PublishAmerica In the News

[sweetnpetite]

Authors give publisher mixed reviews for books
Critics say firm takes advantage of novice writers


By Hillel Italie
Associated Press

NEW YORK - Six years ago, Larry Clopper was a Web marketing consultant who had written two books he couldn't get published. One of his clients, Willem Meiners, owned a publishing company called Erica House, the kind of place frustrated authors often turn to. It was a vanity press - a business that makes authors pay to be published.

The two men became friends and started a new venture, PublishAmerica. They would take on those people who yearned to be authors but struggled to find a publisher, offer the editing and promotional support not found at a vanity press and do it without a fee.

Founded in 1999, PublishAmerica is now one of the industry's fastest growing publishers, with more than 4,000 new books released last year, a figure at least comparable to Random House Inc., and other large companies. PublishAmerica has nearly 11,000 writers under contract.

PublishAmerica says on its Web site that by signing with it, "You will have the very important distinction of having your next book ACCEPTED BY A TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY."

Applicants are assured that manuscripts are carefully reviewed and edited, that books are available in stores and, best of all, that authors do not have to pay to be published.

"The publishing industry will never be the same," Clopper said. "Because of PublishAmerica, there are tens of thousands of authors who can be published, where before their works could never see the light of day."

Disgruntled author

But the rise of PublishAmerica has prompted both praise and criticism. While many authors thank the company for championing their books, its claim to be a traditional publisher - not a vanity press - has been challenged by writers' organizations such as The Authors Guild and debated on author Web sites such as WritersNet and Absolute Write.

Rebecca Easton didn't have an agent and couldn't get a publisher for her novel, "The Trophy Abyss." But an Internet search led her to PublishAmerica and her manuscript was quickly accepted and scheduled for release last spring.

"I had been trying to write since I was 8 and I had been working on this book for seven years. Getting traditionally published, not with a vanity press, was huge," she said.

Her manuscript, however, was not edited and she got only minimal marketing assistance, she said. Bookstores and local retailers told her they don't stock PublishAmerica books because they didn't consider it a real publisher. The books that she did sell, she sold herself.

"I feel like I was ripped off," Easton said. "I can survive, but I don't want to see this happening to others."

Easton has organized a petition, signed by more than 100 former and current PublishAmerica authors, calling for "honest disclosure about the services" the publisher provides.

Authors said that PublishAmerica is taking advantage of writers unaware of the industry by labeling itself a traditional company without offering the kind of editing, marketing and retail access expected from a mainstream publisher.

"We call them an author mill, a publisher that claims to be a traditional publisher and is not," said A. C. Crispin, chair of the watchdog group Writer Beware.

Clopper, though, said that PublishAmerica is a traditional company doing "a fantastic thing for the publishing industry" by giving new writers a chance.

Marketing the product

Writers working with traditional publishers submit their manuscripts through an agent and receive advances against future earnings. The publisher pays for everything, from editing to production to promotion.

Complaints about editing, promotion and availability of books are common even at major New York presses, but critics say such treatment is standard at PublishAmerica. The company's supporters call those critics a noisy, embittered minority.

"Some of the claims that I've seen were complete fabrications from an angry group that feed off each other until they actually believed what they were saying," said PublishAmerica author H.B. Marcus.

Tens of thousands of writers end up with companies that make them pay. For fees ranging from $200 to several thousand dollars, publishers such as Xlibris or iUniverse will accept virtually any manuscript and put it into book form.

Bookstores and libraries rarely stock such books.

PublishAmerica has expanded rapidly, from releasing 750 books in 2000 to 4,800 books in 2004. In the past year,

Clopper said, full-time staff has nearly doubled, from 36 to 70. Based in Frederick, Md., the company recently moved into new eadquarters.

PublishAmerica has yet to make a commercial impact.

According to Clopper, gross revenues in 2004 totaled $4 million to $6 million, a negligible amount in a multibillion-dollar industry.

PublishAmerica authors get advances ranging from $1 to $1,000 and do not pay to be published; there is no charge for editing or production.

But because PublishAmerica has little clout in the market, authors end up buying copies from the publisher, which periodically offers special discounts, and selling the books themselves.

Critics believe that PublishAmerica gets a substantial amount of its sales this way.

"They're operating on a vanity press model," Writer Beware's Crispin said. "They get authors to pay."

Clopper will not say what percentage of PublishAmerica's sales come from author buys, but considers it less than 50 percent.

Not in stock

While even obscure books at Random House and other traditional publishers are virtually guaranteed nationwide placement in bookstores, Clopper cannot cite any PublishAmerica works that have received such exposure.

PublishAmerica relies almost exclusively on "print-on-demand" technology, meaning that books are only printed as needed and shipped to stores - usually local retailers the author persuades to carry his or her work - on a nonreturnable basis.

Critics also question PublishAmerica's manuscript review process. Clopper said PublishAmerica is selective - only 30 percent of submitted manuscripts make it to print. Some authors believe otherwise.

Dee Power, unhappy with how PublishAmerica had handled her novel, "Overtime," submitted a "new" book that consisted of the first 50 pages of "Overtime" and the last 10 pages, repeated over and over.

The manuscript was accepted. PublishAmerica also accepted a novel by Kevin Yarbrough, even though the first 30 pages were repeated six times.

Clopper said those "flaws" would have been discovered, but agreed the works were accepted: "When somebody views a manuscript, they may not read the whole thing line by line."

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/...0203/NEWS03/502030342&SearchID=73198374244225

 

[sweetnpetite]

WebLinks

Publish America

Writer Beware

Xlibris

 

[sweetnpetite]

the second two links don't seem to be working for me right now. I double checked them and I typed them in correctly, so I'm going to leave them up in case maybe the sites are busy or experiencing a blackout of some kind.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Publish America has published a response. Some of it:

AP reporter Hillel Italie did an overall balanced job on portraying PublishAmerica. He spent almost two months on interviewing individuals and researching facts, and we applaud him for his unbiased efforts. The net result, we believe, is a favorable portrait of who we are, what we do and don't do, and why we get on the nerves of the few who resist changes to the publishing industry.

While we recommend reading this article, that is appearing in large numbers of newspapers across the fruited plain, we must make a few comments. Our main comment is that he unintentionally lent credibility to people guilty of lying and committing acts of fraud.

It is not our norm to confront, publicly, an author, or former author. We make an exception here, because we feel that we must set the record straight. What these people are saying, publicly, is simply not true, and is very easily disproven. For example, please see our testimonials for literally hundreds of instances of mainstream, national chain bookstores either holding book signings or stocking PublishAmerica books.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AP story: "Authors said that PublishAmerica is taking advantage of writers unaware of the industry by labeling itself a traditional company without offering the kind of editing, marketing and retail access expected from a mainstream publisher."

Our 11,000 authors disagree. They do not feel taken advantage of, with the sole exception of a handful who are taking advantage of PublishAmerica's phenomenal growth by trying to grab attention for their own agendas. PublishAmerica is revolutionizing an industry, nowhere and never have we made a claim that we are mainstream. In fact, PublishAmerica is proud that there is nothing mainstream about it at all.

However, our business model is entirely traditional. It is as the interviewed author H.B. Marcus says, "The bottom line will always be that PublishAmerica never asked any of us for a penny to make our dreams come true." That by definition is the traditional fashion. PublishAmerica underwrites all expenses involved with producing, publishing, and distributing a book. All such expenses, to the last penny, are paid by PublishAmerica, period. Case closed.

AP story: "Complaints about editing, promotion and availability of books are common even at major New York presses, but critics say such treatment is standard at PublishAmerica."

Yes, complaining about one's publisher is as old as publishing itself, and Random House, Simon and Schuster, Penguin, etc. are no exception to that rule. But no, such treatment is not at all standard at PublishAmerica, as nearly a thousand happy testimonials demonstrate.

AP story: "While even obscure books at Random House and other traditional publishers are virtually guaranteed nationwide placement in bookstores, Clopper cannot cite any PublishAmerica works that have received such exposure."

In fact, we had told the reporter that 99% of all books published never see a nationwide bookstore shelf. For bookstores to stock each newly released title out of the 150,000 books published last year alone, they would need to add 17 feet of extra shelf space, each day, Saturdays and Sundays included, and that's if they'd only order one copy per new title. That's just not happening.

AP story: "Critics also question PublishAmerica's manuscript review process. Clopper said PublishAmerica is selective -- only 30 percent of submitted manuscripts make it to print. Some authors believe otherwise."

"Some authors" will say just about anything without even being interested in the facts. It is the bone bare truth. We receive an average 78 new submissions each and every day, for a total of 20,000 per year. Of those, 70 percent of submitted manuscripts do NOT make it to print.

Since the national stories about PublishAmerica broke, we have seen a noticeable rise in new submissions. Now more new writers than ever before want to join the ranks of our 11,000 happily published authors.

AP story: "However, her manuscript was not edited and she got only minimal marketing assistance, she said. Bookstores and local retailers told her they don't stock PublishAmerica books because they didn't consider it a real publisher. The books that she did sell, she had to sell herself."

Which is true? What Rebecca Easton (pen name for Rebecca Nietert) said above, or what she said below? Here is what she wrote to PublishAmerica's Managing Editor at the end of a lengthy editing process:

>>"From: "Rebecca Nietert"
>>Subject: Re: Final review--"The Trophy Abyss"
>>Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 09:35:04 -0500
>>
>>Thank you... This looks great! Be sure to thank
>>[her editor] again for me. We sure put some time into this.
>>I appreciate all the support and effort!"
Her home state, Colorado, home of the famous Tattered Cover bookstores, does in fact stock countless PublishAmerica books. We find it hard to believe that bookstores who order our books on a weekly basis, would tell Easton what she alleges. Easton admits on her own website to a troubled past with mental health issues "for years". That, plus the real facts, should have alerted the reporter.

AP story: "After I turned in my manuscript, they sent it back to me, and told me I had 48 hours to go over the proofs," said Nancy Mehl, whose novel, "Graven Images," came out in 2003.

Why Nancy Mehl would state something so obviously untrue, and so easily disproven, is a mystery. Like all other PublishAmerica authors, Mehl first had a 15-day window to correct her page proofs, as dictated by our contract. Then, over and beyond our contractual obligations, we allowed her an additional 48 hour proofing period. The author was so satisfied about her book that she also requested a hardcover version. PublishAmerica granted her request. Her book sold thousands of copies.


http://www.publishamerica.com/NationalNews/APStoryResponse.htm

I post that to be fair, I don't have a specific opinion either way. My oppinion is judge for yourself and know what you are getting into. If you expect services that are not offered, then you have no one to blame but yourself. If you don't do a bit of legwork (ask bookstores before hand if they stock certain publishers) again- you have no one to blame but yourself. However if you are not getting what was promised then you have a legitamate complaint.

I post this here because there have been questions and discusions about puplishAmerica here in the past, and I believe that at least one of our authors has a PA book.

 

[brightlyiburn]

If you don't do lots of research before you try to get published, and you get suckered, you got what you deserved. I've been doing research for years, and I still don't intend to be published for awhile yet. But I would never send my manuscript anywhere without knowing exactly what sort of place I was sending it to.

 

[cantdog]

You are cannier than most, then, brightly. Thanks for the articles, sweet.

cantdog

 

[brightlyiburn]

You are cannier than most, then, brightly. Thanks for the articles, sweet.

cantdog

Come on, seriously...it can't be rocket science. How can you not realize that you ought to look into all of it before you try to get published?
Of course, I've been writing for a good six or seven years, and my mother was someone's editor for a lot of those years. So I was always getting an earful about the business. When you're hearing that stuff all the time, it quickly becomes apparent that you must do your research.
Besides which, any publishing company with "America" in their name would make me wary.

 

[sweetnpetite]

I hate to say it but "A sucker is born every minute"

I do know a guy who published and got a very bad deal. In addition, I believe he lost all of the rights to what he wrote.

It happens- people are easily suckered. But why is that? Why aren't we learning to be wary? Do we expect life to be safe and take care of us? I don't know, but it seems to me that we are becoming entirely too gulable- or maybe we always were.

 

[cantdog]

Print on Demand books are 'way expensive, too, and the ones I've seen look pretty lousy.

I'm not sure it's a step up from a vanity house.

 

[Lord DragonsWing]

PublishAmerica was featured on one of the news channels with interviews by the reporter. I can't remember which channel it was but the report was all positive. Of course it would be with the CEO promoting his company on national television.

 

[KarenAM]

Print on Demand books are 'way expensive, too, and the ones I've seen look pretty lousy.

I'm not sure it's a step up from a vanity house.

As a self-published writer, I hear this a lot. It's often true, too, but it's also true that a lot of traditionally published books are both expensive and lousy. The problem with self-publishing in any form is that you have to do more than just write the book. You have to edit it and proofread it and then write back cover promotions for it, and then you have to market it in an environment where self-published books are actively called inferior because they aren't traditionally published books. Somehow an editor becomes the final arbriter of literary quality in many people's minds, though I have yet to determine why.

As brightlyburn said, you have to do your research and know just what it is that you're paying for. And you have to know what you can do yourself and what you need someone else to do (I cannot do cover art to save my life, for example). You have to understand what rights you are signing away and what rights you retain. And you have to be realistic about how many people are likely to read your book, in the end. A big reason there are so many bad self-published books out there is that people go into it not knowing what they are doing.

In my case my work has been successful because I'm not expecting be the next Rowling. My novel "The Usahar" has been favorably reviewed, even compared with the work of John Fowles (and yes, I'm proud of that, thanks for asking), and it's had the sort of impact I had hoped it would have. I hope the prequel will be similarly successful.

My advice to the reader? Do what you'd do with any book. Read part of it before you buy (at the iUniverse website you can do that). Take the advice of other readers whose tastes are similar to your own. There are plenty of brilliant writers who self-published (Dickens comes to mind); you just have to find them, and if you are an author who is considering self-publishing, go into it knowing what you are doing. Don't let promotions and advertisements cloud your judgment.

And here endeth my little babbling on the subject. Thanks for listening.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

My understanding of PublishAmerica is that they just took your book and kept it on disk, and if anyone ordered a copy, they'd slip the disk into their machine and print out a copy and take a piece of the sales. I wasn't aware that they did any editing or proofing whatsoever, and as far as I know, they don't do any marketing, which is the most exepensive part of publishing.

So basically, it doesn't cost them anything to "publish" your book, and they have nothing to lose by taking on everything that's sent to them.

The problem with buying a book from PA is that you have nothing to go on as to its quality. A book that comes through a traditional publisher has been vetted and evaluated by a bunch of people before it gets to market, and so you know at least some people liked it and are betting their investment that you'll like it too. With PA, you're buying a pig in a poke. Authors often exchange you-scratch-my-back reviews, which are of course terribly misleading.

I may be wrong, but that's the way I thought they worked. As such it's not a scam like vanity presses, but it's not like getting your stuff accepted by a traditional publisher who's makng a financial commitment to your success either.

---dr.M.

 

[thenry]

but it's not like getting your stuff accepted by a traditional publisher who's makng a financial commitment to your success either

And that's the rub. Not only does Publish America call itself a "traditional publisher," but the company apparently invented the term. This, I think, is the company's root deception.

On a lighter note, like with poetry.com, people have begun "scamming" Publish America by submitting nonsensical manuscripts for publication and waiting for their inevitable acceptance. One book, created by a team of professional authors writing a chapter a piece from the briefest of outlines, can be found here.

More on the sting, as well as a free download of the book, can be found here.

 

[Whisky7up]

My understanding of PublishAmerica is that they just took your book and kept it on disk, and if anyone ordered a copy, they'd slip the disk into their machine and print out a copy and take a piece of the sales. I wasn't aware that they did any editing or proofing whatsoever, and as far as I know, they don't do any marketing, which is the most exepensive part of publishing.

So basically, it doesn't cost them anything to "publish" your book, and they have nothing to lose by taking on everything that's sent to them.

Publish America have told me they will shortly publish one of mine. They say they do proofread and edit...making suggestions.
If money comes flooding in....great!!.....but all I'm looking to do, is have 'my book' in my hands.
They provide me with two copies free.
So far they have spent about three dollars in postage, plus my 'symbolic' dollar advance.
If nobody buys it, then they are already out of pocket aren't they?
Where do they make their money if the books don't get bought?

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

My novel "The Usahar" has been favorably reviewed, even compared with the work of John Fowles (and yes, I'm proud of that, thanks for asking),

You should be proud of that, Karen, and of the entire review. Very positive.

Two questions: Why did you go with IU instead of a small press and have the folks at IU been any help with marketing?

Rumple Foreskin

 

[BlackShanglan]

Somehow an editor becomes the final arbriter of literary quality in many people's minds, though I have yet to determine why.

I am delighted with your success. However, I will attempt to answer that question, if only because the issue of textual authority is so near and dear to my own heart.

In order to publish at a vanity press, one needs money. In order to make it past an editor, one needs to convince someone else to part with money. In reality, that's usually several someones - editors, marketers, etc.

Does this mean that the editor is a perfect arbitor of literary taste? Of course not. And obviously, quite a lot of bad work gets through, and no doubt some good work is lost. However, from a reader's perspective, I know this: if it's self-published, the author needed to think it was good. If it came through a more rigorous editorial process, a number of other people also needed to think it was good. Basically, it had to be more persuasive to get there.

As I said, it's not a perfect system, and I do believe that quite a lot of wonderful work is out there in independent form. But I'd argue that there is some reason to trust traditional publishing process, especially if you are familiar with the tastes and philosophy of the publisher.

Shanglan

 

[Boota]

I published my novel through Authorhouse, a Print On Demand company here in Indiana. I knew what I was getting into and they didn't try any of that "traditional publisher" shit. So far I would have to say I'm pretty happy with them. I'm responsible for my own PR and all that like I would have been self-publishing from a different route, but I went with them because I didn't have a large outlay of cash and no inventory I had to maintain.

The only bookstores carrying my book on their shelves are the ones that I personally talked to and got them to do it. Pretty much the indie stores. Chain stores won't/can't do it. I knew that going in, too. The price of the book from a POD company discourages stores to take a chance. Some POD companies don't have returnability programs, either. Authorhouse has one available, but it's for a fee. (Despite the high cost of a POD book, I have yet to receive one single complaint about the price. Everyone who has bought my book has said it is worth every penny. I was worried about that when I found out what it was going to cost.)

The reason I went through a POD and decided to self-publish in the first place is because I have no patience. I wrote the book and I wanted it out. I used excessively bad language in the book, as it is narrated by a foul-mouthed, porn addicted, binge drinking, malcontent, and every publisher I talked was either scared off by that, put off by that, or insisted on changing it. I looked at Mr. Undesirable as my writing demo tape. I've been a musician for years, so I took the same approach with writing as I did with my band.

So far, it seems to be paying off. Slowly, but growing. I have an agent shopping the book around Hollywood. Other Authorhouse authors have had their books made into movies which led to book deals for them. A couple of the movies I know of that were from Authorhouse (formerly 1stBooks) are Proof of Life (Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan) and Legally Blonde. I am encouraged that Mr. Undesirable will join that rank soon. The agent is gushing about it and she's optimistic about the response she's gotten so far.

I think the bad side of POD is that people can expect more than they are capable of achieving. I did my own editing and all the details (cover design, formatting, etc.). It's not perfect, but my book is better grammatically and stylistically than many I have read from traditional publishers. If you want POD companies to do the editing they will. But the price is really high. $1.50 a page in some cases. My book is 480 pages. I have friends who are English majors and I bought them all brand new red pens, but the final edit was mine to make.

The actual quality of Authorhouse books is excellent. Put them on any shelf with a traditional publishers books and you won't be able to tell them apart. I'm proud of the look and quality of my book. I wouldn't feel comfortable selling them if they weren't as good as they are.

Another problem from the author side with POD is that anyone can do it. And not everyone is a good writer. If someone buys a bad book that was POD it can turn them off of the whole idea of buying POD books. Being relatively cheap, it is within just about everyone's price range to put out their work. My initial cost before options was under $500. So, take a guy who has a large disposable income and thinks he's Stephen King, and he can have a book out. Even if he writes like a retarded chimp.

My advice to anyone who thinks about going POD is to make sure you're good (ask more than just your mother, if necessary) and be ready to hustle your work. Don't be afraid to walk in and talk to the owner or manager of a bookstore. You have to sell yourself. The good news is, after selling yourself successfully, the traditional publishers just might express interest in you. Same thing in the music business. Make a name and prove you don't need a record label and they will kill to get you.

If anyone is curious as to the quality of the Authorhouse POD books, check one out. They are quality books. And if you're going to check one out, check this one out: <prepare for shameless plug>

www.mr-undesirable.com

I can't vouch for PublishAmerica, but Authorhouse is what it says it is, and I think it is a nice option for those of us out of the mainstream loop. Or those of us with absolutely zero contacts in the industry.

 

[KarenAM]

You should be proud of that, Karen, and of the entire review. Very positive.

Two questions: Why did you go with IU instead of a small press and have the folks at IU been any help with marketing?

Rumple Foreskin

Thanks, Rumple.

I went with IU for several reasons. First, the novel is too short for most publishers to consider it as a stand-alone, and I didn't feel it would be helped by padding. Second, the current backlog at most small presses is so large that many are not accepting new manuscripts, and because of the risque sexual content, I was concerned that they wouldn't want to take a chance with a previously unpublished writer who produced such work. In my experience, small presses prefer some history of publication, even if only in small, low circulation magazines, before they'll take the financial risk with a first novel.

I also wanted to see what the response to this work would be, since it doesn't fit neatly into either the science fiction or erotic romance genres and publishers would understandably want to have a genre they could market it in. On this count, I've been pleased enough with the response to decide to put out the prequel.

IU has provided some help in marketing. They send me a monthly e-mail with information about contests and awards and such. They also have optional packages for a fee that provide additional assistance, but I haven't used any of those. Primarily, they manufacture and distribute books, and they've treated me with tremendous professionalism.

And since I wouldn't want to be out-shamelessly-plugged by Boota, here's a link straight to the preface, prologue, and first chapter:

The Usahar

 

[brightlyiburn]

I suppose I have big dreams. When I get published, it will be by Daw.

 

[sweetnpetite]

Where do they make their money if the books don't get bought?

That's a good question.

I fully believe that PUblish America can be a good deal- depending on what you want, and what you are expecting.

I also believe that there 'traditional publisher' thing is deceptive.

I *also* think that many aspiring authors have higher expectations even of the 'real' traditional publishers than what really happens- and they would probably be highly disapointed even if they were accepted there.

AS was said before- you have to do some reaserch, no what you want and no what you are getting into. Otherwise you're going to get screwed (ie- a bad deal, not necessarily dishonestly delt with). And that goes for if you are with publish america or Random House or whatever.