For previous posts regarding the Dorchester Boycott, click here (that is the original post, along with updated links to further posts).
As previously reported, an unofficial committee representing Dorchester Publishing’s unsecured creditors (including authors and their agents) was formed last August. Since then, the committee and its financial advisers have been monitoring the company’s operations, and have had access to Dorchester’s financial information and legal documents.
Today, the committee notified Dorchester of their decision to disband, because they have determined that Dorchester will be “unable to propose any meaningful repayment plan to unsecured creditors in the foreseeable future”. The committee states that this leaves Dorchester’s unsecured creditors (including authors and agents) free to take “any action or inaction they determine to be appropriate.”
Since the initial boycott call, myself and the other authors on this list, feeling we took the appropriate action (given that Dorchester was continuing to sell our work but was unable or unwilling to pay us for it), have kept quiet. A small handful of our peers disagreed with our actions, and took to their Blogs and online forums to decry the boycott. While we respect their varied reasons for doing so, it’s worth noting that most of them took issue with our stance that Dorchester was unable to repay their authors and other unsecured creditors. We will, of course, be curious to hear their thoughts now that the committee has confirmed what we’ve been saying all along…
Are you aware of any authors who have been successful in getting their rights reverted back to them since the start of the boycott? DP just looks worse and worse as this progresses and more facts are known.
I can’t comment on that. Suffice to say, I was successful in getting my rights back, and Dorchester sold digital editions of my work long after those rights had reverted back to me (as outlined in the initial Blog entries). Also important to note I WAS NOT the only author this happened to. Click the previous entries to see other author’s claims, testimonials, and documentation of the same.
why so mean, keene?
(in other words- vindication feels nice, eh?)
I wonder how long before DP goes belly-up completely? What a bunch of scumbags.
I cannot fathom how anybody (other than DP) could disagree with the boycott. Very strange…
It seems the only people willing to overlook the pattern are those who were still hoping to get paid or published. This sure puts a wall at their backs. Here’s hoping all authors affected get their rights back so they can at least self publish on the kindle.
“We will, of course, be curious to hear their thoughts now that the committee has confirmed what we’ve been saying all along…”
My guess was that those authors were willing to trade their royalty for a new reader.
Pingback: Dorchester News «
Brian, you’ll hear nothing but crickets from the those bloggers now.
I remember when Dorchester was the coveted publisher. Myself and so many other small press writers dreamed of being signed on to a big publisher without an agent, one that still respected horror. Shame it had to go down like this, with so many writers being hurt in the process. This is a tough business when everything goes smoothly…urg.
My recommend to D’chester authors? Review your contract, send them termination notices, and move on with your titles. They are going to be far too busy fending off the bigger wolves to even bother with you. It’s Darwin time.
If it were not for Dorchester I would not have read your work. Hope E-books and small press work out for you and others…
CRAIG: Exactly.
My biggest publishing goal (other than maming millions of dollars) was to publish with Leisure (DP). When they sent me that book contract last year, I was beside myself. I am soooo glad my agent and I decided not to sign it. It’s a shame what happened there. And even worse what continues to come out of that camp. All authors should avoid them like the hanta virus. Trust me, if your stuff is good enough, it will be published by more credible houses.
“BUT, BUT, WE HAS TO SUPPORTS TEH DORCHESTARZ CUS SOMEDAYS THEY MIGHT PUBLISHES MY ZOMBIE DOG VS. ROBOT BIGFOOT BOOK THAT I PRINTED UP MYSELVES & TOOK TO BOARDERS AND STUCK ON THE SHELVES NEXT TO KEAENE’S CRAP AND IT’S BETTER!!! I DESERVES TO BE TEH FAMOUS!!!”
God, how I hate and despise the self-published self-entitled idiots that clog the horror genre making it an even worse cesspit. Anyone that thought that Leisure/Dorchester was someone magically not going to rip them off through the intervention of leprechauns or whatever really need to be struck on the head with a very large mallet repeatedly. Why do people have to be so stupid?
I’ll have to head over to Shocklines and read all the thoughtful and insightful commentary on this subject. If I can get past all the posts about Bigfoot Wars and mango recipes, of course.
dt
Really. When will this unfair stereotyping of mangoes stop? This is the 21st century. Mangoes for everyone!
It should be noted though that some authors (ones that are still with them anyway) are getting paid. I know of at least one author who has been caught up on with royalties. I’d imagine it’s going to take a fair bit of time to get through their backlog of debt, but they are slowly getting there. Not fast enough obviously for most authors, who admittedly have a right to be frustrated by the whole situation.
JN: Fair enough, but a larger majority have not. There are some authors (including ones who are with them) who have not been paid in over a year – a direct violation of the contract – and Dorchester is refusing to return their rights to them. Not to mention authors like myself who *had* their rights returned, and then Dorchester went ahead and sold digital copies of those works even though they no longer had the rights to do so.
Thanks for this latest update, Brian. I’ve sent my reversion request letter and am now waiting to hear back… and moving forward with other projects as time allows. Thanks for being on the front lines, and for coming back with reports from the killing fields…
Jemiah: Let me know how it goes (and hey, are you or Rach gonna be at WHC next weekend? If so, we *need* to catch up).
Pingback: Nicole Murchadha » Blog Archive » The Writers on Writing Weekly – April 22, 2011 Edition
It’s a bad situation all around, I agree. I feel bad for the authors who’ve left and may never see anything, the ones who stayed and are still waiting or have only seen part of what’s owed. I feel bad for the ones who worked at Dorchester who’ve had little to do with how this fiasco has played out and get to bear the brunt of it. My opinion, such that it is, is that upper management/ownership ran the company into the ground, mismanaged money, or god knows what else, and the powers that had any influence over that failed to do anything about it until it was too late.
I do believe that those that are left, want to save the sinking ship, and want to make Dorchester viable again. It might be that it’s too late to do so, in which case, everyone loses. While I can’t say I agree with your boycott, I honestly don’t believe it’s going to have any effect one way or another besides cut some of their sales, I agree with the anger and frustration everyone has over this. It’s unfortunate that so many are going to lose out because of what was likely one or a few people not giving a shit about the company. The one part of this whole thing that really pisses me off is all of the “everyone at Dorchester” is a scumbag bs I’ve seen around, when I’d guess they could or should be pointing their fingers at a very select group (not saying you, mind you, just a general consensus of remarks). Anyway, I’ve blabbed enough here.
Mmmm mangoes
Jarrod: That’s what I’m sayin….
Is there any chance of getting added to the list of authors boycotting Dorchester?
Pingback: » Blog Archive » More Dorchester Shenanigans and Problems