Paul’s Comments (group member since Jan 16, 2009)

Paul’s comments from the Success Secrets for Authors group.

Hello Authors (and future Authors),

Let me know your most pressing questions in relation to:
- writing
- the creative process
- publishing
- pricing publishers

...and I will try to answer your questions in an article or create a resource for you.

Paul - author consultant

Publisher for authors!

If you have a message in you and need a publisher for your book, may I suggest you contact my friend Allen Quain - Allen.Quain@charismamedia.com - with whom I published 2 of my many books. Ask for the "red carpet treatment telling him Paul Davis sent you."

If you need a creative consultant to help you write and market your book, I'm your go to guy!

http://www.PaulFDavis.com
http://www.Facebook.com/speakers4insp...
http://www.Twitter.com/PaulFDavis

Publisher for new authors with fresh messages.

I published two books with Publish America which they sell mostly online for double the typical retail price and therefore sell few of.

Publish America figures if they sell authors' books for double the normal asking price, when authors buy their books from them (for vanity sake) they will make a few bucks and can't go wrong.

Yet Publish America's schemes to pinch authors isn't working.

I got this email today below pitching authors to make a video for Publish America to showcase their work at book conventions. LOL

http://www.publishamerica.net/GrandSl...

I'm so sure Publish America will set up numerous TV screens with all their authors talking simultaneously for passers by at book conventions to watch.

If Publish America sets up one TV and rolls all authors videos through, what is the statistical probability yours as an author will be seen when people pass by?

Compare that to the statistical probability that Publish America makes $99 from each author's self-made video they claim to show at these conventions and you can bet Publish America is making a nice profit.

http://www.PaulFDavis.com - author and book consultant for maximum publicity without being pinched by publshers' schemes

I recently received a royalty check from Xulon Press. Yet instead of rejoicing over the amount paid and rightfully earned from my intellectually property (4 books I wrote which Xulon Press sells), I had to cringe when I saw that no details regarding the book sales were given.

I've published with other publishers, more ethical than Xulon Press. These don't just send a royalty check, but also provide details regarding what books were sold, when they were sold, who bought them, the price of purchase, and the percentage I received as the author from the purchases.

Expect far less from Xulon Press, wherein the devil in the details hides behind vital information being withheld and quite possibly a bit of poor administration and defrauding of their hard working authors who sustain their "Christian" business in the name of "Christian publishing."

Indeed a class action lawsuit shall be commenced in the future by we the authors who published our books with Xulon Press, were lied to, defrauded by false advertising, and have yet to be fully paid monetarily for our intellectual property and opportunity costs lost as a result of Xulon Press lies.

A quick shout out to all my fellow author friends to encourage you to sign up for this outstanding resource for speaker leads to create some buzz for your books, yourself as an author and generate income for your message while simultaneously turbo-charging your publicity / marketing for your book(s).

https://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp...

I also have two hours a week to consult an aspiring author to take their book and career to the next level.

Serving and celebrating your success!

Paul F Davis

info @ PaulFDavis.com

On July 13, 2010 I received the following inocuous letter from support@publishamerica.com below:

Dear author:

Your book has shown no sales for more than a year.

At this time you may want to have your book's publishing rights reverted back to you.

We can arrange that.

Go to www.publishamerica.net/product94552.html and instruct us to return the rights to you. In the Ordering Instructions box, write the title of your book. You will receive the termination documents by mail. There are no strings attached to this termination except the $99 processing fee that covers our administration costs and our de-listing obligations to vendors and/or wholesalers. You must choose a shipping option to activate your rights return instruction.


Thank you for having been a PublishAmerica author, or for sticking around if that's what you prefer!

--PublishAmerica Author Support Team


Here begins some of my problems with Publish America.

1. They don't address their author's by name.

2. They don't allow you to deal with a publishing representative by name.

3. They don't mention your book's title by name (as Publish America published two of my books).

4. In return for a $1 Publish America takes the rights to your book, which my experience has been they do little with other than immediately double the price to what your book would normally retail for given the page count.

5. Hence by doubling the price of your book Publish America substantially reduces the quantity of books you sell.

6. When publish America can no longer sell your book(s) at the inflated price to buyers or you the author, eventually it wants to unload your book and return the rights to you... but not before first charging you a $99 administrative exit fee.

Paul F Davis - worldwide speaker and life-changing author of 18 books building bridges cross-culturally and empowering people of all ages throughout the earth to live their dreams!

RevivingNations @ yahoo.com

407-967-7553 for book consultations and wisdom for authors

Tell me more about jzom first before posting this.

What country is it based out of? Please provide a full physical address, CEO name and additional information as to how copyrighted material shall be protected if sold online.

Sincere thanks,

Paul

For a limited time only, I will offer author & book consultations for a lucky person I choose to accompany me on varoius cruises to world class destinations.

If interested reply to info@PaulFDavis.com stating your dates of availability and maximum budget.

Here below are two upcoming cruise options to go with Paul:

14 day cruise lv. Nov.19 Portugal, Canary Islands and Brazil only $2,400.


10 day cruise with Paul lv. Oct.30th (Turkey, Greece, Israel & Egypt) only $3,000 for a limited time only.

Hurry if interested!

info@PaulFDavis.com

I've got a great team of graphic designers for a limited time only I can make available to design your brochures, book covers, etc.

Please tell me what you want designed (mentioning in subect of your email - DESIGN WORK REQUEST) to revivingnations@yahoo.com stating in your email your budget, ideas, timetable, etc.

Sincere thanks,

Paul
www.paulfdavis.com

No matter what your expertise is, if you have a message, check out these fabulous speaker jobs for you to begin doing well financially while doing good helping people!

https://www.mcssl.com/app/aftrack.asp...

http://www.mindbites.com/lesson/2971-...

Working adults can earn fully accredited online degrees at more than 100 online colleges and universities.

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Xulon Press and its unwarranted Christian claims challenged by an author who published 4 books with them and spent $8,000 with Xulon Press.

Let's continue from part I of - Xulon Press Christian Claims & Ungodly Schemes...

HUGE WHOLESALE DISCOUNTS: Each time you purchase copies of your book we give you a HUGE wholesale discount of up to 70% off the retail price of your book.

Up to....is always a clever way to say something from a sales perspective. Up to does not always mean you get it. "Up to" means at any given point in time you might randomly be able to.

Certainly a 70% discount is good, but usually you have to buy a substantial quantity of books to apply for such a sizeable discount.

PERSONAL ATTENTION: Xulon claims they are "here for you by telephone or e-mail whenever you need help or have a question." My experience however has been that Xulon communicates mostly by email, which can be problematic. Via telephone I found rarely did they ever answer the telephone. That says a lot considering I published 4 books with them.

As a Xulon author I just want every author to get a fair shake and know the full details of the publishing agreement and with whom they are dealing.

I can suggest some better publishing options for sure for the price and poor publicity offered by Xulon. Don't buy the lie and swallow assumptions when publishing your prized book.

Incidentally, I question royalty checks accuracy from Xulon Press. Another Xulon Press author Angela Howell sued them for $5,000 and attorney's fees for withholding her royalty payments - and won in a Seminole County courthouse (within the state of Florida where Xulon Press is located and operates).

When I inquired about my royalties, I was told the checks would be sent out two months late. As I recall the checks were well beyond two months late.

My last book done with Xulon was another nightmare as they nickled and dimed me trying to charge me an extra $75 to change the back cover which I as the author never got to see before it went to print. How does that work when a paying author can't even see his own back cover before it goes to print.

That being said it is awfully difficult to figure out what picture to use on the back cover when Xulon Press won't even show or tell you the color combination they are going to use. If you later see your first 10 books in a box at your house and don't like the back cover, Xulon charges its author's $75 to correct it. If you want to change your picture on the back cover and text summarizing your book thereon the cost is $150.

Such practices don't make for a great publisher, nor a pleasant experience for an author. Therefore before dealing with Xulon Press, be sure to ask crucial questions about the above mentioned.

Writing a book is one thing, publishing it can be a daunting task.

Xulon Press staff will not talk to or deal with you over the phone, mostly through email only (unless you're buying books, which then usually you can get somebody on the phone to sell you your books at a rate well over their wholesale price).

When I had books sent to me from Xulon Press I ordered and paid for, some were damaged. Rather than refund me or send me new replacement books, Xulon asked me to ship them back to Xulon Press headquarters at my expense disregarding my time and money.

I'm self publishing now myself. I've used a total of four publishers thus far to publish the 17 books I've written. All have their pros and cons. Self-publishing is less stressful, more cost effective, and far more profitable!

The business of publishing is a painful process and certainly not for the faint in heart.

Thankfully authors like Angela Powell are standing up to "Christian" publishers purporting morality but ripping off authors. Angela won a $5,000 judgment with attorney's fees against Xulon Press in Seminole County, Florida (where Xulon Press is located).

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Xulon Press, a Christian book publisher, provides 10 reasons to choose a publisher on their website - helpful information indeed when considering any publisher. The publisher owned by Salem Communications gives authors some guidelines, but fails to fulfill many of their own promises to its authors.

The author published 4 books with Xulon Press and gives his opinion in this true & false assessment.

10 Guidelines to Measure a Publisher By

EXPERIENCE: Xulon Press claims to have published more than 3,900 Christian books since 1999. Title by title, they say they are larger than any other Christian book publisher. That is highly questionable when you consider enormous Christian publishers like Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, and Creation House.

AFFORDABLE: For as little as $999 you can get published! If you do your homework when it comes to print on demand (POD) publishing, authors can actually get published for a third of the cost Xulon offers. Therefore $999 is not all that affordable.

As to Xulon's assertion about no "hidden fees" that might be so, but certainly there are flawed promises about publicity and press releases that go unfulfilled. What authors expect and what authors get greatly differs. Xulon's "proven, time-tested ways to distribute and market your book" are very weak and feeble. I have published 4 books with Xulon and none of their marketing and distribution efforts produced for me.

REPUTATION: It's important that you find a book publisher you can trust. Well that's quite obvious. Yet just because someone claims to be Christian or a big Christian company does not make them to be trustworthy. Hitler also claimed to be Christian.

Owned by Salem Communications, which Xulon Press claims to be one of the country's largest faith-based publishing and communications organizations, it is interesting that Xulon Press could not produce in their publicity package for any of my 4 books a single radio interview.

Salem Communications and Xulon Press together claim to be connected to more than 100 Christian radio stations, a cornucopia of Christian magazines, and more than 40 million monthly online page-views representing the largest faith-based audience on the Internet. Ironically and curiously, I as an author with Xulon Press never received a single radio interview or magazine article about my books they published.

I can assure you the quality of my books content is noteworthy as by reason of my own publicity and hard work I was able to get radio interviews across the country (without any of Xulon's help - for such help never came, though was falsely promised) and even radio interviews with several outstanding syndicated radio show hosts including Playboy Radio for 45 minutes about my book Adultery: 101 Reasons Not to Cheat.

As for Xulon Press and Salem however, their promises about radio stations and multiple magazines are empty promises that never delivered. Authors therefore should not be falsely seduced by such because Xulon Press is just selling assumptions as they are in the business of selling books. Their publicity services are the worst I've ever paid for.

QUALITY: Xulon Press does print high-quality hardcover and paperback editions on a trade-quality cream-white paper and a cover stock that is UV coated for a sleek look that adds durability and longevity to your books.

SPEED: Xulon promises you'll be a published author in less than 90 days; then we can print your book in less than 60 seconds.

A word of caution however is unless you submit everything according to Xulon's specifications, Xulon won't budge when it comes to your back cover layout (that is without a fee). Xulon wants it's authors to submit no more than 300 words for the back cover. I once wanted to change the picture on the back cover and they tried to charge me $75 to do so! Thankfully upon refusing they waived the fee, but it was a mini-battle that was less than pleasant.

YOU KEEP YOUR RIGHTS: Xulon lets you keep 100% of the rights to your book. If another publisher comes along and wants to publish your book, you are free to cancel your agreement with them anytime.

This agreeably is a good thing for authors, but I have yet to try to do it. When that time comes if anything changes, I shall modify this article.

DISTRIBUTION: Xulon claims to work with book distributors and retailers worldwide. They say your book will be available to 25,000 bookstores and for sale on the world's biggest Internet sites including Amazon.com, Target.com, Borders.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and many others.

True! Xulon does get your book listed with the above websites, for which I commend them. That's a good thing for authors. I sure would like to know who the "many others" are by name.

100% ROYALTIES: We are the only publisher who gives you a 100% royalty rate on copies sold to bookstores. Unlike other publishers, who keep up to 75% of your royalty, we give it all back to you.

That is a plus for authors however the royalty check I received only amounted to $64 from Xulon Press for my 4 books - which is reason for concern. I recently received a letter from another Xulon author who also has yet to receive her royalty check. A third Xulon author wrote me telling me they felt they were overcharged and currently disputing some matters.

Tell that to Xulon Press author Angela Powell who sued Xulon in Seminole County (where they are located & operate) for $5,000 and attorney's fees for withholding her author royalty earnings (after she sold several books to numerous bookstores and buyers she tracked but was never paid by Xulon). The judge awarded Angela a solid victory of Xulon Press, who claims it is under Salem Communications and has yet to pay Angela the money she is owed.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Xulon Press Christian Publisher Conspiracy for Profit Purporting Morality

Xulon Press Christian Publisher Conspiracy for Profit Purporting Morality http://www.PaulFDavis.com author of 20 books published 4 books with Xulon Press and says NOT a Christian Publisher!

Xulon Press publicity package proved to be a lie for the four books I published with the self-acclaimed Christian publisher. Just because someone calls themselves a Christian Publisher doesn't mean they are, nor live up to the standards of morality Christ modeled.

Writing a book is one thing, getting it published and enduring the many money-making schemes of publishers is another. I found publishing to be a very expensive and daunting task.

Xulon Press is a Christian publisher that published 4 books of my books. I had some major discrepancies in regard to promises unfulfilled in regard to their press releases. I published four books with Xulon Press within a year and encountered some problems.

Upon making some inquiries, Davis learned that Xulon Press uses PRWeb to do its press releases. PR Web offers four press release packages:

- Standard - $80

- Social Media - $120

- SEO - $200

- Media Visibility (includes all of the above) - $360

Davis tells his story below:

Xulon Press only did a press release for one of my three books they completed, while engaged in publishing my fourth. The rest of the money they pocketed until I thoroughly researched why Xulon's splendid press releases and publicity weren't producing any press for me. It seems two of my three books done with Xulon never received a press release done for them at all. Upon doing my homework, I learned that the one press release Xulon did for my book on Adultery was under the "standard" package.

My fourth upcoming book with Xulon, Poems that Propel the Planet, I asked them not to do the press release as I feel Xulon publicity and press releases are weak and leave much to be desired. Any PR obtained by their authors as they advertise "Christian Book News Alert" does not necessarily mean it came as a result of Xulon's efforts. Popular, famous, and noteworthy authors who diligently market their books can generate press without Xulon's help.

The purpose for this article is to warn authors of what they are buying, or thinking they are buying when they pay for press and publicity at Xulon.

Xulon always uses the standard package, though they don't tell their authors that on the front end. On the Xulon Press website for the "best-seller's package" costing around $2,000 - authors are told that Xulon's "media publicity" press release could get them on Oprah or Larry King.

This is a blatant lie considering Xulon only uses the cheap "standard" package at PRWeb that doesn't put you before national media and radio anyhow.

Xulon Press however only saw fit to refund me $287 as they claim it takes time to write a press release and allege their press release will put authors in front of national media. It's interesting I never got a single inquiry from the Xulon Press release.

The way I see it, my refund for the press releases needs to be in the amount of $1,440. Each full publicity press release costs $360 with PRWeb. (4 x 360 = 1,440)

My argument against the "Christian Publisher" is very solid both morally and legally.

1. Xulon Press states their press releases provide media exposure to TV and radio. This however is not accessible with the "standard" $80 package you use at PRWeb. Such media publicity comes with the $360 package at PRWeb labeled "media publicity."

2. PRWeb archives all press releases. Neither the Supernatural Fire book, nor the Are You Ready for True Love? press releases were archived. Hence the power of the ongoing press release accessible by the worldwide web is non-existent.

3. The Supernatural Fire attachment Xulon Press initially sent me claiming a press release (which can't be found at PRWeb) was poorly written. "Catch the only seasonal bug worth keeping" adorns the headline which has nothing to do with the book, neither is desirable to read.

4. Opportunity costs lost for me as an author by reason of press releases not sent (though promised) far exceed the cost of the releases themselves. My life consists of time which Xulon Press has greatly robbed me of personally and professionally.

5. Selling an illusion of being on Oprah or Larry King when you are merely doing "standard" press releases that cannot reach such people is unethical, immoral, and by no means Christlike for a Christian publisher.

Xulon Press advertises their "Press Release Service" saying:
"Let our professionals craftan effective press release for your book. It's not easy to grab the attention of the media, but we'll separate your book from its competitors with copy that sizzles. Our one-page press release gives the media all the information they need to contact you for news stories, columns, articles - even for TV and radio interviews. You never know, you might end up on Oprah or Larry King Live!"

Xulon Press says, "You never know..." Well, as an author of 4 books with Xulon Press, I do know! Don't buy the lie.

Incidentally, I question royalty checks accuracy from Xulon Press. Another Xulon Press author Angela Howell sued them for $5,000 and attorney's fees for withholding her royalty payments - and won in a Seminole County courthouse (within the state of Florida where Xulon Press is located and operates).

When I inquired about my royalties, I was told the checks would be sent out two months late. As I recall the checks were well beyond two months late.

My last book done with Xulon was another nightmare as they nickled and dimed me trying to charge me an extra $75 to change the back cover which I as the author never got to see before it went to print. How does that work when a paying author can't even see his own back cover before it goes to print.

That being said it is awfully difficult to figure out what picture to use on the back cover when Xulon Press won't even show or tell you the color combination they are going to use. If you later see your first 10 books in a box at your house and don't like the back cover, Xulon charges its author's $75 to correct it. If you want to change your picture on the back cover and text summarizing your book thereon the cost is $150.

Such practices don't make for a great publisher, nor a pleasant experience for an author. Therefore before dealing with Xulon Press, be sure to ask crucial questions about the above mentioned.

Writing a book is one thing, publishing it can be a daunting task.

Xulon Press staff will not talk to or deal with you over the phone, mostly through email only (unless you're buying books, which then usually you can get somebody on the phone to sell you your books at a rate well over their wholesale price).

When I had books sent to me from Xulon Press I ordered and paid for, some were damaged. Rather than refund me or send me new replacement books, Xulon asked me to ship them back to Xulon Press headquarters at my expense disregarding my time and money.

I'm self publishing now myself. I've used a total of four publishers thus far to publish the 17 books I've written. All have their pros and cons. Self-publishing is less stressful, more cost effective, and far more profitable!

The business of publishing is a painful process and certainly not for the faint in heart.

Thankfully authors like Angela Powell are standing up to "Christian" publishers purporting morality but ripping off authors. Angela won a $5,000 judgment with attorney's fees against Xulon Press in Seminole County, Florida (where Xulon Press is located).