The always excellent Writer Beware newsletter alerts us to a strategy being used by PublishAmerica to lure people to publish using their services. If you order a set number of books, they promise to send a copy to celebrities, producers, agents--they name Tom Hanks, Oprah, DreamWorks, etc.
Hey, if you pay me, I can do that, too. I don't know any of those people, but it's easy enough to stuff your book into an envelope and address it to Oprah. Will she (or the mail room at her company) pay any attention? What do you think? Does PublishAmerica have better connections will these people than I do? What do you think?
Their new wheeze is to promise this, in connection with the Edinburgh Book Festival: "We will bring your book to the attention of Harry Potter's author next week while our delegation is in her hometown, and ask her to read it and to tell us and you what she thinks. Tell her what you think: in the Ordering Instructions box write your own note for JK Rowling, max. 50-100 words. We will include your note in our presentation for her!" They also suggested authors buy ad space in a catalogue that would go to big name publishers at the Festival.
The Festival says it has no connection whatsoever with PublishAmerica, and sent a cease and desist letter. PublishAmerica said, in essence, we never said it would lead to anything, we just said we'd put their books in a catalogue we pass out at the Festival, so go away.
And J. K. Rowling...is she waiting with bated breath to read those 50-100 words. Once again, what do you think?
For shame, PublishAmerica, for shame.
