Kim over at A Few Thoughts blogged about P&E’s lawsuit. Instead of rewriting what she wrote, I asked permission to copy and paste her post. She has agreed. Here’s Kim’s post:
Now, this website is an asset to writers. Especially those just starting out, because they not only list publishers, but they warn new writers which of these publishers are vanity presses, which are commercials publishers, and any complaints that might be made about any of these publishers. P&E offers up warnings on which publishers to avoid, and for what reason. These lists are complied from writers who have dealt with them - both favorably and unfavorably - and each complaint is investigated and tracked, and left there for any new (and even seasoned) writers to check out.I won’t go into detail about who is suing them and why because I respect what Dave Kuzminski does with P&E and I don’t want to write anything that might jeopardize his chances. I know Dave from Absolute Write and know why P&E exists and why it should continue to exist.Please, click HERE to check out P&E. If you can donate to the legal defense fund for this site, please don’t be shy. P&E is always there to help out writers - now it’s our turn to help out P&E.
= = = = = = = = =
Kim did a nice job explaining P&E’s goodwill towards the writing community. You can choose to donate monetarily, but if you are strapped for cash there is another way you can help.
You can submit a story to an anthology will be put together and will be available for purchase in May 2008. The cover is being illustrated by renown artist, Danielle Serra. Every cent will go to Predators and Editors for the legal case.
Submission Guidelines
* The word length is pretty open. Though everyone is encouraged not to write more than10,000 words.
* Font should be Times New Roman font, 12 pt.
* Please double-space your submission.
* Genres include Science Fiction, Horror, Romance, and fantasy. No Non-fiction unless it’s about something really captivating. (It will be a hard acceptance) Hi, it’s Auria here. If you have a creative nonfiction piece you’d like to submit, then do so. It is not your job as the writer to reject your story. That’s the editor’s job.Yours is simply to submit.
* Email submissions to screwpa@hotmail.com
* Deadline is April 5th 2008
Good luck to everyone who submits and story
Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency is seeking a lawyer or someone with extensive training in employment law to write:
The Manager’s Pocket Legal Guide to the Workplace
For a trade book publisher.
Brief description:
As the workforce and workplace change, so too does the myriad of laws that govern their conduct. Thousands upon thousands of statues—both federal and state—are on the books to tell employers and employees what they can and can’t do or say on the job.
This book is a handy guide for managers who want quick reference to some of the most basic legal issues that arise every day at work.
Can you ask a prospective employee if he’s married?
Can you compliment an employee on her looks or dress?
Can you deny an employee’s request for time off to celebrate his religious holidays?
Can an employee charge sexual harassment even if the behavior in question is not directed at her?
This book aims to give down-and-dirty answers to these and other questions. It’s the well-thumbed book every middle manager should have on his or her desk.
SPECS Trade paper Category: Adams Business Price: $9.95 Trim: 5 ½ x 7 ½ Page count: 256 Word count: 50,000
The publisher pays an Advance plus earned royalties.
Please contact Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary Agency, bob@d4eo.com if interested.
D4EO negotiates the contract after the publisher selects the most appropriate candidate and receives a 15% commission on all income earned, paid by the author.
Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency is seeking a businessman/woman author to write:
Managing Generation Me
How to Get Great Performance From Your Twenty-Something Employees for a trade book publishing house.
Brief description:
Generation Y, the 70 million people born between 1977 and 2002, represents a unique challenge to managers, as they enter a workforce that includes both Boomers and Gen Xers. Gen Ys, among other things:
Work their work schedules to accommodate their personal lives
Crave constant reinforcement and feedback from supervisors
Are far more tech-savvy than previous generations
Expect to make an impact on their workplace from Day One
Are masters of multitasking, and don’t want to be tied down to an office environment
Expect to remain in one job for only about three years (if that) before moving on
The book is to be written for mid-level managers and HR managers, will offer practical suggestions for how to minimize and overcome conflicts between different generations of workers and how to adapt workplace practices to the needs of Gen Y workers so as to gain the benefits of their skills, energy, knowledge, and enthusiasm. It will also make it more possible for businesses to retain these workers for a longer period, ensuring greater continuity in the workplace and therefore greater cost savings.The author should have hands on experience managing “Generation Me” employees.
SPECS Trade paper Category: Business Price: $14.95 Trim: 6 x 9 Page count: 288 Word count: 75,000
The publisher pays an Advance vs. Earned Royalties.
Contact Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary Agency, bob@d4eo.com
As agent, D4EO, negotiates the contract and receives 15% of the advance and earned royalties from the author selected by the publisher.
Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency is seeking a for a psychiatrist or psychologist, an expert in bipolar disorder, to write (or work with a writer to write) The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bipolar Disorder.
Ideally, the publisher would like the expert to be a psychiatrist or psychologist whose primary experience is hands on, seeing lots of patients, as opposed to someone whose experience is primarily involved with research and teaching.
The publisher has been successful with The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Type 2 Diabetes and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fibromyalgia and wishes to expand their series into the area of mental health.The publisher will ask selected candidates to provide a proposed Table of Contents for the work in CIG format (guidelines will be provided) and the publisher will then choose the best candidate from the proposals submitted.
D4EO Literary Agency will negotiate the publishing agreement and the agency commission is 15% of all receipts [advances and earned royalties] paid by the publisher to the agent for disbursement to the author.
My contact information is:
Robert G. Diforio (Bob)
D4EO Literary Agency d4eo@optonline.net
203-544-7180
Last week I discussed how I contacted a soon-to-be PA author about her options. I did this because my heart went out to her and I knew I could help. If I didn’t have the resources to be of assistance, I never would have reached out. Not because I would have cared any less, but because I didn’t see a reason to rock the boat if I didn’t have alternatives for her.So now I learn that a PA author received press from her local paper. It’s a nice article and I’m sure the author was proud. Fast forward a few weeks later, and another writer wrote to the editor of the paper explaining the reasons PA isn’t a real publisher. The title of the editorial is Writer Actually Victimized by Publishing Scam.
This person’s approach to help a fellow author doesn’t sit well with me. Intentions matter. Sometimes intentions matter more than the end result.
I can’t mind my own business. When I see a way I can help, I do. When I can’t see a way, I find one. Recently, I came across information regarding a nonfiction writer who contracted her book through PublishAmerica.
Based on information I have read on PublishAmerica’s reputation*, I called the author to chat about her options in the publishing world. Needless to say, I was nervous because I didn’t know how the writer was going to take my telephone call. Would she give credence to the information I found? Or would she hang up on me? Knowing that a writer’s ego is very fragile, I took my chances.
Thank goodness that the conversation went well. Below is the portion of an email I received from the writer:
You then asked if I had already signed a contract with PublishAmerica, and I said that I had only a few days before. You expressed regret, stating that PublishAmerica was little more than a glorified vanity press that had no credibility in the real world. Our conversation ended with you providing your contact information and inviting me to get in touch if I thought you could be of help.Well, I have some good news. After our discussion on the phone, I thought a great deal about my contract with PublishAmerica and decided that I needed to go in a different direction. Based on what you had told me about PublishAmerica, I wrote to them and requested a release from my contract.
Lo and behold, a few days later I received a registered letter stating that they were releasing me from the contract and that all rights to my book were reverted back to me! I’m very pleased because that means I am now free to resume my search for an agent and/or a legitimate publisher.
I’ll do what I can do help this writer, but getting published isn’t easy. As writers, it’s important for us to do our homework on publishers and agents. Don’t let desperation set in. When we are emotionally weak, that’s when we are taken advantage of. Most importantly, don’t be a slacker or a tree sloth. (click on the embedded video)
