In Which the Princess is Not Amused
I started writing an essay about this three times last night.
I deleted every attempt.
There is a very big hullaballoo going on right now surrounding Dorchester Publishing. Chances are, you’ve heard about it from someone you’re a fan of in the industry. As usual, many of the supporters are basing their arguments on rumors and faulty information. A few of them - most understandably the upset and emotional authors adversely affected by this insanity - are basing them on facts.
There’s no getting around it - this whole fiasco is…well…a fiasco.
And for me, it’s personal.
I stand on a fence with three sides. On the first, there are very close friends of mine who have been royally screwed by Dorchester and are not afraid to tell the world about it. On the second, there is a very close friend of mine who has not been treated badly by Dorchester, is still publishing with them, and is scared as hell that a boycott will kill her book sales. On the third, there is a very close friend of mine who worked for Dorchester before the reorganization, and is still there trying to pick up the broken pieces and fashion a decent publishing company out of the wreckage.
There was a time when I, myself, was threatened with losing my job when I could not squeeze blood from the Dorchester stone. I am well aware of the situation, from all sides, which only makes it harder.
Ultimately, Dorchester is a business model that does not work, and one that the publishing industry does not need to perpetuate. I don’t know the solution to this problem. I’m not sure anyone does. I am not on the publisher’s side on this issue. But I also can’t in good conscience support a boycott (Yes, I’ve burned a book before; it was personal then too) or a slur campaign. Happily, that is my right as Princess. It’s your right to do whatever you want, too. Vaya con dios.
I am glad that the problem has been brought to the industry’s attention, and I hope Dorchester gets to cleaning up this mess they’ve buried themselves in. I hope the authors that have grievances with the publisher get their freaking rights back (and a check to boot would be nice) and soon. It would be nice if Dorchester could just officially go out of business and start over again fresh…but it’s just not that easy (though it should be). I suspect this issue (and many like it) is only going to get messier before it gets better. I just hope it’s quickly resolved.
Readers: Please be aware of situations like this, especially when purchasing e-books. You want your money to go to the right place, don’t you?
I wonder how many of you have actually visited the website of your favorite authors. I hope you all take some time today and do that.
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Originally published at AletheaKontis.com. You can comment here or there.