Editing America Star Books

{{Short description|Defunct print-on-demand publisher}}
{{use mdy dates |date=August 2023}}
'''America Star Books''', formerly '''PublishAmerica''', is a [[Maryland]]-based [[Print on demand|print-on-demand]] book [[publisher]] founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin "Larry" Clopper III and Willem Meiners. Some writers and authors' advocates have accused the company of being a [[vanity press]] while representing itself as a "traditional publisher".<ref name="APArticle">{{cite news |first=Hillel |last=Italie |title =Critics and supporters debate success of fast-rising PublishAmerica|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05022/446283.stm |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=2005-01-22 |access-date=2007-08-28}}</ref><ref name="wp-span" /> It changed its name in 2014, and since 2017 it has stopped accepting new authors.

'''PublishAtlantica''' was an [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] of PublishAmerica. PublishAtlantica was headquartered in the UK in [[Milton Keynes]]. It was formerly '''PublishBritannica''' before a lawsuit from ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. '''PublishIcelandica''' was another imprint of PublishAmerica. According to a letter from PublishAmerica in 2006, neither imprint is active.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pebpublisham.htm |title=Book Publisher and Distributor Listings - PublishAmerica - PublishIcelandica |work=Preditors and Editors |location=[[Petersburg, Virginia]] |date=2010-01-02 |access-date=2010-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113224127/http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pebpublisham.htm |archive-date=2010-01-13 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== History ==
{{As of|2004}}, the executive director of PublishAmerica was [[Miranda Prather|Miranda N. Prather]].<ref name="APArticle" /> In 2004, Prather said that 80% of authors who submitted manuscripts to the house were rejected, and that the house had "30 full-time editors" with plans to expand. She refused to identify the CEO of PublishAmerica.<ref name="zeitchik2004">{{cite news|first=Steven |last=Zeitchik |title=Authors allege publisher deception |url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA481863.html |work=Publishers Weekly |date=2004-11-22 |access-date=2007-08-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909124635/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA481863.html |archive-date=September 9, 2007}}</ref> In 2005, the company had 70 full-time employees of various functions.<ref name="APArticle"/>

In 2004, PublishAmerica published small runs of over 4,800 titles. In 2005, the company had approximately 11,000 authors under contract.<ref name="wp-span">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20 |title=Making Books |last=Span |first=Paula |date=January 23, 2005 |newspaper=Washington Post |page=BW08 |access-date=2009-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401041801/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A25187-2005Jan20?language=printer |archive-date=April 1, 2016 }} </ref>

In June 2005, PublishAmerica identified Willem Meiners as "PublishAmerica CEO" and Clopper as "company president".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Meiners|first1=Willem|author2= Clopper, Larry (Introduction) |title=How to Upset a Goliath Book Biz: PublishAmerica: The Inside Story of an Underdog with a Bite|date=2005|publisher=PublishAmerica|isbn=9781413790962}}</ref>

In August 2005, PublishAmerica was sued by [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] for trademark violation over PublishAmerica's PublishBritannica imprint.  The matter was settled out of court,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6252581.html |title=On Vanity Press, Now It's Not Just America |last=Zeitchik |first=Steven |date=August 30, 2005 |work=Publishers Weekly |access-date=2009-02-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609024550/http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6252581.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007}}</ref> with PublishAmerica agreeing to stop using the "PublishBritannica" name.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article574026.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 |author=Staff writer |title=Britannica breaks copycat's spell |work=[[The Times]] |location=[[London]] |page=26 |date=2005-10-03 |access-date=2007-08-28}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> However, PublishAmerica continued to use the website address on letterhead as late as 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/warnpa10.htm |title=Letter to Marie Pacha |first=Darcy |last=Smittenaar |publisher=PublishAmerica, LLLP |date=2008-01-08 |access-date=2010-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103053935/http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/warnpa10.htm |archive-date=2009-01-03 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In late September 2005, PublishAmerica announced its books would be returnable by the bookseller if they failed to sell, a standard practice among other commercial publishers. The announcement stated that this applied to "all" of its books, though it noted that there would be "a few exceptions initially" and that the offer would apply to [[United States]] booksellers only.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.publishamerica.com/return/index.asp |title=PublishAmerica makes its books returnable |access-date=2006-03-12 |website=PublishAmerica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312122246/http://www.publishamerica.com/return/index.asp |archive-date=2006-03-12 }}</ref> In 2009 PA's site said that "many of our books are returnable."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.publishamerica.com/benefits.htm#bookstore |title=PublishAmerica FAQ |access-date=2009-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202031856/http://publishamerica.com/benefits.htm#bookstore |archive-date=2009-02-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Prather left PublishAmerica (renamed America Star Books) in 2016.

==Criticism==
PA pays advance fees of [[United States dollar|US$]]1–$1,000<ref name="APArticle" /> to its authors, provides minimal editing, and provides few of the services handled by trade publishing, such as retail distribution, marketing and media relations. Disgruntled authors told ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' that PA did not pay royalties owed to them, sold books it no longer had any rights to sell, set unreasonably high list prices and lower-than-average discounts for authors to buy their own books, and either neglected or failed to place books into bookstores.<ref name="zeitchik2004" />

PublishAmerica's Prather stated that book prices reflected "what the market would bear" and that "we don't control the bookstores in the country."<ref name="zeitchik2004"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Paperback writer|author=Susan Paganini|url=http://www.sacurrent.com/columns/story.asp?id=58606|work=San Antonio Current|date=2004-06-24
|access-date=2009-08-06}}</ref> Other PublishAmerica authors have spoken out in support of the publisher, denying it is a vanity press and highlighting the opportunities it gives to unpublished authors.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Keenan |title=No vanity, author provides own press |work=[[Omaha World-Herald]] |page=10AT |date=2005-10-09}}</ref>

===Acceptance of hoax manuscripts===
In an [[Breaching experiment|attempt to demonstrate]] a lack of editorial oversight at PublishAmerica, several authors have written "[[sting operation|sting]]" manuscripts. For instance, in December 2004, PublishAmerica agreed to publish the novel ''[[Atlanta Nights]]'', which was later revealed to be a deliberately badly written [[hoax]], featuring every "bad writing" trope the authors could conceive of and one chapter randomly generated by a computer.<ref name="authorsting">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050217092254/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30389|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=30389|title=SF Authors Sting Publisher|date=February 16, 2005|work=Sci Fi Wire|archive-date=February 17, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050218021051/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30435|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?id=30435|title=Publisher Defends Hoax Charges|date=February 17, 2005|work=Sci Fi Wire|archive-date=February 18, 2005}}</ref> PublishAmerica also accepted another author's manuscript that featured the same 30 pages repeated ten times.<ref name="authorsting" />

===2005 arbitration case===
In December 2005, PublishAmerica author Philip Dolan, who had spent between US$7,000 and $13,000 promoting his book,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/publish.html|title=Aspiring Writers Trash PublishAmerica|last=Bosworth|first=Martin|date=August 9, 2005|work=ConsumerAffairs.com|access-date=2009-02-04}}</ref> learned that no book stores were able to order copies of it. 

He took PublishAmerica to arbitration for breach of contract. Dolan also alleged accounting irregularities: despite a clause in his contract allowing him to inspect PublishAmerica's accounts, his accountant was denied access. Dolan received royalties for fewer copies of his book than he was able to account for having sold himself.  He was awarded an unspecified amount in compensation for PublishAmerica's breach of contract, and his contract was rescinded.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/storyTools/print_story.htm?storyID=47638&cameFromSection=news|title=PublishAmerica must pay up|last=Harwood|first=Bridgette|date=March 25, 2006|work=Frederick News-Post|publisher=Randall Family, LLC|access-date=2009-02-04|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007114446/http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/storyTools/print_story.htm?storyID=47638&cameFromSection=news|archive-date=October 7, 2011}}</ref>

===Lawsuit===
In June 2012, a class action lawsuit was filed in Maryland District federal court against PublishAmerica LLLP, by plaintiffs Darla Yoos, Edwin McCall, and Kerry Levine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dockets.justia.com/docket/maryland/mddce/1:2012cv01696/202536/ |title=Case Number 12-cv-1696}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victoriastrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1-main1.pdf |title= Case Number 12-cv-1696   }}</ref>

==New name==
In January 2014, PublishAmerica changed its name to America Star Books. In 2017, America Star Books became ASB Promotions and ceased accepting new authors.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.publishamerica.com/ PublishAmerica] – official site
* [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/08/jk-rowling-publish-america.html J.K. Rowling and PublishAmerica's unfulfillable promise ]

{{Self-publishing}}

[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1999]]
[[Category:Book publishing companies based in Maryland]]
[[Category:Companies based in Frederick County, Maryland]]
[[Category:1999 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Self-publishing companies]]
[[Category:2017 disestablishments in Maryland]]