Lightning Strikes Another E-Pub

It’s been a rough summer for e-publishers. First Triskelion and now Mardi Gras Publishing will be closing [or already has technically closed] its virtual doors.

I’m blogging about it because several Mardi Gras authors have asked that the word get around to please not buy their books.

I hate asking people not to buy a book, but the problem here lies in the fact that any sales of Mardi Gras titles now, while they still may be available at other venues such as Fictionwise, will produce no royalties for the authors.

One of the worst fears of a published author is not getting paid for their work. Let’s face it, we all started in this business for the love of writing. A few minutes worth of research and you find out writing isn’t a get rich quick scheme – it’s more of an ‘if you’re lucky you’ll become mildly financially solvent over the long haul’ type of scheme. Most hard working writers don’t make the big bucks, so when a publisher goes under, especially having a history of not paying royalties, it’s a further kick in the pants to the authors who have labored over their work in hopes of getting that check that boosts them from ‘aspiring’ to ‘professional.’

I don’t know the background on Mardi Gras. I never submitted to them and I haven’t met or dealt with any of the principals of the company, so I don’t know what extenuating circumstances might have caused them to fold, but in defense of the authors who are now without homes and the books that may hang limbo waiting for bankruptcy court to sort things out, I have to say I’m disappointed.

Writing is a tough business, but publishing is even tougher. The Internet has made it easy for people to start up businesses and for some to make a lot of money fast. Would that we all were so lucky, but publishing, like writing, if done right, is also not a get rich quick scheme. Any publisher that wants to stay in business and deal legitimately with authors needs to understand a few basics:

1. The money doesn’t roll in. Sorry, it’s not a no risk enterprise. You’ve got to have some financial cushion to keep you afloat.

2. It’s a business. That means personal attitude can’t get in the way of doing what needs to be done.

3. Life goes on around your job. Anyone can suffer personal setbacks and some are more difficult to bounce back from than others. This may sound callous, but if you’re running a business, you can’t fold up when your personal life goes to hell, and if the time comes that you absolutely cannot handle working anymore, you owe your co-workers the decency to give them a little time to prepare for your departure.

4. Your books are your products. Authors know this, but I think sometimes publishers forget that they own the books they sell as well. Publishers who breathe down authors' necks about promo are often forgetting that they need to get out there and sell the books also if they want to make a profit.

My heart goes out to the Mardi Gras authors and the Triskelion authors who are still scrambling to figure out if they can get their rights back and resell their books elsewhere. For now, please don’t buy any titles published by these companies because all the sale will amount to is another royalty check the authors won’t get.