Publishing Without an Agent

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Publishing Without an Agent

Posted on July 22nd, 2008 in Writing Business by Nora Nick

A practical look at what you might expect from Publish America book publishers.

I am holding in my hand a check for one dollar and twelve cents made out to me from my publisher, PublishAmerica.

That publisher is based in Maryland and publishes without the usual self publishing fees although their efforts after they have gone through the editing and publishing of your book is the same.

The check is my royalties and all the royalties that I have seen since I published my book, My Mother’s Cooking. For the past two years, I know of only two people who have ordered the book not from me but from book stores. My check says that I had one book sold.

What can I induce? Only that at least the royalties for one book have gone astray.

I did not cash this check because I wanted to keep it as a momento of what a royalty check should look like even though as I have discovered, the publisher is not honest.

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Tags: books, checks, Royalties

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2 Responses to “Publishing Without an Agent”

M J katz
December 21st, 2008 at 10:52 pm

Hi Nora! Sorry about your bad experience with Publish America. Even though my info is too late to help you with your current book, maybe it can help with future publications. Go to WriterBeware.com…this is a publishing industry Watchdog site that informs writers, both old and new, of scams, pitfalls, the twenty worst Literary Agents that anyone could ever hook up with, and other necessary information that a writer needs in order to be as successful as possible in getting published.
Publish America, by the way, is listed as one of the worst publishing houses to ever sign up with. You’re not alone in the ‘fleeced’ department. In fact, Writer Beware has a lot to say about Publish America…and none of it is good.
Please don’t let this bad experience sour you on trying to get future writings published. Just learn as much as you can, first, before signing on anyone’s dotted line. Remember; when someone is working hard to part you from your money, they are not going to do much for you afterwards because the lucrative income for them doesn’t come from book sales. It comes from writers who are willing to pay for publication!
I wish you the best in your future writing endeavors!
NoraNick
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm

I can truthfully say that while PublishAmerica didn’t fleece me of any money, I was led to believe that they were a normal publishing company and not one of the vanity presses. To tell you the truth when I was sent one dollar and a contract, I thought that my book would not only be published but be on the shelves of bookstores around the country as well. My book is in the bookstores but only online. I tried having our local Barnes and Noble carry a few of my books on their shelves and got diverted to negotiating with Barnes and Noble of New York who sent me a Dear John letter.

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Publishing Without an Agent

2 Responses to “Publishing Without an Agent”

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