P.N. ELROD WATCH – STATUS: Elevated
P.N. Elrod: “I was about to warn a writer against going with PublishAmerica, then checked his profile. He’s cozy in bed with something I consider to be a hate group/cult/stupid bigots’ club. PublishAmerica is the *PERFECT* place for an asshat’s words! 
(Facebook, July 31, 2011.)
(Facebook, July 31, 2011.)P.N. Elrod: “ If I’d wanted to name the group I would have done so. You think I want them sniffing around my page? They have search bots in place! (Facebook, July 31, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: ”PublishAmerica authors: personal information may not be safe according to a former employee. ‘The database program they use is not secure.<>Your name, social security number, all credit card info, <> available to all employees.<> It is a gold mine for people who specialize in ID theft.’ ” (Facebook Posting, June 29, 2011)
P. N. Elrod: “Xlibris is not only a poor to lousy to really, really BAD choice for self-pubbers, I found I should charge .12 a word to edit, not my bargain rate of only .01 a word! Check it out!” (Facebook Posting, June 27, 2011)
P. N. Elrod: “Tate, Dorrance, Trafford, & others take the weekend off, but PublishAmerica doesn’t. They still send the “we want to give your book the chance it deserves” mail. Always do a background check before signing that contract! Google “PublishAmerica” + “complaints” to get the dish!” (Facebook Posting, June 26, 2011)
P. N. Elrod: “Peeps, I know you love me, but please stop sending “LinkedIn” spam. If you want a cover quote write to my agent. The addy is on my website. Expect me to say no, because I looked up your book and you wasted your work on PublishAmerica. Eeeee!” (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: I know. Said writer is apparently “shotgunning” pro-published writers hoping for a boost. It’s a writer in my general genre who didn’t read my website and see all the warnings. PublishAmerica is to writers what strip mining is to the landscape.’’ (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Still warning writers not to waste money, time, and books on useless venues like PublishAmerica, Tate, Trafford, Dorrance, AuthorHouse & Xlibris. If you want your book in a store–AVOID them and their pay-to-publish sales pitches.” (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: ”Go forth, warn others. Cite your sources with links to search results like “iuniverse” + “complaints” or “rip off“
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/iuniverse-a59622.html.” (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/iuniverse-a59622.html.” (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: ”Ed–if you google “book publishers” you’ll find 99% of the search results will be scams, vanities and self-publishing operations. Until you have a 101 on how professional publishing is supposed to work, they will cheerfully take your money and lie about getting your book into a store. If you call shenanigans on them they just say “You should have read the website more carefully.” It’s never *their* fault that a writer gets ripped off. Never look for a publisher online. Go into a bookstore. Never pay to publish.” (Facebook Posting, June 21, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Their message board is notorious for removing posts / banning authors who ask questions PA doesn’t want to answer. Censorship is alive and well–at PublishAmerica!” (Facebook Posting, June 17, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Indeed. PA claims they “want your book not your money” then as soon as the contract is signed the buy-buy-buy spams start to arrive. People who don’t know anything about publishing fall for the sales pitch year after year. When they look for publishers they make the rookie error of looking online–where 99% of the “publishers” are scams and pay to pub vanity operations–none of which can get a book into stores. PA writers find out too late about that fact–that THEY are expected to go into stores and beg for shelf space. Of course they feel betrayed and angry. PA presents itself to be the same as any commercial publisher, but it’s smoke and mirrors to lure in the inexperienced. Writers–use a real publisher. You’ll find them in bookstores. Just look inside the front pages of books similar to what you write.” (Facebook Posting, June 6, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Publishamerica cannot get your book into stores. You want to find a legit publisher, go into a bookstore. Find books like yours, see who published them. PA won’t be there unless some poor writer BEGGED for the shelf space. That’s just wrong.” (Facebook Posting, June 5, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Smearing established writers and helpful sites? How professional of them. Sorry, bad guys, you still can’t sit at the cool table with the big kids who have earned it via hard work. Bottom feeders have to stay in the cesspool they made for themselves.” (Facebook, April 20, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “I expect the bottom feeders will hope that our ‘tude [sic] toward them will cause the site to go viral. Um, no. I’ll not take the bait, but continue to recommend Writer Beware, Predators & Editors, and Absolute Write as solid places to go for real information on professional publishing.” (Facebook, April 20, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “Ed–the worst thing you can do is call attention to that (qualified noun) [i.e. The Write Agenda]. I got one of his creepy anonymous mails threatening legal action against one of my blogs. The guy is mental. Don’t drive traffic to that site [i.e. The Write Agenda], please!” (Facebook, April 20, 2011.)
P. N. Elrod: “I was going to do a spotlight on each of the names on that list, just to update things for 2011, a fun, 20-part series. There were going to be quotes from their websites, links to posts from their victims, and I was going to be funny and snarky and hopefully entertaining with a fresh warning against the predators of publishing. Well, no huge surprise, predators bite. And that sucks. In response to the original post I got an anonymous, untraceable comment that I interpreted as a threat of legal action against me. There was nothing actionable on my post, only quotes and links, all easily available on the web if you put the words into a search engine. But I can’t take the chance of getting slapped with even a frivolous lawsuit. I’m sure the anonymous poster is having a good chuckle at my expense. That’s what that kind does. Yes, I caved and removed the post and you get this wimpy one instead. I have a sick dog to look after, two looming deadlines to meet, and a mortgage to pay. The “entity” who made the veiled threat of legal action against me just isn’t worth it.” (January 9, 2011 Blog Posting.)
P. N. Elrod: ”You will not find any Publish America (they’re a print mill, not a real publisher, so steer clear) or vanity press titles in the major chain stores.”
P. N. Elrod: ”You may be a “Published Author” on the PA website, but you are not a professional writer as defined by the pro writer organizations or their members.”
P. N. Elrod: Why I hate PublishAmerica — vomit alert. RANT alert. (Click here).
P. N. Elrod: “PublishAmerica boasts 203 new authors want to “join.” Sounds like a cult to me! Google their name + SCAM for hours of reading fun!” (Twitter)
P. N. Elrod: “Great, print mill PubSHAMerica, is tweeting. What fresh hells await their innocent customers? (Twitter)
References
Elrod, P. N. “Writer Beware’s Two Thumb’s Down List, Publishers: ____________.” The VampirePhiles – P.N. Elrod. 9 Jan. 2011. Web. 22 June 2011. <http://vampirephiles.blogspot.com/2011/01/writer-bewares-two-thumbs-down-list.html>.
“P.n. Elrod | Facebook. Web. 22 June 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/p.n.elrod?sk=wall>.
“PublishAmerica Scam – Wall | Facebook.” 30 June 2011. <http://www.facebook.com/pages/PublishAmerica-Scam/128768743843643?sk=wall>.
