Apex Books
If you’re a regular reader of my daily journal over on Patreon, then you’ve been following all the fallout from the Diamond Distribution bankruptcy. I’d mentioned in one of those entries that this wouldn’t just impact comic publishers and comic stores, but book publishers and booksellers, as well.
One of the main publishers who have been drastically hit by what is — in my personal opinion — either utter incompetence or complete malfeasance on the part of Diamond executives — is Apex Book Company, who’ve published my own ISLAND OF THE DEAD, THE LOST LEVEL, RETURN TO THE LOST LEVEL, HOLE IN THE WORLD, KING OF THE BASTARDS, THRONE OF THE BASTARDS, and CURSE OF THE BASTARDS (those latter 3 cowritten with Steven L. Shrewsbury). I have also appeared in a number of their anthologies, including the recently released THE MAP OF LOST PLACES.
You can read in detail about how Diamond’s collapse has impacted them via this note from owner (and my friend for 20 years) Jason Sizemore. The situation is dire.
One of the biggest outstanding debts Apex is currently facing is royalties for my novel ISLAND OF THE DEAD. I like Apex. i like Jason and Lesley. I like that they’ve taken chances on a wide-ranging line-up of new voices in horror, fantasy, and science-fiction. I like that they have always paid their authors on time and fairly, and that they actually spend money marketing and promoting the books.
Therefore, this afternoon, I have informed Jason that I am waiving ALL ROYALTIES due to me for ISLAND OF THE DEAD. Apex will not have to pay me for copies sold from the book’s initial release until now. While that won’t completely fix the situation, it does remove one of their bigger debts and buys them some breathing room. As I said, I’ve known Jason and Lesley a long time, and in talking to them this afternoon, I know that this will definitely help.
I would like to ask that if you haven’t yet bought one of those books I mentioned above, that you do so now, but also that you do it directly from Apex via their website, rather than Amazon or a chain bookstore or even my own indie bookstore. Buying them directly from Apex will immediately put money in Apex’s pockets, and allow them to pay all the other writers in their stable. if you already own all of my books published by them, then perhaps consider subscribing to their magazine or buying a book by someone else. You can do all of those things via the Apex website.
Because this is the internet, I’m sure some bloviating buffoon like Rick Tomlinson will try to spin this in some sort of negative light, so let me be clear about my intentions. While I am not wealthy, this past year has been pretty good for me. I’m currently in a place where I can afford to take the financial hit of waiving those ISLAND OF THE DEAD royalties. I know that other authors are not, and I would never ask them to do so. I also know that most people have the attention span of a gnat with ADHD, and will ignore a plea for folks to go buy books from Apex unless I give them a reason to read through this announcement. It is my hope that — having read it to see what the hell Brian Keene is up to this time — you will indeed now click the link, buy some books, and then other folks can get paid.
With love and respect,
— Brian Keene
