Mellen Press review: Patricia Schultz, office lady. Herbert Richardson, doddering Editor

Authors, Beware of Mellen Press

Mellen Press operates by selling books written by Ph.Ds and experts who must first give Mellen exclusive rights. Mellen Press exploits its connections to sell the books at extremely high prices ( US$100 and up per copy) to libraries and universities and pays the book authors a pittance if and only if the number of copies sold exceeds an unlikely number. Mellen then puts a cap on total author's potential lifetime earnings. Authors desperate to be published accept these terms.

Mellen leaves it to the author to acquire endorsements, do all editing, proofreading, artwork, etc. to Mellen specifications. Mellen does not have to invest time or effort until the product is finished.

In addition, Patricia Schultz, the office lady who screens communications for the doddering Editor-in-Chief Herbert Richardson, is argumentive and nasty. She does not return emails and hangs the phone up on contracted authors. She behaves like a dominatrix.

Mellen Press is a big waste of time. Take it from me, an author who now knows.