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Sky Warrior Book Publishing / Sky Dragon Press

Momento Mori

Tired and Disillusioned
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:munches popcorn:

For all of you out there thinking of setting up your own publisher - this behaviour right here is what you don't do. That whole put-upon attitude of martyrdom ain't attractive and makes you look like an unprofessional douche.

People get behind in stuff but that doesn't mean you don't communicate and if you're going to answer on behalf of your company on a public forum you keep it short, simple and civil. It's not difficult.

MM
 

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.
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I give up. You win. You're right. An apology and fixing it isn't enough.

Miss Sky,
An apology and fixing is exactly enough. Anything more exacerbates the issue. After that, it's just about letting time and experiences indicate that lessons learned (and we all have them to learn) have taken hold.

Not really any different from hunting with a party, when it comes to it.

Good luck.
 

Theo81

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Yes, he has a right to do that. If he decides to post here, he's going to get an honest response, and the amount I might owe him. (At the moment, I'm doubtful the amount has passed the $5 mark where we pay out).

Not to use this as an excuse, but as an author, I've had plenty of NYC presses fail to pay me in a timely fashion for thousands of dollars. Not weeks, but half years or better. I've never taken it to public forums. I did beat on them, though, and did get my money. Yes, it was infuriating. I feel for him. But again, he gave me no chance to respond. One day isn't enough time, especially on a Sunday.

Since he posted I was behind and made it public, I posted the amount and some of the reasons for not getting back with him. And right now, I'm wasting time explaining myself. One thing I have learned is why publishers go to 6 month statements, something I will now implement. Quarterlies take too much time. Another thing I've learned is not to bother responding. I lose, regardless.

Yes, authors talk. Editors talk. Publishers talk. We all do.

Keep writing and have fun.

As has been pointed out, he contacted you in October.

I assume you've phrased that bolded bit badly (because you've said if he posts here, he will get paid) and you mean that if he posts here, he's going to get the AMOUNT he is owed posted here. Why? In what universe is it all right for you to state on a public message board the amount one of your authors has earned?

That is never okay.

Also, if this had been a case of "I contacted them 6 hours ago and they haven't got back to me", we would tell him to give you guys a chance to sort this out because, as I say, we understand how small presses work. This wasn't 24 hours.

Also, "The big houses in NYC do it so it's perfectly okay"? No. That's one of the reasons to have an agent - to have somebody who will make sure the royalty statements are on time.
 

Maelan

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I am sorry to say I did not read this page before entering into a contract with Sky Warrior Books. I am now one of a growing line of unhappy authors who once had a contract with Maggie Bonham. If you just want to get a publishing credit, I suppose Sky Warrior is fine. However, If your looking for a publisher who honors contracts, sends out regular royalty statements, and pays dependably, I recommend you look elsewhere.
 

Maelan

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Thanks for the support!

Fortunately, I didn't put all my eggs in one basket. I have two other publishers that are currently treating me fine. That's extremely helpful in a lot of ways. One being that I still have books on the market. I also have a basis for comparison. When you have one publisher feeding you a line about how "that's just the way the industry is," it's nice to be able to compare their behavior with the other publisher who sends you regular checks.