Publisher Decisions and Boycott Fallout

[e_moon60]

So today the news came out that Simon and Schuster, a formerly independent major publisher now owned by CBS, has offered a $250,000 advance to Milo Yiannopoulos for his book on himself.   This is not a person I admire.  The thought of his getting a book contract doesn't please me, and the thought of his getting an advance so much higher than I've

Comments

[gifted]

Good, informative post, thanks, and bears some true consideration. I appreciate that you have offered some ideas of what we can do to make a difference.

The Vissitudes of Publishers and Authors

[anonymous]

Madam:

First: I've appreciated your work for a long time, and own everything you've published at Baen in Ebook format, and a fair amount of your other work as well.

Second: I appreciate your stand and your explanation of the situation - it answers some questions that I have had for some time. Paks has a worthy author.

Third: even if Penguin is not my preferred imprint, I'll continue to look for your byline.

I will admit that I thought that your backlist and your position on the current list would keep you a bit more comfortable. For future reference, do you get a better cut of E-book or Paperback sales?

(For a variety of reasons, I am limited on space for 'dead tree formats,' so for each paperback I currently purchase, one gets donated to either Harry Truman VAMC or one of the local Missouri VA homes, under the heading of 'we take care of our own.')

Doc K

Re: The Vissitudes of Publishers and Authors

[e_moon60]

Thank you--it really helps to hear from a reader that they appreciate the works.

As I said, I'm fortunate in that I am making a living--we have the roof overhead, food on the table, electricity to run this machine, propane in the tank, and a reasonable prospect of continuing to be comfortable (though there are no guarantees.) I completely understand the space limitation (pruning of books needs to happen here, but it's like pulling toenails for me.) \I do not want to guilt anyone for their decisions. I remember the years when used book stores and libraries were my main sources of books.

Thank you for writing, and for liking my work.

[freetrav]

Thank you for this; too many people simply don't understand it (I have understood it for a long time; Toni Weisskopf and her editors, over on the Baen's Bar forums, have always been remarkably forthcoming about this).

But more importantly, thank you for The Deed of Paksennarion, for The Legacy of Gird, and for Vatta's War. These are series that I have enjoyed, repeatedly, and plan to enjoy again, repeatedly, and recommend to others, repeatedly.

[e_moon60]

Thank you for your appreciation and enjoyment of the works. Big boost as I come to the tricky "let's get everything tied up in a decorative and intricate knot" part of the current book.