Geez... Guess what I found on Wikipedia...

[Maestro]

Greetings ladies and gentlemen.

A few minutes ago I Googled my publisher's name and you know what came out ?

PublishAmerica - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damn... I don't know what to think about that... I honestly believe that PA is doing a good job, and when I submitted my manuscript they even found mistakes (that I corrected before submitting the final version), so they must be doing some kind of editing.

But a recent study stated that Wikipedia was as accurate as the prestigious encyclopedia "Britannica"... So there must be some kind of truth in that article...

 

[wilbur1]

Yikes that gets kinda scary dont it

 

[RabidAlien]

Yep.....word of advice I've heard repeated often: go with a larger publishing house. If you have to pay to have it published, its probably not legit.

 

[Njaco]

Wow, I hope you don't get stung by them.

 

[Maestro]

Yep.....word of advice I've heard repeated often: go with a larger publishing house. If you have to pay to have it published, its probably not legit.

I never paid anything... PublishAmerica never charged any fees to its authors.

 

[A4K]

Wikipedia is dodgy in a few of it's details, but there must be some truth atleast to the story for them to have included it...sounds like you'd better keep a track of your book sales and availability in the shops, just to be on the safe side.

 

[evangilder]

The publishing world is a tough one. You go with a legit periodical that publishes your work, you usually get paid, but not much, if at all. Newspapers are even worse. You are lucky if you even get credit for your work.

Book publishers have a tough route. If things sell reasonably well, they can get a return for the printing, binding and shipping of the books and some profit. Print on demand has gotten cheaper and I have to say is more likely the way of the future. Why should a publisher pre-print hundreds, thousands of books, hoping they will sell? Same with any type of extended period printing, like calendars and such. Magazines will still be printed based of circulation.

While that article does talk about some irregularities in their practices, I have heard similar grievances from authors with bigger publishers. The big thing to do is to make sure you have complete transparency to the finances in regards to your work.

 

[Maestro]

Thanks Evan, I'll certainly keep my eyes open now.

 

[Maestro]

Holy sh*t ! It's getting even worse !

I've tried to log on to PublishAmerica.com and I got a "Page not found" error... However, it can be just a coincidence...

But take a look at this...
Condensed: Here are The Reasons We Don't Recommend PublishAmerica - Absolute Write Water Cooler

Now, can you folks guess that I'm pretty nervous ? I had an idea for a new book, but I think I can sit on it, now.

Now all I hope is that I'm gonna be part of the "happy few" who had a great time with PublishAmerica... I keep my fingers crossed !

 

[RabidAlien]

Best of luck, my friend.

 

[Haztoys]

Punt........!!... There other places to get your book out ..

 

[evangilder]

Agreed.

 

[wilbur1]

Man i just read what was on that forum those guys sound like crooks Hope everything works out for you marcel

 

[Catch22]

Yikes! Good luck!

 

[Maestro]

Punt........!!... There other places to get your book out ..

My knowledge of English publishers is rather limited... And I don't know for publishers in the US, but most publishers in the UK won't consider a manuscript if it doesn't come from a litterrary agent... And all I know about litterrary agents is that they are paid from a % of your paycheck.

Any bright ideas or suggestions about that ?

Man i just read what was on that forum those guys sound like crooks Hope everything works out for you marcel

Thanks, but it's not Marcel, it's Maestro.

 

[Marcel]

Thanks, but it's not Marcel, it's Maestro.

He meant that as a compliment

 

[Haztoys]

Maestro... Sorry I came across as knowing anything about the publishing world ...

I'm trying to get my art out to the world .. I have a new style of art ...Big statement I know ...But I know how you feel ... Will know this Friday if I get into a real good gallery ... But in the art world like we are in... Theres so many scams... I've been digging and trying hard core for two years ...I get some place that wants to hang my work ..But I do not feel good about them ... Or they want me to pay to hang my stuff and they still get 50% of the money..

Lots of people praying on ones dreams ...If its to good to be true ..It is...

Erich does this publishing book thing right...Can he help...I googled "us book publishing" ...And came up with some stuff that looked like I would look into if I were trying to publish a book..Be careful theres lots of scams out there.. The gallery I'm trying to get into is a "coopertive gallery" were the artists own it and its not about the gallery making money ..Its more of the artist making money.. Is there anything in the book world like that..??

Keep trying and do your home work on whos good or bad..

 

[RabidAlien]

Best thing I can say for choosing a publisher....go to the local bookstore (big bookstore, preferably) and look in the section with your genre. Start looking at the publishers listed there. That way you'll know they have a way to get your book onto some good shelves, and I'd recommend sending your manuscript to the publisher with the most titles out there. Also, most of them won't look at one unless it comes from an agent, so check around (especially if you know successful authors already) and find what agents work with what publishers. Do a LOT of research....and if anyone wants you to pay a fee up-front, then run for the door as fast as you can. Publishers/agents will pay YOU for a good manuscript, not the other way 'round.

You might want to start small, too....write some short pieces, and check with magazines or newspapers. This will get your name out there, and give you "credentials" and the ability to tell an agent/publisher "yeah, I'm already an established author, with publications in ______ titles..."

 

[Maestro]

Best thing I can say for choosing a publisher....go to the local bookstore (big bookstore, preferably) and look in the section with your genre. Start looking at the publishers listed there. That way you'll know they have a way to get your book onto some good shelves, and I'd recommend sending your manuscript to the publisher with the most titles out there. Also, most of them won't look at one unless it comes from an agent, so check around (especially if you know successful authors already) and find what agents work with what publishers. Do a LOT of research....and if anyone wants you to pay a fee up-front, then run for the door as fast as you can. Publishers/agents will pay YOU for a good manuscript, not the other way 'round.

Thanks for the tip but I already knew that... The problem with living in a French sh*thole as I do is the fact that books in English are rather rare. However, I was able to find several well-known English publishers back in the day... Thanks to my father's collection of books from Reader's Digest ! Every stories published within that collection (like Denys Rayner's "The Enemy Below", as an example) had the mention "originally published by :" with the name of the publisher.

I remember visiting the website of some of them... They all had the same line on them : "If it doesn't come from an agent, we won't even look at it."... Well, it was said in a more polite way...

Now the real problem, when someone is as "out of it" as I am, is to find that God damned agent ! For me, a good agent is as hard to find as a virgin 18-year-old girl in the middle of Las Vegas.

But thanks for the tip anyway.

 

[evangilder]

Sound advice on that, RabidAlien. There are a number of "Vanity Press" type publishers that will do print on demand and it doesn't cost you anything up front. There are good and bad reasons to do it.

I have been publishing photos and articles now for a little over a year. By the time I approach a big publisher, I plan on having a portfolio of published works to show them. Obviously, it's a little easier for non-fiction than for historical fiction.

The other piece of advice is never, EVER give up.