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'''PublishAmerica''' is a [[Maryland]]-based [[Print on demand|print-on-demand]] book [[publisher]] founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners (born [[Amsterdam]] 6 January 1949).
'''PublishAmerica''' is a [[Maryland]]-based [[vanity press]] founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners (born [[Amsterdam]] 6 January 1949).


It has been the subject of debate between supporters and critics for some time now because it has been accused of being a [[vanity press]] or [[author mill]] by some writers and authors' advocates,<ref name="APArticle">{{cite news | first = Hillel | last = Italie | title =Critics and supporters debate success of fast-rising PublishAmerica| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05022/446283.stm | work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date = 2005-01-22 | accessdate = 2007-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20|title=Making Books|last=Span|first=Paula|date=January 23, 2005|work=Washington Post|page=BW08|accessdate=2009-02-04}}</ref> despite its claims to be a "traditional" [[advance against royalties|advance]]- and [[Royalties|royalty]]-paying publisher.
It has been the subject of debate between supporters and critics for some time now because it has been accused of being a [[vanity press]] or [[author mill]] by some writers and authors' advocates,<ref name="APArticle">{{cite news | first = Hillel | last = Italie | title =Critics and supporters debate success of fast-rising PublishAmerica| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05022/446283.stm | work = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date = 2005-01-22 | accessdate = 2007-08-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20|title=Making Books|last=Span|first=Paula|date=January 23, 2005|work=Washington Post|page=BW08|accessdate=2009-02-04}}</ref> despite its claims to be a "traditional" [[advance against royalties|advance]]- and [[Royalties|royalty]]-paying publisher.

Revision as of 03:56, 8 November 2009

PublishAmerica is a Maryland-based vanity press founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners (born Amsterdam 6 January 1949).

It has been the subject of debate between supporters and critics for some time now because it has been accused of being a vanity press or author mill by some writers and authors' advocates,[1][2] despite its claims to be a "traditional" advance- and royalty-paying publisher.

History

The current executive director of PublishAmerica is Miranda Prather. In 2004, Prather claimed that 80% of authors who submitted manuscripts to the house were rejected, and that the house had "30 full-time editors" with plans to expand.[3]

In June 2005, PublishAmerica published How To Upset a Goliath Book Biz: PublishAmerica: The Inside Story of an Underdog with a Bite by Willem Meiners detailing how the company started. As per Amazon.com, the book has been met with mixed reviews, some reviewers claiming the book is filled with comments and quotes that insult the very authors PA has worked with.

In August 2005, PublishAmerica was sued by Encyclopædia Britannica for trademark violation over PublishAmerica's PublishBritannica imprint. The matter was settled out of court,[4] with PublishAmerica agreeing to stop using the "PublishBritannica" name.[5]

In late September 2005, PublishAmerica announced its books would be returnable by the bookseller if they failed to sell, a standard practice among other commercial publishers. The announcement stated that this applied to "all" of its books, though it noted that there would be "a few exceptions initially" and that the offer would apply to United States booksellers only.[6] That statement is no longer available on PA's site, however, and they currently only say that "many of our books are returnable."[7] As of October, 2008, any PublishAmerica book ordered through any Barnes & Noble outlet must be paid for in advance. While attempts have been made to physically return PublishAmerica books, to date, no money has been refunded for their purchase.

For a time in 2008, PublishAmerica books—while remaining listed on Amazon.com—were not sold by Amazon. Amazon was attempting to push print-on-demand publishers (not just PA) to use the Amazon-owned BookSurge printing service.[8][9]

Criticism

Critics charge that PA's contracts and practices prove the company is a vanity press.[10] PA pays a nominal US$1 advance to its authors, provides minimal editing and provides few of the services handled by trade publishing, including retail distribution, marketing and media relations. Disgruntled authors told Publishers Weekly that PA did not pay royalties owed to them, sold books it no longer had any rights to sell, set unreasonably high list prices and lower-than-average discounts for authors to buy their own books and either neglected or failed to place books into bookstores.[3]

PublishAmerica's Prather dismissed authors' criticisms, saying book prices reflected "what the market would bear" and that "we don't control the bookstores in the country."[3][11] Other PublishAmerica authors have spoken out in support of the publisher, denying it is a vanity press and highlighting the opportunities it gives to unpublished authors.[12]

Acceptance of hoax manuscripts

In an attempt to demonstrate a lack of editorial oversight at PublishAmerica, several authors have written "sting" manuscripts. For instance, in December 2004, PublishAmerica agreed to publish the novel Atlanta Nights, which was later revealed to be a hoax.[13][14] PublishAmerica also accepted another author's manuscript which featured the same 30 pages repeated ten times.[13]

Arbitration

In December 2005 PublishAmerica author Philip Dolan, who had spent between US$7,000 and $13,000 promoting his book[15] only to find that no book stores were able to order copies of it, took PublishAmerica to arbitration for breach of contract. Mr. Dolan also alleged accounting irregularites; despite a clause in his contract allowing him to inspect PublishAmerica's accounts, his accountant was denied access, and Dolan received royalties for fewer copies of his book than he was able to account for having sold himself. He was awarded an unspecified amount in compensation for PublishAmerica's breach of contract, and his contract was rescinded.[16] Due to this case, newer PublishAmerica contracts now specify any legal dissatisfaction must be handled through the Maryland State Courts. Publish America contracts previously had restricted legal challenges to arbitration only.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Italie, Hillel (2005-01-22). "Critics and supporters debate success of fast-rising PublishAmerica". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
  2. ^ Span, Paula (January 23, 2005). "Making Books". Washington Post. p. BW08. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  3. ^ a b c Zeitchik, Steven (2004-11-22). "Authors allege publisher deception". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
  4. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (August 30, 2005). "On Vanity Press, Now It's Not Just America". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  5. ^ Staff writer (2005-10-03). ""Britannica breaks copycat's spell"". The Times. p. 26. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  6. ^ PublishAmerica makes its books returnable
  7. ^ PublishAmerica FAQ
  8. ^ Carvajal, Doreen (16 June 2008). "Small Publishers Feel Power of Amazon's 'Buy' Button". New York Times.
  9. ^ Metz, Cade (31 March 2008). "Amazon smacks little people with BookSurge". The Register. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  10. ^ Buck, Tara (30 January 2005). "PublishAmerica: A friendly biz, or an author's nightmare?". Frederick News-Post. Randall Family, LLC. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  11. ^ Susan Paganini (2004-06-24). "Paperback writer". San Antonio Current. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  12. ^ Keenan, John (2005-10-09). "No vanity, author provides own press". Omaha World-Herald. p. 10AT. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  13. ^ a b "SF Authors Sting Publisher". Sci Fi Wire. February 16, 2005. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; February 17, 2005 suggested (help)
  14. ^ "Publisher Defends Hoax Charges". Sci Fi Wire. February 17, 2005. Archived from the original on August 6, 2009. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; February 18, 2005 suggested (help)
  15. ^ Bosworth, Martin (August 9, 2005). "Aspiring Writers Trash PublishAmerica". ConsumerAffairs.com. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  16. ^ Harwood, Bridgette (March 25, 2006). "PublishAmerica must pay up". Frederick News-Post. Randall Family, LLC. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
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