Azoth Khem Publishing

aliceshortcake · Feb 16, 2016

This one is brand spanking new.

Azoth Khem Publishing is a traditional publishing company founded and launched in 2016 by three occult writers and authors. What started off as a platform for publishing their own nonfiction and fiction works, turned into a company that accepts multiple works of fiction and nonfiction for publication.
http://azothkhempublishing.com/

Whoa, steady on! It's only February 2016. AKP hasn't had time to turn into anything yet. And who are the "three occult writers and authors"? The website was registered by self-published author Kasey Hill:

https://www.facebook.com/Kasey.Hill.Author/

AKP's only book (to be released next month) is by Bethlyn Chandler, who is presumably related to the Nancy Chandler who co-authored some pamphlets about Wicca with Kasey Hill.

Known for their writing reputations, many authors came forward to them personally asking for them to read their manuscripts for submissions as well as for critiquing and editing.

Whoever wrote that sentence has no business critiquing and editing the work of others.

AKP offers writing contests:

There will be Eight Contests a Year with specific guidelines as to what we are looking for. All “themes” or “genres” asked for are the main focus of each story. Other themes and genres can fall over to writer’s discretion.

The company accepts all genres, esoteric non-fiction and poetry:

We at Azoth Khem Publishing feel poetry is a must in the world of literature. How far would literature have come without Edgar Allen Poe, Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, or Walt Whitman. Modern day poetry has become harder to sale than that of the legends. With the right distribution, we feel we can market your books better than self-publishing.

What is the right distribution? And who was Edgar Allen Poe? We aren't told.

I'll leave AKP's Terms and Conditions to the experts:

http://azothkhempublishing.com/terms-and-conditions/

frimble3 · Feb 16, 2016

"three occult writers and authors"?

Click to expand...

Maybe they're thinking of the other, more medical meaning of 'occult': hidden, obscured? Like 'occult blood' in a sample?

mrsmig · Feb 16, 2016

http://azothkhempublishing.com/terms-and-conditions/

Can someone please explain Paragraph #6 to me? Because it's making all my warning bells go off.

6. Right to Use Material. I hereby grant you the right to use the Material, provided that: a) you shall first conclude an agreement with me for such use; or, b) you shall determine that you have an independent legal right to use the Material or any portion thereof which is not derived from me either because the Material is not new, novel, or original or has not been reduced to concrete form or because other persons (which may include your employees and other persons presenting materials to you) have submitted similar or identical suggestions, features, and material which you have the right to use.

aliceshortcake · Feb 17, 2016

AKP's Terms and Conditions were lifted from the website of Archaia Entertainment:

http://www.archaia.com/submissions/

NOT a good start, Azoth Khem Publishing! I'm reminded of how Firefly and Wisp helped themselves to Tor's FAQ and submissions guidelines...

ctripp · Feb 17, 2016

Their mangling of grammar is painful! And could you Literary folk please help me once and for all in regards to using the term "sale" rather then "sell". It sounds wrong, it looks wrong, I have always assumed since it was PA and their writers fav term is WAS wrong but maybe it's me who is, cause these folks are using it too.
"Modern day poetry has become harder to sale"

aliceshortcake · Feb 17, 2016

I'm sorry to say that the use of 'sell' instead of 'sale' is an accepted part of business-speak, but AKP is using the word incorrectly in context. And the weird grammar and punctuation on the AKP site is typical of Kasey Hill's writing.

Helix · Feb 17, 2016

I keep typing and deleting sarcastic responses to the question:

How far would literature have come without Edgar Allen [sic] Poe, Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, or Walt Whitman.

ctripp · Feb 17, 2016

I'm sure you meant "sale" is accepted business speak (because you said your sorry to say

Thank you for clearing that up for me Alice, though I still won't be able to bring myself to say it out loud. I get "I made a lot of sales" or "look at the sales figures" but "harder to sale"??? I just can't do it

Thedrellum · Feb 17, 2016

Helix said:
I keep typing and deleting sarcastic responses to the question:

How far would literature have come without Edgar Allen [sic] Poe, Robert Frost, Henry David Thoreau, or Walt Whitman.

Click to expand...

When I saw that, my first thought was that EAP and WW aren't the best examples, as the first was a failure during his lifetime and the latter self-published. Also, Thoreau is not famous as a poet. Hell, Poe isn't either, really. What are they talking about? My brain is melting. MELTING.

Filigree · Feb 17, 2016

Fortunately the owners of AKP fall smack into at least 2 categories of Filigree's Rule, so I only have to assess their existence as it pertains to entertainment value.

PeteMC · Feb 17, 2016

mrsmig said:
http://azothkhempublishing.com/terms-and-conditions/

Can someone please explain Paragraph #6 to me? Because it's making all my warning bells go off.

IANAL but (bolding mine):

6: Right to Use Material. I hereby grant you the right to use the Material, provided that: a) you shall first conclude an agreement with me for such use; or, b) you shall determine that you have an independent legal right to use the Material or any portion thereof which is not derived from me either because the Material is not new, novel, or original or has not been reduced to concrete form or because other persons (which may include your employees and other persons presenting materials to you) have submitted similar or identical suggestions, features, and material which you have the right to use.

So if one were being really weasily with this wording (and I'm not saying they will, but technically from this wording they could) :

"You have sent us a proposal for a book about Wicca. One of our staffers also suggested we do a book about Wicca. We now own your book. Thanks and bye bye."

RUN. AWAY.

PeteMC · Feb 17, 2016

Also, and admittedly I'm being a bit pissy now, "Azoth Khem" doesn't actually mean anything. Azoth is the alchemical equivalent of Octarine (pure magic, also the crucial ingredient of the Philosopher’s Stone, occasionally but incorrectly translated as mercury), and Khem is variously an archaism for chemistry, or the Egyptian for black, or possibly the ancient Egyptian name for Egypt. If you really stretch it "khem" can mean "black earth" which can be strangled to mean "people" but the whole tortured translation is at breaking point now and starting to beg for mercy.

You'd think three real occultists would know that, to my mind.

mrsmig · Feb 17, 2016

PeteMC said:
So if one were being really weasily with this wording (and I'm not saying they will, but technically from this wording they could) :

"You have sent us a proposal for a book about Wicca. One of our staffers also suggested we do a book about Wicca. We now own your book. Thanks and bye bye."

RUN. AWAY.

That's what I thought. Honestly, the brass balls of some publishers (and - sigh- the dewy-eyed innocence of writers who don't really READ these things).

aliceshortcake · Feb 18, 2016

Given that the founders of AKP had to steal their terms and conditions from Archaia Entertainment, a company that specializes in graphic novels, I think there's a good chance that they don't really understand them either.

ETA: A response from AKP regarding their contract:

I see you have issues with a standard contract. This is of little consequence to Azoth Khem Publishing, and you may pass this alone to the absolute write forum, this contract is standard, legal, and has the approval and correction made by our legal team that handles all of our media: music, film, compilations, soundtracks, and now literary publications. Most contracts are verbatim with the exception of a few personalized details. Regardless, this is NOT the official final contract to be inked in the event that Azoth Khem is interested in working with you.

"All of our media"?

mrsmig · Feb 18, 2016

"You may pass this alone..." (ooo, I'm scared to pass alone.)

"Has the approval and correction made..." (only one?)

"Most contracts are verbatim..." (I do not think that word means what you think it means.)

The arrogant tone is laughable when coupled with the clumsy writing.

Filigree · Feb 18, 2016

As I said, entertainment value.

PeteMC · Feb 22, 2016

aliceshortcake said:
"All of our media"?

Are belong to us.

Filigree · Feb 22, 2016

Well, now, did anyone not see that coming?

Helix · Feb 22, 2016

Er...I have no idea how spamming is being used in this FB post from AK. Or phishing, as it appears in the rest of the post.

Authors beware of spamming from an individual posting: Azoth Khem Publishing's terms and conditions, which appear to have been taken almost word from another website, are currently being discussed on AbsoluteWrite: [link to this thread snipped]

PeteMC · Feb 22, 2016

I'm so glad they advise us to try writing a book. I wonder why none of us had thought of that before...

BenPanced · Feb 22, 2016

mrsmig · Feb 22, 2016

You'd think that they'd keep mum about the accusation that they jacked their contract language from someone else, rather than trumpet it on their FB page. Another sign that this publisher doesn't know what the heck it's doing.

Dhewco · Feb 22, 2016

Come on, they're using reverse psych-, no...wait, nevermind. I have nothing.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 22, 2016

PeteMC said:
I'm so glad they advise us to try writing a book.

Hunh?

PeteMC · Feb 22, 2016

From their Facebook post linked above: "I suggest author stop trying to undermine each other and phishing for what some have called anti-author campaigns, and actually try writing a book."

I think most of us here have written more than one book...

Azoth Khem Publishing

Wilde about Oscar

Heckuva good sport

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Wilde about Oscar

Christine Tripp

Wilde about Oscar

socially distancing

Christine Tripp

Grr. Argh.

Mildly Disturbing

@PeteMC666

@PeteMC666

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Wilde about Oscar

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Mildly Disturbing

@PeteMC666

Mildly Disturbing

socially distancing

@PeteMC666

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Your Genial Uncle

@PeteMC666