I remember well the feeling that I might actually be on my way when my first book was published, only to realize that I was part of the thundering herd of new authors who come out every year from all of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of different publishers throughout the English speaking world.

Of all those authors, only part will go on to publish additional books and only a fraction of those will achieve some real recognition within their lifetimes.  That's NOT a put down for any one author or publisher -- it's simply a reality check!

POD publishing is becoming more common throughout the industry as more publishers realize that it's a cost efficient way to expose their authors to any and all potential markets.  When I first came on board with Publish America many of our writers referred to themselves as "Pirates" because we were hijacking the industry with new technology.  More and more, that "new technology" is becoming the norm and we are no longer pirates, but PA is a going concern and will doubtless be around for a long time to come.  Their success is our success and we are fortunate to receive a quality product from them that allows us to showcase our work in the best possible light.  That is why their excellent art department is so important to us!

Unfortunately, we as individuals are not big money makers for them, so we don't have big expense budgets to market our books with, but I have never heard of anyone who could honestly say that they didn't hold up their end of the contracts that they sign.  That includes an advance (even if it is only a token one...), royalties that are paid twice yearly, there are no requirements that any author purchase any of their own books and there is a viable return policy on many of their titles that is in effect for any bookstore or chain that would like to carry their books.

We have many excellent authors and perhaps some that still have a lot to learn, but they were all willing to put forth the effort that it took to become what they are today -- Published Authors! 

I have three excellent books to my credit with Publish America.  They have been given high praise by my readership and also those editors who have taken the time to review them.  (Poison Pearls was given an excellent review by Expository Magazine.)

>^.\/.^<
Karl Stuart Kline

Poetry that appeals to people who think that they don't like poetry!  For some excerpts from all three of my books visit www.poemhunter.com/karl-stuart-kline