Read a Good Book Lately? : America Book Publishing Contract; partnership publishing by Ihekuna Chimezie Benedict

JD, i tried making them see this reality. But they refused. Instead, they told me if i wasn't interested, i should try somewhere else. Can you help me out?

yeah agree, never pay any fees, ever.

ABP's policy on aspiring authors is that they pay a returnable deposit of $880. I really want to call out for your help (@Glynis, @Dee and @JD Holiday) to see if you know of publishers who could express interest in my work piece, Winds of Change

I believe this partcular publisher is notoriouse dont touch em

Don't fall for a vanity press. If you are good with computers, just publish it yourself. There are loads of inexpensive books that will teach you formatting. I have 7 novels that I have self published to print and ebook. Be smart and don't get suckered. You shouldn't have to pay for publishing. Have you researched Amazon's CreateSpace? They are print on demand- you buy only the copies you need. No strings. Best of luck.

That is one of those print on demand companies that prey on authors who don't know any better. You can publish yourself and keep control for probably the same. A bonafide publisher will not ask you for money. But a bonafide publisher will likely not publish your work unless you've done your homework and made a knock-out presentation, complete with a marketing plan, because publishers do not market books. Beware of anything that sounds too good to be true. There is no such thing as a lottery ticket in publishing. Save your money and do a business plan for each novel. Writing is a business. Period.

Ihekuna, your post has now got me concerned. I am in the same situation as I write. Only yesterday, I got the email from the publishing company saying the same thing. I only have to pay the 900 dollars plus and sign the contract to get started. I believed this company was legitimate. Some of the answers on the forum have truly got me questioning now. What to do? Can others please shed some more light on this situation. Tabitha, do you know the name of the said company??? Can I private email you or send private messages in regards to answer to that particular question...?

Janet- don't get suckered in! If you have any doubts about sending these people money- DON'T!! Here is a great resource that I'm a "staff" (that equates to unpaid) writer for. They are a group of Indie authors who care about what goes on in publishing. Peruse their blogs and don't be afraid to ask questions. Heck, get in touch with me if you want, I just want to save you the utter frustration and heartache that I went through with my first novel. 2 years later I got the rights back and have finally republished it the way it SHOULD have been done in the first place. http://www.indiesunlimited.com/ http://www.amazon.com/Project-Dragonslayers-2nd-ed-1/dp/1467917222/ref=l... No publisher should ASK you for money- no, they should be PAYING you money!

Janet I've been trolling around the book world for a while these creeps are well known for been taking money from people and have been doing it for a long while . Keep your money and find a legit publisher

Now, i really would like to know whether or not you will be interested to take up this project; 'Wake Up, Dream Boy!' Below is the link: http://www.stage32.com/profile/44585/project/wake-dream-boy Your response will certainly be appreciated. Alternatively, you could visit the following links for possible movie production, if interested http://literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/lifes-twists/ http://literaryagentsandpublishers.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/winds-of-cha...

Then, how do i become an Indie author?

Anyone who writes is an author. But I suspect thats not what you mean. What you mean is how do I get published? You need to read about the business side of things. I recomend a book called the Writers Market published by Writers Digest. There is also other variations on that theam all of them have lists of publishers and articles on tlhe business of publishing. Other than that simply read about the business. On a short term there is the site Smashworks (or is it smashwords cant remember someone help me out here) where you can publish purely electronicaly for downloading.

good info Glynis I forgot about CreatSpace =+)

Thank you guys, I really do appreciate the feedback. I need to have a clean manuscript and a good cover image I have the clean manuscript, how do I get the cover image? My stories are children's picture story books... Would need illustration to go with it. One story, a delightful fairytale is written in rhyme . My stories could be adapted to animation very easily. The words themselves paint the picture, making it very easy for an illustrator to follow. I would really appreciate it, if someone here would be willing to read the stories and give me some feedback... Especially a published Author of children's stories.

It's amazing how authors discourage each other from engaging in partnership publishing and having no concrete alternatives.

Look into the history of this company. Look it up on Preditors and Editors.com This is no partnership this is a scam. Self publish with a legit company do not go with them.

Ihekuna, do you really feel other authors are discouraging you? I've read each and every post and it seems as if your fellow authors are trying to help you navigate the confusing world of self publishing. What American Book Publishing does for a fee, you can do for less. However if you feel this is your only possibility and you can afford to lose $800 you should sign with them. You fellow authors have offered you links and opinions and advice - now you have more information with which to make an educated decision. To me that is not trying to discourage each other - it's helping each other.

I fully agree with Rik. We don't want to see folks burned by vanity presses. I speak from experience- I got burned my first time out. Yeah, and it was expensive, probably as much, if not more than they want. Take the time and get educated, you'll kick yourself later if you go for the easy out (I did!) If you need an editor, I have a great one, she is reasonable and good to work with. Check on Facebook for Beta readers, get the most out of your book and give it the best shot before you publish. Don't sell yourself short. There are many of us who can do formatting and covers at reasonable prices, check around, talk to folks, don't fall victim!

I agree with most of the comments here. No "Traditional" publisher will ever ask you for money. Self-publishing can be done very inexpensively. I have 3 self-published horror novels, and my only expenses to date have been to have the right covers designed. As Tabitha said ... always check out the history of the company before you get burned.

Thank you

Ihekuna, I can understand them wanting $880 because they know not all books will sell and they are covering their ass.I have been a self-published author for over 17 years, and have sold over 25,000 copies of my A to Z Guide to Film terms book. It takes a lot of time, effort and expertise to publish a book, and most importantly, sell it. My smartest move was hiring an illustrator/layout person to design the book, then researched and found a good printer I could trust. The next (and most important) stage is the marketing, promotion and distribution of your book. If you are willing to wear all of these hats, then publish the book yourself. You could even try releasing it as a digital version on Kindle or other e-book format before you print it. Self-publishing has its challenges, but in the end it is worth it. I get 100% of all of my profits. If you are a published author you are lucky if you get 15% of the discounted "wholesale" price of the book. And don't even get me going on returns. If you become huge the big publishers and distributors will come after you with the big contracts anyway. Whatever you decide, follow your gut, stick to your guns and trust your heart. I wish you luck and good fortune. Tim

I've worked in publishing for a number of years and can tell you - anything asking you to pay a fee to have your work published is a scam and the publishing community as a whole would look down on your work for going that route... You'd be better off just taking the money and self-publishing if you have no other option.

This is a well known vanity press with a bad reputation. They don't give a damn about you or your book, just your wallet. Real publishers pay advances, and have savings in case of a loss - which happens rarely, because they are very careful about choosing books that they think will sell. You really need to start doing your research about publishers and how publishing works.

This is vanity press and the only thing you will get out of this is $800 loss of money. REAL PUBLISHERS do not ask for money.

Being new, not quite sure how i'm viewing this thread, but to be honest, it wouldn't be up if you weren't considering handing over the money, here's my advice, take it and spend it on a great night out, on yourself, and consider that the royalty for all your effort, then sit back and know you have been paid off. and start a new one. all the best Buddy. Jono.

Or head over to duotrope.com and ralan.com for a database of publishers. Find the ones who publish what you've got. Then do your homework on them. Just like any other business venture, publishing requires research.

Hi, it is hard to get work published but do not pay for your work to be published. The other person is right do your home work and send off your work but never give up on your dream. Mary Filmer Children's Author