# Anyone Used This Publisher?



## Lewdog (Aug 20, 2013)

I was searching for publishers that took solicited material straight from the authors, and I came across this company.  Has anyone used them before?  They take previously unpublished authors, they don't charge anything, they take care of copyrights, and they give advances!  Sounds too good to be true.

Author Information - PublishAmerica


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## Sam (Aug 20, 2013)

Don't touch them with a 50-foot barge pole.


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## Lewdog (Aug 20, 2013)

:lol:  I thought it sounded too good to be true.  They want to help unpublished people and give them money up front?  Sounds like a front for human trafficking and slavery.


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## movieman (Aug 20, 2013)

Either publish yourself, or submit to an established trade publisher. There's little reason to go through any of these 'we'll publish your book for you' companies instead.


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## Blade (Aug 20, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I was searching for publishers that took solicited material straight from the authors, and I came across this company.  Has anyone used them before?  They take previously unpublished authors, they don't charge anything, they take care of copyrights, and they give advances!  Sounds too good to be true.
> 
> Author Information - PublishAmerica





			
				 Posted Material said:
			
		

> *Do you accept submissions from my country?*Currently, PublishAmerica is closed to submissions from Australia, and New Zealand. Authors from all other countries are encouraged to contact us about publishing their manuscript.​



Not that it is directly any of my business but does anyone have any idea why this would be the case? Generally the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are on the same page.:scratch:


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## Terry D (Aug 20, 2013)

In may be that Publish America is having legal difficulty down-under. A simple Google search will show that PA has a checkered reputation.


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## Blade (Aug 20, 2013)

Terry D said:


> In may be that Publish America is having legal difficulty down-under. A simple Google search will show that PA has a checkered reputation.



:sunny: Thank you. I was going through looking to see if there was anything suspicious like a request for a credit card number when that popped up on me. i would take that as a warning sign.:disturbed:


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## Lewdog (Aug 20, 2013)

I have a secret to share, my dad is actually the owner of Publish America and I wanted to see what all of you had to see about his company.  Man I'm crushed.

:hopelessness:










Just kidding.


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## Blade (Aug 20, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I have a secret to share, my dad is actually the owner of Publish America and I wanted to see what all of you had to see about his company.  Man I'm crushed.
> .



Kidding aside it might be worth a shot as long as you proceed with caution. As long as you do not get into some sort of contract situation where you cannot opt out at will all you have to lose is the time and effort. (and possibly the writing) The situation needs more research, I think.:worked_till_5am:


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## bookmasta (Aug 20, 2013)

Lewdog said:


> I was searching for publishers that took solicited material straight from the authors, and I came across this company. Has anyone used them before? They take previously unpublished authors, they don't charge anything, they take care of copyrights, and they give advances! Sounds too good to be true.
> 
> Author Information - PublishAmerica


If it is too good to be true, it probably is.


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## Lewdog (Aug 20, 2013)

bookmasta said:


> If it is too good to be true, it probably is.




No, if it is too good to be true, I've already used it as a pickup line.


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## Sam (Aug 20, 2013)

Blade said:


> Kidding aside it might be worth a shot as long as you proceed with caution. As long as you do not get into some sort of contract situation where you cannot opt out at will all you have to lose is the time and effort. (and possibly the writing) The situation needs more research, I think.:worked_till_5am:



PublishAmerica is a scam and should be avoided at all costs. The horror stories out there tell the tale all too well.


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## John_O (Aug 20, 2013)

movieman said:


> Either publish yourself, or submit to an established trade publisher. There's little reason to go through any of these 'we'll publish your book for you' companies instead.



This is one area I still struggle with. Self pub vs print on demand vs what ever this one on this thread is?


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## Lewdog (Aug 20, 2013)

John_O said:


> This is one area I still struggle with. Self pub vs print on demand vs what ever this one on this thread is?



Well personally I think if you have the money, print out about 50-100 books and try to get local book stores to carry them.  You can also talk to local libraries and ask if they will carry your book.  I know the one where I live is pretty good about taking recommendations on books to carry.  The library even said if I got published they would do a book signing.  You'd be amazed what you can get done, if you just ask the right questions and smile.


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## gmehl (Aug 20, 2013)

Publish America?  Run away, laughing.

Self-pubbing?  It has its merits, particularly for books with very narrow marketing possibilities, the labors of love, the personal causes, the experimental or highly niche projects that conventional houses won't gamble on.  It's also a place to do your own thing and there are experienced authors who love wearing both the hats of writer and publisher.  It is filling the hole of the declining market for mid-list writers, but most folks never get rich at it. Any number of writers are blending self-pub with the ebook market and enjoying it -- but remember, all the marketing is your task; the printing vendor does the fulfillment, not the selling.

My guess is that self-pub operations (CreateSpace, Lightning Source, others) are the ones who really put POD on the map -- it's all digital now, and they can produce one copy or ten thousand, overnight.  I've heard that traditional publishers are going this route to manage orders because there's less risk and no warehousing.


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