[Novelist1982]

Hey Black Flag,

I think you mean "your" and not "you're" because that means "you are", and makes YOU look foolish.

And you can smack talk Publish America all you want, but at least say something more acurate such as, "If you shit on a piece of paper, called it a manuscript and Publish America thought they could make a profit off selling it, then they would publish it.

I am not unaware of the debate of Publish America's poor reputation, however, as bad as their company may seem, ALL major publishing companies require an agent, whereas Publish America does not. It is not an attempt on their part to trick authors to sign a contract, but it makes it possible for a novice writer to become published and have a chance to prove their skills.

I am sure you are not aware of their contract, so let me briefly state why it may appeal to some authors. It is a standard 7-year contract which states that Publish America would obtain first-rights to publish a manuscript and sell it (whether it be a softcover, hardcover, on a bookshelf in a book store, or available on any on-line bookstore around the world). It grants modest royalties to the author, paid bi-annually. If Hollywood wanted to turn a book into a movie, it is up to the author to decide if they should agree to the proposal, not Publish America. Not all contracts give that kind of option to the author. If you care for nothing else I have stated thusfar, at least consider that with their contract, the author retains all rights to the book after the contract has expired.

If you were an author, and you wrote what you thought was the best book of all time, wouldn't you want to retain the rights after the contract was over? I sure as hell would.

These are the negative facts about Publish America:

-They overcharge for the book (if a tyipical book about that length for that genre would cost around $12, they might sell the novel for $18).

-They do not advertise for the novel at all, whatsoever.

-They lie about their business address. They have a fictional address printed in their novels, whereas their website and their contract states their real address.

These are the positive facts about Publish America:

-The author never pays a cent for the book to get published.

-The author retains the books rights after the contract expires.

-During the contract, the book is available on-line at ANY bookstore website.

-The book can be un-edited, verbatum, word for word what the author wants it to say (find that option at another publishing company).

So, if you are going to smack talk Publish America, at least state the facts and not some bias half-ass unexplained bland statement of opinionated crap.