If it wasn't for them I don't think it woudl have had a chance at seeing print. Debhoag, and Survivor to name a few. OSC of course for opening these forums. Man the list could go on and on, even though it was me slaving to get this damn story out of my head, it was these wonderful people that not only helped it take shape, but also make sense.

I was going to resend the first 13 to Deb and let he take a look, because she was the one that really gave me great guidance on how they should look. I really do think those are what drew in the publisher. I am not even sure if they actually read the whole story, lol. If they did they might not have offered to publish.

So for those of you looking to work and get your work in print, use this resource and listen to the positive people. They will help you and guide you and make your work stronger. Thank you Hatrack! Thank you Hatrackers! Thank you OSC!

If your main goal is just to see a book of yours in print, then this may be the way to go. If you want your first published book to be a step on the way to becoming a professional, paid author by a big-name press, I'd suggest looking through the http://www.sfwa.org/beware/ lists just to make sure that it's a good publisher before you sign the contracts. For more information on Publish America for those considering it: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/104/ripoff0104646.htm and http://www.freewebs.com/truthaboutpa/faqs.htm

Out of curiosity, how much of an advance were you offered? I was under the impression that they didn't give one worth mentioning (e.g. $1).

I think it is up to us as writers to get the word out about our work if we choose to. I like the percentage they are offering me, I like the fact that I will be keeping 100% of the electronic and movie rights. They will get a percentage of the proceeds if I do decide to sell the movie rights, but the e rights are all mine.

I went into talking with them with a jaded eye, and an attorney of my own. Everything seemed to be on the up and up, and exactly what I feel I need to get this book out there, at no cost to me, other then the marketing.

I also figured this is the first work and if I prove myself to have a viable and strong voice I can build from there. I am sure that once I can get some titles under my name and on a resume I can go back with future titles and re market the old once the agreement expires.

The other publishers that responded to my offer were smaller companies that had limited abilities, one of them did offer a very fair deal, but I was not to sure about their ability as it was. They are a locally based company here in Denver. Flying Pen Press seems to have a good idea, just no track record yet to see were they could go.

The third option turned out to be a vanity press, and I was not aware until I received their material in the mail. Being new at the game I was not completely aware of the signs to look out for. With that in mind I think I should be more then happy to deal with Publish America, and I will keep you posted on how it turns out. Besides the contract they have is not iron clad, and does allow for you to escape if you know were to look.

I personally wanted something that gave me a large amount of control of my work. I wanted a publisher that woudl provide books, an ISBN, some market help and ability for people to order my book. I need the network they have, and I needed the flexibility and control to market my book. Understand that maybe writing for living can be attained, but as of right now it is a hobby and intended to be a learning journey.

I have read the swfa report on Publish America, as well as the reports on rippoffreport, and predators and editors. Form what I seen, the royalty issues were resolved by legal channels and have been adhered to. As the marketing complaints, I truly think this is people looking for a hand out, and wanting someone else to be doing the work they should be doing getting the word out about what they have done.

If my work has any merit, and I sell enough of it, even through Publish America, then I am sure a larger more established house will notice. In due time I will get it done, and if I don't it hurt nobody. In the mean time I will continue to write and dream, and enjoy this wonderful hobby, and see what I can do with it.

I apparently mistook one of your comments to mean that you believed Publish America was a good-reputation publisher through which you would sell thousands of copies of your book [probably at a profit] and that, in turn, would get you noticed by Tor and Baen.

However, my continued warning is that just saying "I have these books published by Publish America" in your cover letter to Tor or Baen isn't going to impress them. This won't "build your resume" unless you can prove your book is a very good seller. Selling your book will take a lot of time and money on your part. If you want to be published someday by Tor or Baen, I'd recommend that you spend that time and money on becoming an even better writer. Then your work will sale itself.

In the mean time I get my book in print at no cost to me, and I can work on my exposure for future works. This being the first thing I have every written outside of school many years ago. So it might help with my creditability.

Keep in mind that the average sells for most self-published books is 75 books total. That's not enough to impress major publishers to buy your future work. Is it enough to make money off your book?

Okay, to sell those 75 books, you go to all your friends, family, work buddies, customers, whatever, and beg them to buy your overpriced book. The only real place that they can get it from is you--or, if you're lucky, the local bookstore or Amazon.com. Will they take the trouble since it's out of the way? Let's say the do, and you get those 75 sales. I've heard that PublishAmerica authors get royalties on the net price of the book instead of the gross retail price of the book. If this is still true, then, if Publish America makes a profit of $5 off of each book sold [I don't actually know the numbers, but this seems reasonable from what little I know of the market], you get only a percent of that $5 (say $1 each for a 20% royalty). That means that you are looking at making $75 royalties. Since you didn't tell me, let's assume your adance was $75 and these royalities went to pay out that advance. In any case, let's say all went well and you've earned $75. Heck, it's money--let's celebrate! Still, is it enough to pay you for the many hours that you put into selling the book?

On the other hand, let's take a look at Publish America. They would make a $300 profit (that is, money made after the costs to them is paid off) from of your book in this scenario. So you're earning them money every time you sell a book. They're getting very cheap labor from people who never did the math until it's all said and done. It's little wonder authors get mad when they realize they are doing all the real work (writing, marketing), but Publish America is raking in the real profit.

Yes, it's true that you have to market your book even if you're published with a 'real' publisher, especially if you're with a small press. But your effort is earning you a much higher return than in the above scenario.

This is why I said that it might be better to spend that marketing time improving your writing instead. If your real goal in writing is to simply see you name in print, then marketing a Publish America book may be where you decide to put your effort, anyway. If you know all this and still want to go with Publish America, then go ahead. At least you now have an idea of what you're getting into. Good luck.

So now I am leaning more heavily on the other offers I received from much smaller houses. Either way this book is going to print. I received two more offers over the weekend that made me real happy I haven't sent the paperwork back to PA.

Yes they were the first to reply, and I think the reason is, they want the worked locked down before the author gets another offer. So in the mean time I think I am going to decline there rapid reply, and see what other offers I get. I do want to see my book in print. I do want it to do well. I do not want to pay to have it printed. It is like a child to me though, and if I have to wait a bit to see my child succeed I will.