Blown away
I would like to first say, wow! I understand everybody is entitled to their own opinions, and constructive criticism is an excellent tool for a writer to use when perfecting their abilities, but damn! The posts I have read in this thread are downright cruel and disheartening. I don't think I have ever seen this level of attack on one person in my life and I recommend the posters in this thread take a step back and look at the bigger picture. A few of you claim to be professional writers, some of you may even have books out there, I don't know, I haven't looked, but I can tell you one thing... After seeing this, I wouldn't want to purchase anything you've written. As authors, we have to be so very careful what we post online. The internet is an open book for the entire world to judge and if we make one wrong move, it's lights out on our careers.
Look at this situation, for example. You make one mistake, big or small, it doesn't matter, make it and you're done. People love to jump all over you the instant this happens and where are you expected to go from there? There is so little option of pulling yourself out of the hole others dig for you, that every attempt you make they are right there to push you back in.
Give the woman some benefit of the doubt. You are making judgmental accusations without knowing all of the facts. And frankly, making yourselves look like morons. I am all for freedom of speech and having the right to have your own opinions, but there is a line and a time to say enough is enough, and you have all well past it.
With that said, let me introduce myself. I am an adult fantasy, urban paranormal, and erotica writer AND author with Firefly & Wisp Publishing. I have several short stories with the company; All I Want for XXXmas – a stand-alone e-book, Lovers – featured in their erotic anthology collection, Of Leather and Lace, Mistletoe – featured in their holiday anthology collection, A Home for the Holidays, and Our Forbidden Love – my first published novel, and the first in a five book series, of which Firefly and Wisp will publish. All of these mentioned titles are available on Amazon, B&N, Smashwords (in case you wanted to check up on my accreditation as well), and in the FireflyandWisp.com bookstore. I take pride in my work and would never have signed with a company that I didn’t first research. I spent months comparing publishing houses and what they could offer ME, the writer of the book, and the one whose time and hard work went into creating it.
Not one person is created the same. Everybody likes different things and what would make you happy, doesn’t necessarily make me happy. I, for one, wanted to avoid the cookie-cutter, big name, ‘I’m going to take your book and make it mine, and you will have no control or means to stop me’ kind of company. I know eventually I will have to turn to such a company if I want my career to really boom, but that is not something I am interested in at this time. Firefly and Wisp came to me highly recommended by two very trust worthy and honest friends; one who had recently signed with the company herself, and another who is more of the behind the scenes type and knew from experience how honorable and hard-working the owner was. They both suggested I send in my manuscript, so I took a leap of faith and listened. And I have never been happier.
Sure, the company is small, and not as well-known as some of its competitors. But I happen to like that fact. The atmosphere at Firefly is more family-like. The authors have the chance to talk freely, and bounce ideas off each other. If one of us gets in a jam, the other is there to offer suggestions. I have met some really amazing people through Firefly; Danielle and Earl Zwissler are two of them. How many publishers do you know out there who will drop whatever they are working on to answer a question for you? Or go out of their way to ensure you are perfecting your talent and making the most of it? Who offer suggestions and tools that help you understand the market that you are entering into? Danielle has only ever wanted to see us authors succeed, because, let’s face it, our success is her success. And trust me, Firefly and Wisp is a success. We sell books. People know our names. We might not be high and mighty and have thousands of dollars to show for our hard work, but we are successful because somebody somewhere out there bought our books and liked them! As an author, what more is there? If you can sit back and honestly tell me you would be better off with a larger, more well-known publishing house, then go to it. If they accept you, which is unlikely, then I wish you nothing but the best. Most larger companies don’t take in the newbie because they don’t want the hassle. Firefly and Wisp urge the newbie to submit. They don’t mind taking that risk and putting faith into someone who is ignorant to how the publishing world works. If that makes them a horrible company – if that makes Danielle a horrible person, than I suppose all the cruel and hurtful things you have said against her are true.
If you still think, after reading this, that Danielle is this horrible, lying, fake person, consider this... How many publishers do you know will set up a book signing event, offer you to stay at their house, cook for you, pay for your dinner, spend hours upon hours chatting with you and laughing with you, and then end the weekend by taking the flat tire off your car, take the time to scan it for damage, bring it to a local shop only to be told the tire is bad, PAY for a new one to replace it, and then put the new tire back on your car so that YOU can make the 700 mile drive back home safely??? Then ask yourself, would you do this for someone you hardly knew if roles were reversed?
The point I am trying to make is all of you are coming to conclusions without first knowing all the facts. You see a screen shot, for example, of a conversation or a portion of a conversation in a private room and automatically assume you know all the facts leading up to, and following those posts. You see one website error that you can't really say is one person's fault over another, and you automatically assume the owner is lying and cheating her way up the ladder. You are reacting without first investigating. And what little information you think you have found, you are blowing so far out of proportion that you look like imbeciles. I'm not defending or saying that Danielle is guilty or innocent, like you, I was not there and do not know first hand, but I do have an advantage over all of you... I work with Danielle. I talk with Danielle. I have gotten to know the person, the writer, the author, the entrepreneur, the mother, the wife, the friend... and I highly doubt a single one of you would ever understand her to be so much the opposite person than the image of the woman you have now boldly painted in this thread. It is you I feel sorry for. Not Danielle. She and I both know who she is, and now we have the privilege of seeing who you are. Let's see who is still around in the publishing world in five, ten, twenty years. I think the results will surprise you.