No comments about Harold F. Silver: Western Inventor, Businessman and Civic Leader.

No comments about The Best of Times: On Becoming a Book Publisher.

No comments about The Railway King: A Biography of George Hudson, Railway Pioneer and Fraudster.

No comments about Josiah Tucker, Economist: A Study In The History Of Economics.

2 comments about Recording My Life.

1. An excellent story of a Isabella Wallich's extraordinary life, both personally and professionally.



2. This is a personal history of a woman who through her uncle,the great impressario Fred Gaisberg, came to know many of the major
   clasical musicians of the pre-war years in Europe. Her stories are fascinating in their portrayal of the artists as real people. This background lead her on to form her own recording company and demonstates her ambition to help younge and talented musicians and to record and promote great music. Well worth reading by the serious musical student and historian.

No comments about Bonds of Enterprise: John Murray Forbes and Western Development in America's Railway Age.

No comments about The Cartwrights of San Augustine: Three Generations of Agrarian Entrepreneurs in Nineteenth Century Texas.

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 Jetway Joshua (aka Carl Lewis Lodjic): Four Score and Twenty.

2 comments about The Man from Enterprise: The Story of John B. Amos, Founder of Aflac.

1. This book is one of the best book's I've had the pleasure of reading. What a great American!



2. This is a great book about the life of a great American. If you have doubts and fears about seeing your dreams become realities, this book will be very encouraging for you. I now work for the company John Amos founded (AFLAC), and I assure you, that your life plans can be changed by learning his life story.