1 comments about Domino's Mansion: Thomas Monaghan, Gunnar Birkerts, and the Spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright.

1. Great story of one of our time's best architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, & his building of the Domino's Mansion in a way that was harmonious with nature. Easy to read, lots of great photos as well. Excellent book.

3 comments about Tillman Franks: I Was There When It Happened.

1. This is one of those books that is long overdue. I was just beginning in radio when I first met Tillman Franks. It was through this legendary bass-fiddle player, personal manager of super stars, songwriter and country music promoter ... all-in-one ... that I met most of those mentioned in this book. Tillman was not only "there when it happened" ... in many instances, he was responsible for many good things in country music "happening" in the first place! It was through Tillman that I first met Elvis. I would appear on several show with 'Old El'. It was also Tillman who introduced me to Johnny Horton, David Houston and so many others. Although I never met my idol, Hank Williams, Sr., Tillman Franks was also responsible for much of Hank's super stardom. This book, written in the easy, Louisiana speaking style of the author, not only takes you backstage with so many legends, it takes you to the dressing rooms! Yes, Tillman was there when it happened ... and I'm glad he was. You don't have to be a fan of country music to enjoy this very good book. It's musical history, told by a man who belongs in our Country Music Hall-of-Fame ... which will eventually "happen", of course.



2. This book was so easy to read and I really could not put it down until I was finished! Tillman Franks did a great job of telling his story and it is absolutely fascinating. I can highly recommend this book!



3. I attended this book's release party, which was also a birthday party for Tillman Franks. It was a wonderful day, filled with great music. As Faron Young's biographer, I made many contacts who were later helpful to me. Franks wrote an important story, and I enjoyed reading about all the familiar names. What detracted from the book was its lack of editing--numerous typos and other errors. Still, it contains much valuable information about people like Jerry Kennedy, Glenn Sutton, David Houston, Johnny Horton, Claude King, and many others.

1 comments about Wooden Bazooka.

1. Read it. This a riveting eye witness account of life in eastern Germany during Hitler's rise, World War II and the post war Communist years. It is a valuable historical memoir of these times as well as the early years of Silicon Valley. But it is much more. The author was captured twice, tortured, "tried" and imprisoned for over two years for nothing more than trying to escape the oppression of an insane government. A fascinating mix of risk-taking free thinker and meticulously trained optical and mechanical engineer, the author fought his way to the United States and pursued his fortune in start-up electronics ventures. Whether or not you agree with everything he has to say, this is a brilliant man with a direct and fast-moving writing style. You will not be able to put it down.

5 comments about How To Upset a Goliath Book Biz: PublishAmerica: The Inside Story of an Underdog with a Bite.

1. Very few topics seem to evoke as much emotion, as much debate, and as much writing, as how one should or should not go about selling what they've written.
   
   This book, the topic of book publishing in general, and the role which PublishAmerica seeks to carve out for itself, waste no time in sparking such conversations, and it seems therefore that one could do worse than pay attention to what's involved here -- as something important may actually be taking place.
   
   Disclaimer: Having done the advance research for myself, I chose to publish with PublishAmerica. The book is "Las Cruces," it's available at Amazon and many other places (and coincidentally maintains a higher Amazon sales ranking than the PublishAmerica/Goliath/Underdog book discussed herein).
   
   What many people don't get, is that PublishAmerica's approach is anything but novel (pardon the pun). For example, when Lewis and Clark finished their expedition, it cost Lewis $5000 to get his book published back then, and he received no advance payments. However, he was free to sell his books for whatever price they might fetch, and keep the proceeds for himself. That was simply the way books got published.
   
   Since then, publishing has gotten to be big business, and high stakes. Thus, major companies constantly look for the "next big thing," and milk what they can out of every author in their stable. Unfortunately, they place so few bets, compared to the number of books written each year, that many good books (and admittedly, many horrible ones) get turned away without significant consideration. This is simply the nature of that end of the business, and there's nothing inherently wrong with operating that way.
   
   On the other end of the spectrum, over where Meriwether Lewis was, one can simply pay a printer to put to paper any form of genius or drivel, and then go out and hawk it as best one can.
   
   PublishAmerica's approach, as elaborated in the book, drives more or less up the center of these two approaches. They care to get a certain level of quality, they do offer editorial assistance (with caveats), they do assist in certain marketing functions (more caveats, to follow), they do put out a quality product, and they do not charge the author to get a book published.
   
   Now, the caveats:
   
   First, PA's editorial assistance does not entail having someone re-write bad prose into good, or other sorts of alchemy. Some people have mentioned to me that they've seen PA books that seemed to be awfully rough and poorly edited. I'm sure that's the case, since they offer to allow books to go unedited, if that's the author's preference. So, if someone sends in garbage, garbage generally comes back out. However, PA's rationale for doing this, is that they do not demand to change the voice of the author. I frankly love Cormac McCarthy's books, in part because the unique absence of classical editing. Their spare sentences. And punctuation.
   
   Second, with regard to marketing, PA's approach is probably not so different than that of traditional publishers. They get a lot of books into online book sellers, and they do a press release. Getting onto the top of the stack on the first table inside the doors of Barnes & Noble -- they don't achieve very often. By "they," I mean PA AND also the big publishing houses. It's a one in a million shot for any author to get the limelight and the seven figure advance, no matter who publishes their work.
   
   I have no regrets with having chosen PA to publish my book. It looks nice, they met their promises and obligations, their approach was well organized. In fact, it was quite business like, and the PA staff were always very cordial. "Las Cruces" materialized at the major online booksellers' sites, as they indicated it would; when people buy it, it gets printed and distributed without any problems; and I've never been asked by PA to spend a single dollar with them on anything.
   
   From there, the marketplace will solely determine whether it has commercial merits.
   
   In summary, I would say suggest that it isn't all that useful to debate the merits of competing business models for the publishing industry, and instead realize that there is ample room for more than one.



2. This is an all-time low. Of all the dirty, sleazy, slimy, bottom-of-the-food-chain stunts to pull, Willem Meiners, CEO of PublishAmerica, a.k.a. PA, had the chutzpah to write a book about how his publishing company is a "captivating pioneer" of the publishing industry. Well, if he considers selling THREE books in about a year-and-a-half timeframe captivating or pioneering, then I guess I can't argue with the definition of his meaningless coined phrase "traditional publisher" either.
   
   Yes, my PublishAmerica novel, released February 2005, has sold a captivating three copies to date. I can provide the names of my close friends who bought the copies against my warnings of the inferior quality of the finished product. Yet, PublishAmerica refuses to rescind my seven year contract with them; though I've made repeated requests for them to do so. Now let's see here, my PublishAmerica novel averages one sale roughly every six months. Assuming the novel maintains its pioneering sales record, without any bookstore worth its bricks-and-mortar willing to stock a PublishAmerica book mind you, over a period of seven years that comes to a whopping fourteen sales. That's...that's...that's...Oh, what's a good synonym for embarrassing? Mr. Meiners, is this the way a captivating pioneer of the publishing industry does business?
   
   All in all, I must admit I'm one of the luckier PublishAmerica authors. Like all other PublishAmerica authors, I paid $30.00 out-of-pocket to copyright my PA novel and, upon printing my novel, PublishAmerica sent me two complimentary author's copies (riddled with typos that weren't in my original manuscript, I might add) at a cover price of $24.95 each. Oh and, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the $1.00 symbolic advance. So if I've done the math correctly, I came out $20.90 ahead. Or as I prefer to look at it:
   
   Symbolic Advance from PublishAmerica: $1.00
   Two complimentary author's copies: $49.90
   Learning the truth about PublishAmerica's captivating and pioneering tactics before wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars purchasing my own overpriced, inferior quality books that I'd have to pimp myself: PRICELESS
   
   P.S. I gave you one star for having the nerve to call yourselves "captivating pioneers" of the publishing industry. That made me laugh.



3. As a new and excited author just signed to Publish Amercia, I was excited to read about "The Inside Story" from Publish America's point of view. Even though I was a new author , I was not know to sales, marketing and management. They had all been a point of my life for over twenty five years. But becoming a new published author was new to me and becoming one of a Publishing Company I had heard so many different things about was going to be a challenge that I welcomed.
   
   I was excited when I received my copy of, How to Ypset A Goliath Book Biz." I remember sitting back with my cup of coffee to see just what Publish America was all about. I first was amaazed by the introduction by Larry Clopper, the president himself!!! In my oinion he was open and honest from the start about the Publishing Market and it's views in comparison to Publish America's future venture in Print-On-Demand Marketing. He even brought up a point that I knew was a door opener having worked in the cable industry when Pay Per View was first launched. I think for me what this introduction did made my eyes become wide opened for my journey to come.
   
   As I read the entire book and read about the story of Publish America, I just smiled knowing so much of what I was reading was true. I had actually written my book, Feelings ten years ago and Publish America had not existed then. What I decided to do since I had just signed my agreement was to use this book as my reference and guide along my publishing journey. Then I would know first hand for myself. And so I did. Everystep of my journey I would refernce back and forthe through this book to see if what was written really happened. Well, I can only speak for myself in saying, all happened written in this book for me and just the way it was stated and more. Actually, it was this book that helped me know exactly what to expect so I didn't have to wonder. I even used the chapter to let me know exactly about the editing process, "Dotting the I's, Crossing the T's." I was just so pleased even at the end to be able to find other author names that I had become familiar with.
   
   I just want to end this review in saying, Thank You Publish America for publishing my book ans providing the support along the way including a great reference tool such as this book. In my opinion , I feel all should read this book excially all new authors coming in because you many question I know will be answered. For me, I knew exactly what to expect and have gotten much more than I ever could have expected.
   
   Tempie
   Author of Feelings
   ISBN# 1-4241-0706-7



4. As stated by another reviewer, much of the info in this book is poorly written and said in ways that can be both insulting and also build up this publisher to be something it is not. It is not salvation for "unpublishable authors". Poorly said sir. I'm familiar with PA and it can be a good service for newbies to the publishing world. It can be good for those new authors that are "unfamiliar with the inner workings of the publishing industry". Maybe that would be a better way to describe the authors that have utilized PA as an option for getting their first book published. Instead, you manage to belittle those authors. Hence, you on several occasions, defeat the purpose of your book--you belittle the authors and the publisher with poorly written statements throughout the book. I don't believe that was the author's intent, but once you've written a statement and published it, it is there forever.
   
   All in all, my opinion is simply that more thought should have given to many of your statements in the book as they do no justice for PA nor the authors (of whom many are simply new authors...not unpublishable) and I do imagine you may have in fact actually turned some new authors away and clearly, based on some of the reviews, have probably generated some bad press.



5. ...is that anyone who reads this and considers submitting their work to Publish America will do their research before they sign any contract. Remember, rabid dogs also bite.

No comments about Commodore Vanderbilt.

2 comments about The Ultimate Entrepreneur.

1. For those who got into computing before the DEC (Digital Equipment Corp) and Compaq's merge, DEC's VAX/VMS, Alpha processor, elegant workstation and notebooks are way too familiar. This book gives an insight to the making of Digital. Ken Olsen and his people who took a $70,000 investment and turn Digital into to a Fortune 50 company worth over $25 billion.

   This is not today's silicon valley IPO thriller that an unprofitable company is worth $50 billion overnight. This is a book about a company in a competitive emerging market that survived and thrived.

   Digital has an irreplacable place in computer history. When IBM missed the minicomputer trend, Digital took it. Then both missed the PC trend (first IBM, then Digital). When Apple's order processing system run out of capacity, they was put on wait list for Digital's PDP-11.

   It is an interesting reading for anyone who is interested in computer business and history in general. Even if you are not going to become an entrepreneur in the computer business. The lessons in the book can be invaluable.




2. The book was written with perfect mistiming. In 1987-8. DEC's share price hit its all time peak in 87. At that time, DEC was doing superbly. It hired the QE2 for its 87 shareholders' meeting. And Ken Olsen was lauded by many as a genius. If you read this book, keep in mind that it reflects quite accurately the time in which it was written.
   
   For some of us who grew up using DEC's machines, the PDPs, DEC system 10, Vaxes and microVaxes, the book is a sad dirge. It accurately depicts that DEC missed out on the PC revolution. What DEC and the authors did not anticipate is how the PC market would grow and grow. So too, albeit on a smaller scale, the workstation market. DEC's workstation offerings were inferior to Sun's, and Sun ate their lunch. And DEC never had any significant PC-level machines. You can see in the book mention of workstations and PCs. But the trends continued after the book was published.
   
   Yes, Ken Olsen was a genius. He successfully noticed the gap in IBM's product line, and created the minicomputer market. But he and DEC did not transition to workstations and PCs. These would eventually led to DEC's demise. Now in 2006, to call Olsen the Ultimate Entrepreneur would be seen as risible.

No comments about Letters of David Ricardo to Hutches Trower and Others: 1811-1823.

No comments about The Lives of the Chief Justices of England: From the Norman Conquest till the Death of Lord Mansfield. Volume 3.

No comments about Penguin Special: The Story of Allen Lane, the Founder of Penguin Books and the Man Who Changed Publishing Forever.

No comments about Fox & co..