Fool Me Once, Shame On You, Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me...

Didn't the owners of Venus Press shaft their authors by just upping sticks, closing down the site, and running away last April?

Well, seemingly, they are open again, and by the looks of it, they have some of their old authors too.

Now, what kind of business shuts down without saying a word to anyone, then opens again, like nothing ever happened?

Also, do all the authors know that they're apparently in business again?

And more to the point, why would these authors trust the owners to look after their interests this time round? What are they? Stupid? Don't they remember the flurry of people jumping ship, just before they shut down, and the bad smell that always seemed to follow Venus Press everywhere??

There isn't even an explanation, as far as I can see, as to where they've been, why they shut down, and what they've been up to, since closing.

My advice to authors? Keep the hell away.

It'll end in tears again. Mark my words.

Updated to add:
Apparently some of the books at VP are already being sold by other publishers. What are the implications for the authors, if this is true?

Also, apparently, the purchasing function isn't working, so I wonder why they've relaunched the website? Curiouser and curiouser...

Thanks to you-know-who-you-are for the tip-off.