Open letter to S&S [Simon & Schuster]

Sydneyd · Nov 17, 2011

This is blazing through Twitter right now. What's your reaction?

Good for you pal?

Wouldn't want to be you?

You were one step away from doing the same thing?

http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/an-open-letter-to-simon-and-schuester-ceo-carolyn-reidy

Taken from the end of the letter:

*Your industry is fucking slow
*Your industry disrespects authors
*Your industry under-equips and disrespects editors
*Your industry is lacking basic modern technology
*Your industry uses draconian contracts with artists which destroy goodwill
*Your industry is conservative about trying new things despite being in a deathspiral (this is the most confusing one to me)
*Your industry doesn’t foster a good enough collaboration among basic functions like editing and marketing
*Everyone knows this, and thinks it’s okay “because that’s how publishing is”…
*…but it’s not okay, and we all know that deep down…
*…so, do something about it before it’s too late.

Xelebes · Nov 17, 2011

I have an auditing case in school about a company called S&S Inc. Could you please clarify as to which company S&S refers to?

regdog · Nov 17, 2011

Simon & Schuester

Sydneyd · Nov 17, 2011

regdog said:
Simon & Schuester

Correct.

Sorry, it becomes clear once you click the link but yeah, it is Simon and Schuester the author of the letter is Sebastion Marshall (name at the end of the letter)

Torgo · Nov 17, 2011

I read about half way down and then became intensely irritated by his prose style.

Deleted member 42 · Nov 17, 2011

He's an idiot.

Sydneyd · Nov 17, 2011

After reading and re-reading I can't help but think this was the result of a manic event. And he didn't think much about it. I almost would guess that he'll remove it pretty quickly.

Xelebes · Nov 17, 2011

Sounds quite a bit egocentric of his marketing prowess. The numbers he coughs up are not that impressive and his tactics might only work for contracts of the size he mentions and of limited scope. The organisational structure he suggests are pretty much whimsical or maybe not fully cognisant of what controls there are in the company.

Also, payments can be delayed depending on the medium. I've had to experience that before, having to remit in many ways before payment could be made in a timely fashion - especially if electronic payments are considered to not be secure enough or not available.

rugcat · Nov 17, 2011

It's hard for anyone to engender much sympathy for publishers, but this guy certainly does his best.

Romantic Heretic · Nov 17, 2011

The man's bipolar and he's in a manic cycle. This does give him a gigantic amount of energy but his perception is screwed. The result of this isn't going to be pretty.

I just hope that no other people are damaged when he implodes.

Sheryl Nantus · Nov 17, 2011

Definitely bad date material.

Miss Plum · Nov 17, 2011

I'd like to post that link in the AW Roundtable.

Miss Plum · Nov 17, 2011

Open letter to Simon & Schuster

http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/an-open-letter-to-simon-and-schuester-ceo-carolyn-reidy

Phew.

The final passage:

*Your industry is fucking slow
*Your industry disrespects authors
*Your industry under-equips and disrespects editors
*Your industry is lacking basic modern technology
*Your industry uses draconian contracts with artists which destroy goodwill
*Your industry is conservative about trying new things despite being in a deathspiral (this is the most confusing one to me)
*Your industry doesn’t foster a good enough collaboration among basic functions like editing and marketing
*Everyone knows this, and thinks it’s okay “because that’s how publishing is”…
*…but it’s not okay, and we all know that deep down…
*…so, do something about it before it’s too late.

Sydneyd · Nov 17, 2011

Go ahead, I wasn't sure of the best place for it.

Williebee · Nov 17, 2011

Yeah, this probably needs to be somewhere other than P&CE. Prepare for a shift.

leahzero · Nov 17, 2011

This guy is a total idiot. And he's shot himself in the foot. What editor would ever want to work with him after this tantrum?

It took six and a half weeks for his first check to get to him, so he flips out? ROFL.

gothicangel · Nov 17, 2011

Open Letter to S&S:

Pay me a £65,000 advance for my novel, and I'll be your bitch any day of the week.

shakeysix · Nov 17, 2011

the poor guy is manic. his pills are probably in the medicine cabinet covered with cobwebs--s6

quicklime · Nov 17, 2011

Miss Plum said:
http://www.sebastianmarshall.com/an-open-letter-to-simon-and-schuester-ceo-carolyn-reidy

Phew.

The final passage:

seriously?

"On 23rd December 2010, your publishing house agreed to sign me with a $65,000 advance."

then bitches about no check until March, bitches because S&S didn't want to offer a "money-back guarantee" on the book

then name-drops EVERYONE at S&S they worked with, with a micro-apology after dragging them into the fight

then blames a good deal of this in a fundamental misunderstanding of "artist-types" who apparently need validation and humoring

insists on saying they are being treated "like a bitch" (ideally, any time you want to make a solid point, the first thing to do is present yourself as a misogynistic prick)

then finally (after an entire "business letter" of bitching moaning, and swearing--wait, he's bitching about THEIR professionalism?) gets around to the fact they had a business offer worth far more money and so they were chasing that, leaving shortly after this:
"So you know what? I just told everyone in my life that they’ve got to do better to stay in my life. Not just be more professional or work harder or coordinate better.
But really do better, on a philosophical level."

I'd be fucking embarassed to even admit I know the guy.

leahzero · Nov 17, 2011

Being manic isn't an excuse to be a douchebag. And I say this as a fellow sufferer.

Also, in his rant he rhapsodizes about his mania. I find it hard to sympathize with someone who romanticizes the disease.

Williebee · Nov 17, 2011

MOD Note:

Where two stood, one remains.

merged.

Miss Plum · Nov 17, 2011

What on earth does he mean by "three hour long design brief I wrote for the cover"? Did he spend three hours writing it, or did he god forbid write something that would take three hours to read? Or did he send them a three-hour podcast?

There are no good answers.

Miss Plum · Nov 17, 2011

It's too bad he's such a nut, because there are grains of truth in there about the industry. Complaints about false deadlines, false demands, nonresponsiveness, and poor internal communication would ring a bell for many writers with big advances, big agents, and big publishers.

Sydneyd · Nov 17, 2011

I think that is what a lot of people are saying. Buried in his rantings are real issues that (I am only guessing here since I have yet to get this far in my own career) authors and maybe even agents are thinking.

Torgo · Nov 17, 2011

Miss Plum said:
It's too bad he's such a nut, because there are grains of truth in there about the industry. Complaints about false deadlines, false demands, nonresponsiveness, and poor internal communication would ring a bell for many writers with big advances, big agents, and big publishers.

Yep. Usually because there aren't enough of us. If we're nonresponsive it's mostly because we are being responsive to someone else.

Open letter to S&S [Simon & Schuster]

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Delerium ex Ennui

The Scavengers

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Deleted member 42

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Delerium ex Ennui

Lost in the Fog

uncoerced

Holding out for a Superhero...

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

The colors! THE COLORS!

Toughen up.

blue eyed floozy

all out of fucks to give

The colors! THE COLORS!

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Aye, ye scurvy dog!

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.