valeca

Recheck post #72, duck (yours). It says 'same sort of deal' at the bottom, which you've cut off in the above quote. I didn't say they were one and the same. They do claim to be a publisher, which is why they've been successfully sued for publishing libelous material.

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duck

It is not even close to the same sort of deal.

PA takes uninformed authors, claims that they are traditional publishers, then charges them for various services like editing & critique.

With PA you are locked into a seven year exclusive deal with them. Author House and Outskirts you can drop at any time, you just can't take the ISBN and Barcode with you.

When it is all said and done your book will never see the inside of a book store, unless you order it and then never pick it up or better yet take it in with you and leave it on a shelf.

Author House and Outskirts Press never try to fool you. They pretty much tell you up front what it will cost. They do however offer an insurance through a logistics company that will make your book returnable at retail locations.

PA's books are non returnable and the retail discount is so low that no one, meaning distributors, will buy them.

As for the Lawsuits you claim are out there I have no idea. I have heard of PA being sued but that is it.

Out of the three I would say Outskirts Press would be the one to go with, though I have never heard any success stories out of them. Author House is slightly more expensive but they have had two books go from self published book to movie.

You may be one of the lucky one's that never had to use these services and for that I congratulate you, but you should do some research before going off half cocked like that.

valeca

It appears I've struck a nerve about AH where you're concerned, Duck. You don't have to take my word for anything. The information is available on google--found under 'AuthorHouse Scam'. The first place a lot of people start is Preditors and Editors, but they're only one of several places to begin finding the information. The details about the lawsuit are readily available online, as are testimonials as to why AH is not recommended. I'm not against self-publishing (actually, I fall well within the 'for' boundaries), and I've recommended POD technology many times and will continue to do so. AuthorHouse just isn't one of those places. There are, however, some I would recommend if that's the avenue the write has chosen to go.

If you're a little on the defensive side about this particular outfit because you've decided to use them, best wishes with your project, duck. I hope yours is a success story in all possible ways.

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duck

I haven't even decided to go that route yet. I am still plugging away sending out query letters.

I certainly wouldn't put AH in the same category as PA though, maybe I am wrong.

I would still label PA as the absolute worst!

duck

So I did the Google Search and it sent me to this link:

A Writer's Life: Another Publishing Scam...they just keep coming, don't they?

Most of the thread is anti-PA.

I read down the thread and found this:

That much was already known.

Then this:

Avoiding publishing pitfalls - Marketing & Selling Writing - Helium - by Richard Davies

Like I said when I started writing this it was with the intention of self publishing to give out at our next reunion. Knowing that some of these places charge insane amounts to edit I got it edited from a third party. It was that third party that suggested that we try to get it published traditionally. So here I am getting tired of the rejections and worn out in general thinking of going back to the previous plan. Right now I am leaning towards outskirts press as they also offer the "Returnability" insurance.

Am I defensive towards AH no, but I do think you are mis-informed. So far I found 2 lawsuits against them that were settled. That doesn't really amount to much at all? Not really all business' get sued eventually, it is how the suit is settled that matters.

Shawn

I agree. Then again, I often contradict myself. But what's life for if it's life with consistency?

You need to be more specific with those quotes. I nearly had to drag out the old straight jacket.

By the way, Epstein... you need to proofread your blogs. Any writer should know that.

It doesn't come off as good advice if it's written like complete shit.

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Mike C

A few vanity presses have been, or are liable to be, sued, because they don't read the books. There's been one for libel and one for copyright infringement so far, possibly more. It's the drawback of the vanity thing - no quality control. Self publishers, expect to be signing disclaimers making YOU wholly and solely liable for any litigation in future.

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StephenP2003

I never even thought of that -- places like PublishAmerica love to call themselves publishers, so they get all that goes with it, including the potential legal repercussions due to unscrupulous "writers."

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Mike C

Yup. Unfortunately the millions they pocket from the unsuspecting more than covers it.

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duck

No their contract is very similar to that of a Vanity Press.

Malone

So I could type War and Peace into a manuscript, rename it War: What Is It Good For, send it to one of these vanity presses, and possibly get it published under my name and title?
Hmm...I like that idea.

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strangedaze

PA is a vanity press.

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Shawn

I think Jerry Seinfeld might have an issue with it.

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