[Publisher] Virtual Tales

Yes, CaoPaux. Message came through our group forum last night. And, no, Crafty, I for one didn't see it coming from a mile away. I figured that since they had been in business for six years they had established some degree of stability. I was wrong. Shame on me.

When they got months behind on their publishing schedule because Sheri Gormley was out sick/disabled, it should've sounded alarms to all of us.
What bothers me most is that my editor didn't say a word to me. Not one peed nor a suggestion as to what/where to go.

Ah, well - back to the drawing board. Just find another published that'll do a better job.

lvcabbie said:

Just find another published that'll do a better job.

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Publishers who have published books you've actually bought are generally your best bet! Best of luck to you.

Well, VT just might spring back to life before all is said and done. It seems that some creative minds are working on keeping the ball rolling over there and a solution might be worked out. I've been impressed with the way that they conduct themselves, so I'm pulling for them.

A group of us authors offered to take over. After initial enthusiasm, only a few people stepped up. Oh well.

ramurphy20 said:

A group of us authors offered to take over. After initial enthusiasm, only a few people stepped up. Oh well.

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Did you hear anything from Jake?
I know he once had his own editing service and contacts with some stuff he wrote about tribal things.

my blog: http://lvcabbie.blogspot.com

I signed up for the co-op idea but it doesn't seem to have taken. I'm still open to working with former VT authors and editors.

CaoPaux said:

Announcing "we're closed" triggers clauses in your contract, yes? I do hope they aren't trying to worry y'all into renegotiating for lower royalties or something.

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Let me make this absolutely clear: there is nothing untoward going on here. None.

VT closed because they weren't making a profit and management was simply burnt out running a business and holding down a full time jobs on the side.

Some of us authors offered to take lower royalties but that wasn't really going to save VT.

A co-op idea was floated but people decided to move on.

I enjoyed every minute that I was associated with Virtual Tales. The staff showed a geniune enthusiasm for my novel and assigned an extremely competent editor who took me through three different levels of editing over a three month period. My manuscript had not made it to the formatting stage, but my cover artist sent what she had worked up to send to VT and its is a marvelous design. If there is anyway that I can use it down the line, I will. VT proved to me every step of the way that they were concerned with producing high quality books.

I don't think any VT authors will dispute the professionalism that the staff conducted throughout their publishing experience. One reason that I signed on was because of the number of very positive and honest responses I received from VT authors when I asked them the tough questions. In all manners of business, partners sometimes agree to disagree and things unravel.

They have kept our author discussion group alive and communication channels open to answer all and any questions that we have. They have contacted other small publishers to see if any are willing to take on VT titles and shared those names with the group. I don't know diddly about co-ops, how one would work, or if it would work. My plans are to get on the stick and get my manuscript (which is much more polished now, thanks to them) back out onto the submission trail. I just hope that I can find a group of people as enthusiast about my tale as the VT staff all were.

I just hope I can find one who treated me as well as Virtual Tales did ImaWriter.

VT was friendly and professional through the whole process, including the shutdown. The exchange of ideas to keep Vt going was healthy but I think everyone made the correct choice to move on.

I hope our private mailing list stays active. Lots of good people to talk with.

Thank you VT for being so wonderful to us!

I chatted with Dave Law via another forum. Displaced authors are welcome to submit their orphaned works to Shadowfire Press for our consideration. ( I think Dave may have announced this on the VT author loop.)

I am still filling slots for publication in 2011 and am open to picking up erotic romance series--especially paranormals, fantasy or scifi--that were displaced by VT's closing. I am also open to considering non-erotic stories in the scifi, fantasy, horror, urban fantasy and mystery genres. We will consider well done steampunk with a preference to Victorian Era settings.

Our contract is based on the EPIC model and is negotiable. We pay 40% net. We define net as cover price minus payment processing--from our site--and 3rd party distribution fees from other sites. We never charge authors for anything, not cover art, ISBNs or editing. We do not have a kill fee and our release dates are firm--unless unavoidably delayed which doesn't typically happen---and are listed on the contract. We have a clause that, should we fail to publish your story within a year, the rights automatically revert to the author.

And, since this was apparently an issue with VT, I want to let everyone know that Shadowfire Press is my job. I am not employed elsewhere. (Well, other than writing my own books.)

Weird how different perceptions colour things. I can't really comment on others' experiences of their contracts and treatment at the hands of Virtual Tales but, as an author who's been with 5 publishers (and is still with 4 of them), I have to say that, apart from having to wait rather longer than normal for the book to appear after acceptance, every aspect of their treatment of me was professional and helpful. The editor they assigned to me was the most thorough I've ever worked with and I'm sorry they've had to pull the plug on it all.

I just tried to log onto the group site and got a "not available" but are checking to see what the problem is.

http://lvcabbie.blogspot.com

I am curious how they seem to be more beloved by authors they never even successfully published than most presses are by authors who receive monthly royalty checks from them.

Because they were total professionals the whole time. I don't see the issue.

Oftentimes, rawmurphy, perspective changes once you're on the other side of that publishing fence. Some call it 'the honeymoon' phase of publishing.

It's just an observation that those who had contracts not yet fulfilled seem to have a greater admiration for them than other authors, who already have been published by their respective publishers. There's no judgement attached to it; just an observation.

Please let me add my tuppence worth to Virtual Tales demise.
Jake George, Sheri Gormley and Dave Law were the most professional and kind people I have dealt with in all my years as an author. I, for one, should feel aggrieved more than most, because my book, First Communion, was to go to the publishers on the day Virtual Tales closed down. The editing, the lay out etc on First Communion was fantastic and though disappointed, very disappointed I read the emails from all three and understood how they felt. Dave Law has found other outlets for some of the authors writings. There are not many publishers who would have bothered.

Jack Scoltock

I will also add my 2 cents - I never once thought or considered they were closing as part of a scam!!!
While I haven't worked as closely with them as others, I NEVER once thought they were anything but an honest, hard-working group doing their best to publish work they thought to be worthwhile!

I don't think anyone thought that, lv . But it IS interesting to see that nearly all of the people coming to the support of VT are all people who haven't yet been published by them.

Which leads to the question - what about those who WERE? I don't KNOW that they'd have a different opinion, but it's interesting that they're not here. Which is all I think Veinglory was thinking about out loud.

Virtual Tales

I need some help.

When Virtual Tales decided to go out of business, they sent out email indicating this to be the case and that the rights to all works was returned to the authors.

I kept copies of this but somehow deleted them from my email account!

Another publisher has expressed interest in publishing the novel I contracted with VT for and I need something to show that I am no longer contractually obligated to VT/

Thanks in advance.

Are you still on the private listserv? It's still going. Ask there. If not, PM me and I'll ask for you.

twm said:

Are you still on the private listserv? It's still going. Ask there. If not, PM me and I'll ask for you.

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Thank. But Sheri said she'd send me a pdf of the release letter.