How do I get Publish America to stop bothering me?

I signed the contract with the supposedly fake book company, Publish America, but then I backed out once I heard a bunch of negative news from them. Now they have all my personal information. They called me today but I pretended to be someone else. What can I do? I'm thinking of changing my social security number. I just want to know what the real deal is with this company and why they are still harassing me?
How do I get Publish America to stop bothering me?
http://www.sfwa.org/Beware/overview.html鈥?/a>



Although not specific to your situation, this is a GOOD place to start. You NEED to contact a lawyer, preferably one with some knowledge of the publishing field (there's a link at the bottom of the page to 'lawyers for the arts', I think they're a free service but I'm not really sure about that).



You may well be in breach of contract, but, the contract may not be valid to begin with (that's why you need a lawyer), Justr trying to aviod their calls is not wise.



Writer Beware (and the blog), Preditors %26amp; Editors, and Absolutewrite.com/forum (their bewares and background check subforum) are excellent resources for writers to avoid being scammed.

There are several others, but offhand I can't remember their names.


How do I get Publish America to stop bothering me?
Depending on what was in the contract, you may be screwed as far as that particular manuscript goes. But there's a ton of information about the scam that is PublishAmerica out there; just google it. However, look at your contract. If you own the rights still, then it's still your book.



What are they bothering you about? Knowing that could really help answer your questions.
I'm not in the legal profession so I may be way off base, but if you're a minor they may not be able to do anything unless your parent(s) also signed.



You might want to contact the Attorney General's Office in your state %26amp; the state this company is in. You would probably want the Office of Consumer Affairs. Check your phone book for the number in your state. It'll be in the white pages under State Govt. Also, many have special sections in the front of their book for local, state, etc. numbers.



Call the Better Business Bureau in your city for advice. Again, get the number for their city %26amp; report them. You can get the toll-free number (if they have one) by calling 1-800-555-1212 or 1-(area code)555-1212.



If they call %26amp; harass or threaten you in any way call the police %26amp; the phone company. If your parents don't know about this mess, you'd better tell them.



You may need an attorney, but try writing them a letter explaining why you want out. Be professional %26amp; don't make idle threats.



Document everything--date/time of incoming/outgoing calls, name(s) of people you talk to %26amp; their responses, esp. if it does sound like coercion.



Last bit of advice: ALWAYS, ALWAYS check for yourself in reliable sources including Y!A %26amp; esp. Resolved Answers before submitting anything or signing. Oh, if you do decide to publish once you're out of this mess, get an agent.