Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author

My story is that an author who'd done online writing				Lisa. North of Sunset is fun, about a Hollywood
for such dot gones as Themestream, Written By Me,				producer and his temporary secretary, showing a
and The Vines, someone trying hard to have fiction,				good deal of what I presume is reality. It is written
poetry and nonfiction in print for real, recommended				with the omniscient viewpoint, which I dislike, but it
PublishAmerica. She claimed it was a traditional book				held my interest regardless. "I'd discovered through
publisher. I was struck with their slogan, "We treat				an upset PA author on the messageboards, which I
writers the old fashioned way - we pay them."				read on occasion, that someone was complaining
Wasn't that what publishers were supposed to				about PublishAmerica. Discovering the Absolute Write
do?But since my novel was just sitting on the DiskUs				Background Check area I spent several hours
Publishing site and doing nothing but supplying me				reading, at the time, more than 40 pages of
with enough money to buy a pair of skate laces				complaints about PublishAmerica. Authors not
every three months, I thought maybe it would have				receiving books in time for booksignings that they
a better chance over at PublishAmerica where it				set up themselves. Bookstore owners/managers
would be available as a trade size paperback both on				refusing to stock their shelves with unedited
and off-line.So this author, Ellen Du Bois, had a big				PublishAmerica titles. Writers unable to get their
thing on her Geocities site about books being				books reviewed.Doing a search on LexisNexis, the
available in brick & mortar bookstores & they'd have				reputable online legal research system, for all
ISBN numbers and be online and all that stuff. Also				PublishAmerica books receiving newspaper reviews, I
had her full size book cover up so I sat there for 5				saw that from July 2002 to June 2004, only 24
minutes waiting for the damn thing to appear. Not				books had been reviewed nationally. Papers in
impressive, but she liked it. Ellen was a cheerleader				Syracuse NY, Tulsa, OK, Fort Pierce, FL, Wilmington,
for her book and sent reviews from a weekly				NC and Lakeland, FL were represented. Only Salt
community rag and she bulk e-mailed several pieces				Lake City's 'Deseret Morning News', the 'Tulsa World',
of correspondence during those heady days when				'Pittsburgh Post-Gazette' and the suburban paper, the
her book was in prerelease, then release stage in the				'Chicago Daily Herald' were actually major
summer of '03. I broke down and bought a copy				newspapers. Evidently, the 'New York Times' or the
from Amazon - took almost 3 weeks to get. And I				'Los Angeles Times' were not reviewing anything by
struggled to read all 176 pages. Tripe. ClichÃ©s				PublishAmerica's authors. According to the
abounded. Spelling/grammatical errors weren't there				PublishAmerica site in the Facts and Figures section,
at least. But the writing was thin. The story moved				"Fact #3: Again, unparalleled among all traditional book
too quickly. The main character was the most				publishing companies, each day an average 15 times a
realistic as it was most likely based on the author.				PublishAmerica author appears in the news media, in
The dialogue was okay. The descriptions were				newspapers, magazines, radio or TV." Yet even
minimal. Had there been a real editor, the book				mathematically challenged folks can determine that
could've been very good. I wrote to Ellen and told				by using the LexisNexis search statistics, we learn
her the positive things about the story, avoiding the				that the average is a paltry once a month that a
negativities. She'd been an online correspondent for				PublishAmerica book gets mentioned in a newspaper
almost two years, yet after I didn't review her book				somewhere in the United States.Editing - What's
on and Barnes & Noble she didn't contact me. Almost				That?Here's a gem of a post on the PublishAmerica
a year later she sent me another e-mail - to promote				message board: "When it came out in book form a
a book of her poetry. I was just someone to sell a				month ago, my friends mentioned the editing
book to and she was only interested in the sale and				problems in it, so a friend of mine with a masters in
hopefully a glowing write up.A Future PublishAmerica				education went through it for me. It had close to a
AuthorSince I'd already signed the contract with				thousand editing errors in a 182-page book. So, have
PublishAmerica, I wanted to cancel it after reading				some who actually knows what literary content
that trash. Now my book would be affiliated with a				should be in a book, go through your book for you
company that put out just about any piece of writing				before you send the final draft back to
that came its way. I wasn't expecting much what				PublishAmerica. Because the final draft, IS!, how the
with my dealings with the extinct eNovel and RJ's				book will be when it comes out."I discovered that
eBooks, along with a tiny eBook publisher named				through the misspellings, grammatical errors, and
Crafts Across America where I wasn't paid monthly				general bad writing that just about anyone was
as promised. And my novel and short story collection				publishable through the 'traditional' publisher located in
languished at DiskUs, home of the alleged Number				Frederick, Maryland. Such postings as: "I too am not
One Best selling eBook author of all time, Leta Nolan				the best editor LOL! I did get my finished books. And
Childers.PublishAmerica sent me an author's				when I met with a lady that is huge in the marketing
questionnaire where they asked for basic biographical				field, she told me that my book at it's length of 132
information; cover art suggestions, and a long list of				pages needs to have chapters." A couple of
people who might want to read my forthcoming				PublishAmerica authors discussed editing. "I felt like
novel."Please prepare a list (names, and addresses,)				you did when I found errors, but then I realized, hey
of people who know you well enough to be				people read it for the story, not looking for mistakes
interested in your success as a writer: personal				in typo land! LOL Now I just keep on a keepin
friends, colleagues, relatives, etc., to receive a book				on!"Sales FiguresQuestion: I'd really like to know how
announcement...Please limit your list and your labels to				many copies I've sold.Answer: Buy all of the books
a maximum of 100 contacts. Also, please do not				yourself and then count them.No matter how
include businesses or organizations of any kind,				naÃ¯ve PublishAmerica authors appeared, they
including bookstores, media contacts, or government				will eventually come to the realization that
organizations. Include friends and associates only."The				PublishAmerica isn't really a traditional publisher,
editing process of my manuscript took two weeks				especially when those twice-yearly royalty checks
over the Christmas holidays. I was able to ascertain				arrived. Every few months or so PublishAmerica sent
that the first few pages had been read as some				them an e-mail extolling their success, bragging about
minor alterations had been made, but no changes				a big name author they're negotiating with, or, more
followed for another 50 or so pages. One of the				recently, doing a deal with the New York Times. On
errors that occurred was clearly the result of a				August 17th, an e-mail bearing the proud subject
spellchecker on the part of PublishAmerica as a				heading 'Advertising Our Topsellers in the New York
question mark appeared after the end of a				Times' appeared in author's online
statement. I'd read of real authors receiving				mailboxes.PublishAmerica was well named in that they
instructions to change chapters, alter endings, delete				want to publish anyone in North America who has
numerous pages, in other words, really struggle to				churned out a manuscript, regardless of quality. They
rewrite a book. Why so much effort? Names.				claim to have anywhere from 9,000 to 12,000
Reputation. The publisher wanted to put their name				"happy" authors and they want more and more of
on the best quality book that they had invested in.				them as that obviously means more money for the
The author wanted a book that was saleable but				greedy owners, namely Willem Meiner and Larry
also well written and something they were proud of.				Clopper.The PublishAmerica name and logo is seen as
PublishAmerica's editing comprised neither ideal as all				a joke to those in the media, bookstores and libraries.
they did was put the computer program's spelling				Books can't be returned. All PublishAmerica titles lack
grammar checker into action.My two free author's				the necessary CIP [Cataloging-in-Publication] data,
copies arrived in early March and it was nice to see				which is necessary for libraries to order titles, and
my trade paperback book in print sans a cheesy				who wants to read unedited and overpriced tomes
cover and stapled spine. 'North of Sunset' actually had				other than the author's cronies? Oh yeah, and while
decent looking stock cover art of a few silhouetted				PublishAmerica claims that they're a 'traditional
palm trees, a noticeable font, and a spine where the				publisher' why on earth do they have in their main
book title, publisher and author's name was apparent.				page keywords list the term 'self publishing' three
It would look good on bookstore shelves, I				times? And in their site's description, they brag:
imagined.Reviews - What Reviews?What was Publish				"PublishAmerica, Inc., a traditional publisher, accepting
America doing to make sure my book was				and publishing manuscripts and books at NO CHARGE
reviewed? Nothing. I decided to contact local daily				to the author. Royalties paid to writers, books sold in
and weekly newspapers by e-mailing a press release.				stores. Manuscript submissions by mail and online"In
The only responses I got were two e-mail				the beginning of September I received a royalty
autoresponders announcing the editors were on				check. To my surprise, I was not only able to afford
vacation.I spent $40 on copies of my book's galley				to buy a pair of laces for my skates, I shelled out
and mailed them to three national newspapers and				the $12 it cost to sharpen my blades. Who knew
the Library Journal magazine. Then I phoned a book				that this company would provide extra income
reviewer at the 'San Diego Union-Tribune' and asked				enabling me to continue participating in my
if he'd be interested in reviewing my book but before				recreational skating hobby? But it cost me more than
I could even describe what it was about, he asked				the $160 in author-bought books, the $40 for galleys,
who my publisher was. I told him. "We don't review				which were probably plunged into a recycling bin, the
books by that publisher," he stated.I called all the local				$87 color business cards, $20 press release -- and the
bookstores and spoke to the managers and/ or				countless hours building and rebuilding my website so
community relations people about my book, including				people would happen across it and buy a book that
a couple of stores who were physically located on				was only available online--like any other
the street I'd written about. An independent				eBook.PublishAmerica allows the myth of being a
bookstore owner told me that since PA didn't have a				'traditional' publisher, a term not used before the
return policy she was unable to stock my novel.				advent of the Internet, to fester. The lie is
Another said that I could sell my book on				perpetrated in those HTML source codes that search
consignment. The chain stores of Borders and Barnes				engine spider robots deliver; the future authors led to
& Noble said my book would be available through				the promised realm of publishing, an internet web of
Ingram if anyone chose to order it.Tried getting				woven myths fanning across cyberspace.
PublishAmerica to send review copies out and it took				PublishAmerica resembles most other ePublishing
them weeks to do so. Had to call and make sure on				companies promising tales of bestselling books and
two occasions that the books had been mailed.				authors. PublishAmerica is just another scam, just
Maybe quoting one of their enthusiastic promoters on				another future dot gone.If you are a PublishAmerica
the message board, a guy with a natural genius for				author, or know of one, who is unhappily published
marketing and the budget to back it up, got three				and will tell your story, please contact:Federal Trade
books sent to reviewers.Then I sent my book to				Commission
Piers Anthony, noted sci-fi and fantasy author of				attn: CRC - 240
more than 100 books. I'd been in touch with him since				Washington, DC 20580
2000 when I alerted him to the fact that eNovel was				FTC Consumer Complaint FormFrederick County
a rip-off. Although the action in his books usually took				Board of County Commissioners
place in alternate time periods/universes, he didn't				Winchester Hall
mind reading a mainstream Hollywood novel. He did				12 E. Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701
so. "North of Sunset by Lisa Maliga. She's the one				Telephone: 301-694-1100
listed in my Survey as I'm a Published Novelist Ha Ha!				Fax: 301-694-1849
Ha!, a pertinent warning for starry-eyed aspiring				L. Thompson, Jr., President
writers. Her web site is worth checking similarly; she				Winchester Hall
tells it as it is. If you took a few decades off my age				12 E.
and changed my gender, the result might resemble

LeRoyNY Online

Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author