For the complete Dorchester Publishing saga, click here.
We all remember when Dorchester CEO Robert Anthony and editor Chris Keeslar told Publisher’s Weekly everyone would get paid. This hasn’t happened. On April 22nd, a committee representing Dorchester’s largest unsecured creditors determined the company was “unable to propose any meaningful repayment plan”. This means creditors, including individual authors, can file petitions of bankruptcy against the company.
Last week, Dorchester met with the committee and tried to persuade them that their intentions were good. The committee remained unimpressed and did not change their stance. One participant jokingly suggested that perhaps I was on the line, listening in, and would let the public know. Well, I wasn’t. I was on the set of Ghoul. But my associates were on the line. And one of the things from their transcribed notes was that Dorchester is behind on paying their rent. That’s right. They have been habitually late with their rent for their offices at 200 Madison Avenue. This was confirmed independently. We also confirmed that despite Dorchester’s assurances that everyone is getting paid, the vast majority of authors who are owed money have still not seen recompense.
So… you can’t afford to pay your rent. You can’t afford to pay your authors. What do you do next? Apparently, you spend thousands of dollars on a booth at BEA (Book Expo America). BEA is a trade show for publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors, editors, agents, and anyone else who makes their living from books. Apparently, Dorchester still likes to pretend that they fall into one of those categories. Massive kudos to Edward Champion, who happened to be on hand and reported on his exchange with them. You can read all about it here. Edward asked fair, valid questions — the type of questions that a potential client would want answered. Dorchester had no comment, other than to fall back on their increasingly tired impression of a confused deer caught in oncoming headlights.
The audacity of this burns me up.
That’s amazingly bad business
I’m going to guess this means you still haven’t been paid.
Hee-hee–they must hate you!
I was stunned when I first saw the news on the Leisure Ladies Group email thing that I’m on. We’re all stunned. There were so many upset authors BEFORE this booth news…
I’m sure Leisure’s excuse will be they have to keep their public image up so they can sell stuff so they can pay the bills.
What a mess.
Gee Brian, if you’re trying to convince me to despise Dorchester…you’re succeeding fantastically.
Today’s the last day of the conference, isn’t it? Would’ve been nice to go there to show them our support.
How ironic: Leisure Books has become one of the zombies they published over the past ten years. They lurch along, brainless, cannibalizing the works they no longer retain rights over.
On a more serious note, I knew the moment D’Auria was gone Leisure had bit the big one.
The BIG big one.
- Nick
I can’t really say I’m surprised by this news at all. Just more disappointed and pissed off now. It’s pathetic.
I want to say “unbelievable!” but … I believe it all too well. Bastards.
– C.
I guess there isn’t much left to say or add.. ughhghgh
What goes around comes around. It will only be a matter of time before they all crumble.
All I have to say to this is, “no comment”.
I cannot see how they can conceivably stay in busines the way they are conducting themselves publicly… Huh. Now wondering what it woud be like if a much larger group ever showed up at one of their booths asking questions. Lots of questions. With local/regional/national media in tow. With cameras. Lots and lots of cameras.
Personally, I find it sad that the Dorchester folks have let things go to this point. It’s not surprising, but sad nontheless. And, too, a large horror market has all but vanished. Of course, it’s a sign of the times.
Too bad that rapture thing didn’t take them away and leave the rest of us happily…left behind. I’m boycotting them and urging everyone else to do likewise. I even told my poor ob/gyn yesterday…
Leisure books were a godsend to me. The Authors I read made me want to be just like them. So what did I do? I wrote my own novel, full of page turning action. A novel that I felt could proudly sit along side others proud of the horror genre. So, hardly able to contain myself, Dorchester were the obvious choice for the hopeful publication of my first novel. Then I begin to read dribs and drabs of discontentment and skulduggery, and me back to the drawing board. Oh well, better luck next time.