Emails are going out this week telling Books-A-Million’s BAM Publish users that BAM is out of the publishing services business as of March 1.

BAM Publish clients will be shifted to FastPencil, an operator that offers services similar to those being discontinued by BAM. Or rather, identical, as BAM partnered with FastPencil in 2016.
Which at least means a smooth transition, right?
Well, no. Rather, the clients won’t be shifted over, but will have their BAM Publish accounts terminated and are asked meantime to head to the FastPencil site to schedule a call so FastPencil can talk them through what will happen next.
In a pithy email to BAM Publish clients that has no time for paragraph breaks, BAM Customer Services Rep Ouida explained,

You have received this email because you have an account with BAM Publish. We are writing to inform you that beginning March 1, 2019, Books-A-Million, Inc. will discontinue the BAM Publish imprint and will no longer offer publishing services. All BAM Publish users and their projects will be now be managed by FastPencil, an authoring tool with similar services and user experience. We’re confident that FastPencil will be able to provide the same level of service you have had under BAM Publish. Please click here to schedule a call to learn more about moving your project to FastPencil.

Curiously the click here takes you to a dedicated page to commit your details so FastPencil can call you, but does not have any links to the FastPencil site where the prices can be found.
Books-A-Million launched its BAM Publish venture just under four years ago in April 2015 and by November 2016 realised it was going to be an uphill struggle and partnered with FastPencil.
Then BAM decided it would be fun to shutter its BAM Publish doors with three days notice and force clients to sit through a FastPencil sales pitch over the phone in order to carry their BAM Publish projects forward.
With just over 24 hours left, no-one seems to have thought to mention the closure on the BAM Publish website.