NOTE: Shawline/New Found Books has gone into liquidation. See the updates to this post.
I first heard of Australia-based Shawline Publishing in 2021, thanks to a question from an author who’d been offered a contract.
Shawline was (and still is, under its new name) a self-styled hybrid, meaning that it charges fees. Its website loudly touts the “affordability” of its services, without mentioning specific amounts or revealing that required author “investments” are in the mid-four figure range. As of 2021, Shawline was charging AUD 4,500 (at the time, equivalent to approximately USD 3,380), with company documents claiming investments were “mutual” and Shawline said to be “the larger investor” (a frequent, though not necessarily true, claim by fee-based publishers). As is common with such publishers, the initial fee had the potential to be considerably higher thanks to add-ons such as website creation, printed materials, book videos, audiobook creation, ad campaigns, and more.
Contracts shared with me in 2022 and 2023 revealed the evolution of Shawline’s fees, which increased to AUD 5,450 (USD 4,133) and then to AUD 6,990 (USD 4,997). The contract itself, on the other hand, stayed largely the same (you can view the most recent version I’ve seen here).
Formatted in tiny print, the contract includes a number of author-unfriendly provisions, including extra fees for manuscripts over 100,000 words, potential extra fees for author changes after the contract is signed, an unduly lengthy 24-month production window, and a non-disparagement clause (“The Author will not say or write anything defamatory or critical of the Agent or its work or employees prior to, during and after publication of the Work”). (Shawline refers to itself throughout the contract as “the Agent”.)
But what struck me most was the royalty language. Shawline pays royalties on “nett [sic] book sales profit” (net profit royalties are always a contract red flag). The percentage is high–70%–but the contract doesn’t define what “profit” actually means, and though Shawline’s Understanding Royalties document provides a bit more info, with royalties described as income paid by retailers and distributors less “our costs of print and fixed cost”, the picture doesn’t get much clearer, since what’s meant by “fixed costs” is not explained. Vagueness like this potentially gives a publisher a lot of latitude for using expense deductions to reduce the amount on which royalties are calculated, as this Shawline author seems to have discovered (see the last paragraph):,
The contract also includes no fewer than two options for Shawline not to pay royalties at all. From the Payment of Accounts clause (my emphasis):
Author royalties are only paid as per conditions below and upon reaching profitable returns from sales.
And from later in the same clause (again, my emphasis):
We as the Agent will aim for reasonable sales figures to be reached yet should any sales figures fall below 250 books per royalty period and be less than the cost of production at this quantity, the agent will reserve the right to not pay royalty amounts as it is expected to be at a loss for both parties involved.
Where you see that kind of payment threshold, you should never discount the possibility that the publisher has chosen it in the expectation that it will rarely, if ever, be exceeded.
It probably won’t surprise you that the author complaint in the screenshot above isn’t the only one. Per an August 25 article in the Sydney Morning Herald (sorry, the article is behind a paywall), Shawline is being sued by over a dozen of its authors, who say they were told their books would be successful but in fact received only small royalty payments and “saw little evidence of sales figures or tangible marketing activity”. (Shawline promises “advertising, promotion, and publicity”, but as you can see from this list of support activities, much of it is what Writer Beware regards as junk marketing: marketing that’s cheap to provide and not especially effective for book promotion, such as press releases, email blasts, social media posts and ads, and various listings.)
Moreover, the Herald’s investigation of Shawline founder Bradley Shaw reveals a “murky” history:
A Herald and Age investigation has revealed Brad Shaw’s real name is Edwin Jason McBride, who according to company records is the owner and director of Shawline Publishing. EJ McBride is also listed among Shawline’s “bestselling authors”, including one book billed as “tales from the mind of a self-confessed nutter”.
Company records also reveal Edwin Jason McBride was formerly known as Brad McBride.
Shaw, or McBride, has been bankrupted three times. A decade ago, he collapsed in an Adelaide courtroom after pleading guilty to a criminal charge of distributing pornographic pictures on his website.
In 2013, Brad McBride was making homemade adult films in Geelong when he published images of an amateur actress, which he promised would stay private, following a property dispute. He created a website, uploaded 12 images from the movies showing the woman engaged in sexual acts, and posted a link on his Twitter account without her knowledge.
According to court reports at the time, McBride became unsteady on his feet in the dock when he heard he was facing up to two years’ jail, and when handed a three-month suspended sentence, he collapsed.
An ambulance was called but was not required after court staff administered first aid. McBride regained consciousness, managing to walk out of the courtroom unassisted.
Today McBride – going by the name of Brad Shaw – is at the helm of Shawline Publishing Group, along with a slew of other associated publishing entities, though he recently closed an affiliated bookshop. On Thursday Shaw said this masthead’s inquiries “sound ominous”, adding he would only respond to questions after seeing a draft copy of the article before publication. He did not respond to specific questions about his identity, Shawline’s business model, bankruptcy or Brad McBride’s criminal convictions, instead notifying this masthead’s management he was lodging a complaint with the Australian Press Council and commencing legal proceedings.
Shaw has denied the allegations of unpaid royalties, claiming in a statement to Books+Publishing that “‘all book sales made are paid to the authors as per royalty requirements and reports and correspondence of these in support are always available to our authors.”
Nevertheless, he has announced that he is “stepping out” of the company for “personal reasons” (while remaining the legal owner), and, in what an uncharitable mind might suspect is an effort to outrun bad press, has decided to abandon the Shawline business name. On September 1, Shawline authors received this email announcing the company’s new moniker, New Found Books Australia (NFB), with the change presented as “improved brand protection” as the company goes international:
The new business name was registered two days later.
A popup explaining the rebrand now greets anyone who clicks into the Shawline website, which then defaults to the new NFB URL:
Other than that, it’s not much of a rebrand (so far, anyway). The NFB website is really just the Shawline website with a new name, and the new logo is really just the old logo with different initials. The business model is the same. And per the announcement above, authors are still stuck with their Shawline contracts.
Is there any real reason to think that anything else will change, either?
A final note: be careful with publishers that describe themselves as hybrids or that claim a hybrid business model.
True hybrids–which are extremely costly, much more so than companies like Shawline/NFB–have a variety of policies and practices, but the bottom line is that, although they charge fees, they add value comparable to a traditional publisher. Most self-styled hybrids are very much not that, and the term has been so extensively co-opted by vanity publishers, assisted self-publishing service providers, and scammers that it has ceased to have any real meaning. You can be sure that a hybrid publisher wants you to pay for publication, but other than that, the term says nothing about a company’s integrity, performance, or overall business model.
You can learn more about what hybrid publishers are and are not at the Writer Beware website. See also this article from publishing guru Jane Friedman (whose website is a goldmine of information and advice for authors).
UPDATE 10/1/24: As sometimes happen when I write about a troubled publisher, authors and former staffers are weighing in in the comments. Be sure to check them out.
More discussion of Shawline/NFB:
Shawline Shenanigans I don’t know who’s behind this anonymous website, or how valid some of its claims are, but it has published what appear to be genuine Shawline documents, as well as info from the Australian Securities and Investment Commission on Shawline and associated businesses.
The No-Good, the Bad and the Ugly Case of Shawline Publishing This article from Australian self-publishing services provider Green Hill alleges, among other things, that Shawline “is asking past and current authors…for financial contributions citing ‘cashflow issues’.”
UPDATE 10/4/24: So much for re-branding. As of the close of business today, Shawline Publishing is in liquidation, along with a related Bradley Shaw venture, Readalot Magazine. The Shawline/NFB website is blank and most Shawline/NFB books, as well as books from NFB’s children’s imprint, Playtime Books, can no longer be found on Amazon.
Here’s the announcement sent to staff; note that it urges staff to avoid communicating with authors by pretending that they are “off unwell”:
Here are the published notices of liquidator appointments for Shawline and for Readalot:
There is now a support group on Facebook for Shawline authors, established by a former staffer. Here’s the link.
What should authors do now? In the comments (which continue to accumulate; be sure to check them out), there’ve been a couple of questions about whether, given the liquidation announcement, authors’ rights are now free and clear, as promised in the Termination clause of the Shawline contract (next to last page).
I don’t know if things work the same way in Australia as they do in the USA–but in the USA, courts don’t tend to honor bankruptcy clauses in publishing contracts. Contracts are viewed as potential assets that can be sold to satisfy creditors, and a bankruptcy filing basically freezes them in place until a decision can be made as to their disposition. (For more detailed information on bankruptcy clauses, see this post.)
Also, though the liquidation has been announced internally and liquidators appointed, there’s as yet been no formal announcement (as far as I know, anyway). Bottom line, in my non-legal opinion: at the very least, the rights situation for authors is as yet unclear. Hopefully that will change in the near future–but for now, I don’t think you can consider that your contracts are void.
UPDATE 10/7/24: Below is the letter the liquidators are sending to Shawline/NFB authors.
Note the final paragraph on Page 1: it asserts Shawline’s “likely” ownership not just of layout and design, which is a typical claim when publishing contracts terminate, but of “edited versions”–which is not typical at all. Claiming ownership of edits–meaning that only rights to the originally-submitted text will revert, and authors can’t re-publish the final, edited version of their books–is not standard publishing industry practice. The Shawline contract doesn’t make any mention of such an ownership claim. (For a detailed discussion of this issue, see my blog post on why claiming copyright on edits is a contract red flag.)
Note also that this is not a reversion or termination letter; the implication is that Shawline authors are still bound by their contracts and must wait for more information from the liquidators.
UPDATE 10/11/24: Comment left today:
Good news and bad news, the liquidator has today relinquished all rights to author’s masterfiles and they are available for $400 a pop. There are 600 authors so don’t hold your breath.
Be aware that you may not be able to use the files as-is (if you want to self-publish, for example): they may include Shawline content that will need to be stripped out, such as title and copyright pages.
UPDATE 10/21/24: The Australian Society of Authors has issued advice for Shawline authors, with information about contracts, print-ready files, payment to creditors, and filing claims (authors are considered unsecured creditors). According to the ASA, “[a]n astounding 600 titles are affected”.
Low-cost legal help may be available from the ASA’s subsidiary, Authors Legal.
The Sydney Morning Herald has published a followup article on the Shawline collapse (it’s behind a pay wall).
McKenzie and Ridley are listed along with hundreds of other Shawline authors in a report published by liquidators Brooke Bird last week.
Liquidators are still sifting through the financial wreckage of the Ballarat-based company and so far have found little of value. Among the debts are $158,000 owed to the Australian Taxation Office and an unpaid gas bill.
They discovered two ANZ Bank accounts linked to the company, one $24,948.24 in debit and one containing 26¢. Assets included a 2009 Holden ute sold for $6050 and some office supplies, which will be auctioned off.
They have requested that McBride provide a written statement explaining why he believes the company was not trading while insolvent.
I’ve seen this same pattern multiple times through my years with Writer Beware: fee-charging publishers begin by making money (since their fees are calculated to cover not just the cost of publishing, but overhead and profit as well), but through mismanagement and/or greed gradually become Ponzi schemes, with the money taken in for new projects paying instead for past commitments. When they inevitably collapse of their own weight, nothing much remains–except for all the authors and employees they left high and dry. (The saga of American vanity publisher Tate Publishing is instructive here.)
UPDATE 11/13/24: More news coverage of the Shawline implosion, this time from ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
The Ballarat-based business is in liquidation amid claims of unpaid royalties and dishonoured contracts and affected authors are losing hope of clawing back their share of the $840,000 debt.
It is expected none of them will get what they are owed because 12 former employees, the liquidators, and a string of creditors are first in line to be compensated from Shawline’s meagre remaining assets.
Liquidators Adrian Hunter and Robyn Erskine, of Brooke Bird, said in a letter to creditors many authors had lost money, but there were “limited available funds” and it would not be possible for them to “work free of charge for the estimated 600 titles held by Shawline”.
The liquidators said 470 authors were on Shawline’s books and they had received claims from 51 authors seeking to recover losses of between $5,000 and $8,000.
Mr Hunter said the Australian Taxation Office was owed approximately $158,000 and there were no spare book copies in the possession of Shawline that could be returned to authors.
Liquidators advised authors that while the sole director, Edwin McBride, who went by various other names, including Bradley Shaw, was working with them in accordance with his statutory obligations, they should not hold out hope of contacting him themselves as his email was set to “vacation mode”.
UPDATE 11/17/24: If your blood pressure can take it, here’s Edwin McBride’s statement to the liquidators. The short version: Shawline was brought down by mean people pursuing a vendetta and none of it is my fault.
UPDATE 12/19/24: Brooke Bird issued a progress report on December 11. You can read it here.
The report includes a detailed breakdown of Brooke Bird’s remuneration, which they estimate will total $120,000, and a comparison of the assets and liabilities reported by Bradley Shaw with their own estimates of those values:
Both authors and employees are unsecured creditors (second in line after secured creditors, who own an interest in the company’s assets in order to secure a debt owed by the company–a mortgage, for example), but employees are a special class of unsecured creditor, and receive priority if there’s any money to pay outstanding debts. However, given Brooke Bird’s fee (liquidators are paid out of available assets before payments are made to creditors) it doesn’t look as if there will be anything left over.
Brooke Bird says that it is working with authors to return their “Author Materials”.
At this point as an Author who was promised the world and was left with nothing from this company. Plain and simple is there anything I can claim or walk away and chalk it down to another lesson learned?
Ms. Strauss.
I’ve been abandoned by Page Vision Press, the April 2024 publisher of my novel, “Savage Days Haunted Nights” Can’t reach them! Yet they kept selling the book and stealing the royalties. I
finally removed them from Amazon. There may be $7000 involved plus the thousands I paid them
for promotional services. Can you advise me on how to precede with them legally? Thank you.
Bennett Kremen
I’ve gotten one report of email solicitation by Page Vision Press for re-publishing. Re-publishing offers are nearly always a marker for an overseas publishing/marketing scam, and other things in the email (such as a distinctive salutation used by one major overseas scammer that uses a variety of business names) suggest that as well. The fact that they’ve ghosted you and, I’m guessing, have not paid you royalties, is also typical of overseas publishing/marketing scams. Page Vision has a D+ rating at the BBB thanks to their failure to respond to complaints.
If you paid by credit or debit card, I’d suggest disputing the charges, even if you’re beyond the timeframe for doing so (usually 180 days after purchase). Banks and credit card companies may be willing to work with fraud victims even if they’re beyond the deadline. At the very least, you can ask for a fraud alert to be placed on your account. I’d also suggest you contact any one of the three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion–to place a fraud alert on your credit report: https://www.identitytheft.gov/#/CreditBureauContacts . You don’t have to contact all three–the credit bureau you contact must tell the other two to also place a fraud alert.
You can also consider filing another complaint with the Better Business Bureau, where writers may see it, and with law enforcement. A single complaint probably won’t produce any action, but a volume of them may; if there are other complaints on file, yours could be the one that tips the balance. There’s a list of places to file complaints here: https://writerunboxed.com/2024/06/28/cheated-swindled-or-scammed-whats-a-writer-to-do/
I’m so sorry this has happened to you. Contact me at beware@sfwa.org if you have other questions.
Earlier I had posted I had been scammed by Edwin McBride and Shawline Publishing. No work in th way of editing etc.. was completed and I have lost a considerable amount of money. On 14/11/24 I received this somewhat bizarre and mendacious email from Edwin McBride aka Bradley Shaw. This is straight out of the narcissist playbook – admit nothing, deny everything and make counter allegations. PS – Edwin, if you are reading this, this matter is not over lest you refund in full for the work you never did.
31st October 2024
Brooke Bird – Turnaround, Advisory and Insolvency Specialists
http://www.brookebird.com.au
Re: The closure of businesses owned by Edwin Jason McBride
To Adrian,
In accordance with your request for a detailed account of the events that ultimately led to the
closure of Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd and Readalot Magazine Pty Ltd, I provide the following
as Director of both entities.
I hope that by presenting this summation, you and the parties involved can fully understand the
series of circumstances that unfolded, and the overwhelming impact these actions had on the
businesses, the creditors, staff, authors, and me personally. I was outcast unfairly by my
community of peers and authors, all who gathered under misinformation and assumptions that left
me isolated and alone in this battle. I was the subject of unfair gossip, criticism and the target of
many who knew nothing but only the lies presented to them. I did nothing wrong and fought for my
authors and my staff as best as I could alone. I hope one day these people will see this, know this
and find peace in forgiveness for this horrible event.
With the benefit of hindsight, reflecting on the situation now after the closure, I can see more
clearly how Shawline Publishing was subjected to an orchestrated attack, both internally and
externally. While I understand that there are elements of speculation in my conclusions, the facts of
the matter strongly point to the premeditated efforts of Dan Moon (also known as Mitch Larsson), to
bring down Shawline Publishing Group and by default Readalot Magazine. Dan Moon’s campaign
was fueled by his own personal grievances and misunderstandings, but the consequences were
devastating, not just for Shawline Publishing, but also for the business’s authors and staff as well.
The Timeline of Events
Shawline Publishing was solvent and operating relatively smoothly up until mid-July of this year,
2024. The business was on track financially, with all accounts managed and a good workflow
established. In early July, things took a sudden downturn. Four key production staff members
resigned unexpectedly – Alana Lambert (Jade Andrews), Anna Bilbrough, Siama Teague (Rachael),
and Stephanie Traveski – thus leaving me to manage the operations of both Shawline Publishing
and Readalot Magazine on my own, with our editors, a salesperson and our small design team. This
presented a major challenge to operations however I and the remaining staff were unreservedly
committed to rebuilding our production team and getting operations back on track.
With the benefit of hindsight, I believe the aforementioned staff resignations were part of a larger
planned outcome, likely influenced by Dan Moon and his personal vendetta against myself and
Shawline Publishing.
The aforementioned resignations were soon followed by an influx of malicious claims, many of
which were made by former employees and incited by Dan Moon. These malicious claims were also
shared online, some of which involved confidential company information which could only have
been known by the aforementioned staff. These claims were not only false but were intended to
cause confusion, panic, and distrust among our authors and damage to myself and Shawline
Publishing. The illegal use of privileged company information by former staff would alone deem
their actions to be criminal in nature without even giving consideration to the fact that the claims
were malicious and made to cause harm and damage. All of which put these individuals in breach
of their contractual employment obligations. At the time of all this occurring I didn’t realise that we
were fighting an invisible enemy.
I warn you against the agenda of Alana Lambert and the other former staff who resigned because of
Dan Moon, all of whom were key in the attacks and collapse of the business for their own means.
They are not to be trusted by anyone and are conspiring still with Dan Moon to undermine you and
keep you confused and fearful of this truth herein.
The Impact of Dan Moon’s Actions
As the attacks made by Dan Moon in print and social media intensified and included untrue
allegations that Shawline Publishing was bankrupt, the impact on Shawline Publishing became
undeniable. We had to deal with an increasing number of authors suddenly requesting to terminate
their contracts without any real reasons and demanding refunds to which they were not
contractually entitled given the work already undertaken towards the production of their books.
These requests were part of a larger strategy by Dan Moon and his associates to spread
misinformation, manipulate the authors, and create division within the author community we
supported. The weeks of disputes continued, and I interviewed and found replacement staff to be
trained and coached into the roles I needed help with, but these distractions were little more than a
chaotic cycle of distraction on me as Dan Moon and his cohorts prepared their biggest attack on
Shawline Publishing and myself.
In late August, the situation escalated further when an article appeared in the Fairfax Group
newspapers, clearly orchestrated by Dan Moon and our former staff members. The article was a hit
piece written by an infamous gossip columnist, filled with inaccurate claims and character attacks
against me, aimed at discrediting the business and causing defamation of my character with
misleading conjecture of my past and private life. This hit piece was followed by an online campaign
via social media that caused further reputational damage as it opened the doorway to endless
ignorance from people who knew nothing about anything and yet felt compelled to voice their
contemptable opinions based on misleading and inaccurate information and conjecture. The
damage caused to Shawline Publishing’s credibility and my personal credibility by Dan Moon’s
campaign was immediate and catastrophic — inquiries for new business ceased or were
withdrawn, and the request for contract terminations and refunds accelerated beyond manageable.
The community went into panic and a complete dissolution of trust resulted, fed by Dan Moon and
his relentless campaigners. Despite my best efforts to mitigate the damage, including name
changes and appeals to our author community, I realized that the relentless attack would not stop,
and they were even trying new ways to gain more exposure and slander. Thankfully A Current Affair
refused to pay Dan Moon for his “story” of false claims. No matter what steps we took to protect the
business so we could continue to honor our obligations to our authors’, the lies had already taken
root, and nothing could be done to restore the trust that had been destroyed.
The death threats started, the fear fed further anger and cruelty as authors were led to believe they
had been ripped off or scammed in light of false claims in the media that Shawline Publishing was
bankrupt. The false claims became a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I became the subject of lies and
conspiracy theories. The court of public opinion found me personally guilty without a shred of proof
or evidence, purely based on one man’s personal vendetta. The collateral damage of that personal
vendetta is far reaching and has so far destroyed many authors’ dreams and aspirations as well as
the loss of employment for the business’s staff and financial loss to the business’s creditors.
The Collapse and the Decision to Close
The compounded effects of these attacks, combined with the declining morale of the community
and increasing financial pressures, made it clear that Shawline Publishing and Readalot Magazine
could not survive past December. The reputational damage was irreparable, and without new
business or income, it became clear that it was not possible to continue without the risk of trading
whilst insolvent. While we had plans in place for a successful Christmas period, with projections
for significant sales growth in our titles, these plans were effectively destroyed by the ongoing
slanderous campaign against us. The public claims of being ripped off and authors being scammed
were futile and ridiculous yet seemed for many to be more believable if they choose.
No one was ever ripped off and all sales were paid as received and recorded as per legal
requirements, although the final quarter sales were not paid out due to our closure. The company
operated at the highest level of professional and legal standards and was always open to
transparent presentation of information to our authors upon request, not demand, but request. We
had little money in our reserves at the time, given Readalot’s pending launch and cost, along with
Australian Audiobooks and Playtime Books big Nov/Dec releases coming out and with the clear
knowing that the attacks on us were unrelenting and the business was not able to operate
efficiently because of this, nor generate new business to sustain the coming periods…Ultimately, I
made the incredibly difficult decision to close the businesses rather than allow them to spiral into
potential insolvency. I was left with no other viable option.
Personal Impact and Reflection
The closure has had a profound personal impact on me. Beyond the financial losses the emotional
toll of having my credibility and integrity publicly attacked without justification has been
heartbreaking. The knowledge that our authors trusted us to take their stories from dream to reality
and we let them down, will forever weigh on my consciousness and is the cause of great personal
sorrow.
I have in my past made errors of judgement out of grief or despair, I have never lied or stolen nor
been party to any criminal activities in my life. One past incident of a charge which incurred penalty
commensurate with that of a parking fine, made its way to the news and left me to use an alias to
protect my family and privacy. To go bankrupt under real situations in any business, or to use an
alias to protect one’s privacy, are not criminal acts in any way and I operated my businesses with
the highest integrity and ability I could for all my authors to find the help they desired. I gained very
little from my efforts as everything we made or did was put back into the businesses I loved and
believed in.
As I reflect on what happened, I am left with a sense of sadness and disbelief. I cannot understand
why Dan Moon would orchestrate such a malicious campaign against me and the business we had
all built for the benefit of many authors to find a starting point to grow from in a very competitive
industry. I had always valued and admired the authors who worked with us, and I did everything that
we contracted to do, and more, to support their individual successes. Yet, in the end, it seems that
all of this was undone by one selfish, egomaniacal and small-minded man filled by hatred and
contempt for others. Sad; pitiful really.
WHO IS DAN MOON? He was an author with Shawline Publishing in 2022, with his terrible memoir
being published in 2023. He claims to be a lawyer and father yet seems prouder of being a bully and
male prostitute than anything else. He had his book with us in the market for one sale period, and
he sold 1000 copies which was a good effort for an unknown author with a bad book, and he was
not happy with these sales or the royalty he made, so he cancelled the book with us and began to
protest and complain from January 2024 onwards. He became obsessed with Shawline as he felt he
was ripped off from all our support and quality editing and design and promotion for his book
publication that was offered for his $6,000 fee. He ultimately took it to maximum effort of contempt
and destroyed us with gleeful satisfaction through unfounded VCAT claims and high Media
exposures of lies and conjecture. He has questionable ethics and mindset, but he had access to
means and this made him dangerous. A maniac with a gun will certainly be capable of killing
people, and a lunatic with access to any media will also harm many people!
Conclusion
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to present this account, and I trust that you will understand
the full scope of what transpired. I have no doubt that the closure of Shawline Publishing and
Readalot Magazine was the result of a calculated and premeditated attack, and I believe that Dan
Moon is ultimately responsible for the destruction of both businesses and the loss of all our
authors’ investments and great books, some of which may never reach the light of day now.
Yours sincerely,
Edwin Jason McBride
Ex-Director, Shawline Publishing Group Pty Ltd & Readalot Magazine Pty Ltd
Karl, can you forward this email to me? I’d like to add it as an update to my blog post (with your information redacted). beware@sfwa.org. Thanks!
Sent.
Would definitely execute a necessary step when the time is right. Stay tune!
I’ve been stung to the tune of about $10k. Manuscript was not published but ironically the central theme was the price honest people pay for being ethical. Some rise by sin and some by virtue fall.
Thanks for your comment, Karl. $10,000 is more than Shawline’s base fee–do you feel comfortable sharing what else you paid for?
It was about 6900 for shawline and 3000 for promotion with Readalot. I declined to pay a further 3000 after he failed to keep his agreement i.e. that my book would be published in 2024 and that it would be promoted in Readalot’s first edition. My gut instinct sadly was proven right following his languid excuses. I doubt I will see it again. However on the flipside I have some new names for nefarious characters in a new book I’m writing.
PS I noticed Edwin Mc Bride passed out when told he was being gaoled. Its curious such curs never suffer these afflictions when perpetrating their egregious crimes.
Thanks for the info. Such a major conflict of interest for a fee-for-service publisher to sell ad space to authors in a publication it owns–the very definition of double-dipping.
I am reading these comments with dismay. I paid Readalot for 2 half-page ads. As much as that cost, I really feel terrible for all of the authors who are up in the air with the rights to their books.
Good news and bad news, the liquidator has today relinquished all rights to author’s masterfiles and they are available for $400 a pop. There are 600 authors so don’t hold your breath.
Yes, unfortunately I have been scammed also. I didn’t receive one cent from royalties, and like most everyone else I don’t know whether my work can be published by someone else.
Hi there, thank you so much for this article I am one of the unfortunate hopeful authors that has now become one of their “creditors”. What is also concerning in this case is that the lawyers Shawline hired to handle their insolvency – Brooke Bird, appears to be equally shady with an average of one star review on Google and this article regarding one of their managing partners Robyn Erskine. https://insolvencynewsonline.com.au/liquidator-resigns-and-refunds-but-questions-remain/
Very disheartening experience overall. Difficult to determine whether I had any literary talent at all or was I chosen simply as the idiot to provide some temporary cashflow
I know exactly how you feel, pertaining to the last comment, very disappointing.
The thing about a pay-to-play publisher like Shawline is that it will as happily publish a good book as a bad one. Nothing that’s happened is any kind of judgment on your work or your talent.
support group created today by Alana (ex Shawline production manager) for all us suckers 🙂 Alana Lambert
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/SSeyBHHB2R53wiKF/
Hi everyone, commiserations, does this mean under clause gg of the contract that we are all free now? Does anyone know what this means for platforms like Amazon and other sellers All of The Shawline websites are closed down from what I can See. I’ve unfortunately organised a heap of marketing between now and Feb so I need to get moving with finding an alternative outlet, have new cover produced by a new ISBN wow what luck, I feel for everyone whose book will never be released. Feel Free to reach out. The Editor I worked with was amazing and the cover and the book it’s self-fantastic.
well my contract says you get back your rights if there is an insovency but not if the in solvency is voluntary for ‘restructuring’ purposes (another lurk?) More importantly can you also get the master files? apparently for a small fee of $10k plus. Without these you are in for considerable costs recreating if you want to now self publish. Anybod no more?
Do you have documentation of the fee for getting the master files? If so, would you share it with me? I want to publish it, but I’ll strip out any personal or identifying information.
Based on what I know about the liquidation of another problem paid publisher in the USA, Tate Publishing, the master files may not benefit you very much in any case, as other publishers may not be able to use them, depending on quality and other issues–and even if they can use them, there will be proprietary information and formatting that will need to be stripped out.
sent
I’m not sure if it works the same way in Australia as it does in the USA–but in the USA, courts tend not to honor bankruptcy or liquidation clauses in publishing contracts. Those contracts may be seen as assets that could be sold to satisfy creditors, and a bankruptcy or liquidation announcement may freeze them in place.
Even if that’s not the case, and even if you can prove via outside documentation that your publisher went bust, it really is best to have some sort of formal release and return of rights–since a new publisher or self-publishing platform will require you to warrant that your rights are free and clear.
In my opinion, and despite what looks like the end of Shawline, your rights status is ambiguous at this point. My advice would be to wait for clarification, either by Shawline itself (which hopefully will not be delayed) or the courts.
Another sucker here. The ridiculous thing about this saga is that people tried to warn me, but it all sounded so convenient and attractive that I kept hunting until I found advice that I preferred to hear, and that was probably all legit. :). From the outset something smelled, I didn’t get replies to emails. I did one of those podcast things with Shaw, but it was never published. The book was published (great cover and wonderful editor), but the paper quality was crap. You could see the content on the other side of the page. Pre-orders taken (no paypal of course) but then an update – no longer selling books directly. The marketing workshop – ten minutes on Zoom telling us to try everywhere – hairdressers, cafes, etc and, of course – “reach out if you need our help and, most importantly – stay safe”. Next, there are a couple of small changes to the terms of our contracts – just the way that royalties would be distributed and the fact that it would now cost $150 for a detailed report on your royalties.
The clincher was when it became apparent in a conversation with Shaw that he had never read my book. He had absolutely no idea what I was talking about when I was talking about a key part of the narrative. I knew then he was a bullshit artist. I’d probably known for some time. But I did nothing about it, and it looks like I’m not the only one. My book was about a conman, and I’d fallen for one myself. I terminated my contract a week before the liquidation notice; the Book is out of print despite local bookshops wanting copies. I know the world is full of Shaw’s, and I suspected him from early on, but I stayed in. Hoping by some miracle, I wouldn’t be proven a sucker? Let me tell you – vanity publisher is a powerful force. Beware indeed.
I am a member of the Brisbane Writers Group and just saw that they have been liquidated and allegedly the authors aren’t aware. You can search this information in ASIC.
I’m following up on this and will have an update soon.
SHAWLINE AND READALOT ARE NOW IN LIQUIDATION. https://publishednotices.asic.gov.au/browsesearch-notices/notice-details/Readalot-Magazine-Pty-Ltd-667614459/0c5a67ed-c9a9-4363-9c12-3da7da1123a4
https://publishednotices.asic.gov.au/browsesearch-notices/notice-details/Shawline-Publishing-Group-Pty-Ltd-643112609/e1d9ce10-f13e-4739-af02-dfb92358333a
Yes and all of their online books in Amazon etc areno longer available……’seller cancelled’ is the reason given
Hi to “Another Ex-SLP Staff Member says:
October 2, 2024 at 4:01 am” thanks for your comments.
Glad you confirm what I sensed, that good people were looking after me behind the front and that’s why I got through by the skin of my teeth. Shawline has closed down/busy closing down is what I hear ( no returned call/emails for this week. If true I feel so sorry for those above ‘good people’) but someone bought my book yesterday in Germany so it’s out there. Royalties??? 🙂 🙂 🙂 I won’t hold my breath. If any other Shawline authors are reading this maybe we should be getting together to share where we are/what we can do/what we know/ how we can get a fair break in all this. Contact me on FB messenger
Hi Sheldon, have just FB messaged you. Yes, let’s all unite on this and help each other as fellow authors in any way we can. In solidarity.
I am open to any author messaging me on messenger.
Hi Kathleen, thanks but didn’t get the message?
I am open to any SLP/NFB author messaging me on FB messenger
Hello Kathleen,
I have just seen this news of the two companies going into liquidation which I feared now for a week as I was unable to receive any email or phone response from anyone. I signed a contract with SLP on the 6th of July this year and began to worry when after three months there was no sign of my book starting its journey to publication. I also bit the bullet and paid the extra cost for Read Alot. I will be seeking out a Solicitor or shall we all join together on this? Dianah Chorlton
class action to get our ‘rights’ and ‘master files’ back? in a bankruptcy they don’t necessarily revert. Especially if the administrator wants to try and sell the company. Royalties? the adminstrator might want to trade in ordeer to pay first level credittors like banks. We are at the bottom of the heap.
Please PM me so l can connect you to a support group that has commenced
How are authors still bound to Shawline if there is a new company with new ACN?
Not talking about the pittance in royalties you might lose but more in getting the rights to your book back?
I worked as an editor for Shawline for a stint. Editors were paid a pittance compared to freelance rates (less than minimum/award rate), were given rushed deadlines and so had to do rushed work, and I was always baffled by there being book reviews available for the books I was yet to begin editing. I was certain the reviews were fake. I felt awful for the authors I was editing, knowing they were getting subpar work for such expense. I warm everyone I know to stay away, and a rebranding won’t change that. Brad’s history of bankruptcy and corrupt behaviour shows that this is his business model: manipulate, collapse, run away, repeat.
I also worked at Shawline. It wasn’t just Editors that were underpaid, but everyone that worked at Shawline. So many staff members, from editors, to illustrators to the production team and beyond had degrees, certifications and experience that warranted appropriate pay, but Brad ensured that everyone was paid the absolute minimum. Anyone who asked for more were pushed from the company, or never saw their pay increases. He didn’t believe in paying staff what they should be paid, and often used the excuse of he was running a “small business” and therefore the pay should reflect that of the business, not the role itself.
Brad also wrote all the reviews, so yes I can absolutely confirm they were fake. You would be lucky if Brad read a page of the book. He would use the blurb that authors prepared and make the review as vague as possible. In my time, I came across many authors who requested those reviews be removed for legitimate reviews, but he denied.
Senpai – As we’re both operating under anonymity, I’m not sure we worked together, however, I am not surprised by how you were treated, as this is exactly how we were treated when I was there. Brad put everyone on an arbitrary schedule (of his own choosing that made no sense logically) which caused rushes. He would often delay books (for no good reason) and then randomly reinstate them and force the us to rush around the new deadline. This happened on a number of occasions.
In my personal experience, Brad never seemed to care about his staff or the authors or his business. He made it clear that the protocol was to be vague with authors, provide little to no information and never give a clear answer, despite staff across all departments requesting as much. He was often misogynistic, rude and said chilling things about those in the LGBTQ+ community and I know a lot of ex-staff had this same experience.
Since this and the other articles have come out, I’ve heard more from other staff members from before and after my time, and I’ve seen physical evidence of his general behaviour and it’s shocking and disgusting.
But, I can attest to the fact that the staff I worked with at my time at Shawline with were fantastic at their jobs, and tried to make the most out of this scam/Ponzi scheme (that is exactly what it was). Those in the comments who mentioned positive experiences, I promise you that was due purely to those staff members who worked endlessly to ensure you weren’t ripped off, giving you above and beyond what Brad promised you (but would never deliver to you), and kept your communication with Brad to a minimum so you got what you deserved.
Brad has never cared about authors, he’s only cared about money. I could see this working at Shawline, and seeing what he’s done in the past I can see this is something he’s done for most of his life. He is a conman.
As someone who very briefly worked for this man (I left as quickly as I arrived (lasting 8 weeks from memory) after his gross treatment of one particular author and his aggression towards me when I questioned him on how he was to fix this situation), I’m almost 100 percent certain that this plot will thicken even more in the coming months.
When I was ’employed’ as a Marketing Manager/Event Coordinator for a lowly 400 before tax per week (Shaw refused to pay my tax, leaving me to do it as a contractor, and refused to put me ‘on the books’ despite working in the office so as to avoid paying superannuation), he also took all the credit for the events I was pouring my heart and soul into organising for authors. Although I learned a lot about the publishing industry and event coordination (and what not to do) via his high-level contacts that he managed to make (fool), such as at Writers Vic or IngramSpark, the negative experience of only weeks long has remained with me a couple of years later. I kept quiet after leaving, thinking and giving him the benefit that this was just a teething problem, but here we are, where the anonymous author EJ McBride is supposedly Shaw, and Shaw appears to be a con man.
I’m so sorry you had this experience. I have heard the same story from a number of ex-Shawline staff members, especially when it came to paying staff on time, or if at all. Obviously this has nothing to do with him as a publisher, but just reiterates how awfully he treats his staff to pay them literally nothing and to not pay them in accordance to what he agreed to. If he’s doing that to his own staff members, it’s quite easy to see how he could/would/is taking advantage of authors.
It is what it is. I got out when I smelled a rat (as an independent author myself, where he tried to con me into publishing with him, too). I’m just sorry this has affected so many more people than I could ever have imagined, and I regret not seeing it for what it was and speaking out against it.
Jeff Muller here. I see that I’m quoted in this discussion. I could add much more to that quote. For example, a new author is promised a genuine review. Mine was written by Brad/ Edwin (I’m sure) under yet another name, purporting to come from a magazine that didn’t exist at the time, and was written before the book was edited.
I did get some very good genuine reviews, but Shawline never bothered to use them for ANY promotion of my book.
I too have rescued it from Shawline, and am in the process of self publication.
I am with Don. My experience with the Shawline team had been very good so far. I did a lot of work on the cost of self publishing and on balance think what I paid Shawline was fair. A free lance editor is going to cost you 2K ( I got a few quotes) before you even start on graphics, layout, gettting ISBN stuff done and the myriad of other logistics that has to be gone through. (Shawline’s editor was excellent BTW). A while back I republished my first 2 books after taking the rights back from a UK publisher (so no editing, layout, cover design) and it was time consuming and frustrating when all I wanted to do was get back to my writing. (Who on earth would want to be a publisher?!) I think it is a shame that “Writer Beware” has jumped on the band wagon here and disregarded the hurt to the rest of the team there, (and, dare I say it, inferred their authors are suckers, or at worst naive) for the sake of slamming an individual largely.
Hi Sheldon. I’m glad you had a positive experience but I want to give you some insight from an insiders point of view. Once the books were signed off, Brad would cease most, if not all communication with the author and place that communication in the hands of someone else. Your production team, illustrators, editors were professionals in the greatest sense. I can assure you whoever they were, they were passionate about you, and your work and wanted to make it as legitimate as possible. They would have worked tirelessly so that you didn’t have to see the scam that lurked underneath. The process was fantastic because Brad wasn’t involved in any of it. Any correspondence between you and Brad would have been forwarded to the next available person because he didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
I’m sorry you had this experience with your previous publishers, it’s awful to hear and I understand the difficulties of it.
But I have to disagree that this article hasn’t just jumped on the bandwagon. I don’t think it’s jumping on the bandwagon when multiple Shawline authors suddenly received payment of royalties after the SMH article came out. I don’t think it’s jumping on the bandwagon with ex-staff and ex-authors are coming out sharing their similar experiences.
You’re absolutely allowed to feel hurt and saddened by this, and claim it’s hurting others. But the only hurt has come from Brad threatening, attacking, and manipulating ex-staff and ex-authors to keep quiet over the years- of which the evidence is extraordinary. These articles have given courage to people to speak out against his business practices, his behaviours and his professionalism as a company.
(Also, Don is absolutely either Brad or Astrid (the GGM). If you track the posting history it’s deeply entrenched with Shawline, so I wouldn’t trust anything from that)
I don’t mean for any of that to sound like an attack, just perhaps an alternative point of view. Be thankful you’re walking way with a good experience, but your experience doesn’t discount the hundreds of awful experiences had with him and the company.
I was going to join Shawline, but then I saw this: https://greenhillpublishing.com.au/shawline_publishing_new_found_books/
It is unfortunate that this article is completely biased and uninformed, especially in a financial and business sense. It is clear from this article that Victoria has an agenda, and that is to discredit this specific publisher. I do not see any other ‘publishers’ listed, any comparisons of contracts or royalties or any unbiased comparative information. Without knowing the ins and outs of how publishers distribute royalties and the costings associated, I believe Victoria, who is ONLY an author and I believe is not a qualified accountant, misleads the public with her unrefined and uninformed statements on financial matters. Further to this, she quotes the Sydney Morning Herald article as if gospel, which is a fantasy column written by a now sacked and disgraced journalist and co authored by a disgruntled ex author Dan Moon. Dan moon is upset that his book on being a sex worker was not a best seller, even though his publicist couldn’t increase his sales either. His anger at Shawline is personal and nothing to do with the service he was provided. Dans only knowledge is how to please desperate women and he has no business knowledge to even start to assume how royalties are calculated. The only thing Dan has achieved is stroking his own ego and embarrassing his child and all his claims are unfounded and uneducated. It too is unfortunate that articles like this jump on the bandwagon of an egomaniac and take it as truth. It is an embarrassment to the industry that this blog has even been published on mostly misinformed puff. It too is disdainful that all the authors now bad mouthing the publisher are all doing so for the wrong reasons, all having personal grievances against the director, but not elaborating that they received a professional product and service that no other publisher wanted to take on. I’m sure ex authors would be the first to admit that self publishing as an unknown author has not increased their sales.
For those wondering what Brad/EJ/Don is talking about when he refers to “a now sacked and disgraced journalist” in the wall of text above, apparently Andrew Hornery was one of the 85 journalists to take voluntary redundancy when the Sydney Morning Herald’s parent company went through a massive downsizing in August. So neither “sacked” nor “disgraced,” but the claim is loosely related to real events. I think we can treat this as a key to understanding Brad/EJ/Don’s rhetorical approach.
https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/aug/20/senior-journalists-leave-sydney-morning-herald-age-and-afr-in-decades-biggest-talent-exodus
Let’s talk about the fact that he outed Rebel Wilson, got sued, Rebel Wilson won then no sooner was he made redundant. His one sided article, with no foundation, substance, research or proof was passed by a lazy editor and now is being touted as gospel. He took the word of a vindictive sex worker with no financial understanding and made it truth. They both have no integrity and no job!! And now Victoria joins them in their moment of glory.
I am not brad therefore there is no need to understand any rhetorical approach, it is you making assumptions, just like this baseless article. But I will assume you are a disgruntled unsuccessful ex Shawline author who has a axe to grind and who would prefer to slander others for their lack of insight.
Hi Brad / Edwin / Eddie / EddMac / Don, we know you’re lying because your lips are moving. The game’s up Brad. You’re a con man.
Yeah, you’re definitely Brad, Edwin or whatever name you selected when you got out of bed this morning.
And I am all for you making your case and defending yourself but starting it once again under a fake name is very transparent and almost funny.
😂😂
This seems like a whole lot of yap, check the evidence before commenting- not just disgruntled authors coming forward….
You’re keen to jump to Shawline’s defence with no facts only weak attempts to discredit anyone exposing Shawline’s dubious and fraudulent practices. Clearly it is not only one disgruntled author, you admit yourself “all the authors now bad mouthing the publisher” and there are many, along with ex-employees and others. You also state that these authors speaking against Shawline for reasons of “all having grievances against the director” and why might that be?
You have detailed knowledge of Dan Moon’s personal life and book sales and you obviously have something against him. So you’re just a member of the public who purchased and read the book and took exception to this man, are you? Your transparency is as lame as your childish insults directed toward anyone calling out your deceptive and dishonest conduct.
Given your apparent knowledge and expertise in publishing, why don’t you explain to everyone then exactly how it all works rather than just state everyone is wrong. Tell us how you can take people’s money, provide no evidence of the marketing and promotion they have paid for and then tell them they haven’t sold enough books to make any royalties. Perhaps you prefer to explain this in a court of law or to a television crew (rumours abound). Explain how this is a legitimate business and a feasible way for an author to publish a book as currently the only conclusion is that it’s a con.
GHreat article. I have been scammed by Brad Shaw but thankfully, I pulled my book from his clutches and re-published it myself and that is how I have done my other five novels. The road is hard and being sucked in by a conbman has set us back two years in our program. I hope many more authors read this before they too are conned by the “Hybrid” (read fake) publishing scam.
What a nightmare.
I should have my head examined for choosing to be an author, given all the landmines.
Writing is hard ENOUGH without liars, thieves, criminals, and detractors.
Jackie Gleason’s character as Ralph Kramden employeed as a bus driver had a thousand times more security and ten thousand times less predators/saboteurs to avoid than I/we do.
It is a sad state of affairs.
I have all but ceased telling anyone I write. They hear these horror stories and wonder why would I bother, and if I’ve gotten taken.
I’ve had a few things published recently that I haven’t even told close contacts and family about.
Versus when I first started, I couldn’t shut up about it the smallest acceptance in some zine.
It’s a weird calling.
If I were stranded on a deserted island with a solar powered IBM Selectric II typewriter and a crate filled with reams of typewriter paper, would I keep doing this?
Those sneaky vague contracts are pathetic.
The backstabbing human species will NEVER terraform Mars or leave this solar system.
And that’s a good thing.
We may land on Mars by 2050. But we won’t EVER live there.
We MAY …. SOMEDAY … have some kind of cities on the moon. Your grandchildren’s grandchildren.
Maybe.
And there will STILL be “bad actors” “doing it to their own kind.”
It is, unfortunately, wired into our genes.
So, I for one, am ELATED we will never achieve FTL travel or fold space, despite all the theoretical throwaway non starters:
“Ok, first you need the amount of energy equal to that of the known universe … Now, make a wormhole and ….”
(vomit)
What did Dr. Smith say?
“Oh, the pain. The pain.”
Despite my views, I was up all night last night working on a story.
Need. My. Head. Examined.
These scam companies will get you coming and going. Always, always check with Writerbeware.com to find out about potential agents, publishers, anything writing.
Went on there website only to be redirected to another, that was a red flag straight away, they give our industry a bad name unfortunately.