What follows is my very honest opinion of, and warning about, Month9Books. I (and MANY OTHERS) have wanted to speak up about Month9 for some time, but I have felt too intimidated/fearful for my writing career to do so. However, I see so many happy new authors signing on with Month9 that I feel duty-bound to share my experiences, and hopefully save others a great deal of heartache and frustration. This has been a heartbreaking experience, and I can’t begin to explain how much I hate that things have turned out this way.
Without saying too much (I don’t want to out myself), I have been with Month9 for a long time. When I signed, I was thrilled. Georgia McBride was approachable and enthusiastic. She made me feel as though I was a partner in publication, from cover design to marketing, and she was a true supporter of my book. But over the months (and now over the few years she’s been in business), there have been countless broken promises, and worst of all, questionable royalty statements and an utter lack of payment.
As Month9Books expanded (Swoon, Tantrum, etc.), Georgia began to throw up communication barriers. I signed on to a small publisher where we were all a team, but Georgia slowly ascended to a position where she was no longer approachable. But we all understood, and even sympathized; the company was growing in leaps and bounds, and she couldn’t cater to all of us like she had in the past. There just wasn’t the time.
But Month9 became increasingly problematic. The marketing plan as promised never materialized. Book trailers that were never made (some authors did get them), promotional materials I wound up having to pay for myself, ARCs that were promised but never printed…the list goes on and on.
Things have continued to go downhill at an alarming rate. Many of our contracts are in breach due to undelivered royalty statements along with a host of other issues, and many authors have never been paid (over a period of several years). The reporting of royalties is dubious, at best, and there has been ZERO accounting for Kindle Unlimited, which pays for page reads. Where is that money going? We have no idea. When questioned about even the smallest of things, Georgia’s answer is to name-call, threaten, and often, revert rights.
It would seem the ship is sinking fast. Dozens upon dozens of authors are getting dropped in a desperate attempt to save the company (presented as restructuring), yet she has clearly stated she intends to continue signing new authors despite this turn of events. She owes money to the vast majority of her authors, perhaps even all of us. To reiterate, many haven’t been paid in YEARS.
Please, please use an abundance of caution if considering Month9Books as a publisher. It is in an extremely tenuous position, and may not be around much longer. Even if Georgia does manage to keep afloat, you will not be paid. You will not be supported. Your work will not get the marketing and exposure it deserves.