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Post by Joxcenia on Nov 1, 2004 20:11:00 GMT -6
I have registered a children's manuscript on 'how to survive a fire' for a copyright with The Library of Congress, and today I got this letter in the mail:
Dorrance Publishing Co. Inc.
[Their address & phone/fax numbers]
October 28, 2004
[My name & address]
Dear Ms. [My last name]:
One of our researchers has discovered your manuscript registration with the Library of Congress and has forwarded your name to me as a possible candidate for publication with our company.
As an author, you are probably aware of (and perhaps have experienced) some of the problems of trying to get your work published by a commercial publisher. Just having your manuscript read by most commercial publishers is difficult and usually involves long delays.
Dorrance Publishing Company, Inc. provides a practical alternative for consideration by authors of book length fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, collections of poetry, collections of short stories, children's books, etc., who wish to see their works in print.
The Dorrance name has been associated with a tradition of quality subsidy publishing since 1920. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss our services with you and to review your manuscript to determine whether it meets our requirements for publication, and if so, if we can be of help. You may submit your completed, typewritten manuscript to me for a no-fee, no obligation review.
Also, I will be happy to send you a complimentary copy of our 32-page brochure, Author's Guide to Subsidy Publishing. The brochure outlines our publishing programs, including the manner in which we mechanically edit, design, produce, and promote our books. To the best of our knowledge, we are the only subsidy publisher to offer our authors the opportunity for simultaneous publication in bookstore quality traditional format, and also in an on-line electronic format.
When and if you do send your manuscript to me, we will review it and respond directly to you within 30 days. Your completed manuscript may also be sent to me on disk or as an e-mail attachment at <snip>@dorrancepublishing.com in ONE, CONTINUOUS FILE. If you choose to submit your manuscript in either of these formats, please save it in a common word processing program such as Microsoft Word for Windows or WordPerfect. If your completed, typewritten manuscript is less than 50 pages, you may fax it to my attention at 1-412-***-****.
You're invited to call me, toll-free, at 1-800-***-**** between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. When writing or sending a manuscript, please address all correspondence to Tony Piccuillo and include your name, address, and phone number.
By all means, call and/or send a copy of your completed manuscript as soon as possible to reserve a place on our busy review schedule. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Anthony B. Piccuillo
Senior Author Relations Representative
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Post by Joxcenia on Nov 14, 2004 21:59:45 GMT -6
Has anyone else who has registered a manuscript for copyright gotten such a letter?
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Post by Joxcenia on Dec 10, 2004 1:34:41 GMT -6
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Post by Joxcenia on Jan 4, 2005 22:11:14 GMT -6
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Post by Joxcenia on Jul 5, 2005 15:16:22 GMT -6
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Post by Joxcenia on Jul 5, 2005 16:15:30 GMT -6
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Post by Joxcenia on Jul 25, 2005 21:19:50 GMT -6
Now I'm glad I didn't get in contact with them:
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Post by Joxcenia on Aug 8, 2005 15:57:21 GMT -6
I got this letter in the mail last week... I don't know why they wrote me, I'm not a songwriter. I guess maybe it's because the children's manuscript I copyrighted was in rhyme.
ARE YOU A SONGWRITER? DO YOU WRITE LYRICS? POEMS? MUSIC? Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Bruce Springsteen were once unknown songwriters. Their songs, perhaps like yours, were once heard by only a few close friends. Then... they got a break. They got a chance to record their music. And now their songs are a big part of the multi-billion dollar music industry.
The music industry continues to grow at an enormous rate. Radio stations constantly call for new recordings. The explosion of satellite and cable television with scores of new channels and special music programs has created still a greater demand for new songs.
New songs are recorded and released every day. Your song could be one of them.
HILLTOP RECORDS is searching for new songs... for fresh, original lyrics. Our award-winning professional musicians, arrangers and producers have worked with many of the giants in the music industry. Players on our talented team have recorded tracks for Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Diana Ross and Phil Collins. We have shared the stage with Trisha Yearwood, Natalie Cole, Frank Sinartra, Jose Feliciano, Chuck Berry, The Four Tops and many, many more. We have played some of the greastest songs of all time with the artists who made them famous, and now we want to review your material.
We are currently reviewing all types of songs and lyrics... Rock, Pop, Country, Gospel, R&B, Contemporary Christian, Easy Listening, New Age, Standard, Broadway, Blues and Folk.
To increase your chances for acceptance, send us three or four of your very best compositions. You may send completed songs, lyrics only, poems or instrumentals. If one of your compositions is chosen, it will be arranged and recorded by some of the best in the business. Your song will then be professionally packaged, shipped nationwide to stores and radio stations, and you will be paid a royalty for every recording sold.
Don't delay. Our professional team is well into production on a very special music project. Some outstanding new songs have already been selected. Remember, send us three or four of your very best. We will carefully review your material, and you will receive our decision promptly. If you send your songs on cassette or CD, please include lyric sheets. Your songs will absolutely not be used without your written permission; and they will be returned to you upon request if return postage is provided.
We look forward to reviewing your material. And we wish you great success with your songs. This could be a tremendous opportunity for the right songwriter... HILLTOP RECORDS could be your first big break in the music industry.
All the best,
Tom Hartman
Executive Producer
[url=www.google.com/search?num=30&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&rls=GGLD%2CGGLD%3A2004-35%2CGGLD%3Aen&q=HillTop+Records%2BScam]GoogleUS: HillTop Records+Scam
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Post by Lesa on Aug 16, 2005 2:40:01 GMT -6
I just noticed this thread. Jox, I'm glad you didn't contact them. I got a bad feeling just reading that letter from Dorrance. Before following any of your links, it sounded to me like they were trying to steal your manuscript and copyright it as their own, since it hadn't finished the copyright process yet.
After reading the link where you quoted this:
I guess it wasn't a matter of them wanting to steal your manuscript, but it sounds like they use dishonesty to lock people into a contract that doesn't give what the representatives promise. I wonder if Johnny read the contract thoroughly before signing it, or if he signed it without reading it, trusting what the representatives told him.
I suppose they might have "offered" the books to brick and mortar stores, but 70% doesn't sound like wholesale price to me, and the bookstores might not have wanted them at that price. Does anyone here know how much bookstores pay for the books they sell?
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Post by Joxcenia on Aug 16, 2005 13:38:49 GMT -6
At least this writer will get full rights to his book back when the contract runs out and he can sell reprint rights to a legitimate publisher then. It's a shame these vultures are out there to take advantage of those who want to be published. 
NOTE: Do not sell All Rights to your works, because the one payment is all you'll ever get and you no longer have the right to sell it elsewhere later on.
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Post by Lesa on Aug 16, 2005 20:37:04 GMT -6
This is true. Although he was quite limited for 3 years, he still gets to use a legitimate publisher once the contract is over. I suppose they may have helped in the long run, too, because who knows if he would have gotten discovered had he not signed up with them and gotten the blurb that led to his appearances that led to him selling copies at those appearances, and that probably got him noticed by the better publishers that he used for his later books. It seems like the equivalent of a band signing up with an indy label before being discovered by a large recording label, but having to fulfill the contract with the indy label before they can sign up with the large record label. It can be hard to get noticed by the big guys until you get signed by a smaller company.
I still think that people should try the better publishers with the proven track record first. Then, if after trying long enough, none of them will read your manuscript, then maybe consider one of the 'indy' publishers. But always do your homework on the company first, and always have a lawyer look over the contract and explain every detail to you before signing it.
That last bit of advice you gave is good too:
As with any other contract, make sure you understand and agree with every aspect before signing it. If you don't agree with all of it and you can't get them to negotiate on the terms, then look until you find a better company.
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Post by Joxcenia on Aug 16, 2005 21:26:50 GMT -6
Vanity & Print-On-Demand publishers are good for manuscripts dealing with family genealogy, family recipes, personal memoirs, etc. that you only want to give or sell to family & close friends, or sell from your car/shop in your local area. As long as you know they can't and won't make you famous, using them isn't all bad... as long as they're upfront and honest about what they can and can't do. Those that lie to get your business should be avoided at all costs.
For instance... if you have a young child who wants to put her poetry into a book for Grandma for Christmas, she can use Lulu.com to create her book and then buy whatever copies needed for their basic cost, or she can up the price and send a link to family and friends to make money to give to a charity... etc. I believe Lulu does have options that they charge for, but if you don't use those, the only price paid will be for purchase of your product. If you don't buy your own product, you pay nothing at all, ever.
So, they aren't all evil... you just have to be careful and know what you're getting into.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 17, 2010 22:35:56 GMT -6
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