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Mention
your book, the plot, and the characters, and people start to show
interest. Tell them it’s put out by Publish America, and suddenly
you’re talking to thin air. A lot of negative rumors are running around
about PA. I’m not really here to defend Publish America as much as to
explain away some of the myths and give you personal insights I’ve had
working with them.
Rescue Ship
Publish America is a rescue ship
for certain authors, which is one of the marks against the company.
“They’ll publish anything,” some people have written me. Well, not
exactly true, although close. If you aren’t sure about your writing,
you don’t need a rescue ship. You need it critiqued and to do some
rewriting, maybe a lot of rewriting. Publish America may publish a work
that hasn’t been polished, as they did mine, and that can hurt you
rather than help. Beware of “rescue ships.”
Sinking Vessel
Others point to Publish America
as a POD press and not a legitimate publisher. These same people also
charge that PA will publish anything. The truth is most publishers use
POD (print on demand) technology because it is more cost effective.
Other considerations is the suggested retail price is usually very
high, competitively speaking, and you only get about five free copies,
barely enough to thank your reviewers and certainly not enough to help
with marketing. However, I would argue against PA’s being a sinking
vessel. You have to realize what their limitations are.
Floating Raft
Perhaps the best analogy I can
give is that Publish America provides unknown writers with a “floating
raft.” It is neither sinking nor a true rescue ship, but it does get
authors’ names and their work out on a large scale. In this sense,
Publish America can be a useful tool. Like a raft, you can use Publish
America to stay afloat and to get your name recognized while waiting
for your ship to come in.
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Points
to Ponder
Publish America is not, I repeat
not, a self-publishing
company. They are not considered a simple POD publisher. They have
their own press. Publish America has a contract with several chains,
including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Borders. And, with Barnes
& Noble at least, they do have a buy-back policy, something
many other publishers don’t have; however, they tend to be more than a
bit pricey (my 300-plus page novel retails for $24.95, while I’ve seen
comparable novels selling for $10 or less). They do have a “fast track”
publishing option, meaning you can opt to skip the editorial process
and go right to press. This is something I would caution against unless
you are absolutely certain your book is without any mistakes.
You are will run into problems
with the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA) because Publish
America does not meet their standards. As such, it may be difficult to
get your book toured. Some places will tour your book and some fabulous
writers, such as Michelle Sutton, will help open doors for you even
then. Just remember, it’s not a ship you’ll be on, just a raft, a
temporary solution. Viewing it as anything more than that can be
costly.
And
now the commercial: Michelle
said I could push my book here, so I’m not going to pass up on that.
Every little bit helps.
The 3rd Covenant
by David Brollier opens with the bayonet murder of a Catholic priest in
Manhattan’s Chinatown. Detective Nat Adams and CSI May K. Wish are
called in to solve the case. This murder is but the beginning of a
purge that seems to be orchestrated by an ex-convict who started his
own cult, the Church of the 3rd Covenant. As the death toll mounts, Nat
Adams struggles with his Christianity. When the Bishop makes things
personal, Nat’s temper is tested. Nat and May must race to solve the
crime and find the murderer before he kills again.
This Christian-based book is a
fast-action ride with some interesting side notes. It has been called
“CSI meets Jackie Chan” and “CSI meets Law and Order.” A.P. Fuchs,
author of Axiom-man, says, “David Brollier is hard-core.” If you like a
mystery, you will love The 3rd Covenant (just ask
Michelle).
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