PublishAmerica
Encyclopedia
PublishAmerica is a Maryland
-based print-on-demand
book publisher founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners (born Amsterdam
6 January 1949).
PublishAtlantica was an imprint
of PublishAmerica. PublishAtlantica claimed to be headquartered in the UK in Milton Keynes
. It was formerly PublishBritannica before a lawsuit from Encyclopædia Britannica
. PublishIcelandica was another imprint of PublishAmerica. According to a letter from PublishAmerica in 2006, neither imprint is active.
. In 2004, Prather stated that 80% of authors who submitted manuscripts to the house were rejected, and that the house had "30 full-time editors" with plans to expand. She also refused to identify the CEO of PublishAmerica. In 2005, the company had 70 full-time employees of various functions.
In 2004, PublishAmerica published small runs of over 4,800 titles (compared to Random House
's 3,500 titles). In 2005, the company had approximately 11,000 authors under contract.
In June 2005, PublishAmerica identified Willem Meiners as "PublishAmerica CEO" and Clopper as "company president".
In August 2005, PublishAmerica was sued by Encyclopædia Britannica
for trademark violation over PublishAmerica's PublishBritannica imprint. The matter was settled out of court, with PublishAmerica agreeing to stop using the "PublishBritannica" name. However, PublishAmerica continued to use the website address on letterhead as late as 2008.
In late September 2005, PublishAmerica announced its books would be returnable by the bookseller if they failed to sell, a standard practice among other commercial publishers. The announcement stated that this applied to "all" of its books, though it noted that there would be "a few exceptions initially" and that the offer would apply to United States
booksellers only. PA's site now says that "many of our books are returnable."
1–$1000 to its authors, provides minimal editing and provides few of the services handled by trade publishing, such as retail distribution, marketing and media relations. Disgruntled authors told Publishers Weekly
that PA did not pay royalties owed to them, sold books it no longer had any rights to sell, set unreasonably high list prices and lower-than-average discounts for authors to buy their own books and either neglected or failed to place books into bookstores.
PublishAmerica's Prather stated that book prices reflected "what the market would bear" and that "we don't control the bookstores in the country." Other PublishAmerica authors have spoken out in support of the publisher, denying it is a vanity press and highlighting the opportunities it gives to unpublished authors.
" manuscripts. For instance, in December 2004, PublishAmerica agreed to publish the novel Atlanta Nights
, which was later revealed to be a hoax
. PublishAmerica also accepted another author's manuscript that featured the same 30 pages repeated ten times.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
-based print-on-demand
Print on demand
Print on demand , sometimes called, in error, publish on demand, is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received...
book publisher founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners (born Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
6 January 1949).
PublishAtlantica was an imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of PublishAmerica. PublishAtlantica claimed to be headquartered in the UK in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. It was formerly PublishBritannica before a lawsuit from Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
. PublishIcelandica was another imprint of PublishAmerica. According to a letter from PublishAmerica in 2006, neither imprint is active.
History
, the current executive director of PublishAmerica was Miranda N. PratherMiranda Prather
Miranda Prather is an American woman who gained national attention in July 1997 after police arrested her for faking a hate crime. A lesbian, Prather was a graduate assistant and president of the campus gay and lesbian support group at Eastern New Mexico University...
. In 2004, Prather stated that 80% of authors who submitted manuscripts to the house were rejected, and that the house had "30 full-time editors" with plans to expand. She also refused to identify the CEO of PublishAmerica. In 2005, the company had 70 full-time employees of various functions.
In 2004, PublishAmerica published small runs of over 4,800 titles (compared to Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
's 3,500 titles). In 2005, the company had approximately 11,000 authors under contract.
In June 2005, PublishAmerica identified Willem Meiners as "PublishAmerica CEO" and Clopper as "company president".
In August 2005, PublishAmerica was sued by Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
for trademark violation over PublishAmerica's PublishBritannica imprint. The matter was settled out of court, with PublishAmerica agreeing to stop using the "PublishBritannica" name. However, PublishAmerica continued to use the website address on letterhead as late as 2008.
In late September 2005, PublishAmerica announced its books would be returnable by the bookseller if they failed to sell, a standard practice among other commercial publishers. The announcement stated that this applied to "all" of its books, though it noted that there would be "a few exceptions initially" and that the offer would apply to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
booksellers only. PA's site now says that "many of our books are returnable."
Criticism
PA pays advance fees of US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1–$1000 to its authors, provides minimal editing and provides few of the services handled by trade publishing, such as retail distribution, marketing and media relations. Disgruntled authors told Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
that PA did not pay royalties owed to them, sold books it no longer had any rights to sell, set unreasonably high list prices and lower-than-average discounts for authors to buy their own books and either neglected or failed to place books into bookstores.
PublishAmerica's Prather stated that book prices reflected "what the market would bear" and that "we don't control the bookstores in the country." Other PublishAmerica authors have spoken out in support of the publisher, denying it is a vanity press and highlighting the opportunities it gives to unpublished authors.
Acceptance of hoax manuscripts
In an attempt to demonstrate a lack of editorial oversight at PublishAmerica, several authors have written "stingSting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
" manuscripts. For instance, in December 2004, PublishAmerica agreed to publish the novel Atlanta Nights
Atlanta Nights
Atlanta Nights is a collaborative novel created in 2004 by a group of science fiction and fantasy authors, with the express purpose of producing a bad piece of work of unpublishable quality to test whether publishing firm PublishAmerica would still accept it...
, which was later revealed to be a hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
. PublishAmerica also accepted another author's manuscript that featured the same 30 pages repeated ten times.
Arbitration
In December 2005 PublishAmerica author Philip Dolan, who had spent between US$7,000 and $13,000 promoting his book only to find that no book stores were able to order copies of it, took PublishAmerica to arbitration for breach of contract. Dolan also alleged accounting irregularities; despite a clause in his contract allowing him to inspect PublishAmerica's accounts, his accountant was denied access, and Dolan received royalties for fewer copies of his book than he was able to account for having sold himself. He was awarded an unspecified amount in compensation for PublishAmerica's breach of contract, and his contract was rescinded.External links
- PublishAmerica — official site