This Writer's Angst

Yesterday I got an email from the publisher of my book, Renegade Night. As many of you know I've not been too happy with them and yesterday just cranked my anger at them another notch. Publish America is doing away with its discounts. No longer will authors be able to get discounts should they decide to buy their own books which by the way is the only people they seem to be pitching books to. To even have my book at any of their so-called "events", I have to buy copies. I only get a basic 10 percent discount per book I order. That would not be so bad if my book was at an affordable price. My book is not even in hard cover, but in soft cover. My book when it started was 25.99 plus tax. Of course I contacted all sorts of bookstores and many of them were glad to have a local author but unless I consigned copies, the stores would not carry my book because the price points were so high. As of January this year my book went all the way to 35.99 plus tax and shipping costs. I've tried to pass along the discounts to people who were interested and not one person could utilize those discounts. I am very VERY VERY grateful to each and every one who has purchased a copy, however I am so disappointed that the price points are still not affordable and are still high. I checked with other soft cover books that exceed the pages of my book and 96 percent of them are all considerably lower and by independent new authors as well as widely known ones. So now they are discontinuing discounts all together and not lowering the price of books. I don't know what to do at this point. I still try to advertise on here, my facebook and myspace pages, and even through my own website, but it's hard especially with today's economy for me to morally ask people to purchase a soft cover book at 35.99 plus tax and shipping. I find it morally and ethically wrong for Publish America to pitch my book to me to buy(which books I buy of my own I don't get royalties on and I've not seen one dime off any of the books that have been purchased so far)for Publish America to have at these events. Over half the events I have researched to find Publish America is not even a vendor or a part of. Publish America has a legal team and many people have tried to sue them to only be defeated. I was naieve when I signed my contract and I thought even if it was a lousy deal the price points would still be affordable. So I am here to tell anyone who is wanting to write and have their works published DO NOT GO THROUGH PUBLISH AMERICA! There are many more author mills(publishers who utilize practices like Publish America that try to make money off the author instead of trying to market the books to the mass market) out there. Please go to http://writersbeware.com because they have lists of these so called author mill publishers and Publish America is listed. I didn't know that then but I know that now and I want to pass along that information to all of you who might read this. Spread the word! These people are cons and frauds. They will take your work-edited by you and then they copy and paste it to a standard word document and then do a general spell check and not even care that sometimes spell and document check creates more errors. Then they will give you a half ass book cover art that is not original that is just basically from a catalog of clip art and then boost the price so high that no one really is going to buy the book, they will tell you they are going to send press releases to your local media which they do not, and you are going to have a next to impossible time getting book stores as well as libraries to carry your work because of the price. You are the one they are going to pitch the book to and getting customer service help via the publishing department is like trying to get water from a rock. I've tried, I wouldn't say this just to be disgruntled over the lack of sales-I'm telling you this because it's been my experience. I have saved every email from them and none of them is how to get my book out there unless I buy copies of my own book. No other legit publisher does this. They want to make money and whether they are an E-publisher or a book publisher they are going to circulate your book. That is one reason why it is so hard to find a literary agent or legit publisher because they are going to do what it takes to get your book out there and on shelves or computer screens. They are going to be there with you through every step of the way and are not going to ask you to buy your own book because they know that is not your job it's their job as publishers. I don't know how to get the ball rolling on getting these parasites out of a job, and I've written to Maryland's Attorney General, Govenor, and Better Buisness Bureau to have it fall on deaf ears. I am not going to give up but that's where I'm at with my book. So my plan is to keep on writing and creating and hopefully one day get picked up by a legit publisher/or literary agent. They are out there and they want your submissions but you have to be good! You have to have that spark that when an editor looks at your work, they are enveloped in your story within the first few pages. It's got to be something unique and something they know they can market. That's why it's so hard to get published. Many best selling authors will tell you that it took them years and alot of hard work. I'm willing to do the hard work and take the time but I'm not wasting no more time with Publish America and other author mills. I'm not going to let something that I've poured my blood,sweat, and tears and have this happen twice. You should not let it happen even once! I still refuse to self-publish my work because I want the prestige of being chosen by a legit publisher/agent, but if self publishing is right for you, then do it! It may mean you have to do most of the leg work yourself but self publish with a place like Lulu publishing that is not going to cost you out of pocket. Know the genre your writing for. I write paranormal romance but I also write other things such as poetry(Which I'm not having published), children's stories, contemporary literature, and whatever else comes into my mind. I feel like I'm a painter and some days I'm painting landscapes and other days I'm like Dali; a surrealist. Somedays I feel a bit Rembrant and then there are times when Van Gough, Picasso, or even Warhol. It just depends on what picture comes into my mind at the time. I am no where near Dickens, Bronte, Kenyon, or Poe but I think I'm going to get there. I get an idea or inspiration for a story, it plays in my mind like a slow reel movie before I put it to paper or my canvas. I do alot of erasing and painting over and by the time its done, I have to stand back and look at it to make sure that the words I've painted flow and create the story that's in my mind. Writing for me is a passion-it's something that was always very private and it takes alot for me to entrust someone else to see it, but in the end I have to like what I've written. If I wouldn't read it, I know no one else would. I am my own worst critic. So when you read Renegade Night or anything else I've written and put out there, you should know that it has came from the very depths of my soul and I've put 100% into it. You may not like it and that's okay, but you will know that I've put everything I have and more into it. So to have some place like Publish America basically rip it to shreds, it's like driving a knife into my heart and I don't want that to happen to anyone. So for my fellow aspiring writers, and those crazy people out there like me that has this driving ambition, never give up and never surrender but be wary of who you choose to take the reigns of your dream. So keep writing,drawing, painting or whatever it is that is in your soul to do! Just beware of those leeches out there that lie in wait to bastardize your hard work.

There is no joy in Mudville...Mighty Casey was killed in a drive by shooting.

I am trying not to beat myself up and not plotting ways to drive to Maryland to have a spastic fit on the people of Publish America. This last email I got from them just is the straw that has broke this camel's back! Since I signed with them my dream has been kicked and assaulted! First off my book is way to high for anyone to be able to buy it-so that means no book store(and I've called them all and can't tell you the money I've spent on long distance calling cards)will carry it unless I consign copies. I can't afford the copies. Second-they send me bogus coupon offers that really don't save me much money or anyone else. My aunt bought a copy at 29.99 plus shipping using a coupon that would make my book be 9.95 but they didn't. It's still well except for this weekend, its 34.95 because they put out a 70 percent discount coupon out there. But the one I got just minutes ago has just been the one to bite the big one with me! Here is a copy of the email:

Dear author:

PublishAmerica is hosting a book signing in Germany, during the Frankfurt Book Fair.


Signed copies of your book are also welcome at that event. Of course, you are too, and some authors have already said they will attend. But if you cannot travel overseas at this time, your book can participate at the signing anyway.

Softcovers only.

The signed books will be handed out with a brief introduction about you, the author, on a first come, first serve basis to any of the best and the brightest of the world's bestselling authors, foreign publishers, Hollywood producers, booksellers, and thousands of media that are expected to attend the show, who stop by our book signing event. The date is Saturday, October 9, the time is noon local time. Or in German, "Stunde zwölf".

This is an exciting opportunity to introduce your book to a broader range of book industry insiders.

Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your softcover, use this discount coupon: EuroSign. Use it on your softcover only. All non-softcover orders under this coupon will not be processed, so you'll be throwing your money away if you try. Coupon invalid with other offers. Minimum order volume is only 4 softcovers. And your discount is a whopping 50 pct! We will ship your order fast, because:

Be quick. We'll need your signed books back by no later than August 20 so we can ship them to Germany in time. Mail them, signed and all, to PublishAmerica, attn: Frankfurt Book Fair. Only books purchased under the EuroSign coupon qualify.

Thank you.
--PublishAmerica Bookstore

I looked up the Frankfurt Book Fair and it is an October event in Germany.However when I looked there are only 2 yep you read correctly, T-W-O American publishing houses listed and they are not Publish America or afflites. Im thinking I need to get an attorney! I signed with them under the belief they were a legitimate publishing company! So far the have legitimately screwed me! I didn't do this to make money but I understand a publisher does want to make money but I don't want to be the only one they're trying to milk blood out of! So any of you reading this-hit me up! Register you a blogger account and leave me some feedback! I can't be the only one out there-actually I know I'm not but I might be the only one to take them on. There has to be a way-a way to either get out of my contract and get my book rights back or for them to do what any publishing house does for its authors.