Category: Publishing Publisher: Word First Publishing
ISBN-10: B00UKI0Y1M
Type: Fiction
Pages: 177
Copyright: March 4, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781613649602
Price: $5.99 (eBook)
Learn from Penelope's Self Publishing Tradgedies and enjoy your publishing Adventure. Fraud, impersonating Americans, Bank accounts depleted, shady accounting practices. Here in the self publishing world. Just like a Holywood movie but it's for real.
After a lifetime of working hard and saving her money. Penelope wrote her dream novel and immediately was beset with a series of unscrupulous Self Publishers who took her for her life savings. It was then that her friends, a rag tag team of retirees took on the international self publishing world in an effort to write the wrongs and get Penelope's money back.
As one of Penelope's friends put it "There are eight million books out there and the people making the millions are the sharks and not the Authors. They don't care who sells the books, they just pay people to sit behind a desk. Authors will just give up or become bankrupt."
Penelope's Tragic Tales of Self Publishing is a MUST READ for any one who wants to publish a book or has experienced events that other authors have been through.
Based upon the true stories from real authors, this is an entertaining yet cautionary tale of one writer Penelope, who found out that her dreams of authorship turned into a nightmare.
Excerpt
Penelope’s Pitfalls
of Publishing
Irene Chain-Kalinowski
Susan B. Flanagan
Although fictionalized, the stories in Penelope’s Pitfalls of Publishing are based on actual events, and the real-life stories behind several author’s dealings with self-publishing companies. This is a cautionary tale that is all too often people’s experience, and it is our hope that we bring a level of transparecy into the self-publishing world that is sorely lacking.
Our hope is that everyone can tell their story and that along that journey, they can enjoy the process and tell the world their unique story. It is also our hope that they can do so without being taken advantage of and get what they pay for.
Enjoy our stories, we had so much fun writing them, and we look forward to reading your stories!
Irene Chain-Kalinowski
and
Susan B. Flanagan
“Well I’ll be darned, it’s a miracle!”
There was an advertisement and it said, “Publish your books at a price that suits your pocket and we offer first class publishing. We are the fastest growing publisher with the widest range of marketing services available.”
Penelope had always believed in allowing destiny to take its course.
“It’s a sign that I should use this one. It seems to have appeared out of the blue and I must trust that,” she said to herself.
“It’s local too, the website is local. It’s a New Zealand web address,” came Peep’s voice from behind, “must be good if it is a Kiwi site.”
Penelope began to fill in the forms and she pressed enter.
“Done, I didn’t think it would be so quick.”
Peep had made breakfast. They both sat down at the table and tucked into a good fried breakfast and they drank a cup of English breakfast tea.
“Are you not nervous?” Peep asked.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s a very old English saying you know… Oh, I do wonder what time it is in England, I must call my mother. She is ninety-five you know and she lived through the war. She is Polish and so was my father. I guess that makes me Polish too. She is a very wise woman.”
“It would be around six in the evening there,” Peep replied.
With that Penelope connected with her family on Skype. Penelope smiled as she saw her mother’s warm face on the screen.
“Hi, baby,” her mother said.
”She calls you baby?” interrupted Peep.
“Yes my daughter is my baby, the youngest and the wild one,” Eva’s voice sounded very Yorkshire with a Polish twang.
“Hi I am Peep, Penelope’s friend.” Peep pushed his head almost onto the screen. Eva noticed her daughter in her dressing gown.
“Are you having an affair, Penelope? You know me and your father stopped doing it at your age, it gave him a bad back you know.” Eva laughed at her daughter.
“Mother, do you have to let everyone know your personal life?” Penelope was blushing and rather embarrassed.
“Oh, you know there are no secrets in this house. What is my darling daughter venturing into these days?”
“She has written a book and she wants to publish it.” Peep couldn’t help himself from speaking.
“I do hope she is careful, watch out for the marketing sharks they will take your money.” Eva replied.
“What do you know about book publishing mother?” Penelope was aghast that her 95 year old mother knew a little about publishing.
“Nothing, but I do read the papers and there has been many scams over the years, be careful. That is all I am going to tell you.” Eva smiled at her daughter.
“Oh, mother what would you really know? You can’t trust much of what is printed in the newspapers.” Penelope was being rather stubborn and Peep gave her a nudge.
“You mother may be right, you should listen. I read newspapers every day and listen to the news. They never get the sports results wrong.”
“Oh Lord, now I have two of you trying to kill my dreams.” Penelope was quite disappointed with their lack of enthusiasm towards her publishing dream.
“It is not that we disapprove Penelope, and I am very proud of you. It is just that you are very kind and generous and well there are a lot of sharks out there. Be careful!” Her mother said.
They finished the Skype conversation and Penelope felt rather saddened that her family and best friend were not waving any green flags or shouting bravo about her publishing dreams. Penelope poured a glass of wine and she began to narrate her feelings to Peep. The effects of the wine did make her words flow as if she were performing for the amateur dramatics society.
“All of my life I have been told I am not good enough and I know I am, and I know that this writing adventure is not accidental. I believe I am destined to do this. If you want to know the truth, I have five books and I penned them all in the last eighteen months. I am not planning to publish all of them at once as that would be far too expensive for me. When I put pen to paper, the words just flow and I don’t really have to think as they all come so naturally. Of course I have do some research and make sure the times, events, and places have the correct descriptions. Writing becomes easy because I have lived the life, I have walked through the places, and I have observed and danced with people. That’s what makes my writing a realistic kind of art. That is creative writing and I am good at that. I can take something that is very real and put a little magic to it, and create a beautiful story that is fun, educational and inspirational. I enjoy crossing fiction with non-fiction. I do hope you believe me Peep. You need to believe in me too. You do don’t you, you do believe in me?” Penelope began to cry.
Peep could see that for all of her independence, knowledge and experience, Penelope was still quite fragile, one hand she knew she was destined to write, and yet on the other she carried a dark shadow from the people who had imprinted negativity upon her writing abilities from the time she was a small child. He was utterly entranced by her dramatized performance, and it was those dramatic presentations that would capture his heart. Somehow Penelope had this gift where she had the ability to reach into everyone’s heart. Peep knew that’s what made her such an easy prey for those who would seek to take advantage of her. He would always endeavour to protect his best friend.
Penelope retired after her glass of wine, she wanted to have a little time to herself. Whilst resting she reflected upon how she so often loathed the company of people who lacked enthusiasm and yet she did not hate her mother or Peep. She knew they truly cared for her and with their pessimism they were holding her best interests at heart. She retired to her bed that night. She had the most unrestful night as if she had a million what if’s running around in her head. She was hoping her angels would answer her prayers.
Peep had sensed Penelope’s turbulence, somehow he was so connected with his friend’s thoughts. He knew her inside out and he rose early the next morning and prepared her a wonderful breakfast. Penelope woke to the smell of a good cooked English breakfast. Peep had placed flowers upon the table and it was as if they were taking breakfast out in a five-star hotel.
“You are not a failure Penelope, you are terrific and you deserve to know that. I didn’t sleep much last night as I was thinking of you and I will join in your journey, it will be our adventure.” Penelope hugged Peep.
“What would I do without you my dear friend? I am excited and yet so scared, and yet I know it is the right thing to do, I feel like a lost lamb,” she said as he hugged her back.
“Don’t worry. Penelope Peep will always find her lost sheep.”
Penelope laughed. “Now that is so apt. I am Penelope, and you are my dear Peep.”
“Oh yes, and now all we need to find is our posse, the ones who believe in you and the one’s that will help you fulfil your dream.” He gave Penelope a peck on the cheeks. “I will be away on my fishing holiday for three weeks and I do trust you will be sensible with all of that publishing stuff. I don’t want you to do anything until I return.”
“Really? I am just venturing into the very first stages and that is the editing of my manuscript and well what can go wrong with that!” Penelope flicked the pages of her note book where she had made notes about her book editing. She had collected the information from various websites and magazines.
Essays dedicated to the new media, doing business on the web, digital content, its creation and distribution, e-publishing, e-books, digital reference, DRM technology, and other related issues.
Essays dedicated to the new media, doing business on the web, digital content, its creation and distribution, e-publishing, e-books, digital reference, DRM technology, and other related issues.
With the new and exciting world of Kindles and Print-on-Demand (POD), Independent Publishing is becoming an enticing choice and a viable alternative to traditional publishing.
