Ellora's Cave: My Statement and a Warning @KarynGerrard #Publishers #Royalties #RWA

I have one book with Ellora's Cave released December 2014 KNIGHT OF CHRISTMAS. (contracted way back in July 2013) Thankfully I listened to my gut alarm in early spring 2014 and turned down a second contract.

I am not being paid. This is a fact. Not opinion. Not bullying.

My last royalty cheque was May for website sales for January 2015. I have yet to see any third party sales for this book (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc) All I have been paid for is Dec 2014 and Jan 2015 website sales. Nothing else. This is a fact.

Emails have gone unanswered. No response. At all. From anyone at Ellora's Cave. A fact.

In August 2014, all the contract editors and cover artists were let go. In September 2014, Ellora's Cave sued blogger Dear Author for defamation regarding a story they posted concerning EC. This is a fact.

The bottom line is regardless of what I think of the people involved and the lawsuit itself, people (mostly authors) are not being paid. And according to a footnote on a recent filing by the defence, the lawyer for the plaintiff (EC) has not exactly been paid in a timely manner. See snip from Twitter below.

The RWA (Romance Writers of America) do not recommend this publisher. CHECK HERE FOR RWA AFFIDAVIT  in the on-going court case. In the statement it says: "Ellora's Cave is not up to date with paying its royalties and has not paid its authors in a timely manner." This is not speculation, it is not opinion, it certainly isn't bullying, cyber or otherwise. IT. IS. FACT. And it is a legal statement.

There are red flags all over social media. For anyone considering submitting to EC, its ultimately your choice. But be warned. It also should be a warning to all of us. The digital publishing industry is in a state of flux with declining sales and other earth-shifting changes. Any publisher could be ready to fall off the cliff. Monitor social media closely. Listen to what others are saying. This paragraph is just my opinion.

Cheers,

UPDATE NOV 5th: * I got a check 3 days ago. It covered Jan-March, including third party sales. They are still behind. I should have rec'd up to and including July's*

So...I'm Considering Self-Publishing ~by Karyn Gerrard @KarynGerrard #Hybrid

I really thought I never would.

Why?

I am not one who has to be in control of every move I make in the e-book publishing world. I just as soon give that to someone else to do. I'd rather write. Yes, I know its a business, yadda, yadda...but I don't want to spend days on end trying to figure out how to format or searching for stock photos for a cover.
So, that means I would have to sub-contract this stuff out. And that can get expensive. So I thought, initially, I would stick with e-publishers.

Yeah. Well, I have been burned twice already by e-pubs, and to me, that is two times too many. Also, the marketplace has changed so much since I started in the spring of 2011, it doesn't even resemble the same landscape.

E-books have flatlined. There is a major glut of e-books. The price points have been brought so low that what some publishers charge is beyond what an e-book consumer is willing to pay. Thanks to book bundles and self-publishers bringing down the price, there isn't much room anymore for any higher price points. But let's face it, some e-pubs are charging too much. 2.99 for 8000 words? Yikes. 9.99 for a historical romance e-book when I can order the paperback for 6.99? Right.

So, is self-pubbing for me? Not as the main outlet for my ebooks, no. But I will become a Hybrid author in the new year. I am no longer submitting short stories to publishers. In fact, I will hardly be writing any at all, but if and when I do, I will release it myself. I know it is no guarantee of high sales, I have heard from more than one writer that self-pubbing isn't exactly hitting the motherlode.

I am in no hurry, I will take the steps slow. Do the research and due diligence. The majority of what I will be self-pubbing will be books returned to me because the contract is up. And I will be getting them back.
I am also cutting back on submissions since I am now writing at 40,000 words and higher for the most part.
I also refuse to be stressed out over this business. It started as a hobby. It still is in a few ways, because I luckily do not need the money from royalties to live on, so I don't feel compelled to write more than I do or sweat about sales, categories, reviews, promo, Amazon deals etc. Maybe that is not the most business savvy path to take, but it works for me. Keeps me sane.

The way things are going, I don't know how some of the e-pubs will be able to stay in business. Will more be bought up by bigger e-pubs or New York publishers the way Lyrical Press was bought by Kensington Publishing? Its a real possibility. Makes smart business sense.

I have a couple of publishers I submit certain books to, and as long as that relationship remains mutually respectful, I will continue to submit to them. Self-pubbing will be secondary, and you can bet I won't be doing it myself. No thanks.
Sub-contracting here I come.

Any suggestions or recommendations welcome.