Writer Beware

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Alert: Blue Deco Publishing, Christian Faith Publishing

DEC 8, 2017November 20, 202548 COMMENTS

Problems cited include late or missing royalties and royalty statements, broken marketing promises, and difficulty reaching or getting responses from the owner, Colleen Nye. To explain these issues, Ms. Nye has reportedly offered bizarre and elaborate personal excuses that authors tell me they believe are either made-up or exaggerated. (For an example of the kinds of complaints I've received, see here.)

Frustrated with the situation, a group of seven Blue Deco authors took the unusual step of creating an online petition to demand payment and reversion of their rights. (Given that Blue Deco only had 16 authors, including Ms. Nye herself, that's a big hit, over 40% of its list.)

I'm told that attorneys from the Authors Guild also contacted Ms. Nye. To her credit, she has been responsive. All the petitioning writers have received rights reversions, and all but two have been paid (both believe they have sales, but Ms. Nye says they don't; they've decided to chalk it up as a loss and move on).

PUBLISHING SCAMS

Scam Alert: Fraudsters Targeting Freelancers With Fake Job Offers

OCT 11, 2017January 31, 20244 COMMENTS

Fraudsters are reportedly conducting a phishing scheme aimed at freelance writers. Individuals using the names of editors and senior management for The Atlantic magazine have sent out numerous fake job and interview offers, using multiple email addresses and made-up domain names. The goal is to obtain personal information, including Social Security numbers, addresses, and otherRead More

PUBLISHER COMPLAINTS

Small Press Storm Warnings: High Hill Press

SEP 1, 2017April 9, 202210 COMMENTS

There's trouble at High Hill Press, a once well-regarded small press "created to offer writers a small niche between the huge New York publishing houses, and the often high-priced print on demands."

Both to Writer Beware and in a private Facebook group, High Hill authors report publication delays, non-payment of royalties, non-provision of royalty statements, hundreds of books ordered and paid for but never received, books released full of errors that the publisher refused to correct, and serious, ongoing difficulty with communications--from angry responses to questions by the owner, Lou Turner, to threats of legal action, to no response at all.

These issues, which reportedly began in 2016, have only gotten worse. High Hill's Facebook page has been dormant since last October. No books have been published since December 2016. Lou Turner has been MIA for months, with emails and phone calls going unanswered, including attempts at contact by the Authors Guild.

OVERSEAS SCAMS

Solicitation (and Plagiarism) Alert: Legaia Books / Paperclips Magazine

AUG 16, 2017February 4, 202385 COMMENTS

Scroll down for updates

When the late, unlamented Tate Publishing & Enterprises went belly-up a few months ago, I started hearing from Tate authors who were being contacted by self-publishing companies and other for-profit enterprises looking to recruit new customers. Some of these were straightforward, reasonably reputable (if overpriced) businesses. Others...not so much.

Very active trying to snag Tate authors was Legaia Books.

PUBLISHING SCAMS

Lawsuits, Liens, and Lost URLs: The Latest on America Star Books / PublishAmerica

AUG 9, 2017March 4, 2023220 COMMENTS

UPDATE 9/22/19: This post, written in August 2017, chronicles the events leading up to, and following, the abrupt disappearance of PublishAmerica/America Star Books. Given the amount of time that has elapsed since the company vanished, Writer Beware thinks it's safe to conclude that PA/ASB is permanently out of business.

It's been a while since I wrote about America Star Books, née PublishAmerica, one of the most prolific author mills in America (also the subject of scores of author complaints, and the recipient of an "F" rating from the Better Business Bureau). So what's been going on?

In May 2015, ASB/PA co-founder Larry Clopper filed suit against PA/ASB, co-founder Willem Meiners, and several others, alleging breach of contract, among other causes, and demanding dissolution of the company and appointment of a receiver. After over a year of legal maneuvering--which included the appointment of an appraiser, a counterclaim by Meiners/PA/ASB, and the issuance of subpoenas by Clopper to various PA/ASB banks and creditors--the parties agreed in July 2016 to stipulate to dismissal with prejudice.

PLAGIARISM AND INFRINGEMENT

Infringement by Galaktika Magazine: Authors Guild and SFWA Reach Settlement

JUL 25, 2017April 28, 20221 COMMENT

On July 20, the Authors Guild and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America announced that they had together reached an agreement with Hungary-based Galaktika Magazine. For at least a decade, Galaktika re-published stories by multiple authors without seeking permission or remitting payment. Galaktika claimed that, since the stories had been published online, they were in theRead More