BOYCOTT DORCHESTER (with updates and timeline at bottom)

304 Replies

Over the last year there has been a lot of shenanigans involving my former publisher Dorchester (Leisure). For those who want the full history, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Then see the bottom of this article for more current updates.

Starting in late 2009, Dorchester – Leisure began making late payments to some of their authors. Indeed, some authors report never having received payments at all, nor royalty statements verifying what, if any, monies were owed. This continued throughout much of 2010. In mid-2010, with these payment issues still unresolved, Dorchester announced that they were switching to an all-digital format. Then they announced that those digital books would be accompanied by trade paperbacks. Due to the ongoing payment issues, many professional writer’s organizations such as the SFWA and RWA placed Dorchester on probationary status. During a late-August conference call with their creditors (for which I was present and for which I have a transcript of, just in case Dorchester wishes to dispute what follows), they revealed that: The company saw a 60% decrease in book orders in mid-2009; payroll was down from 1 million to $600,000; the company had no cash flow, but also had no bank debt; the company owed six million dollars to various creditors, including $700,000 to active authors and $400,000 to inactive authors; ebooks accounted for 10% of their profit; their trade paperback plan was currently on hold; they didn’t think the sale of the company was possible; and that as of August 9th (2010), they considered themselves “in bankruptcy but are not actually filing for bankruptcy”. Vendors and authors who were owed money for books or services from August 8th forward took precedence in being paid. All others would have to wait.

I was one of those authors. I had not been paid since late-2009. As a result, my marriage had fallen apart, my bills were piling up, and more than half of my annual income was perpetually “coming soon”. I decided to take a gamble. I negotiated a deal with Dorchester that allowed for: 1. The immediate reversion of all of my print rights, and 2. The reversion of all of my digital rights as of 11:59pm 12/31/10. In exchange for this, I absolved Dorchester of any further financial debts they owed me. In other words, I said, “Forget about the rest of the money you owe me. Just give me my rights back.” It was a risky gamble, and I sought the council of some of the biggest veteran authors in the genre, but it was a gamble that ultimately paid off, because it allowed me to place my back list with a more solvent publisher. We signed the deal. Dorchester went their way. I went mine. And that should have been the end of the story.

Except that it wasn’t, because since then, Dorchester has repeatedly violated that agreement. Since January of this year, unauthorized digital editions of my work have been sold via Kindle, Nook, iBooks, and Sony. These digital editions were not made available for sale until well after the rights had reverted back to me. Dorchester’s response, in each case, has been to blame someone else and assure me that “they are looking into it” and that I would be “financially compensated” and that “it wouldn’t happen again”. Except that I haven’t been financially compensated and it keeps happening again. In the most recent case (iBooks), Dorchester blamed their vendor, Libre Digital, but provided no documentation verifying this. An employee at Apple cast doubt on this explanation. In the case of Kindle, they blamed Amazon.com. Again, an employee at Amazon cast doubt on this. The ebooks were sold under the Dorchester brand. They were sold even though Dorchester does not have the rights to them. And it is Dorchester, rather than their vendors or booksellers, who are ultimately responsible. I have been patient. I have been understanding. The first time, I allowed that it could indeed be a mistake. Four times later? It is no longer a “mistake”. It is theft, or at the very least, staggering incompetence. And as of this writing, I have not seen financial restitution for these unauthorized sales, nor have I received a valid explanation of how they occurred, nor have I heard what steps the company will take to prevent it from happening again.

I am not the only author who this has happened to. Nor is this the only problem. I am told that some authors are still awaiting payments and royalty statements. (One author told me this morning that they have not received a royalty statement or check since April of 2009, yet their books are still being sold). I’m told that some authors’ requests for the reversion of their rights are being outright ignored. And I’m told that yesterday, with many authors’ books about to go out of print (which would then allow the rights to revert back to the authors) Dorchester has announced their intent to bring many of those books out as ebooks, thus seizing the rights, rather than allowing those rights to revert back to the authors — authors who, quite understandably, have concerns about this, given the company’s current state of affairs.

Recently, Dorchester’s customers began taking them to task on their Facebook page. These customers weren’t associated with any particular group or entity. There were members of the Hard Case Crime, Romance, and Horror Book Clubs, fans of horror writers, romance writers, and western writers. They complained about the unauthorized ebook sales, the unannounced changes to the book clubs, the continued non-payment of authors, the lack of promised trade paperbacks, and other concerns. Dorchester deleted these posts from their wall, and issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. When their customers responded, Dorchester deleted those posts as well. Then Dorchester emailed me. They asked me to “make a post” stating that this wasn’t their fault and that they are “trying to rectify the situation” because “people have been trolling the Dorchester Facebook page and posting angry notes.” That they view their customers’ legitimate concerns as “trolling” is quite telling.

Earlier today, I asked you to read this Blog entry by author and editor Robert Swartwood. A few minutes ago, someone asked me why we (the authors) didn’t just seek legal means. Well, I can’t speak for any of the other authors involved, but I’ll tell you why I haven’t — because I’m broke. I’m broke because Dorchester didn’t pay me what was owed, and then I gambled to get my rights back, and then they continued to fuck me. And yes, I’ve got a nice new deal with Deadite and Ghoul starts filming next month, but I won’t see checks from either of those until a few months from now, and until then, I can barely pay the rent and eat anything more than Ramen noodles, let alone hire an attorney.

So I’m asking you to boycott Dorchester Publishing and Leisure Books. I said above that I can’t speak for my fellow authors, but I can tell you that many of them are in the same situation — or worse. If they could get their rights back, they could do as I have done and sign with a new publisher, or they could follow the trail blazed by Joe Konrath and Scott Nicholson, and self-publish their work. In either case, they could begin to make a living again.

In short, we need your help. If you care about horror, romance, or western fiction, and more importantly, if you care about the people who write horror, romance, or western fiction for a living, and if you disagree with this publisher’s methods, history, and “mistakes”, then please consider withholding your financial support of Dorchester Publishing and Leisure Books. Boycott them.

*If you follow them on Twitter, please unfollow them.
*If you like them on Facebook, please unlike them.
*If you receive their marketing emails, please remove yourself from their list.
*If you belong to one of their book clubs, please consider canceling your membership.
*If you are considering publishing with them, please reconsider.
*Most importantly, please don’t buy their books, regardless of whether it’s on their website, in the $1.99 dump bin at Wal-Mart, or available on the Kindle. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester book, check the spine. It should say Leisure Fiction or Dorchester Publishing. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester ebook, here is an example: If you scroll down, you’ll see that this Kindle edition of J.F. Gonzalez’s Shapeshifter lists “Leisure Books” as the publisher (later today, J.F. will also be asking his readers to boycott Dorchester editions of his work, and he gave me permission to use this Kindle edition as an example).

If you are a Leisure author with a grievance against the company, please consider sharing it with the public. If you are an author with another publisher, and wish to show your solidarity, please join us. Please consider adding your voice to our call for a boycott. And after you have done so, let me know so I can add you to the roster below.

And now, I’m turning it over to you…

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST OF PROFESSIONALS WHO SUPPORT THE BOYCOTT

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE OFFICIAL BOYCOTT PAGE ON FACEBOOK

Update #1: During a 2pm conference call today with Dorchester’s creditor steering committee, several literary agents confirmed that my situation is not unique, and that a number of their client-author’s books have been released digitally by Dorchester even though Dorchester did not own the rights. To quote one: “We tell them to suppress it, and they do for a few weeks, and then it’s back up again.”

Update #2:  More Dorchester authors tell their own stories.

Update #3: More author stories and where we go from here.

Update #4: Dorchester responds. And so do we.

Update #5: HWA to Dorchester.

Update #6: Creditor committee deems Dorchester deemed unable to pay.

Update #7: Dorchester caught selling illegal Apps.

Update #8: Dorchester late-paying rent, not paying authors, but spending money on expo booths.

Update #9: Dorchester sends digital holiday cards to authors and vendors instead of payments.

Update #10: Senior VP Tim DeYoung departs.

Update #11: Editor Chris Keeslar departs.

Update #12: SFWA Disqualifies Dorchester.

Update #13: Reports of Office Closure, Author Disputes Still Unresolved.

Update #14: The End.

Update #15: Mari Mancusi on Dorchester.

Update #16: Amazon Makes Bid For Dorchester.

Update #17: Amazon-Dorchester: A Done Deal… Or A Deal Done Wrong?

304 thoughts on “BOYCOTT DORCHESTER (with updates and timeline at bottom)”

  1. Jess

    This pisses me off, leaving hard-working people helpless. If you have the rights, and Dorchester distributes a copy without your permission, it seems a clear case of copyright infringement. Of course, I am not a lawyer and have no legal expertise whatsoever, but since it is beyond the scope of Brian Keene vs. Dorchester, is there any chance the whole group could find someone pro bono? I’d think there’s at least a small chance…at the very least you can make the argument that since Copyright Law originated with ideas in the US Constitution to promote creativity, Dorchester’s actions are both unconstitutional and damaging to our culture as a whole. I’m not sure how severe it has to be before it is technically criminal, but you could check into that and perhaps they will get their just deserts that way.

    I’m sure you know more than I do already, but did you try any of these avenues suggested on the US Copyright Office’s website?

    “Alternatively, you may wish to investigate whether a public interest organization that offers services to authors and copyright owners, such as Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, has a regional office in your area that may assist you with locating free or reduced fee legal services or assistance. In addition, local law schools may provide representation through clinical programs in Intellectual Property or Arts and Entertainment Law. If you believe that a criminal infringement of copyright has occurred, you may contact the Intellectual Property (IP) Program of the Financial Institution Fraud Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” (http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-infringement.html)

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  2. Shelly

    I boycotted them when they changed the terms to the book club without notifying us or giving us a chance to opt out.

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  3. Jason Hughes

    I have already “unliked” them (since the first post I saw from you a few days ago). I will now “share” this to my readers/ fans. Thanks for the info.

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  5. Brian

    I think Jess really offers some good advice. There has to be some cost effective way of taking legal action against them. I was in Walmart the other day and ran into a friend that had a buggy full of $1.99 books including Urban Gothic, Dead Sea, City of the Dead, The Rising, a few titles by Richard Laymon, Edward Lee, etc. I told my friend what was going on and he left the buggy sitting. The problem is word of mouth is only going to help so much and unfortunately isn’t going to solve the problem. There are bound to be a few lawyers or paralegals in the F.U.K.U. army that could lend some advice or donate sometime. I urge someone to step forward and help these hard working writers out. Or perhaps us readers could even chip in and help foot the bill to take these fuckers to court. I’m ready to rage against the machine, who’s with me?

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  6. Craig Spector

    I for one am totally with Brian on this. I have one dog in this fight — a reprint of my 5th novel, THE BRIDGE, with John Skipp, but which I solely control the rights to.

    I made my deal with Dorchester in good faith in April 2010. The publishing debacle that has transpired since then is frankly appalling. I appreciate Dorchester’s woes — what major publisher wants to go down in such unctuous and humiliating flames?

    However, as an author with a book with them, NOT MY PROBLEM. Affects me, to be sure, but I didn’t cause it, I’m not responsible for it, and I sure as HELL am not eating the brunt of it.

    Clever move on behalf of Dorchester’s counsel to lump authors en masse in with other “vendors”. I thought doing lots of coke went out in the 80s, but these guys must have snorted an 8 ball before they came up with THIS brilliant plan.

    Authors under contract are NOT vendors; they are a separate and distinct class unto themselves. Our books and inventory are separate and distinct. They are NOT meant to be held hostage by creditors in the event of BK proceedings, as salvageable rights to be sold off to repaythe companies debts. That was nowhere in the contract I signed; indeed, the contract I signed is, in my and my attorney’s estimation, in breach, and hence null and void, and my rights — including e-rights — automatically revert back to me, the owner of the underlying rights.

    Both Dorchester’s counsel and the independent counsel representing the “loose, informal consortium” of creditors — their words — have been consistently evasive as to where “authors” fit in this mix. Their “informal” author representative has not once contacted me — nor any Dorchester author I know, for that matter — to ask our joint and several opinion; which I find odd, as she putatively represents “us”, the authors, as a class.

    Fact: she doesn’t represent me. She doesn’t represent my title. She has no legal or ethical business speaking on my behalf. I’ve never even met her.

    Fact: Dorchester is in material breach of dozens if not hundreds of author contracts.

    Fact: Dorchester is trying very hard to pretend that this is not happening, when it suits their admittedly desperate advantage. I feel for them. But again, NOT MY PROBLEM.

    Fact: Dorchester’s uniform response to author queries is a) ignore them, b) stonewall them, c) ignore them some more, and d) hope they shut up.

    They won’t. I won’t. As far as I’m concerned, Dorchester is in breach on my title, or will be in a matter weeks. At that point, I’m pulling the trigger, wishing them all best, and taking my title off their list. And if they don’t like it? Sue me.

    I frankly advise all other Dorchester authors to weigh these factors as they make up their own minds. If Dorchester goes BK, their author’s rights to their books, if not pulled beforehand, will be caught in a rather nasty snare — defined as “assets” to be liquidated. And that’s a court thing, which will rage for years.

    Those are facts. Reality. Everything else is talk. Reality trumps talk.

    I for one, am out.

    Best,
    Craig Spector

    The Bridge
    By Skipp, John | Spector, Craig

    ISBN: 9780843963960
    Format: MassMarketPaperback
    Published: 10 May 2010
    List Price: $7.99 | Your Price: $7.19
    Club Price: $5.59

    The Bridge
    By Skipp, John | Spector, Craig

    ISBN: 9781428508538
    Format: EBooks
    Published: 24 April 2010
    List Price: $6.99 | Your Price: $6.29
    Club Price: $4.89

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  8. James A. Moore

    Once upon a time I wrote for Leisure.

    Then I got a clue and left the sinking ship as politely as I could. I do not, as a rule, bad mouth anyone in the industry. Times are hard enough already, However, there’s no justification for ripping off authors (and in many cases friends).

    Consider them boycotted.

    Their actions are appalling in the extreme and while, like Mr. Spector above (Hi Craig!) I feel for them, it is not the problem of any author now or previously affiliated with them. I would be in the same boat if I hadn’t managed to find a different (and far more professional) publisher a while back.

    James A. Moore

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  9. Bryan Smith

    Due to medical issues with my wife today, I am unable to compose a long and eloquent post in the vein of the above. However, I do want to take the time to state that I strongly agree in principle with what Brian and Craig have said above.

    I may have more to say later, depending on how my day goes.

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  12. Ron Earl Phillips

    Brian,

    Is it possible for the group of you to pool together, file a class action suit against Dorchester?

    While nothing fiscally might come of such a suit, it could and should shut them down and there will be no question of your rights.

    I’m really sorry to see this all continue. Have Amazon and Apple been helpful in removing the listings since you have legal rights to your books?

    Is your new publisher releasing the books as ebooks? Or do you still have those rights? Several writers I read are having success releasing the books themselves in those formats.

    I won’t purchase anything from them. Regrettably I’ll have to hold off on purchasing some backlist Hardcase Crime books until they are re-released by Titan.

    Hang in there.

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  13. Rowanne Moore

    Brian, I am truly sorry that you and so many other authors have had to deal with this. I won’t purchase any books from Dorchester Publishing and Leisure Books. Have you considered contacting the Federal Trade Commission? I spent many years working in the Telecommunications Industry and I’ve seen what happens when customers file complaints with the Federal Communications Commission. Filing is free and while it might take time for the agency to get resolution for you, they are like pitbulls when it comes to sinking their teeth in and not letting go. Having a license revoked is no laughing matter for a corporation. Every author who is caught up in this mess should file. Just some food for thought.

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  14. Sandy

    Consider them boycotted. This will be passed on throughout the breakrooms at closing store Borders 280 in Metairie and 829 New Orleans. The booksellers are behind the authors always.

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  15. Seamus Cooper

    Having suffered through some publisher shenanigans of my own, I am in full support. Thanks for speaking up.

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  16. Rhiannon Mills

    Goodness! I’ll certainly unfriend them on facebook and wherever else I may have that publisher. I have a column on examiner.com (book based, mostly reviews and publishing news). I’d love to do some author interviews with some of you (Via Internet if need be) and spread the word further. You can contact me at kellyshrewsbury@gmail.com or search facebook for Rhiannon Mills Demon Queen. I sure hope that you ALL get your money from this company!

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  19. Brian Tasler

    I hope you guys can find an effective legal solution. I have a few of your paperbacks under the Dorchester name purchased before any of this came to light but have been purchasing the Deadite editions of your books as they have been released. Good example of why facebook could stand to add a middle finger for those of us who want to go past “unliking” something and express what we really think.

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  28. Matt

    Brian, sorry to hear about these troubles. I’ll gladly spread the word to other horror fans.

    If you (or other authors) are interested in listing any of your titles with me at DriveThruHorror.com I’d be glad to have them.

    -Matt

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  31. Don A. Martinez

    Intellectual property is a legal hobby-horse of mine, so this is especially outrageous to me. To this I only say thank God I’m self-publishing: the only one screwing me over is me.

    Brian, you have my full support in your campaign against Dorchester/Leisure. I’ll be linking this blog to my Facebook and my Goodreads blog, believe me.

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  33. Christina Sng

    Brian, I’m so sorry that this is happened to you and to the other authors. I’m joining the boycott (and telling friends and family) and have posted on my Facebook.

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  40. A.P. Fuchs

    *If you follow them on Twitter, please unfollow them.

    Done.

    *If you like them on Facebook, please unlike them.

    Done.

    *If you receive their marketing emails, please remove yourself from their list.

    Never was.

    *If you belong to one of their book clubs, please consider canceling your membership.

    Considered a couple years back, but because I’m in Canada, I wouldn’t have gotten the sweet deal US customers got at the time.

    *If you are considering publishing with them, please reconsider.

    You know me, self-publishing for seven years and still going strong.

    *Most importantly, please don’t buy their books, regardless of whether it’s on their website, in the $1.99 dump bin at Wal-Mart, or available on the Kindle. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester book, check the spine. It should say Leisure Fiction or Dorchester Publishing. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester ebook, here is an example: If you scroll down, you’ll see that this Kindle edition of J.F. Gonzalez’s Shapeshifter lists “Leisure Books” as the publisher (later today, J.F. will also be asking his readers to boycott Dorchester editions of his work, and he gave me permission to use this Kindle edition as an example).

    I think the last one I got was a free copy of Dead Sea from a contest a couple years back. Ever since I heard of this debacle, however, I’ve abstained from picking any up despite some catching my interest.

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  41. Jon F. Merz

    Here’s another idea that you can actually use to hit them where they’ll feel it: their bottom line.

    Form a Leisure authors alliance of some sort and start selling your own ebooks on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Make sure the title reflects the fact that these are “authorized.” Something like “Ghoul: The Authorized Edition” and then in the description, you can put in details about how you’re selling because Leisure doesn’t have the right to do so. get everyone on the same page and enough new titles will go up with that authorized thing that it might actually start undercutting the bad guys. Nothing makes a company sit up and notice like losing money.

    It doesn’t take much. It usually takes me about 30-40 minutes to get a title up on Amazon and then another 30-40 for B&N. They can be selling and depriving Leisure of money within the next few days.

    Good luck!
    -Jon

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  46. Darrin

    Leisure will never see another penny from me.

    Every Leisure author needs to file a complaint with the New York Attorney General. Enough complaints and they’ll have to investigate.

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  47. James Melzer

    As an author I find this behavior despicable. I Tweeted and shared this on Facebook. Count me in for the boycott, and if you ever decide to start raising money for a lawsuit, count me in too!

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  51. Selena Kitt

    I boycotted them a while ago because I’d heard this was happening. In fact, I’d just purchased a bunch of ebooks of yours and others on the list on sale and then found out, so I returned them. Please DO mark your books as “authorized” on Amazon, BN et al. I’d even put something in the description about their nefarious practices. :P

    Hang in there. I’m so sorry this is happening to you :(

    Selena

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  52. Trish Macomber

    Brian, we were in Walmart last week and sitting right in the middle of the domestics aisle was a huge box full of Leisure Books. Yours were there, plus about a dozen other authors I immediately recognized. They were for sale really cheap and there were a ton of them. Weird thing is, I don’t EVER remember having seen them for sale as new releases or on the book aisle. They weren’t even remaindered, for heaven’s sake.

    I wish you the best in all this. I know what a biatch of a situation this is.

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  55. Laura Burkhead

    I don’t know about the rest of you guys, but I would donate to a fund to help the author’s pay for legal council! Even 10 dollars from all the fans would go a long way. I have no clue how to set up something like that but If anyone does, we should go for it.

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  57. Mike Griffin

    Companies try all kinds of things to keep themselves afloat, but I can’t believe these guys think they’re going to out-swim this flood of ill will and bad publicity. You’ve got my support.

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  58. Monica O'Rourke

    Amazing. I emailed Dallas and Lee this thread, BTW. Not sure what Dallas is planning to do, but he’s well aware of the mess. I also know he’s been publishing e-books with a different publisher, but I wonder if Leisure is still offering his titles for sale …

    Monica O’Rourke

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  61. drew

    I don’t have a website to yell from but I have linked the blog to my FB for people to read. A boycott I fully support.

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  64. Derek Clendening

    I noticed that HWA is not on that list. Hmmmm. I’m going to see if they will. In the meantime, I will spread the word of a Dorchester boycott as best I can.

    Derek

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  66. Sephera Giron

    You may add my name for support. I only have the Leisure facebook clicked to like so I can watch what’s going on there.

    I myself got out before the shit hit the fan and appear to have my rights back and I don’t believe they’ve put my books into e-books from what I can see. However, I will support my brothers and sisters.

    Sèphera Girón

    Reply ↓

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  70. Ginjr Buchanan

    It occurs to me:

    1) Authors like Brian and Tim who have had their rights reverted only to find that Dorchester is selling illegal e-books should insist the e-tailers stop offering the books. You have documentation that the product is illegal–produce it if need be. If you can get a lawyer (does HWA have one?) to do it for you, even better.

    2) Before doing this, prepare e-editions of the books in question to offer to the e-tailers as a legitimate alternative.

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  72. Skylar Kade

    A publisher should never treat its authors like this! How appalling. I’m boycotting any publisher–print or e–that steals from its authors. And I think adding “authorized” to any kindle editions you have/updating the description would be a brilliant move.

    Reply ↓

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  75. Livia Llewellyn

    Consider it done, now and for all time. I actually started avoiding their books when your mess with them first started, but this just makes it Very Fucking Official.

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  76. Dawn R.

    As a reviewer and a lover of books, I am appalled at what Dorchester is doing to their authors and their loyal readers. I refuse to spend my hard earned money on a publisher that is so blantent in ripping their authors off and then not accepting any blame for their incompetence. If this is how their business model is, no wonder authors are jumping ship and they are not making any money at all.

    Add me to the list of supporters!

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  77. RenegadeScribe

    Brian,

    I’m also supporting the Dorchester boycott. This sort of behavior can’t be tolerated by authors. Are there any industry groups that you could turn to for assistance?

    Reply ↓
  79. Steph

    This isn’t a new thing either! Back in the 80′s one of my friends (one of Dorchester’s best selling horror authors at the time) had the same problem! They’ve been screwing authors for years!

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  80. Jonathan Reitan

    Former Leisure book reviewer here adding my support. I STILL wont buy any books from a certain homophobe small press publisher, even if he has published some of my friends.

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  82. Sue Dent

    It’s because there is no policing of these large publishers and distributors and never has been. Your book can’t be on Amazon as a Kindle unless Dorchester put it there. That’s a fact. It can’t be a Nook on Barnes & Noble unless your publisher put it there. That is also a fact. Same thing is happening with my books on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Amazon is selling one of my books as though it is available for them to get which it isn’t. It’s out of print.

    Forget boycotting Dorchester. Boycott the whole damn publishing industry. There isn’t one large publisher that operates any differently. And large publishers and distributors will continue to operate the way they do because no one is holding them accountable. If you never deal with one your waaaay better off but it doesn’t protect you much from their shenanigans.

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  83. Victoria Blisse

    As a fellow author I am disgusted at how you and other Dorchester authors have been treated. I am completely behind the boycott and will repost this post on facebook etc so more people will see and pass on this message.

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  85. Monica O'Rourke

    You can no longer post on Dorchester Publishing’s wall on Facebook, even if you “like” them. Interesting. There’s also a new statement on the wall about how wonderful they apparently are, and you know, all innocent and all.

    Monica

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  87. Leah Anderson

    Done (actually a few years ago)- and not surprised it’s come down to this but appalled at how blatantly and illegally they are robbing authors blind.
    You are such an amazing writer Brian- I’ve “sold” you to so many of my friends back when “The Rising” first came out. We all love you :)

    I hope with all the great advice posted here there’s something that can help you and the other writers.

    Reply ↓
  88. Joe Nazzaro

    Brian, I don’t know if any of this will be useful to you, but perhaps for some of your fellow writers who aren’t owed as much money. I’ve been owed several thousand dollars for the last couple of years from The Brooklyn Company who own Starlog and Fangoria and while they paid some of the Fango writers in order to keep them writing for them, the publisher shut down Starlog as a magazine two years ago and still owes tens of thousands of dollars to virtually all of the former Starlog writers. After waiting two years, I finally filed a small claims case in New York last week, followed by one of the other writers earlier this week. I am hoping that some of our out of state writers will do the same, which will at least start piling up the judgements against the company in the event that the publisher decides to try and sell the company. What I discovered during the process of getting ready to file (and this is what may be of interest to some of the other Dorchester authors is that even if you live out of state, you can still file a small claims case in New York by mail; it only costs 20 bucks to file. Of course you would still have to show up for the court date but New York has a number of legal mechanisms in place to help people collect on their judgments, such as contacting the approriate bank, seizing assets and so forth. One of the reasons I bring this up is because the very act of filing the suit will make a writer feel more proactive and less helpless about the situation, which is very good for one’s mental well-being. I have been hugely frustrated these last couple of years to see a publisher happily continuing on with his business with seemingly no intention of paying more than two dozen writers and artists who helped make the company a success. I wonder if a similar process would help any of your contemporaries as well.

    Reply ↓
  89. Diana

    My boycott list is nearly as long as my arm. This should have been resolved a year ago when the money issues became known (publicly and otherwise.) Not another dime or minute of my time to unscrupulous publishers.

    Reply ↓
  93. Joyce

    I most certainly will join the boycott. I am sorry for your troubles, and those of the other writers who are being shafted.

    Reply ↓
  95. Txjack

    I think we horror lovers band together . . . but DP has other genres. I wonder how many romance/western/mystery writers are being screwed over, too?? Let’s not forget that angle. There are probably hundreds of readers of those genres that would boycott if they only knew (and boycott vocally, too).

    I just got an email from DP yesterday with some kind of promotion. I will unsubscribe from that email.

    Reply ↓
  96. Mary SanGiovanni

    I really feel the HWA should support us in this — should have supported us in this all along. I wonder if it’s something The Authors Guild would take up.

    Reply ↓
  97. Lee Rush

    I do not have books with Dorchester but I am appalled at the way the authors are treated. I am boycotting and spreading the word to my friends as well.

    Reply ↓
  98. Brandon

    Hello Brian,

    I heard about this on Tom Piccirilli’s blog.

    I have posted this blog entry on a few websites I troll to spread the word. Typically I read fantasy but I have feel we readers need to support the writing community. Hopefully the fantasy faithful can help spread the word a bit and bring these rat bastards to heel. Some have already responded how pissed off they are at the way you have been treated.

    Next I will go buy some of your books. But not Dorchester of course.

    Reply ↓
  100. Tom Kline

    Well, I already stopped supporting Leisure when you left them back in August. That was because I thought their new strategy with ebook distribution seemed a little too manipulative and exploitative (not to mention downright stupid).

    But that was me as a consumer. Now, I think this is starting to affect me as a writer.

    While it’s true that I’m still a college freshman, I do plan on pursuing fiction writing as a career, and to see what might have been a powerhouse publisher stoop to this level of disrespect for their published authors and their rights just pisses me off.

    You have my full support on the matter. This kind of nonsense should never happen to you or anyone else.

    Reply ↓
  101. Jon F. Merz

    Actually, Sue, you can get the book out here quite easily – the workaround to any obstacle that Amazon or B&N would impose due to the same title, is to do what I suggested and simply change the title to “[title]: The Authorized Edition” and it will not set off alarm bells within the automated system.

    Reply ↓
  103. Jana DeLeon

    Hi Brian,

    I am so sorry you’re dealing with this. I had the EXACT same problem with Dorchester last year, and here’s how I solved it – publically “out” them for stealing because that’s exactly what this is. I outed them on Smart Bitches/Trashy Books. The story was picked up by a million angry romance writers and readers and then by Publisher’s Marketplace. My books were down within a week along with many of my friends.

    Here’s a link to the “outing.” SBTB may be willing to help you as well.

    http://tinyurl.com/24hzvrm

    FYI – I published my backlist as ebooks and am making more than I ever did with Dorchester.

    Good luck!

    Jana DeLeon

    Reply ↓
  105. Jan Holden

    No Twitter or Facebook, but I’ve linked this page on my blog, and I’ll continue to talk about it via good old fashioned verbal conversation.

    Just reading through Joe’s comment above, about filing through small claims, I’m reminded of a period during the late Eighties recession when I was laid off three times, as the companies I worked for went belly up, one after the other. During that time, as an accounts dept employee, I was involved on both ends of the desperate tug of war – either calling, begging, threatening people to pay their bills while frantically fending off other people with the old ‘next week’ ‘check’s in the mail’ excuses. It’s a terrible, terrible state of affairs for everyone involved and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. But in the final throes it comes down to this – you pay your employees, you keep the power on. After that, whatever’s left goes to those who bare the longest teeth – a lawyers’ letter, a small claims court summons to pay or else, both worked fairly well as I remember.

    Reply ↓
  106. John Manning

    As a new author entering a sea of sharks I’m glad to see one shark is at least tagged for the rest of us. I, for one, will not support this publisher nor any of its offerings and will encourage others to respond in like manner. You have my full support, Brian.

    Reply ↓
  107. Norman Prentiss

    Brian,

    I support this boycott, so please add me to the list. I continue to wish the best to you and all the former Leisure/Dorchester authors–so many great writers, and NOT being treated with the respect due to their hard work and talents.

    Reply ↓
  108. Angeline Hawkes

    Yet another head shaker in a long list of head shaking inducing bad business practices. I can’t even count how many fellow writers have had bad dealings with Dor/Leisure now. Hopefully public outcry will get Dor/Leisure writers what they are owed, but given the history, I’m not so sure.

    Reply ↓
  110. randy loughran

    i was with the hard case crime book club and got most of my horror books through liesure horror. the minute i heard the authors were not getting paid and hard case crime jumped ship i cancled my membership. i have told everyone i know who reads to not buy anything with the liesure/dorchester mark and to stay out of the wal mart dump bin the authors will not see money from anything you buy. it pisses me off that the authors are being fucked like this as a fan i support all the authors involved in this cluster fuck. i have been buying the deadite press editions of brian keenes books and wraith james whites and edward lees i hope the rest of the fans of horror will do the same the biggest show of support we can give is to continue to buy there work through credited book seller and lefal publishers.

    Reply ↓

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  115. Donna K. Fitch

    I support you in this, Brian. I unliked them on FB, posted about it to my FB friends and posted on Twitter with hashtag boycottdorchester.

    Reply ↓
  116. Jodi Lee

    You can Belfire Press to that list. I’ve posted on my own site linking here, as well as Wrath and Bob’s posts, with a note on BP.

    Good luck to the authors!

    Reply ↓
  119. DC Juris

    I support the boycott! I went through a somewhat similar situation with a small press called Mystic Moon a couple years ago, though thankfully I had only entered at the tail end of it, and didn’t get screwed badly. It’s amazing how anyone can think they can get away with this sort of thing.

    Reply ↓
  125. Brooke A. Sheehan

    Things like this make me livid. I agree with Jon though, starting to sell authorized editions on Kindle and B&N. I’m passing this along to all my author (and non-author) friends and asking them to support this boycott as well.

    Reply ↓
  127. Sandra Ruttan

    It’s with a lot of mixed emotions that I must now agree with the call to boycott Dorchester.

    It sounds like I was one of the last authors who received a check from Dorchester. At the time, others told me they’d also been paid… And the communications received from Dorchester gave me enough of a doubt about their future to want to reserve judgment. I tried to remain optimistic that, in time, they’d rebuild. I didn’t think about selling another book to them; I just hoped that we weren’t going to lose a notable publisher, the publisher who’d brought us Hard Case Crime and had one of the most important horror lines in North America.

    Although this is not true of this blog, some authors have not supported their push for a boycott in the past with facts, but rather with feelings, and that was never going to win the day for me. I needed facts to make a decision to act against my publisher.

    The fact came for me so subtly and quietly that it was surprising. When I received my last royalty statement, there were no recorded Ebook sales, although my books are available for Kindle and through other major Ebook outlets.

    Being curious about sales, I’d actually occasionally popped on, noted sales rankings, compared them to my other book… Long story short is, I know there were Ebook sales sold. But they haven’t been credited to my books.

    Until now I really wanted to believe that Dorchester was going to turn the corner, clean the closets and pull things back together. Dorchester invested in me, and I didn’t want to turn my back on them without a damn good reason, but not providing a record of those Ebook sales smells of foul play.

    And still, I remained quiet, until seeing this today.

    My three Dorchester titles aren’t available anywhere else. If people don’t buy them from Dorchester, they’re effectively dead to me. And I hate like hell to abandon these works by supporting a boycott, because it’s possible only the Japanese readers will get to enjoy them then, but it’s the right thing to do. If Dorchester showed signs of wanting to clear themselves out of this hole with integrity, I’d be behind them.

    But I’m not a vendor, and they haven’t filed for bankruptcy and they have financial obligations. I was always willing to wait for a check if they were starting to clear themselves out of the red, but if they’re just pocketing the money and not paying anyone it’s time to cut our losses, and the only hope I have of getting my rights back is if Dorchester goes out of business.

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  128. angel Graham

    I do independent reviewer of books at angel Thoughts: News & Reviews as I am asked. I will fully support a boycott against Dorchester (Leisure) with no reservations. Thank you for bringing this to our attention and I truly hope that you and all the others affected will somehow, someway be compensated properly and fully. I can wish!

    Hope you won’t mind, but going to throw this over to my Review/News site to get it some more readers I hope.

    Reply ↓
  130. Kristine

    This is really sad. I’ve been collecting and reading almost all those Leisure Books for a long time, and to know that the writers who created those books were screwed over by Dorchester is just sickening.

    Reply ↓

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  133. Michael Barnette

    I have been boycotting all books published by Dorchester/Leisure since this fiasco was made pubic. I have urged all authors at my small ebook publishing house, Shadowfire Press LLC to also boycott books from Dorchester/Leisure.

    I think that this is a truly appalling way to treat authors and urge everyone I know to boycott y Dorchester/Leisure. They are stealing from their authors, pure and simple.

    Michael Barnette
    Publisher, Shadowfire Press LLC
    Enter the Shadows… Set your imagination on Fire
    Publisher of fine genre fiction in ebook format

    Reply ↓

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  140. Cynthia Griffin

    I can’t believe that a publisher would so blatantly infringe upon rights and am appalled to learn of it. I will do my part to boycott and hope it helps. Best of luck to all the authors who have become victimize by them. Writing and becoming published is difficult enough without having to worry about being screwed out of hard earn money.

    Reply ↓
  141. Pia Veleno

    I’ve been avoiding Dorchester since you took your rights back, but here I am to say so publicly. I’d be horrified just to lose the couple of books I have out there already, let alone the impressive backlist you’ve accumulated, and of course, the royalties. Contrary to popular belief, authors need to eat too. I may not be writing in the horror genre, but from the smutty side of the publishing world, I support your boycott wholeheartedly.

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  142. Nicholas La Salla

    Hey Brian,

    Feel free to include me in your list of authors who support the boycott.

    This is absolutely terrible on a number of levels — of course it is bad business, no doubt about it, alienating authors and readers alike through extremely poor judgment, but at the same time it is aggressively offensive to the writers who were their bread and butter. They built their horror line around tremendous authors, and now they are systematically screwing each of them.

    I hope your new deals will pay off big for you in the future and that “Ghoul” will become a big success. I for one can’t wait to see the finished product.

    There is a special place waiting for each and every one of those Leisure suits for the way they’ve operated their business and hurt their authors. It’s called the unemployment office.

    Maybe then they’ll understand and regret what they’ve done to good authors who’ve done their best to help grow Leisure out of the dung pile it used to be.

    Reply ↓

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  144. M. Stephen Lukac

    Never have I been happier to NOT have been picked up by Leisure (which I assume is the case, because I still haven’t received a formal rejection, but they’re only 8 years overdue).

    Hopefully, you won’t have to wait that long for a resolution.

    Add another vote to the tote . . .

    Reply ↓
  145. Carolyn Haines

    I will certainly join you in the boycott. I have friends who are published at Dorchester (Leisure) and I am so sorry for all that is happening. To you and all of the writers at this house. This is a very tough business, even at the best of times, and publishing is at an interesting crossroads. As a writer, I understand the full range of betrayal you all must feel. I also know how hard it is to take this stand. There is a bond that forms in the creative process of bringing a book from the imagination into the hands of the reader that is hard to define. Yet writers can’t be turned into victims. I solidly support you.

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  146. C.J. Ellisson

    I’m a small author just starting out– with only a few new titles under my belt. I participated in a huge contest Dorchester held last year for a publishing contract. I’m now THRILLED I came in runner up and didn’t have to be a part of the fall out so many other authors are dealing with.

    I’m so sorry for all of it – and the issue with your rights. I wish you the very best and hope you get the money coming to you. Atrocious they’d sell ebooks after they relinquished the rights! I can’t imagine how the retailers aren’t liable as well, after all they paid your money to the thieves, and still are!

    First and foremost, like a lot of writers, I’m a reader first. I will happily boycott Dorchester/Leisure and spread your story to every writer I know.

    May you have a better 2011 and an even richer 2012,

    C.J.

    Reply ↓

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  148. C.J. Ellisson

    Just curious – what is stopping the authors from self publishing their works even if Dorchester *technically* has the rights? Do they have the right to sue an author when they owe the author back funds? Do they even have the money to pay a lawyer to go after them? Probably not!

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  149. Lincoln Crisler

    Add me to the list. I’ll be placing all my reviews of Leisure books into ‘draft’ status in the near future, until I can redirect readers to new versions, like your Deadite issues. And of course, as a writer I find this shit utterly detestable.

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  150. Shannon Lee

    Wow… I am SO GLAD now that I didn’t make it as a finalist for the Fresh Blood contest I entered! I have unfollowed them on twitter Brian, and I will no longer go to their websites. More and more I am starting to go towards self publishing my novel. I guess it won’t be looked down or snubbed like before huh?

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  152. Chris York

    Apropos of Ginjer’s comment:

    the other thing writers can do is go to the individual listings on Amazon, scroll to the bottom and click on the link that says something to the effect of “Do you believe this listing violates copyright?” It takes you to a form where you can file a complaint directly with Amazon. Since the rights have reverted, or the contract has been breached, selling those books is a copyright violation.

    Enough notices will certainly make Dorchester’s life miserable. Don’t know about the other sites (B&N and others) but I suspect they will have a similar procedure available.

    Reply ↓

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  156. Jody Wallace

    I would love to see a central list somewhere of authors who have their rights back but their books are being sold digitally? I have loved many a Dorchester author and am leery of purchasing any digital books from Dorchester now if the authors won’t get paid.

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  159. Steven R Shroyer

    I am behind you 100% Mr Keene as well as the other authors on the list. I am not buying one single dorchester book ever again. I will support those like Deadite press that give a damn about their authors.

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  160. James Robert Smith

    Good grief. My pal Mark Masztal linked me to this.

    In my long career in working in comics and publishing I’ve heard some tales of publisher misconduct and of violation of creator rights, but this is at the top of the freaking heap. You have my support and sympathy.

    Reply ↓

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  166. jim herbert

    Boycotting Dorchester is a good start. But they are a corporate entity. There are people in charge at Dorchester issuing the orders to steal from writers. What are their names? Because, let’s face it, once Dorchester goes under, these individuals will end up issuing orders at some other publisher, and it would help writers to be forewarned.

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  172. "Dark" Mark Brown

    This is deplorable and I have been spreading the word on every message board I belong to. I’m sure I join many loyal readers in support of the authors who’s work we love.

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  174. E. Charles Tucker

    I wish I’d seen this months ago; I’m “guilty”, as it were, of having purchased ebook editions (which I’d thought legitimate) via Barnes & Noble – Dead Sea, and Dark Hollow. I’d wondered why I couldn’t since find ebook versions of other books of yours…now I know, and regret having purchased the two I did only in the sense that the money went to Dorchester and not yourself.

    Consider me a better informed consumer now, and I will certainly be paying closer attention to the publisher of any ebooks I purchase going forward. Dorchester is absolutely on my boycott list.

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  176. jennifer byrkit

    I am so sorry about your situation! I am an avid horror reader and love most horror books. I certainly will do my part to support authors and stand behind those who are fighting for what is rightfully theirs as a ban to Dorchester.

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  179. Jaym Gates

    Agreeing with a bunch of posts above, it looks like, but there should be at least one attorney in our collective networks who is willing to take this on for a percentage of the damages. It sounds like, even if no one sees back-logged money, just having the books free will be enough.

    Boycotted, posted to Twitter and Facebook.

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  181. Pingback: » Blog Archive » The Dorchester/Leisure Boycott

  182. Jason L. Keene

    Too disgusted and tired to formulate a response that doesn’t incorporate anything but the most choice words from the Sailor’s Dictionary of 4-Letter Abominations.

    But I will say that I’m in.

    And although it’s a damned dirty shame that this has happened, perhaps there can be a minute amount of comfort in knowing that the revolution will be televised (webivized?). Although it won’t help pay the bills, know that this unified response on a large scale will make the newer generation of authors that much more the wiser.

    So, thanks ahead of time–all of you: authors, stores, publishers, and devout readers–for bringing this to universal attention of those that can benefit from the knowledge in the future. And I’m sorry for all the authors’ hard road that has been paved by Dorchester’s pompous and obviously illegal actions.

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  183. Joel Calhoun

    I’m sorry to hear about your situation & the way your publisher has been treating you, even though I’ve never read any of your books. (Though that’s probably because they don’t publish SF/Fantasy, which is probably just as well.)

    Hope things will improve for you soon.

    Good luck.

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  186. Eric Clark

    I’m no legal expert, but it seems to me that with such blatantly illegal actions by Dorchester, there would probably be a few attorneys that would take on your case on a “no fee if we don’t win” type basis. It seems like a slam dunk case, so some attorneys may be happy to take on the case, because they should almost definitely win. It’s certainly worth inquiring. Good Luck!

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  187. Pingback: A Winner, A Boycott, and Other Assorted News « Limecello

  188. Dustin LaValley

    I’ve had beef with them since before I could legally drive, what kind of asshole company puts a child in collections after tricking them with an advertisement for “two free” books? These fuckers, that’s who. You fuck with my literary heroes, you fuck with me.

    Boycott supported.
    This blog posted and shared on my own page.
    Please add me to the list.

    -Dustin

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  189. Vicki Stiefel

    Brian – You’ve written a terrific piece. That said, I’m one of the Doppelgangers, as Dorchester has done exactly the same thing to me – no royalties…no statements…and illegally publishing my books in On-Demaned and eBook format.

    Readers…reviewers…it’s time to boycott!
    Authors…it’s time we took back our titles!

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  191. Keith Hammer

    Mr. Keene – please take a moment to read this . . . a big fan of your work and I would like to assist you financially with an idea . . . I have seen a few authors allow fans to make cash contributions to have their names appear as a character in their books. I wonder if you would be willing, for one novel, to allow fans to make a sizable donation to appear in one of your novels. I would be willing to pay up to $100 – and maybe based on the amount of the contribution, a character plays a bigger role in said novel. I would be willing to start the ball rolling right away with a Pay Pal payment to you or however you would like payment. This can be a future project; I have no problem paying up front – I know, based on your posts, that you a man of integrity. This would greatly assist you while provideing a pretty worthwhile treat for your fans.

    Keith Hammer

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  192. Chap O'Keefe

    Thankfully I’m not personally involved in this debacle. I had what you might call a lucky escape because in late July last year, just before Dorchester’s business turned to complete custard, Leah Hultenschmidt invited me to submit “your two favorites [of my many overseas-published, hardcover westerns] with quotes and any other press coverage”.

    Naturally, nothing was allowed to come of this.

    But I do know at least one of my Black Horse Western colleagues had signed a deal with Dorchester for paperbacks and ebooks.

    You have my support for the boycott. And another of my online friends has already responded to my mention of your campaign with a post at his blog, the Tainted Archive. Make enough concerted noise and this scandal could be picked up by the general media.

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  193. Tracie

    I do not read horror, not my genre. However, after reading all this (being linked to it by my husband), I discovered three authors that are published by Dorchester/Leisure. I have posted on my Facebook about a boycott, and I will be contacting these authors (CL Wilson, Christine Feehan, and Connie Mason – all romance authors) to see if they would also consider it.

    I am considering posts to my Livejournal and Dreamwidth blogs.

    I wish you well on getting resolution.

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  194. Dan & Terri Martino

    We are relative newcomers to publishing, two and a half years now, and having gotten our feet wet in the horror genre, we have enjoyed your work as well as JF Gonzalez’s and others. Discovering and having the privilege of publishing Willum Pugmire and a forthcoming collab by Jeffrey Thomas and Scott Thomas, among others, has been so gratifying. The prospect of our first WHC , so exciting. This totally sullies that excitement. The knowledge of this virtual author rape is more horrifying than anything any ten authors could conceive. We are appalled, and although we are small, we are with you. Our website will list our boycott of Dorchester asap. Class action suit anyone?

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  196. Lisa Christie

    Watching my best friend’s writing career sky rocket, and making contacts with other authors through her, this sort of thing irritates me to no end. I know how much blood, sweat and tears goes into writing books, both from watching her, and trying my hand at it myself. This is as bad as predatory publishers that try to steal an author’s work from the get go.

    I’ve posted the link to my own Facebook account, and hope that in the end things work out for you, and any other author who is suffering under Dorchester’s bad, and illegal, business practices.

    Reply ↓

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  199. Dave Bell

    Physical documents can matter a lot in this sort of situation. If you have a document on paper, signed by an identifiable person, it makes things a lot easier.

    And a DMCA notice, while it has to be done right, doesn’t need a lawyer. You can hit Amazon with that, and then, if they ignore you, you have somebody to sue who has the money to pay your lawyers, when they lose.

    I reckon that could make it a lot easier to get a lawyer interested. Dorchester alone doesn’t have the money to be a good target. Add Amazon to the mix, and the potential pay-off gets interesting.

    Downside, this is not going to bring in any money any time soon.

    Reply ↓
  200. Terry Rodgers

    Brian,

    I just did a search on the Dorchester website (3/25/2011 9:11am) and all of your books are listed with many available for purchase.

    Good luck with your efforts. I hope you get this cleared up.

    Terry

    Reply ↓
  201. Rob Davies

    I discovered a lot of great writers through Leisure and was hoping things would turn around for them, but it is clear now they are not worthy of support. Unliked them on FB, cancelled my Horror Book Club account, farted in their general direction.

    Reply ↓

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  203. Brett

    Hey, Brian. Please add our names to the boycott (Sandra Kasturi and Brett Savory, ChiZine Publications). Dorchester still owes us nearly $3,000 in advertising fees! They keep fobbing us off and spinning excuses to delay payment. Doubt we’ll ever see it. So unprofessional.

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  204. Mary SanGiovanni

    C.J. – legally, it’s a violation of our contracts to publish those works anywhere else, and I’d imagine that given their financial situation, they would at the least go after any money made by our publishing our work elsewhere. : Sigh.

    Reply ↓
  206. Dathar

    I’ve been boycotting them since the first blog back in August. This is just a shame. Disheartening. With this mass of authors and fans rising up, gaining momentum, I really hope for a good change.

    I’ve been disconnecting from most of the social media… barely using my FB and not on twitter EVERYday like i used to be, but i’ve still managed to get the word out.

    You have my support.

    Kurt~

    Reply ↓

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  211. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

    Thank you for being willing to put this appalling practice so clearly before your colleages and readers. This kind of intellectual piracy has happened before, but not so blatantly nor so comprehensively. I support and applaud your actions. You are doing every working writer a service. Since this is clearly an on-going practice of Leisure, have you forwarded your information to the Attorney General of New York and encouraged others to do so? I agree you need an attorney, but civil suits are expensive and time consuming, two things almost all writers — myself included — cannot afford. A criminal proceeding could stop this cold and hold the persons behind it criminally responsible. It might also keep other publishers from similar policies. Just a thought.

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  213. Stephen W. Roberts

    ADD me to this list, as well. I’ve had my trial-by-error troubles with small presses here and there, but Leisure is on a much larger scale and therefore much more disgusting when found guilty of shady acts.

    I’ll do all I can to pass on the word for this cause and I feel for all those directly violated by Dorchester/Leisure.

    Reply ↓
  214. Shawn Allbritten

    Dear Mr. Keene, and the rest of the authors suffering through this unfortunate problem. I am not yet published professionally but I stand with you against Dorchester in any way I can. Struggling with my work, trying to get it published, is hard enough, but struggling AFTER you’ve gotten published, when things should be easier, is unthinkinable. Therefore, I lend my voice and whatever else I may to your cause, and ask to be placed upon your boycott list against this seemingly insurmountable tyrant. Thanks and good luck to all of you.

    Reply ↓
  215. Robert J. Conley

    I have published several books with Leisure over the years, and I’ve watched them get worse and worse. I have one horror story that is several years old now, but if I can get the details together again, I may send you another email regarding the issue. I agree with everything that has been said regarding this matter, and I am in the BOYCOTT! Power to us, and down to the depths of hell with Dorchester.

    Reply ↓
  216. James

    Just a quick note of support for you Brian and all the authors and readers this issue has impacted. Thanks so much for posting the information so eloquently. My thoughts are with you.

    Reply ↓
  218. Goats

    Why not go down to their offices and beat the crap out of those there? Take their wallets and see what they do. violence works. It’s what i do when people owe me money. You should do the same.

    Reply ↓
  219. Jacob T. Long

    Posted about it on FB and posted a thread on the Stephen King.com Message Board. I’ve never had anything published by Dorchester, but I’m a huge fan and it hurts to see so many writers get screwed.

    Reply ↓

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  221. Steven Saus

    Dude, as someone who makes (and publishes) eBooks professionally, their excuses for violating your rights are crap.

    Ever think about putting your backlist up yourself?

    Reply ↓
  222. Sheldon Higdon

    I can only imagine what the authors who are currently signed with Dorchester are going through. Are they getting paid? Are they trying to leave Dorkchester? How are they being treated?

    There was a time I wanted to submit to them in hopes of getting picked up. But now I am thankful that never happened.

    Besides Brian I have many friends who got screwed by these guys in one way or another, and I fully back my friends because I know they would do the same for me.

    Give ‘em Hell!

    Reply ↓
  223. Randy Noble

    I fully support the boycott (add me to the list). Terrible what they are doing. Reprehensible.

    Randy Noble

    Reply ↓
  224. Matt N.

    I considered becoming a writer at one time. It was because of this type of garbage that I opted not to. The bottom line is that it is alot of hard work writing a book. It is also very time consuming. Writers work their asses off and to hear that they are not being compensated appropriately is unacceptable. Many of the authors who are now boycotting Dorchester are authors that I enjoy reading. I support the authors 100%!

    Reply ↓
  225. Jeff Cross

    The only thing Dorchester had to offer me was the Hard Case Crime imprint, and Charles Ardai went looking for someone else to carry it once Dorchester went pure E-book. Since I don’t see the point in paying a $150 cover just so I can read their stuff, this is going to be real easy for me.

    Reply ↓

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  229. Petra Miller

    Brian -

    I have unliked them, never followed them, and will never purchase a single written word under their name. Please add me to the list.

    Reply ↓
  230. Stacy Dittrich

    Brian,

    I sent you an email but might as well post here. I still don’t have my rights back, and they have yet to send a contract for e-book rights but are selling them for free. My agent and I get the same runaround. This whole thing has made my head explode. I am contacting law enforcement sources to see if, which I think it is, their behavior falls under the criminal statute. I’m also shopping around for pro bono attorneys willing to file a class action. So, if anyone wants to jump on board feel free to email me at: info@stacydittrich.com and I’ll start compiling a list.

    Best,
    Stacy

    Reply ↓
  231. Nicole T.

    Aaaaaaand BOYCOTTED.

    http://altrambles.blogspot.com/

    That’s some serious bullshit. I have a friend who loves your books Brian, so she’s going to be the first one I tell about this tomorrow (we’re both booksellers at a B&N in Missouri – I’ll be sure to pass this information around to everyone, customers included)!

    Reply ↓
  233. Kay S

    I’m sure if you sent Amazon & B&N a copy of the agreement showing that the rights had reverted to you and asked them to de-list the Dorchester versions, with a hint of forthcoming legal action if they do not comply, you would surely get their atention! Amazon has banned other sellers for less serious infractions.

    Reply ↓

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  237. Lee Rowan

    I’ll boost this signal on my Facebook and anywhere else possible.

    It really does sound like Class Action Suit time… and/or time to start asking the US Attorney General’s Office and the FCC to tackle this.

    Reply ↓

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  239. Stormi

    Wow, how uncool is that! I will admit I have never read any books from this publishing company but that is not right what they are doing to you the authors.

    Reply ↓
  240. Mary Kirkland

    Wow, that is just awful and I will be boycotting them as well. When we readers find out about things like this going on, we support the writer’s first and foremost. I hope it gets worked out very soon.

    Reply ↓
  242. Cliff Burns

    I had a brush with Dorchester many years ago, feelers sent out, but they always seemed sketchy to me, their version of “horror” featuring too much of the splatter stuff I loathe and that has been the bane of the genre for far too long (when will writers/editors start realizing that fear is CEREBRAL emotion?).

    Your situation is infuriating and one of the reasons I became an independent publisher/author over 20 years ago. Control over my work is important, but even more essential is preserving my dignity against those who exploit creative talents and behave like greedheads.

    Hope your situation improves soon and my best wishes to you…

    Reply ↓

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  248. Rev. Stephen P. Lebeck

    I always was a fan of the Commander Keen series of video games, so the circumstance above has a nice touch of nostalgia when I think about it. I get to stand on the side of “Commander Keene” once again!

    I have never, to my knowledge, ever purchased or owned a book published by Leisure/Dorchester. I sadly had no idea that a writer by the name of Brian Keene existed, and I have never read anything you’ve ever written. I say HAD no idea, because I know one of the listed professionals personally (Hollywood Vampires; Booksellers & Publishers) and he brought this utter outrage to my attention. I have never even once been given a suggestion, recommendation or notification from this professional that was something I couldn’t stand behind … and that includes this one!

    I have been an avid reader across virtually every genre for my entire life. I have been a pen-and-paper, tabletop RPG player for more than a decade. I know the names I can trust 100% to provide the material that I’m looking for within the areas I’m looking to buy in. I support the AUTHORS who pour their sweat, blood and soul into the books they write. Because I support the authors that do all the real work, I am more than happy to boycott the published material of an uncaring COMPANY that treats those same authors with no measure of respect.

    Without the authors there would be no need for the publishers, after all, though greed tends to make people forget important things like that. It won’t be the first time I’ve refused to buy from a company by any means, though I believe it would be the first time in memory that I added my support against a company that I hadn’t actually put any of my money into.

    In short: I support this boycott. Give ‘em HELL!!!

    Reply ↓

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  251. Mahala

    I couldn’t read all of your comments because of tech issues here but have you considered a facebook page for the boycott?

    Good luck to you all.

    Reply ↓
  252. Scott Nicholson

    Brian, in your case (and it sounds like you may have done this) I would immediately report illegal and unauthorized selling of my work at Amazon and BN (you may have to send them the reversion of rights agreement).

    To ALL affected authors whose work is being illegally sold, I would immediately publish my OWN VERSION of my own work in digital format and undercut them on price. What are they going to do? Hire a lawyer? In the meantime, you give your fans a choice and you get some money while you’re “waiting.” Just make clear it is your “preferred edition.” (Don’t worry about the “self-pub” stigma–it went away the second Barry Eisler walked away from half a mil to self-pub.)

    That’s one of the reasons I doubt if I will ever use a “publisher” again. You just never know what someone else is going to do with your work. The money is just part of it. The other is the incredible moral insult to the fruit of your soul. Good luck, everyone.,

    Scott Nicholson

    Reply ↓
  253. Janet

    Brian and other writers,

    I am not a writer, but an avid reader, you have my full support in this boycott. I won’t purchase anything from this company. I am sorry this is going on to so many talented and wonderful writers. There are some lawyers that will take cases probono with financial resolution at the end of the case. If you all pooled together….could be a possibility. A lot of good advice on here that could be of help. You have rights, this company must be held accountable for what it is doing to each and every one of the writers it is cheating.

    Reply ↓

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  255. Michaeal Knost

    Brian, I found Leisure titles in a few of the book stores that I visit quite a bit and asked the store managers to consider returning the books or removing them form the shelves. After hearing what is going on with Dorchester all three stores are removing them from the shelves or returning them. Just wanted to throw that out as an option as many readers/buyers have relationships with their hometown book stores, etc. Have them to remove the books and/or return them.

    Reply ↓

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  257. Doug Hawk

    I published a horror novel with Leisure in the mid-90s and subsequently became part of a class action lawsuit when it was discovered that the company was not paying all royalties due (surprise, surprise). Even after the case was settled, Leisure managed to delay paying what was due for close to a year. The company has never had a stellar reputation; however, this latest news is truly disturbing.

    Reply ↓

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  260. Flora Speer

    I am a FORMER Dorchester author (22 novels, 2 novellas) and I do know what you are talking about Back in 1997,led by Robin Lee Hatcher, we brought a class action lawsuit against the company, claiming underpayment of royalties. The lawyers were Jerome Noll and Robert Lax. If I remember correctly, the Authors Guild was also involved in our behalf. After the usual delays, the case was finally settled, but I, for one, never received full restitution for books sold. Considering their idiotic business practices,I’m not surprised the company is now bankrupt. Could you get Authors Guild involved in this? They are real champions of authors, no matter the genre – no snobbery there!

    Keep fighting; you are on the right side.
    Flora Speer

    Reply ↓

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  267. Bob Pastorella

    Posted news article at my blog, which is linked to FB/Twitter. Just when so many new authors are self-publishing, and a traditional publisher pulls a stunt like this, it sure makes self-publishing look like the best alternative for the author.

    Reply ↓
  268. Carson Buckingham

    Having been throught eh mill with Ghostwriters, I sincerely feel your pain, Brian–not that that helps.

    At any rate, I received this today:

    “With the demise of Leisure Horror in the rearview mirror, there is hope ahead.
    Samhain Publishing, which in the past has published mostly e-books in the romance genre, has brought editor Don D’Auria on board. Don was the man who made Leisure and in a way, horror over the past 15 years. He’s actively seeking new manuscripts, so pop on over to Samhain to read their guidelines. An agent is not necessary (though it always helps).”

    Care to comment? I’d be most interested in your take of this.

    Reply ↓
  269. Rick Shepard

    I can’t believe a publisher would put the screws to such a long list of high caliber talent. Times are tough, but do they not know that it’s only the authors that can help them out of their financial problems? I remember 20 or 25 years ago, Leisure was one of the biggest publishers of great horror. It was the authors that put them in that position. Is this how they pay them back? Publishers make their living off the creative sweat of the writers they publish. They don’t make money on their own. They should remember this. I will suppport the writers, not the publishers. It is their work I respect not the publishers.

    Reply ↓
  270. Brian

    Carson: Don is absolutely one of the best editors I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I don’t know much about Samhain, but I do know that Don is a class act.

    Reply ↓

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  273. Jonathan Kennedy

    I own a few Leisure books from several years ago, and for a while I subscribed to their Horror “book club” where they would send me two paperbacks every month. It was interesting to see the books that I would get every month, as they weren’t the selections you would typically find on the shelves. I stopped after the company started sending me other genres as well. I unsubscribed, and sent the unwanted books back. They billed me regardless.

    Anyway, I would love to interview you about your troubles with this company, and advice you can give any writers, as well as how you chose to write horror.

    Reply ↓

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  275. Kit Prate

    This is so reminiscent of what they did as Tower Books ‘way back when. I, fortunately, got all my rights back a very long time ago; but I NEVER got a statement from them, ever, and — if Dorchester/Tower wasn’t publishing stuff after the fact — their creditors (Linford, in particular) did. And I still find my titles listed as published with Star (part of Virgin) overseas (never saw a dime).

    I hope Dorchester takes a bath. Why the feds haven’t gotten involved in this is a mystery…

    But what is even a bigger shame are the editors who were wise to what was going on, who never shared what they knew with the authors.

    Reply ↓

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  278. Patricia

    If you are not being paid anyway, a few of screwed authors could band together and file an involuntary bankruptcy case against Dorcester. Worth asking about if you can find someone who knows that area of the law and will give you some free advice.

    Reply ↓

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  288. Steven R Shroyer

    What about used books? If we buy a used book from a 3rd party on amazon does that violate the boycott? I was just having scruples.

    Reply ↓
  291. Brian

    William: Yes. Some authors have had their rights returned. Some authors have received partial payments. Some authors still have not received either. Some authors have gone silent on the advice of their various attorneys. So it has become a situation that is different for each individual author involved.

    Reply ↓

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  293. ABeth

    Hi — I hope I didn’t scroll past this, but rushed… I was reading this at thepassivevoice and my spouse asked if you could do DMCA takedown requests of all the offending ebooks. You have tha contract that says you have the rights reverted, so if you send a scan of that… You might not need a lawyer at all, though it won’t get compensations.

    Good luck!

    Reply ↓

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  295. writer

    Been following this since the beginning. Now the only editor at Dorchester Media (magazines) has left. I think most of us have given up on getting the rest of the money owed us–I’ve gotten most, but not all. If some have lawyers and agents–and have gotten little action, then I see only one solution. Jana DeLeon actually did a form of it by outing Dorchester on Smart/Trashy Bitches. As someone here posted–it’s time to shut them down.Or rather–they are shutting their own business down due to their fraudulent actions. It’s time to insist the general public, big media and higher legal authorities get involved. Stop them from getting more writers in their sticky web. For some heartbreaking stuff–go to True Story’s Facebook page. Subscribers ripped off and not knowing why. Why would they know? This needs to get out further than industry websites and publications. It’s time to bring in the people with lots of investigative resources into this. I’ll be initiating this shortly–and hope for all of us this has the resolution that justice requires.

    Reply ↓

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  300. Robert Dunbar

    I can’t believe this nightmare never ends. (Brian, you’ve done such an amazing job documenting it.) Back in March, Dorchester was supposed to make an announcement within 20 days about the sale of their book publishing division. Of course, it’s practically July now. I don’t suppose anyone has heard anything …

    BTW: Does anyone have an actual phone number for Dorchester/Leisure at this point? Or a working email address? I’ll settle for a carrier pigeon.

    Rob

    Reply ↓
  301. Brian

    Rob: Last I heard, there was a mail dump in Cape Town, but that’s it.

    Best thing to do is go through Amazon and B&N’s procedures for reporting copyright violation, and have the Dorchester digital editions of your work removed from sale. Several authors have gone this route and it’s worked. I would suggest that when you do this, you then turn around and get your own digital editions up for sale ASAP, so if Dorchester tries to re-issue them, your’s will already be there. Makes it easier to fight.

    Reply ↓
  302. Gary Challender, President

    Brian, we are a 32 year old audiobook publishing company and are interested in considering your books for audio recording. There is no cost to you. We record and partner with Audible.com, Amazon.com, Overdrive.com and our own website. We pay a straight 10% royalty and have never been late on a royalty payment. We do downloads and CD sales including public libraries.
    Drop me a note yea or nay.
    Gary

    Reply ↓

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