Primrose Road

In case the jury was still out on whether PublishAmerica is a legitimate "traditional publisher" (as they describe themselves in press releases) or a scam that takes advantage of aspiring authors with no understanding of how the publishing industry works, please enjoy the following excerpts from local newspapers reporting on their towns' very own PublishAmerica authors:

(Incidentally, isn't describing oneself as a "traditional publisher" the equivalent of a lawyer calling him or herself an "honest lawyer" or a doctor calling him or herself a "legitimate physician"? The adjectives do not exactly reassure clients in these cases ...)

• Goshen, New York: "There are two sides to every person’s life. A dark side and the side that makes them a warmhearted, caring person, according to the publisher. “Dark Knights and Stallions” is the story of one such person set to verse."


• McConnelsburg, Pennsylvania: "My book is spiritual and reflects how the world is today," Burdette told the "News." "We're all seeking for something - spiritual or positive knowledge to help us get through the life. I believe we are living in perilous times today with the rapid increase of violence, corruption, murder and crimes." ... "Ginny's Book of Poetry" includes at least 100 original pieces with titles ranging from "Love Can Last" and "Three Wishes" to "Broken Spirit" that attest to the trials and tests of Burdette's life ... "Poetry has meaning whether it be spiritual or not. A lot of people have told me already that my poetry contains a lot of meaning and has made them cry," added Burdette, who has been travelling around the tri-state area doing book signings and speaking about her words of inspiration." The author also has two more books coming out within the next ten months (another book of poetry and a children's book), which will also be released by PA, which is described in this article as "a traditional advance and royalty-paying book publishing company based near Frederick, Md., that represents almost 35,000 authors."


• Maryland: A 472-page tome "in which the title character an astronaut who works on a secret surveillance satellite. While in space, he survives an attempt on his life, then returns to Earth to find himself, inexplicably, in a psych ward where he meets Starr, his OxyContin-addicted love interest. The two set out to uncover the source of an unusual glimmer off the coast of Australia that Matthew saw in space." But wait, there's more: "What ensues is a plot filled with conspiracies to control the world, world war and trips all over the globe to find the nails that were used to crucify Jesus and secure the sign on the cross that proclaimed him king of the Jews." (OK, so I suppose we should give the guy credit for thinking about the DaVinci Code market.)

As always, if any of the authors above take issue with my posting excerpts from press releases and newspaper articles, I refer them to you-know-what, which they are free to make fun of on the Web. Please focus especially on the chapter written partly in Polish, ok? ;)