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Defunct in practice since 2017
PublishAmerica, later America Star Books and then ASB Promotions, stopped paying royalties, stopped answering and stopped filling orders. Many of its books are still listed online, earning money that never reaches the author. Here is what happened, what your contract means now, and how authors have taken their books back and republished them.
Tell us the year you signed and what you have: the contract, any royalty statements, emails. A specialist replies within one business day with your next step.
By Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Updated October 27, 2026
The short answer
PublishAmerica launched in 1999, renamed itself America Star Books in 2014 and became ASB Promotions in 2017, when it stopped accepting new authors. By then it had stopped paying royalties, answering authors and fulfilling orders, although many titles stayed for sale online. Its contracts gave it exclusive publishing rights, often for the life of the copyright. You still own the copyright in your text; what PublishAmerica held was a license. Attorneys commonly advise that non-payment of royalties and non-performance are a material breach that gives authors a strong basis to reclaim rights, usually starting with a formal written reversion demand. This is not legal advice, and for recent or valuable contracts an attorney should review first.
Prices checked October 27, 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
Your book kept selling after your publisher stopped paying you.
PublishAmerica’s contracts locked authors in with exclusive rights, kept the production files, and set prices so high that bookstores would not stock the books. When the company went silent, those books did not vanish. Copies kept selling through existing distributor channels for years, and the author received nothing. Many authors have assumed that the exclusivity clause still binds them, so the book sits trapped behind a company that no longer functions.
There is a path out that authors have used successfully: document the breach, send a formal reversion demand, wait out the response period, then republish under a new ISBN from your own manuscript. We give you the demand letter template, refer you to a publishing attorney when your situation needs one, and do not begin republishing until your rights position is clear.
What happened
The timeline, from public reporting and author warnings.
| When | What happened | What it left authors with |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Launches with no upfront fees, a $1 advance and a promise of bookstore availability | Many authors believed they had a traditional deal |
| By 2005 | About 11,000 authors under contract; complaints to Publishers Weekly about unpaid royalties and high prices | Books priced so high retailers would not stock them |
| Years of warnings | Writer Beware and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America document hundreds of complaints | Clear warnings, but contracts already signed |
| 2014 | Renamed America Star Books | The same contracts under a new name |
| 2017 | Becomes ASB Promotions and stops accepting authors; royalties, replies and order fulfilment stop | Books still listed for sale, no money reaching authors |
Not sure where your contract leaves you? Book the free rights review below. Bring the contract, royalty statements and any emails you kept.
The trap
Amazon and other retailers kept selling copies through existing distributor channels. Authors received nothing, in some cases for years after the publisher went silent.
Contracts gave PublishAmerica exclusive publishing rights, often for the full term of copyright. Authors who tried to publish elsewhere feared being sued for breach by a company that had itself stopped paying.
PublishAmerica made its own production files, and its contracts said they belonged to the publisher. Authors were left with their original manuscript, if they had kept a copy.
Material breach of contract, which is what not paying royalties and not providing services amounts to, gives authors a strong basis to reclaim their rights, and many have done so. The process is not instant, but it is straightforward.
Reclaiming your rights
You own the copyright in your original text. What PublishAmerica owned was a license to publish it under your contract. When it stopped paying royalties and stopped performing its obligations, that was a material breach, which attorneys commonly advise undermines its ability to enforce exclusivity against you.
Have the contract and nothing else? That is enough to start.
Get My Free Rights ReviewLegal risk
Columbia Publication is not a law firm, and nothing here is legal advice. If your contract is recent (after 2010) or your book has a significant sales history, have a publishing attorney review it before you republish. With an older contract and a clear record of non-payment, the breach argument is well established and attorneys commonly advise that republishing is low risk. We refer you to publishing attorneys who handle exactly this situation, and we tell you upfront if your case needs that review first.
Your files
In most cases, no. PublishAmerica produced its own files and its contracts treated them as its property. What you can use is your original manuscript, which you own as the copyright holder. From it we build a new, properly formatted and designed book, so the missing files stop mattering.
Side by side
| Factor | PublishAmerica / ASB | Republished with Columbia Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Royalties | Stopped | Paid to you directly by the retailers and Ingram |
| Book price | Set high by the publisher | Set by you, in line with the market |
| Bookstore distribution | Effectively none | Full Ingram wholesale catalog |
| Who answers | No one | One specialist, replies within one business day |
| Files | Kept by the publisher | All final and source files delivered to you |
| Rights | Locked in an exclusive contract | 100% yours; never exclusive to us |
| Libraries | Minimal | Eligible through Ingram |
Your next step
Most authors in your position need three things: the rights confirmed, new files built, and the book live again under their own name and accounts. Each step has its own page.
How we check your rights, rebuild the files from a printed copy if needed, and relaunch the book on every major store.
Editing, a new cover, formatting, ISBNs and distribution to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo and bookstores through IngramSpark.
Flat-fee packages side by side, so you can see which one fits the state of your book.
Copies for signings, family and launch events, printed and delivered to your door.
After your rights are clear
We review your manuscript before we quote, and only start once your rights position is clear.
Manuscript ready
$1,499
New cover, new interior from your manuscript, ISBN included, Ingram and Amazon setup, plus the reversion letter template.
From a manuscript file to a book on sale that pays you, with the rights letter that frees it included.
About 4 to 5 weeks
Start With the Free Rights ReviewMost chosen
$2,499
Global Publish plus a proofread of every page and one project manager who runs the whole relaunch.
A clean, proofread relaunch managed by one person, so the book returns better than the edition PublishAmerica sold.
About 7 to 9 weeks
Start With the Free Rights ReviewNeeds editing
Custom quote
Light to medium copyediting, a new cover and full republishing, quoted after we read the manuscript.
For a manuscript that deserves a fresh edit: a stronger book than the first time, priced to the work it needs.
Schedule set in your quote
Start With the Free Rights ReviewHow we protect a PublishAmerica author
Rights guidance is included at no extra charge. Republishing is paid in full upfront once you approve the quote.
What you can count on
How it runs
We’ve started with Publishing & distribution. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemized quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Your quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
It renamed itself America Star Books in 2014, became ASB Promotions in 2017 and stopped accepting new authors. By 2017 it was effectively defunct: not responding, not paying royalties and not filling orders, though some titles remained for sale online.
This is the central problem. Its contracts gave it exclusive rights, often for the life of the copyright. Attorneys commonly advise that non-payment of royalties and non-performance are a breach that gives authors a strong basis to reclaim those rights, especially as the publisher no longer functions.
You can, but there is some legal risk. The safer path is a formal reversion demand citing the breaches. America Star Books stopped operating in 2017, so a formal demand is usually the practical route without going to court. We guide you through it before republishing begins.
Unpaid royalties are a breach of contract and the basis for demanding reversion. Send a formal written demand by certified mail to the last known Maryland address. For recent contracts or valuable books, have a publishing attorney review first; we can refer you.
Exclusivity depends on the publisher meeting its own obligations. When a publisher materially breaches, most legal interpretations hold that the author is no longer bound by exclusivity. It is not guaranteed, but it is the argument authors have relied on.
Usually not; the contracts treated the production files as the publisher’s property. Your original manuscript is yours, and we build a new, professionally designed book from it.
From $1,499 from your original manuscript, or $2,499 with a full proofread and a project manager. Manuscripts that need editing are quoted after we read them. Rights guidance is included at no extra charge when you republish with us.
About 4 to 5 weeks from manuscript to live on Amazon and Ingram, or 7 to 9 weeks with proofreading or a significant cover redesign, after the 30-day demand period. We confirm a firm timeline after reviewing your files.
Tell us which name you signed with, roughly when, and what you have kept. A specialist replies within one business day.
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