[Michael_J_Sullivan]

I did a quick look, but didn't see another thread on this. If it is already out there - feel free to merge:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/57046-authors-sue-self-publishing-service-author-solutions.html

 

[an758GnQExU249]

Three authors have filed suit against self-publishing service provider Author Solutions, and its parent company Penguin, airing a laundry list of complaints and alleging the company is not a publihser so much as a "vanity press."

Wait, there are still people out there that think Author Solutions was a publishing company? Can I sue them for being stupid?

There is this thing called "Google." People should learn how to use it.

 

[RM Prioleau]

Wait, there are still people out there that think Author Solutions was a publishing company? Can I sue them for being stupid?

There is this thing called "Google." People should learn how to use it.

But they're NOT a publihser! so what's the big fuss about?

 

[Caddy]

Can I sue them for being stupid?

Egads, the court systems are already backed up. Can you imagine the wait time if we can starting suing people who being stupid?

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

Part of me says "go and get 'em", another part says "do your research". If these authors had asked around or checked the web, they'd have known they were entering a subsidy publishing scheme, not a traditional setup.

 

[an758GnQExU249]

Part of me says "go and get 'em", another part says "do your research". If these authors had asked around or checked the web, they'd have known they were entering a subsidy publishing scheme, not a traditional setup.

But that's the thing. Reading the material on the Author Solution site itself will tell you it is a subsidy program and not a trade publisher. This is a matter of 6th grade reading comprehension. Author Solutions and their ilk are overpriced parasites, but there is nothing illegal about being an overpriced parasite. They tell you up front there are costs involved and they it is self-publishing. It's not like they claim to be a trade publisher and then hit you with fees (*cough*...PublishAmerica...*cough*...). They are very up front with the fact that you have to pay for everything and they aren't investing a dime.

 

[Mark E. Cooper]

Maybe I am wrong, but it's not that they're a subsidy publisher that is the point of the lawsuit. It's that the autjors are saying that errors are being introduced on purpose so that they can be fixed at a price. That's fraud right?

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

Maybe I am wrong, but it's not that they're a subsidy publisher that is the point of the lawsuit. It's that the autjors are saying that errors are being introduced on purpose so that they can be fixed at a price. That's fraud right?

Hmmm, you have something there, Marke. In that case I guess the vanity part only muddies the waters. We already know, and they admit, to being a subsidy publisher. So the real question is whether the authors can prove the fraudulent charges.

 

[an758GnQExU249]

Maybe I am wrong, but it's not that they're a subsidy publisher that is the point of the lawsuit. It's that the autjors are saying that errors are being introduced on purpose so that they can be fixed at a price. That's fraud right?

That's just one of many accusations being thrown around. It's common in class action suits to "pile on" with as many complaints, valid or not, as possible and try to force a settlement.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Sigh...do we really have to keep calling people stupid in this thread?  If you want, I can cite you many, many, many cases involving "reading comprehension" that have occurred right here on KBoards, particularly in the Writers' Café and the Book Bazaar.  Just sayin'. 

Betsy

 

[an758GnQExU249]

Sigh...do we really have to keep calling people stupid in this thread? If you want, I can cite you many, many, many cases involving "reading comprehension" that have occurred right here on KBoards, particularly in the Writers' Café and the Book Bazaar. Just sayin'.

Betsy

The difference is that none of those cases resulted in a class action suit against Harvey. ;D

 

[BrianKittrell]

This case could strike a nerve, as it comes at a boom time for self-publishing, and recalls a dark self-publishing past-the days of the Vanity Press-when unsuspecting authors were wooed in by companies, only to be saddled with expensive fees and left with stacks of sub-par print books.

Not quite the past yet. lol They're still alive and thriving in this "self-publishing present" we find ourselves in.

But this seems to be a cash grab more than anything else. I know of people who were taken by services such as these, but they really have only themselves to blame. A simple Google search will reveal the truth; it doesn't take lengthy research.

And believe me, before I hand over a check, I check them out.

 

[kristinrix]

Sigh...do we really have to keep calling people stupid in this thread?

I agree. There are lots of reasons why a smart person might choose to go with these services for legitimate reasons. There are books on self-publishing that actually suggest you look into them, especially for people who are unwilling or unable to secure their own creative services and are helpless in the face of technical stuff like uploading their book. Plus these companies invest a lot of money in trying to convince people that they are a good idea. Rather than blame the people who are duped, maybe we should just focus on how these companies are predatory in their business practices and leave it at that?

 

[MeiLinMiranda]

There's a sucker born every minute. I know of at least two otherwise smart people who got suckered in to one of the subsidy publishers because of all the extra "services" they thought they needed. Heck I see authors all the time suckered by their own agents into their new self-publishing "services."

Bottom line: we all get to be head-shakingly stupid at least once in life. Just remember that.

 

[Eric C]

"Defendants have marketed themselves as an independent publisher with a reputation for outstanding quality and impressive book sales," the complaint reads. "Instead, Defendants are not an independent publisher, but a print-on-demand vanity press."

 

[WMKZbKs47sd5tQ]

Quote:

"we all get to be head-shakingly stupid at least once in life"

Oh my gosh! I"m way past the quota

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Quote:

"we all get to be head-shakingly stupid at least once in life"

Oh my gosh! I"m way past the quota

As are many of us, I dare say....

Betsy

 

[Caddy]

As are many of us, I dare say....

Hiding under the covers... :-[

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

Hiding under the covers... :-[

Don't hide Caddy. You're OK.... :-*

Betsy

 

[Cherise]

There's a sucker born every minute. I know of at least two otherwise smart people who got suckered in to one of the subsidy publishers because of all the extra "services" they thought they needed. Heck I see authors all the time suckered by their own agents into their new self-publishing "services."

Bottom line: we all get to be head-shakingly stupid at least once in life. Just remember that.

Yep, yep. So sad that Jodi Foster is one of the duped authors, though!