their authors) All I want is to pull my novel from their hands and begin looking for a new publisher.
Publish America is a shame to world of literature.
I haven't received a royalty statement from Publish America in close to 5 years. I keep emailing them and they keep stating they email 40,000 statements out but they never confirm mine went out and when.
Now, they won't even answer my emails asking for the royalty statements and my books are being sold on Ebay and Amazon as far as I can tell.
They is something going on with them.
Hi, I've been reading with a sinking heart all the emails from Author hopefuls expressing their disappointment, anger and frustration over their dealings with PA. I was fortunate to pull out before signing a contract after speaking with a woman right in my own community who had been scammed by PA. She had 4 of her books published and they sit gathering dust on her shelf. Rather than comment any more on this so called Publishing Co. I'd like to know if anyone has discovered any real "gem" a legitamate on line publishing co hiding among the rubbish who will treat Authors with the respect we deserve?
I emailed them a couple times about getting out of my contract. Today I am getting a consult from a lawyer. I don't have the $ to fight them but I believe God is on my side. They are not forthcoming. I do believe they take advantage of people. Before I signed I thought I checked them out and I thought the people complaining about them were just disgruntled because of lack of book sales, but I don't believe this anymore. I think many people have valid concerns and that would be authors need to be informed to what they are getting into. The letter I got today from them was rather sarcastic but what usually happens to letters like that. It got deleted! I accidentally deleted it. Sorry to say. Anyhow I wrote them again. I just want out of my contracts. I don't understand why they insist on keep me hostage because they frankly are not making money from me because I am encouraging people NOT to buy my books!!! Who has ever heard of an author saying "DONT BUY MY BOOK!" well that is what I am saying!
It is so surprising, that scammers can go alot of length to get money from someone. came a cross a school(University) in czech republic and after paying the tuition fee, i changed my mind and i want my money back and the institution told me they are bankrupt and no more in operation. funny, the institution name is (Tiffin University Prague). bearing a name of an institution in U.S
I am also a PA victim. They "published" my book two years ago and I have never ever received one red cent. Not even a royalty statement. Every email or call to get assistance or even feedback has been categorically ignored. I was going to contact the BBB, but they don't work with the BBB anymore because of the number of compaints they were getting through them. (They have an F+ rating with them, BTW.) How are these people still in business? I have contacted a lawyer today. I am interested in getting into a class action against PA, not for a single dime, but just to shut them down. Best wishes to all!
Quick update from earlier. After much arguing, snide and threatening emails, and unpleasant conversations, PA finally offered to cancel my contract...for $300.
Because apparently authors who aren't even getting paid what they've made can afford to toss $300 to cancel a contract.
It is unfortunate that so many people have fallen into the PA Scam. In reading each ones comments, I can feel their sadness and anger. I too have fallen into their trap; and believe me it is a hard one to get out of. I know that retaliation may seem like a fun part of trying to get back at PA, but it is not the answer! I myself am dong it in every legal way I can. One, by going to the BBB of MD, and two, contacting the Attorney General of MD. If enough people contact these legal institutes A legal course of action must take place. I highly recommend that every person involved with and scammed by Pa, contact both of these institutions. Both contacts can easily be found on the internet. You may be shocked to see how many people have filed a complaint with the Maryland BBB concerning PublishAmerica. I wish all the best in your ongoing writing endeavor, and in resolving your matter with PA. Sincerely, Harry Beal Author of Insect World
I am very, very, sorry that I published a book for young readers with PublishAmerica. I dedicated this book to my grandsons, greaat-grandsons, and the professor and students of a creative writing class. I am to ashamed to let anyone know I publishe this book, or had anything to do with it. The story I have told to my kids, grandchildren, and students is dead to me. I cannot bear to open this book and I hope no one that I know, or anyone I am remotely connected with, will ever see it.
In April (2009) my "first of a series" Children's Picture Book (TALES OF BEAVER HOLLOW) was released by Publish America. I was to receive 8% of gross profits. I had two book signings,selling at least (33) books locally. A few of my books were purchased directly from Publish America & Amazon.com. I was to receive statements and royalty payments in Aug. and Feb.I FINALLY received my Aug. statement in Nov. It indicated that only (16)were sold and that, since it wasn't at least $49 (per our contract) the money would be rolled over and added to addtl. sales, in Feb. (Their addition was even wrong in this statement). I began emailing them toward the end of Feb. requesting my statement and royalty check. They ignored my emails for quite awhile, finally responding that they would pay me when the book store paid them. I called Corporate Waldenbooks and was told that they paid Publish America for ALL of my books already. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Fredericks, MD and discovered(136) other complaints against them. Their response to the BBB complaint was that they were not paid by their "printer" yet and that I would be paid when their printer paid them. I responded that this was nonsense, since I KNOW that a publisher pays the printer, and not the other way around. I STILL haven't received ANY royalties from them and have not received any correspondence, either. I would love to take part in a class-action lawsuit, if there is one. I need to get my "rights" back quickly, so that I can get published by a REAL publisher. Some royalties would be nice, too. Any suggestions?
Oh boy I fell for it, I have two children's books out and two others under contract, it's only been two months .I have sent in three others , now I am told they will only think about excepting another book if I buy 49 of my own books. They are not selling like they should !!! What Have I done ????? They don't make money selling books!!!they only make money from the author's with all their promo deals. I am very discouraged.
I am not an author but I have intimate knowledge of PA and think I may be able to help you with some information concerning the class action lawsuit. I would like to help in any way I can. Please let me know and as soon as possible.
I am not an author but I have intimate knowledge of PA and think I may be able to help you with some information concerning the class action lawsuit. I would like to help in any way I can. Please let me know and as soon as possible.
Sure you are. I bet you are that bogus guy who was posting to AW claiming to be an "insider" when my questions got tough that guy disappeared. Please, really, these authors have been through enough.
PAULA COMMERFORD JUST GOT OUT OF 4 CONTRACTS WITH PUBLISH AMERICA---
GO TO MY WEBSITE----NEW INFO----
http://paulaspublishamericainformationsite.weebly.com/ OR E-MAIL ME AT
sweetsoot1@yahoo.com
HEY, PHILL,
GO TO MY WEBSITE---- NEW INFO ON PA
E-MAIL ME AND I WILL SEND YOU THE FULL COPY OF RESPONSE BY PA'S ATTORNEY. THERE IS ALSO NEW POST FROM FRANCES ABOUT WHO SHE IS CONTACTING OVER THERE. A BIG THANK YOU FOR PUTTING MY INFO ON YOUR WEBSITE---PAULA
I was stupid and published with them not once but twice. I even paid the 69.00 to turn my book into a kindle. Only for them (PublishAmerica) to price it so high, (just like the books themselves) that even my dog wouldn't buy it. I literally just gave up trying to promote my own books. $25 is a little much for a kindle or even a short paperback book. I had to call and call them to get them to finally convert my book to kindle. It took almost 2 months. It would've taken longer had I just let it go and waited. I had to threaten them almost. I told them if they didn't have it done by the end of the week I would contact my attorney. Funny how that usually works. Still wish I wouldn't have used them. I can't wait till my contract is up. They sent me a notice saying I could buy back my rights for $75.00 because it wasn't selling. I will wait thanks. I refuse to give them another penny. They are a complete joke.
Thanks
Matthew Bryant Roberts
I am one;of which seems to be thousands, of Authors that have been scammed by Publish America. Promise after Promise has been made by Publish America and not kept or conveniently forgotten.
I have asked several times for information and they have advised me that there was no sales on my book. Funny I had several people, friends, family and aquatints buy my book. The only people that seem to carry it is over seas. No large or small book stores in the United States have my book. When I ask for it the book stores tell me that it is out of print or out of stock. But you can get it overseas. So it seems that they "Publish America" are selling my book through third party channels overseas and pocketing the royalties and not reporting the sales.
I am very interested in the Class Action Lawsuit and Look forward for further information!
Matthew Bryant Roberts
www.MatthewBRoberts.com
I have two books published with them and my first one was edited by myself and a so called friend when I looked at the completed copy, stuff that was edited and they said they fixed was not.
So my first book I don't even promote often because I'm ashamed of the book's edited results. I also believe the "friend" may have done something to the final edits that I didn't pick up on right away.
I can't really complain about the second book too much because I only did it as a Christmas gift for someone. But again when they asked for me to look over the manuscript again before it was sent to press I told them what mistakes there were and again they NEVER changed the stuff that needed to be edited.
I was also under the impression that I retained the rights to my book and what not they just printed and provided the bloody ISBN and what not. I too have gotten the email that stated I can buy back the rights to my book. but why would I have to buy back the rights to my book if I retained the rights to my book as they stated.
I just found this blog today and while I'm a year late I'm glad I did because frankly I'm tired of the things they send about my book and all the fabulous things that can happen.
I will thank them on one account though, by sheer dumb luck they contacted me about someone I once wrote a book with (I pulled the book before it was even published though) and I got to thinking about this individual and the nasty little things she has done to me in the past. So I addressed them with the issue that I believed the work being submitted was mine and when they asked for proof I supplied the information they needed and they pulled her "books" she was about to publish.
I never thought that the woman would stoop so low as to steal my stuff but I am seeing it a lot more with this halfwit and I will say thanks to PA for actually bringing it to my attention that this twat has been stealing my work.
PA is slowing going out of business. They have laid-off at least eleven people with no intention of replacing them.Now they have a staff of 35 if that. Cut the work week down to 30 hours and only have two people in Author Support.They turn the phone off one day a week and if you don't order a book within 30 seconds they are instructed to hang up on the caller.
Here is a copy of what I posted on Amazon "Discussions" RE: PA -
Not only have I paid for upgrade to Hardcover in September; the amount of inappropriate, unprofessional, antagonistic emails are just incredible. When I go to the BBB I find they have an "adversarial relationship" and do not respond to complaints. Inquiring into the BBB of Frederick, MD Here is what I find: BBB rating is F on a scale from A+ to F and is based on 16 factors. Get the details about the factors considered. I am still inundated with "offers." Fortunately I saver every email and am looking for those who have had the same experience. Anyway...
Factors that lowered Publish America, LLP's rating include:
248 complaints filed against business
Failure to respond to 73 complaints filed against business.
15 complaints filed against business that were not resolved.
Continued copy of Amazon Discussion:
Overall complaint history with BBB. [Of course this does not include untold numbers of authors who do not know where to turn.] In mid October 2010, guided by the company's belief that an "adversarial relationship" exists between Publish America (PA) and BBB, a representative for Publish America stated the company "can no longer in good conscience participate in BBB's dispute resolution program."
Their reply to me is:" [My Name] fell for internet and BBB nonsense / keeps his complaint a secret:" They insist they now will not read any emails and will delete before reading. Where do they get "secret" from. I've contacted the BBB, MD's AG/CA, FTC, (no response) PA, and the Attorney form the AG's office assigned to my case by the AG, and Amazon. It's no secret. This is for your information while I inquire with an Attorney (in MD) what recourse I have. PA writes below, "No one seems to be taking you seriously, and the reason is very obvious: you won't tell us what your complaint is. Please see an attorney prior to sending us such nonsense. Well it's obvious denial an avoidance is alive and well in MD.
For example: an email from PA states: "The info was uploaded to our wholesaler on September 28, so it may simply not be showing up yet. As always, we did exactly what we said we would do. What makes you think it was us, and not Amazon, that made the mistake? Nothing, that's what. Your attorney will tell you that it is not our responsibility, and indeed could not possibly be our responsibility, to control the actions of Amazon. Your attorney will also tell you that no, we are not responsible for loss of anything. In fact, we met with our Attorney General's office, and we were told that what we were doing is just fine." Yet Amazon denies receiving such material, times three! So when the AG's office assigns me an Attorney I'm told it is a business to business (author) relationship and can't help. Please make a report to the FTC. I did with no response. Coincidentally a pattern has occurred in that I get no response. Write the MD AG and a day later - Then I get a response as I have stated to AG.
Continued and last part of Amazon Discussion: Now what would happen if I took money on the condition of providing services and did not? Are they paying taxes on the money we are paying for services not rendered?
Furthermore, PA writes," Again, what services did you pay for, that were not performed? And again, if you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to let us know." Yet it is from a no reply address. "We are no longer accepting questions sent to support@publishamerica.com. Instead, please visit http://publishamerica.com/support/ and see if your question is answered there. If not, then please fill out the form, and we will get back to you very quickly." For the record I did follow the link; fill in the form that services paid for in Sept were not fulfilled. Lastly PA writes: "Again, what services did you pay for, that were not performed? Thank you for helping us to help you faster!" (It's over three months). I hope Amazon reads that PA blames Amazon specifically and Amazon states the material has not been received.
Another email states: "Please read carefully: You might as well be accusing us of failing to send you on a Hawaiian vacation. We are not obligated to put your book on Amazon. We are not obligated to tell even Amazon about your book, If we decided to do no marketing at all, that would be fine. Your attorney will verify this after reading our industry-standard contract.
No, you still do not understand even the most basic aspect of the contract. Please see an attorney prior to sending us further nonsense. Further emails with such baseless accusations will simply be deleted.
Also, no, with your accusatory attitude, we will not be discussing anything with you, at all. We will not discuss our meeting with the AG's office. We will not discuss your nonsense accusations that you cannot possibly support.
We did not give you any legal advice. Yes, the contract is enforceable. No, you did not sign it under duress. And no, the issue has not "been assigned to a mediator." The mediator was assigned as stated.
Apparently the "Contract" is a one way Contract.
My saga with Publish America is just beginning. I wrote "Aliens in Paradise" several months ago. I contracted Publish America to print and distribute my book. Luckily I had the foresight to ask them to change their ten year contract, allowing me to retain online publishing rights, assigning them only the print rights
I got their email last week telling me my book was finally produced and ready for sale. I see they have it priced at 24.95 for a paperback copy.
HOLY CRAP! Who in their right mind besides my mother would pay 25 bucks for a paperback copy of my book when they could buy Stephen King for 10 bucks off any supermarket book rack?
I'd like to think I'm a decent writer, but I'm no Stephen King. At two and a half times the price of Mr. King's books, I don't think Aliens In Paradise will be flying off the shelves. That is, if it even makes it there.
The next thing I noticed on the PA web site was their 99 cent special if I ordered ten or more books. Great, I thought, at least for 150 bucks plus shipping, I can get 150 books. Shipping, I guessed, would be about 50 bucks for a box that size and weight. I went on line and placed my order, happy to see the 3743.50 list price drop down to 148.50 when I entered the promo code. Then I went to select my shipping preferences, and the amount of shipping made me gasp. 1198.50! That's not a misprint. They want almost twelve hundred bucks to ship a carton of 150 paperback books. I called them to question this rate on a combined order. They said it was 7.99 to ship a book.I could see paying 7.99 for shipping and handling on an order of a single book. Heck, we all have to cover expenses, right? But to multiply that times 150 is absurd. Their question, "Do you want 'em or not?" My answer was no.
In the week following, I have received nothing from PA besides a daily dose of solicitations for every hair brained scheme to advertise my book with rates ranging from twenty dollars well into the thousands. WAIT! I'm the author. Aren't they supposed to be promoting and selling my books and sending ME royalties? I thought the only expense I'd have to incur would be buying books for my own scheduled book signings.
When I asked PA for a copy of my contract with their signature, they told me I didn't need it; that the pdf file they sent me was all that was needed. Wait a minute. I know I learned in law class that a contract must consist of offer and acceptance, and signatures by BOTH parties (unless of course it's a unilateral contract like a warranty). They are in breach of contract unless they send me a copy with their signature.
I am very disappointed with Publish America, and I see them as nothing more than a vanity press that puts nothing more into your book than the effort it takes to format your own doc file into a file formatted for print. Then they appeal to the sucker in all of us who want to taste success. I for one don't see it happening unless they change at least three things.
1) Make the list price of all paperbacks 8.99 or less depending upon the number of pages.
2) Allow the author to purchase books in ten packs for three or four dollars per book including shipping costs.
3) Get our books on the shelves of at least one major bookseller like Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million.
Additionally, they should get them onto the shelves of a few local bookstores in the author's area, and get some local press to promote them. This is the job of a publisher. Their job is NOT to siphon money out of the author, but to get it from book buyers and split the profits between the author and their own company.
When I read these comments I could cry. I' sure all of your books were special to you. Mine however was my life’s work. It took 4 years to write and I was so excited to get it published that I didn't investigate (My bad) I have sold about 150 book due to my advertisement and hyping it. They did nothing to help me sell them. They were selling the damn things for $30.00 for a paperback (What a rip) yet I still sold many copy for having no professional advertisement. They had told me that the first 500 copies I was supposed to get 92% of the profit and I haven’t seen a penny. I want my book back. I could care less about what I lost so far but they own the rights to a book that I can't even sell. They promised book signings and all sorts of lies. They have destroyed my dream and they should pay for that. I have since told all my followers to stop buying my book from them so they will no longer have the luxury of making money off of me and exploiting me. Please someone help me
I wrote a book named "A Love Lost So Soon" and I get the emails where PA wants me to buy copies of my own book. Why would I do that? They always send emails saying my book hasn't sold any copies for over a year. If it was marketed properly, the book would have sold a lot more copies than it did.I would like to join a class action suit against them. jared75us@yahoo.com
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