There’s been a lot weighing on my mind in regard to publishing
lately. With NaNo coming up next month, I took some time off to explore my story
options. While organizing some old writing notes, I became reflective. This
coming February will mark my fourth year as a published author. I have worked
with three different e-publishers in as much time and thought I’d share some of
my thoughts on the industry. I’m very happy with the books I have on the market now and
the two publishers I’m currently contracted with – The Wild Rose Press and
Black Lyon Publishing. Hopefully, the owners of both share the same view about
me and the titles under my name available through their online stores and distributors.
What
some of you might not know is that I wasn’t always as happy with my publishing
experience. In August 2007, I was offered my first publishing contract for a
romantic adventure entitled Fox &
Hound. The e-publisher who offered to publish this book – my baby – was new.
It was so new, in fact, that the e-store had not yet launched. In the
publishing world, everyone hears cautionary tales about e-publishers
(especially back in 2007) and the importance of researching a company before
signing anything. Because of the lack of information on the owner and the
absence of authors to interrogate about their experience with the company thus
far, I wasn’t able to do my due diligence for the manuscript. To say I was
still green around the gills is an understatement of immense proportions. If I
knew what I know now about publishing, I never would have done it.
And as soon as I did mail off my signed contract, I regretted it because
the manuscript was put on the backburner of the publisher’s editing queue. The
red flags started flying when I wasn’t provided with an editor right off the
bat as most publishers and e-publishers do.
Five months went by and despite numerous inquiries my
request for an editor was ignored. I was given an early February release date and a
cover in January. A week before my release date, I finally heard from an
editor. This person put as little effort into fine-combing the manuscript as possible.
Her notes were minimal despite some major head-hopping issues and typos I wasn’t
aware of at the time. The book was published on schedule and though I did
everything I possibly could to generate sales on the web, the numbers were
dismal. In e-publishing, it’s understood that the author is responsible for the
bulk of his/her book promotion. But I believe that the general consensus both
among these publishers and their authors is that every book is equal and should
be treated as such by its publisher. My book was ignored by mine. Within the first
year, I would get terse IM messages from the owner demanding to know why I wasn’t
doing my job and promoting my work. I received two telephone calls from her
glossing over the real issues and asking why I was contracting a number of titles
with other (more legitimate) publishers and not submitting anything new to her
company - though I wasn't legally bound to do so. After sending documented proof that I was promoting Fox & Hound, the owner chose to
ignore me completely. I began to see editors, cover artists, and authors
fleeing the company and heard horror stories about verbal harassment, nonpayment, breaches of contract, and stolen material.
After an in-depth appraisal of my own sales, I realized that a good number was
missing from royalty reports. This was around the same time that several
unprofessional, ranting letters were sent from the owner to the authors’ private
Yahoo loop. It was the last straw for me and several others. According to my contract, by sending a certified
letter to the publisher’s address, royalties would be paid to me within ninety
days and the rights to the work would be restored in my name. I wanted to end
my association with the company with as little conflict as possible so the
letter stated that my reasons for cancellation were simply due to lack of sales
and placed no blame on either party.
I waited ninety days and heard nothing from anyone involved
with the publisher. When I emailed the owner to ask if she had received the
certified letter of cancellation, she replied that I was being investigated by
her legal team to see if I was in breach of my contract. I was confident that I
had never been in breach of my contract so I waited patiently.
After another ninety days, I emailed her again demanding an answer to my
previous inquiries. A few weeks later I received a royalty check. I found the
royalty report questionable at best but left it at that. What mattered to me
most weren’t the royalties but the rights to the work. My attempts to again contact
the owner in regard to this were given the cold shoulder for no less than sixteen months. In fact, I’m
still waiting to receive a return certified letter from the company formally
reverting rights back to me. The book is in limbo. Unless some miraculous
effort is made on the publisher’s part after all this time, nothing will ever
come of it again. It's a shame because, as with all my stories, it meant a great deal to me.
 |
| Signing Fox & Hound in 2008 |
As I explored my legal options, I came across a shocking
number of authors, editors, and artists who had left the company due to worse issues. After hearing their experiences, I realized that I was
lucky. My name wasn’t slandered across the internet (though I did receive several
fishy anonymous comments on this blog that were hurtful in nature and forced me
to put comments permanently on moderation). I received no threatening phone
calls from anyone associated with the owner and her ilk (though my dear husband would
have been pleased to deal with those by giving any one of them a piece of his
mind). I sought the advice of my attorney but never called up his legal services
(though I am still readily prepared to do so if my past association with the owner
or her company ever does create further conflict at any point in the future).
The reason I’m bringing all this to the surface here at The Cozy
Page now is not to stir up old grievances but to offer explanation to readers
who were never given one about Fox &
Hound’s disappearance from e-stores and online distributors. I feared that
if I made any sort of public statement decrying my association with this
publisher at the time, I would draw retaliation from the owner. I’ve always
tried to make my corner of the web (both my official website and my blog) a positive place for readers and friends. At
the time, I had nothing positive or even polite to say about what was happening
with this publisher. I also bring it up now because the experience
taught me a valuable lesson about the publishing industry, one that I sincerely hope authors as new and hopeful as I was in 2007 learn much more easily than I did. It was lesson in how
not to do business – both as an author and as a professional.
I would like to take this time to thank both of my current
publishers for their professionalism throughout the entirety of my association
with them. Even when I had to cancel a contract with The Wild Rose Press due to
changes in their Champagne Rose imprint, everyone involved with the process was
nothing but understanding and prompt in reverting rights of the work back to me
as well as royalties. I can only hope that the rest of my publishing career is
as pleasant an experience as I have enjoyed with both these companies.
If there are any newbie authors who went through or are
going through the same thing I did with my first publisher, please don’t be
afraid to ask questions about how to deal with it, either here on the blog or privately
via my contact email address: amber@amberleighwilliams.com.
If I’m unable to provide helpful answers, I know a great number of helpful, informative people
to recommend.
And finally, to my readers for allowing me to explain everything
after all this time. The weight on my shoulders has finally been lifted. Now
onto November, NaNo, and the 2011 holiday season….
With love and good thoughts,
Amber Leigh
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