Publish America latest pitch - only if you have interest

This is one of many that included Oprah and others - I wonder how many authors actually believe their books will be read . . . oh well, maybe one will.

Dear Author:

PublishAmerica will submit your book to the NBC Today Show!

Most of you have seen authors come and go on America's most popular morning show. And you can't help but wonder, how is their book any better than mine? The answer is, it probably isn't.

PublishAmerica will submit your book to the Today Show. We will send your book to Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira's staff for their consideration, five copies, so that more than one NBC staffer gets a chance to read your work and recommend it to Matt, Meredith, Ann Curry, or Al Roker who not only hosts 'Al's Book Club', but also recently wrote his first mystery novel!

We're not waiting for the Today Show to ask for your book. We're donating it to them. And we will let your local newspaper, radio, or TV know that your book is being submitted to the NBC Today Show. So they can put the spotlight on you as a local author.

Here's how we do it:

If you want to have books on hand, order now, and we will donate five copies
to the Today Show. And you receive a 50 (that's FIFTY) pct discount!

We ship NBC's copies the same day we ship your books to you. We'll even pay for NBC's shipping!

Go to www.publishamerica.net, find your book, click on it, then add to cart, indicate quantity, and use this coupon: Today50. Then click Recalculate and finish the transaction. Minimum volume is 12 copies.

In the Ordering Instructions field, just write: \"Media Yes\". Our PR department
will automatically contact you for names and addresses of your local news media.
Again, we will ship your books to the Today Show the same day we ship your
order to you. By using the coupon you are authorizing us to donate the books
to the NBC studio at 30 Rock in New York. You may also request that we ship
the five FREE books to you instead, or to ABC's Good Morning America.

Full-color and hardcovers excluded. Offer expires this weekend on Sunday night.

Happy New Year!

PublishAmerica Author Support Team

Dear Dk,
I imagine it is up to each to do what they hope for. I will not address this offer as much as I wish that it was not just hogwash. It is, I think. Slather on a little butter and there you are a baked biscuit.

As many times as I have asked PublishAmerica to amend my email address, they have not done so. I get not one of these wonderful offers to part with my money, or assuage my ego by thinking of Oprah. I may write to Oprah and ask her about this hoopla. I doubt that she gives a poop.

I find this offer really in the realm of "give me your money and you will see a miracle" like a television evangelist will do.

You may as well be blind and hope that giving your money to a televison personality will cure your blindness.

Long ago, people who wrote books, people who had a new idea and wrote about it, develped a theory, saw the sky with all it's possibilities, like Ahad, they wrote it down. It was their private discovery.

Sharing it with the world was a decision.

Blurts and starts that go on for pages. That is me.

Love,
Betty

12/29/2009

DK...

How do you get your books on " KINDLE ?"
I have two I own the e rights to.. Thanks..

Cheers..Joe

Three Star Member Number of posts : 131 Registration date : 2009-12-22

What a deal! I wish I had PA!

Last edited by alice on Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:40 am; edited 1 time in total

Five Star Member Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28

How does PA do this and get away with it? Companies have been sued for much less when consumers felt misled. Is it not misleading to say that Matt Lauer or Oprah Winfrey will look at an unsolicited book? They must get thousands of unsolicited products every year.

PA Authors most likely received an email today with the latest PA gimmick to induce authors to buy books.

Donating an equal number of books ordered by the author to Barnes & Nobel, takes the cake.

1/12/2010

I never buy my books, number one rule.
I only order books for someone I know , as for
book signings so far lucky , the stores have ordered
them...

Cheers..Joe

I continue to get emails with offers to buy books that they will match and send to the NY Times, or to some celebrity to read.

When I had my first book published I worked hard to get it reviewed by the media. A close friend had a contact at the NY Times and inquired if she could get my book read and reviewed. She said, “If you want to send it, I’ll place it on the pile of books waiting to be read. You got to understand that we receive hundreds of books a week with requests. The ones that get a reading are submitted by Agents who call someone they know.”

It's getting ridiculous how these offers come week after week--sometimes two in a week. I wonder how many people fall for it. Some must or else they wouldn't keep sending out those emails. It won't be me, however.

Big deal. I will personally, for a nominal sum to be named later after you plow through screen after screen on my site and send me your email, phone address and location your children cross the street to school, will submit your book personally to any source you care to specify, including the White House.

Please include address of who you want it submitted to and a copy of your book taped to a brick.

Sign me up, Lin!

I'd put my money in you getting a book in front of the president before I'd fall for PA's silly promotions!

Ha! Just went to my email and found another one from PA! This time it says, "Publish America will send your book to Oscar winner Sandra Bullock!"

Can you just imagine Sandra Bullock all of a sudden getting a bunch of books in the mail that she didn't ask for? Too weird to even imagine.

3/9/2010

Helen..

It's getting weird, every other day I
get e mail from them, I ignore it....

Cheers..Joe

Quote :: Can you just imagine Sandra Bullock all of a sudden getting a bunch of books in the mail?

I'm working on the screenplay already.

Lin, we'll be checking WIP for your updates.

lin wrote:: Big deal. I will personally, for a nominal sum to be named later after you plow through screen after screen on my site and send me your email, phone address and location your children cross the street to school, will submit your book personally to any source you care to specify, including the White House.

Please include address of who you want it submitted to and a copy of your book taped to a brick.

Lin,
I believe the key to your proposal for gaining attention is the brick.

For the saavy promoter, any window can be a window of opportunity.

Did you get the offer to have your book sent to Arnold Schwarzenegger? Alll you need to do is buy 5 copies.

Softcovers no less--at $29.95!

Oops - I spelled the governor's name wrong in another post....

Five Star Member Number of posts : 5044 Registration date : 2009-03-28

Well, these campaigns must be very successful, since PA keeps doing them. Wish I could figure out a way to get caked like this.

I agree. I think the person or team that comes up with a new idea every day must be getting a bonus for sales generated.

Hey, I'm actually watching for one to get a few hard covers at a reasonable price.

I think the "paperbacks" is genius - buy your own high-priced softcovers at a discount to get them to sell "paperbacks" at a reaonable, $9.95 price or your "softcovers" go up in price by $5.00. Personally, that's my favorite. Although sending copies to celebrities comes in a close second.

You're right; look at other advertising on the net that must be selling. The human species is just trained to believe in something if it's repeated often enough, regardless of whether it's irrational.

My son loved the infomercials as a child. Right near the end, he'd call out, "$9.99" before they could say the price. Today, it's $19.99 in each of three easy payments.

Or he'd sing song the "and call right now and we'll add..."

My contract with PA expired today. I wrote them and got confirmation.
I'm doing a happy dance.

Welcome to the club.