In a previous thread, I discussed how much money I made form my writing and many people chimed with the fact that I was above average in sales.

The number of people here who have misconceptions about publishing is rather astonishing.

Let's get some things straight, first.

1. Money flows toward the author, always. Never send money to a publisher.

2. Publishers, no matter how small, have a vested interest in placing their books in bookstores. That's where the action is. "Available to" is not the same as "available in". A reader should able to walk in and find your book on their bookstore's shelf.

3. A publisher sending repeated solicitation emails to their authors is not interested in bookstore sales. They are interested in primarily selling to their authors. The definition of vanity press, as published by the Horror Writers Association, of which I am a member, and the Science Fiction Writers of America, is a vanity press is a publisher interested in only selling books back to their authors. PublishAmerica is a vanity press.

4. Google Radom House + scam or Signet Books + Scam. Compare this to PublishAmerica + Scam.

I mentioned I made $70,000 last year on book and some people said I was making above what the average author makes. Do any of you know how much an average author makes? Except for Dick Stodghill, I bet none of you know. Go ahead, guess.

Do you know how many books an author published with a vanity press like PublishAmerica sells? 75 copies. For my first book, when I was a unknown, my publisher sent out that many books free to reviewers.

There is nothing wrong with being happy with PublishAmerica, there is, however this fact: PublishAmerica does not count as a professional writing credit and your book will not be on a bookstore shelves unless you, the author, beg the local bookstore manager to shelve it there.

The way forward is easy: write another, better book and place with a publisher that will put it on bookstore shelves across the country. Accept no less. Don't you think your hard work at writing a novel is worth more than a $1? I do.

I agree. I think my book is worth more than a $1. People say, "I don't write for money". Okay, what do you write for? Don't you write for the joy of it? Don't you want to share your work with the world? That means bookstore placement.

I have a mid list author friend who is well regarded in the fantasy genre. He makes about 40k a year. Is that average?

More of the same BS. Who cares?

LMAO

I'm slamming anyone's publisher. I am, however, speaking only the truth and will continue to do so.

kdu,

As an established author, you could provide help here--if you wished--telling people what steps you took to move from an unknown to a person who can live off his/her writing income.

That would be more helpful than denouncing those of us who have had books published by one or more of the self-publishing companies. How to move forward from a self-published book would helpful information to have.

You could also consider using your real name so we can learn more about your career.

My two cents.

Malcolm

I am getting ready to walk out the door but had to address this thread.

As a small publisher it is true that we need to get the book on the store shelves for our authors. And, as a small publisher, that is difficult but not impossible.

Not all books have the same selling potential as others. Not all authors make the same amount of money. Publishing and getting published has become a cut-throat business. Any publisher worth their salt works FOR their author as well as themselves.

Some people write only for the money. Some write because they have to or want to see their name in print. The money then becomes second in the equation.

Evidently, kdu, you have been blessed. I would love to know the name of your book, your publisher, how many books you sold in one year to reach the amount of money you claim to have reached. Was it all through book sales or was there other components such as presentations, etc.? You left a lot out of your initial posting.

I believe that all of the publishing companies have a place in the world of publishing. There are a lot of reasons for lack of success with one publisher over another. If all authors had a problem with one publisher, then I would say run for the hills. However, mixed success doesn't make a bad publisher. It makes an uneducated author who entered into a contract with blinders on.

So the moral is not the publisher but the author. A traditional publisher, by all means, is always better as the author
doesn't have to pay. However, for many, many, many reasons authors
choose NOT to go that route. So they need to weigh all the pros and
cons: not rush into something as most authors do. The author needs to read and UNDERSTAND the contracts they sign. They need to KNOW what they want FOR their book and find a publisher that can deliver that in the means they can afford.

I don't embrace Publish America (but then I have never used them) but I
don't bash them either. They fit where they are needed as we all do.

kdu,

If I were published by your publisher would I be afraid to post my name and mention my books on a forum?

What did you do today that was exceptional?

I went out to Llangoed Hall for lunch with my husband and his administrative assistant (his treat):

http://www.llangoedhall.com/home.php

Why would I envy you? No matter how good your life is, I would guess that my life is better.

KDU
You made some valid points, none of which are new.
I don’t think there is any author who would not like to see their books in stores. We all know that the PA marketing strategy is selling to their authors. Not all PA authors understood that when they signed on, but that does not change the facts. Most moved on and don’t need to be reminded that they may have been misled or made a mistake. Intelligent people learn and move on.
How much you earn is no concern to any of us. Boasting about ones income is shallow especially when there is no way of proving it.
I could sign onto a forum, use a fictitious name, claim I’m a billionaire, feel
superior in some way, and no one could prove otherwise. I could do that if I were insecure and felt the need to impress.
Providing helpful information, getting involved in discussions is welcomed. So why not start over. Post under your real name, whoever you are, let us get to know you. You will find that when others pat your back it feels better than doing it yourself. Your record will speak for itself.

Deleted

kdu, I hope you'll post again and let us get to know you and your writing.

KDU - Every cent I have earned for more tham 40 years has come from writing. I know some writers who have million dollar contracts, dozens who make less than that but earn a comfortable living from writing. Not one of them would hide behind initials. No one succeeds that way. So before anyone is going to pay one iota of attention to you, state your name and the name of your book(s). Until you do that, people will merely laugh at you. Don't come up with some phoney excuse for not doing so. No one will believe you if you try that.