StuffedToy, if you have some time on your hands, why not join me over in http://p197.ezboard.com/fabsolutewritefrm3.showMessage?topicID=257.topic, a thread I'm running on another board specifically about writing commercial novels. It's long -- over 2000 posts -- but I think it has some good material.

james;

Dropped in for a few minutes. Just read a few entries. You're very entertaining.
Added it to my favorites, so I'll be back. Thanks for the invitation.

Someone is posting critical messages in the guestbooks of PA authors using Willem Meiners' email address. It appears that a number of PA authors didn't recognize his name or realize he's the president of PA. They fired off their own replies to him stating what they thought of the guestbook postings.

How do you know this, Dave?

And, for the record, I think that posting attacks in PA authors' guestbooks and as reviews on Amazon is really dumb.

Someone inside furnished me with the information.

I can't say that I know what you're talking about, but what I can say is that there seems to be no measure of how low some people will stoop to, to dishearten people.
In the famous words of Forrest Gump- "that's all I've got to say about that."

The only thing I've seen concerning that was a thread at the PA forums where a guy was asking how to delete an entry from his guestbook. He copied the entry into his post, and it was pretty much a "I won't buy your book because it's been published by PublishAmerica, check out these sites" along with links to, among other places, the thread at absolute write. PA swooped in a few hours later and deleted the post (getting scared, I suppose).

Stuffedtoy, keep in mind that these sorts of things happen regularly at PA when writers start to wander away from their grasp. The next thing you know, all the writers are repeating loyalty oaths to PA and shutting up others who are asking real questions about PA's activities. A few outspoken individuals get banned if necessary to make everyone toe the line once more. Then the whole parade meanders down the street behind PA's horses.

I'm having to log in three or four times before it will let me post. What's up with that???
I have seen where someone is sending E mails, but the contents and the sender are a mystery to me. I made an inquiring post there last night and it disappeared, so being the persistant fool that I am... I did it again. In truth, I rarely get involved with saying anything- with a few exceptions, I am more of a recluse when it comes to telling everyone every little thing that happens. I can understand their excitment- but up untill recently, no one had a clue that I even existed.- Until I opened my website up for books.
But there is also some helpful information posted on those boards- which is what I look for.
I do have a question(s) for those of you who have experienced other publishing contracts... what percentage do you get paid? and generally speaking what type of advances do you get? Is this subtracted from your percentage? And is that percentage from the actual sale of the book to the public? Or is it from the discounted sale to the stores themselves?
Hey I spend at least 13 hours a day with (BIC) :) cute!

Taking it one at a time:

My royalties have ranged from 2% (that was for a packaged work-for-hire movie tie-in under a pseudonym) up to 15%. Most commonlythey've been in the 12% to 15% range.

My advances have ranged from $2,000 (my first novel, before I had an agent) up to $75K (for a six book YA series). Most recent advance was $40K.

What do you mean "subtracted from your percentage"? These are advances against royalties. It's like any loan. I don't get a royalty check until the advances are paid back. After that, royalties come in every six months, April and November.

Heck yeah, royalties are always figured on the cover price. If you're getting royalties on the discounted price to the store (AKA "net"), then those aren't standard royalties at all. Royalties based on net are an invitation to abuse. I'd advise anyone to avoid any publisher that tries to pull that malarkey.

......

Stuffed Toy: The list of how they pay you on what is reallllly long--there are alot of categories you probably don't think of but they do and %s vary on those categories. Some pay on net, some on gross...etc, etc.

First serial rights, 2nd and subsequent, paperback, mass market, educational, one shot rights, book club, etc. Mostly you just end up dealing with trade paperback and trade hardcovers, at least for me. Later when you book gets older or sales drop, then they start getting rid of it in other markets. 12% on net receipts for first 25,000 copies, then 15% on paperback, 12% on net for the first 3,000 hardbacks, then 15%.

Dont get me started on my pissy advance...there is a thread somewhere about my tantrums about that! (Not good, not good). Your advance is deducted from your first royalty check unless you got such a HUGE advance (and then please tell me how you did it) then they will subtract it from a couple of royalty checks. Other things also get subtracted from you check--postage, marketing costs, etc.

I was just wondering how that worked. I've seen several postings on the PA board asking that question- so I thought I'd pass it along.
I would think that it would take awhile to pay back $40,000. Eke!
Obviously, you've been quite successful.

Well, mine are on net receipts. Good to hear (not now though) that that's NOT a good way to go. James, I'm hiring you to negiotiate my next book deal--you did a hell of alot better than I did!! Good going!

Any publisher you want to be dealing with not only publishes you for FREE, but they pay you for the privilege. Not just a token buck, either.

So you're saying that PA is better than an out-and-out vanity publisher like Xlibris or Vantage because they don't charge you (much) up front? They make it up on the back side. In what other way are they better?

If all you want is to hold a copy of your book in your hand with your name on the cover, then PA is probably the way to go. If you're looking for readers, though, you should be going in another direction.

Tell you what -- a year from now come back and list what you've paid out of pocket for your PA experience and how many readers you've found, then tell me that you didn't go with a vanity press.

Why do I care what you do with your time and money? Believe it or not, I care about you and about your book. I'm assuming that you've written a book worth reading. I want you to find your readers. And I don't want you to go broke in the meantime.

I would certainly suggest that all new PA authors wait a while after their first book comes out, to see how all the rosy-glasses wishful thinking compares with reality, before they submit a second or third book to PA.