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 In Need of Advice

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Shelagh
GoodGuyNutt
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyTue Apr 17, 2012 6:43 am

I had a book published with iUniverse and it was released on March 29th, 2012. Since then I have learned that there are numerous people who have bad a lot of bad dealing with that company, being lied to about their sales figures, not receiving their royalties, and other items of concern as well. I am wondering what I should do to make sure that I get what I should from the book. I know that I have sold a large number of copies as a result of being on mainstream radio shows across the country, and even a guest on a television show. Due to it being as early as it is they have told me that I can't see the figures until after 60 days, but also that I can only see them at the end of the quarter and they are unable to tell me the amount. They use a computer order system and as it is print on demand they would have to have records of how many have been ordered, printed, and shipped. Those who have read the books and are experts in the field of therapy and self-help have stated that the book is great and that it will sell huge numbers of books. The advice that I am seeking is what can I do? I know I can pull my book from them, but that doesn't stop them from selling the book, I also am wondering who is a reputable self-publisher that I can use? Is there a way to use mainstream publishing when I have experts saying that the book is an amazing new insight? Please help....
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyTue Apr 17, 2012 7:31 am

People who say that they've been lied to are probably lying themselves.

Your book has been out for less than three weeks. Mainstream publishers pay royalties every six months.

It takes six-eight weeks for books to show up on amazon.com. When you set up your author page on Author Central (Amazon), BookScan results show the number of books sold across the US.

Books sold on the iUniverse website should show up in your account immediately, but you will not receive any money until the sixty-day period in your terms of agreement.

Saying that a book is great and everyone should read it is not the same as buying a book. It's easy to say that a book is great ... it doesn't cost anything.
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptySun Apr 29, 2012 8:20 am

Here is the heart of the issue...I am not worried so much about receiving the money now as having accurate sales figures reported.

I know for a fact that numerous copies of the book have been sold due to many of those who I have done interviews on the book with have read it. Reason I know they have read it is that they knew specifics from the book that someone who hadn't read it wouldn't know. Also, I have received emails through my website from individuals whom state they have read the book and talk about items in the book and what they got out of it specific exercises that are in the book.

The issues with the publisher goes even deeper however, I spoke with iUniverse and they stated that printing is done by outside retailers such as Amazon.com, but when I spoke with Amazon they stated that they don't print books that come from outside publishers. This was the same statement made by other companies which distribute the book as well. The fact distributors print their own copies was the main reason given that sales figures couldn't be accurately reported.

I am now in the process of attempting to find a new publisher who is trustworthy and where I feel comfortable using their services. It has been suggested by many of the professionals I have interacted with and given talks to that I should use a mainstream publisher "due to the book coming from a completely new perspective that turns sheds light previously ignored. Your work has the chance of changing the face of relationship therapy in every way." (direct quote from a therapist who works in the field of relationships.)

My question is how do I go about being published with a traditional publishing house? Is there a list of these companies and who I can contact? Would it be a benefit to include a link to an recording of a book talk I gave to professionals?
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptySun Apr 29, 2012 9:23 am

I was about to add a link to the Writer's Handbook 2011, ( http://www.thewritershandbook.com/) but the book has been discontinued! A sign of the times. The book includes listings of publishers and agents. It would seem that this way of publishing is becoming less viable. E-books are gaining ground and self-publishing seems to be on the increase. You could upload your book to Lulu:

http://lulu.com

and add the book to KDP (KIndle Direct Publishing) on Amazon:

http://kdp.amazon.com/



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dkchristi
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dkchristi


Number of posts : 8594
Registration date : 2008-12-29
Location : Florida

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyMon Apr 30, 2012 6:27 am

http://www.barringerpublishing.com/testimonials.html

The url listed is a vanity press - you pay for publication. It is local in Naples, FL. I only mention it because I am in the Naples Press Club and two authors with books published by Barringer have movie contracts. A literary agent tied somehow with Barrringer, Carol Green, has other movie contracts also.

I submittted a manuscript to Carol Green for her review; she did not respond at all.

I have published two novels and short stories in several anthologies and do not have a clue how many books I sold except for the royalty statements (which are also an exercise in mental gymnastics to interpret). Amazon.com swears they direct deposited to my account for their Kindle sales; yet, my account never received the "deposits" so I am in dispute there.

I think book sales are purposefully difficult to measure on purpose.
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyWed Jun 06, 2012 2:42 pm

See this is my huge concern, I sat down and added up the people I have talked to who I know have to have read the book with the details they mentioned and to date I have spoke with 214 individuals who sent me either emails, messages through facebook, and those I have talked to on various radio shows, hell I have had 2 different people recognize me and talk to me in person. I say all this for the fact that according to Amazon they have sold one copy and according to iUniverse the royalty statement did say one sale, but not magically I didn't sell any at all. Now the fact that I have heard from 214 people how does this really mean that I have sold? I mean clearly not every single person who has bought a book is contacting me and even if they were I would love to know how 214 people have copies of the book if there were only 2 copies sold.

I guess what I am hoping for is advice on how to go about getting the royalties that I am due? Beyond that the last thing I want is to do self-publishing forever and the fact I have sold that many copies and the book was released 3/29/2012 means that the ability to get a traditional publisher should be increased greatly, but I would have to be able to prove that I would think for someone to take notice and if iUniverse and Amazon aren't reporting them correctly then how do I get that proof an agent and publisher would want?
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyWed Jun 06, 2012 4:39 pm

Your ranking on Amazon.com is:

#3,025,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

The rank suggests that you have sold one book ... or possibly two.

The whole of the book can be read here:

http://www.scribd.com/iUniverseBooks/d/90303593-The-Good-Guy-the-Bad-Guy-and-the-Ugly-Truth
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Mirta Oliva

Mirta Oliva


Number of posts : 2
Registration date : 2012-06-06

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyWed Jun 06, 2012 6:27 pm

Hello Shelagh! Hello members! Glad to have joined . . .
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 6:27 am

Hi M. Oliva,

Welcome to the forum!
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 3:58 pm

Actually the highest I have been ranked was around #26,000 and was not aware of the fact they put that on there. I would assume you can see my issue at this point with iUniverse
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 4:07 pm

No, I see that you are putting two and two together and making five. When a sale is first made on Amazon, the ranking shoots up because one book has sold in one hour. Two hours later, the ranking drops because one book sold in two hours. A day later, the ranking has dropped from the mid 20,000s to the mid 100,000s. A week later and the ranking has sunk to around 500,000. Presently, the ranking has fallen to 3,025,338. Your book is not making sales on Amazon.com. No one is lying to you about sales, apart from, maybe, your contacts who have probably read the free book on scrbd.com.
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 4:39 pm

Again no I am not wrong I can tell you for a fact that I have been lied to I don't accuse without valid proof. I must ask why is it that you feel that you are defending them instead of supporting a fellow author who has been wronged?

The clearest proof of a lies is the fact that I have a copy of a sales report that shows sales from the first quarter and was even told that there were sales and now the first quarter sales report shows none.

I have no clue how many free copies were seen, but I do know that many of those I have talked to have the actual printed book. And after examining that it doesn't actually show all 189 pages of the book not that I agreed to that large of a portion of the book being put online for free and that is as a result copyright infringement and proof of unethical behavior as well.

All of that aside the simple fact is I am not here to debate if they have lied to me I know that they have I am asking for advice on how to deal with it.
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dkchristi
Five Star Member
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dkchristi


Number of posts : 8594
Registration date : 2008-12-29
Location : Florida

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 7:15 pm

Shelagh is very helpful. As a publisher, she knows the ropes well. Also as an author. I have really just given up on trying to figure anything except what I see in my royalty check and statement, and I have a small press.

My author page at Amazon.com shows how many print books Amazon sold.

My sales at Kindle have never been paid to me from Amazon.com. They swear they sent the money to my bank; my bank swears they didn't get anything. Stalemate. Since it's not in the $millions I call it a write - off.
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Mirta Oliva

Mirta Oliva


Number of posts : 2
Registration date : 2012-06-06

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 7:46 pm

Help! Yesterday I posted my first "Hello" and, subsequently, posted about a couple of paragraphs relating my experience with self-publishing my first book. I elected not to review it, but rather to post it on the spot. Problem is, I cannot find it anywhere. I think it was right on this section since I was following GoodGuyNutt's posts. Upon checking all my posts, only my first one-line Hello appears. Please advise how to find it since it was definitely posted.:roll:Thanks!
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Abe F. March
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Abe F. March


Number of posts : 10768
Registration date : 2008-01-26
Age : 85
Location : Germany

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyThu Jun 07, 2012 9:58 pm

Justin, I only know what has been posted. My opinion is that if you have proof, see a lawyer. As for Shelagh taking sides, you obviously don't know Shelagh. In my experience, she takes a stand on things she has experienced and tells it like it is. Often truth is rejected as biased. Opinions are not facts.
I remember my first experience with a publisher. I thought they were cheating me based on what I expected and the royalties received. To prove my case would have cost me much more than royalties earned with the sale of many books. I just changed publishers on the next go-round and chalked it up to experience.
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GoodGuyNutt

GoodGuyNutt


Number of posts : 13
Registration date : 2012-04-07
Age : 47

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyFri Jun 08, 2012 9:08 am

I did not mean any disrespect to Shelagh, if it was taken that way I truly apologize. I simply meant that I may not have proof of as such I do know what has been told to me by their representatives and what they are now stating. I also know that iUniverse says one thing with respect to how books are printed when bought from Amazon and that Amazon states the opposite is true.

I called and talk to iUniverse today, and confronted them on all the facts and was given a great deal of double talks and one minute was told one thing and when I stated their exact words back to her was told something different. It was clear from the sound of her voice that she was more than a little worried and stated she was referring the issue to her boss for settlement. I do not plan to ever use them again my next book would be done through a local publisher.

Again I do want to say that I am sorry if it seemed as though I was disrespectful, it is simply the fact that this book is very dear to me and so it is a sensitive subject.
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alj
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alj


Number of posts : 9633
Registration date : 2008-12-05
Age : 80
Location : San Antonio

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyFri Jun 08, 2012 10:08 am

"Sales" at Amazon do not necessarily mean paid royalties. A "sale" can be a free download. Free downloads occur when the ebook is in promotion, or when the book is offered free because it is available free on a different site.


If your book can be read free o an online site, then that may well be where you need to investigate.

Ann
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Shelagh
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Shelagh


Number of posts : 12662
Registration date : 2008-01-11
Location : UK

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PostSubject: Re: In Need of Advice   In Need of Advice EmptyFri Jun 08, 2012 10:47 am

GoodGuyNutt wrote:
Again I do want to say that I am sorry if it seemed as though I was disrespectful, it is simply the fact that this book is very dear to me and so it is a sensitive subject.

Justin,

We have all been there and know exactly how you feel. The royalties seem important to you because if Amazon isn't disclosing the small amout of sales due to you, then you feel that greater sales would go unreported in the same way. If you join Amazon's Author Central, you can see the BookScan results for all books sold in the US. These are stats generated by BookScan that Amazon has agreed to show on their website. If the sales do not show up, then it really is because the sales did not occur. Here's a link to Author Central:

https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/join

To view your sales report, you must first claim your book (click on the "Books" tab at the top of the screen after you've joined).
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