Whiskey Creek Press Love Their Authors Like Victoria Beckham Loves Complex Carbohydrates...

I got this bit of news from Erecsite who in turn got it from Piers Anthony.

Piers Writes:

"December 2007 update: A serious complaint, devious in detail. It seems that WCP uses its printer, Paw Prints, to produce the POD format of its books. But Paw Prints charges the author a $90 set up fee. (I have it listed at $99, but they may charge WCP less.) Well, one author decided not to go POD, then discovered that the book had been printed anyway and was being sold on Amazon via Paw Prints as a “Storefront” outlet.

It seems that lessens the high price Amazon charges otherwise. Nothing appeared on the royalty statement, and there is no indication in the contract. It seems the division of the money is in this order: Amazon, Paw Prints, WCP, and finally the author, who apparently receives no accounting. Okay, this situation obviously deserves clarification, but a call to the owner of WCP was met with immediate hostility and abuse. The essence was that it was none of the author's business what they did with the books(!) and was not a contract violation.

To a request that the author's books be immediately removed from the storefront, the answer was No. So here is my summary of the author's summary: WCP is not at all Author Friendly; questioning them makes you a Problem Author.

They refuse to correct errors made by their editors, refuse to run reviews on the backs of the books (only one self-written blurb), and may not even send out books for reviews. No actual accounting on their royalty statement how many books are sold, and they refuse to answer questions about this."

Now, don't they sound like great people to write for?

Well, I know what I'd do if I wrote for them. I'd take my effing books and run like the wind, because that kind of practice doesn't bode well for the future.

Publishers (especially e-publishers) really shouldn't treat their authors that way, because sooner or later, they will get bitten in the arse, and then readers like me will take great pleasure in mocking them, which in turn will lead to the publisher showing their knickers in Blogland, and having a massive rant about their drama-filled personal lives. We'd then probably be subjected to another ranty lecture on how they've had it up to here with ungrateful authors, how hard they've been working to keep all their publishing balls in the air, and how unfair their critics are, when they can't possibly understand what it takes to run a business.

Just sayin.