Renaissance E Books, Inc.

I've just sent Victoria an extensive history of my dealings with Jean Marie over Howling in the Park. Hope it does some good.

SirOtter said:

I've just sent Victoria an extensive history of my dealings with Jean Marie over Howling in the Park. Hope it does some good.

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Oh, same here.

She's taking people. I feel so uncomfortable working with someone like that.

Dave Kuzminski at Preditors & Editors will want all the information you have.

Just a quick thank you to the authors who've contacted me so far--I haven't responded to all of you yet, but I will, and I do appreciate the info.

- Victoria

It should be noted that Jean is not inexperienced. She has worked in publishing since the 1960s. Most of her work was done under the name Hank Stine. She was born Henry Eugene Stine. She was senior editor at Donning/Starblaze, later senior and eventually editor-in-chief at Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc while it was still on the west coast. She was the editor of a visitor publication and had several novels published. She edited two anthologies for Longmeadow, and she was, for a time, part of the Ackerman Agency.

She had more than enough experience in publishing to have made a go of this.

For a while she was dealing heavily in self-help books; she even authored a book on writing self-help books.

I just sent Jean Marie notice of my intention to reassume all rights to Howling in the Park. I also told her I expect a full accounting of sales and final payment within thirty days. I ain't holding my breath.

I just discovered that she's been holding on to royalties from a story of mine for many years now, under the excuse that I couldn't be found. What actions can I take to get at least part of those turned over to me?

The contract for the anthology did not specify rights other than first north american. It was back in 1995.

I have no idea about the other authors. I was able to use the SFWA Grievance Committee to beat $100 out of Jean over the fact that she reprinted it in ebook without consulting anyone.

The authors as follows from the ToC:
John Gregory Betancourt
Diana C. Gallagher
Dawn Martinez-Byrne
Darrell Schweitzer
E. J. Gold
Adrienne Martine-Barnes
myself
Chris Moran
David N. Wilson
Kevin Andrew Murphy
William F. Nolon
S. P. Somtow

I can only account for myself.

CaoPaux said:

I presume you've already sent her your current contact info with no response?

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She knows where I am. Heck, my sister is her daughter's best friend. What's worse, I was at the same old address when she claimed no one could be found.

SirOtter said:

I just sent Jean Marie notice of my intention to reassume all rights to Howling in the Park. I also told her I expect a full accounting of sales and final payment within thirty days. I ain't holding my breath.

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No response from Jean Marie after a week, and Howling is still offered at Fictionwise, despite my request to remove it. It never was offered through the RenBooks website, which was one of my main complaints. It's time to send a stronger letter, I suspect. Since she's still offering to sell a book to which she no longer has the rights, I expect to receive full sale price from any additional sales since 8/17/08 instead of the measly 27% I get from sales through third party outlets.

She sent SirOtter an email saying that she had lost his previous emails. Then she turned around and emailed me that she had a migrane and that was why she had not responded to my requests.

One of the agents wanted my sales figures. Jean sends them out in email and I had lost my copies due to a hard drive crash. Previously she told me she could not give me copies because she did not save them.

veinglory said:

Is this the same or different to: www.renaissance.sg ?

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Veinglory,

I am the publisher of Renaissance Publishing, an independent publisher in Singapore supporting our fledging writers' scene with an annual writing contest giving out cash prizes and publishing the top entries. We also PAY local writers to write for us generously!

You caused great reputation damage to us and our efforts when you irresponsibly posted on this Singapore writers' blog cum forum: http://writerscoffeelounge.wordpress.com/2008/08/06/writing-contest-2008/

that we are a publisher who do not pay their authors.

I have since gotten the administrators of that blog to take away your comment but the damage has been done. I presume your slanderous comment was prompted by this thread, the confusion of the similar name, and your earnestness to seek justice for Condor221.

I hope the same sense of righteousness and justice will prompt you to post a public apology and correction for your error surely caused by not even bothering to surf our website to find out who we are first before maligning us in a public domain like that.

Renaissance Publishing is funded and managed by writers passionate about books. We have invested much money and effort and it pained us tremendously to see our reputation marred overnight by your baseless accusation. Please put yourselves in our shoes. We will appreciate your effort to restore and clear up our reputation so that we can carry on our work to discover and support talent in Singapore.

A correction should be issued to Renaissance Publishing. They are in no way connected to Renaissance Ebooks. It is an unfortunate confusion.

I did indeed make a mistaken post on that blog. But as it no longer appears there I am not sure what more I can do. I doubt a post saying 'apologise for suggesting you might be press known for non-payment' would currently have the desired effect.

I corrected a similar incorrect post by another user at Lulu forums but regret I forgot about this one. They are indeed different presses of the same name.

The three different messages and comments I have recieved so far accusing me of slander make it sound like I made and extensive and ardent comment rather than a one line query. However there is no doubt I had misidentified the press due to the name.

If that doesn't count as a correction being issued or there is some other action I am meant to take, be sure to let me know.

On the contrary Veinglory, we were JUST looking for a simple public apology, but since you "doubt a post saying 'apologise for suggesting you might be press known for non-payment' would currently have the desired effect." We won't insist. But since you offered to take "some other action", can I audaciously and rather impertinently suggest that you check your vigilante action in future by making a bit more effort first to verify your information before putting yourself in danger of defamation lawsuits? Your simple act of forgetfulness could have caused us many years of being mistaken for a dodgy publisher had we not discovered it by accident.

What else can we do when people mistake Renaissance E books, Inc. for Renaissance Publishing and proceed to populate several forums/blogs with accusations about us?

Sue for libel and defamation? I think we will save the money and invest it in our authors and hope that we can prove ourselves as a credible publisher with time...

Cheers all!

My comment about doubting the usefulness of a post was specific to the link you provided as my comment there is not longer present, so a retraction there would make little sense. You have my full retraction at my most well trafficked blog (ERECsite.com). I wish you the joy of it.

As for: 'Sue for libel and defamation?' You are the only one who has raised that possibility.

veinglory said:

As for: 'Sue for libel and defamation?' You are the only one who has raised that possibility.

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And that is indeed a possibility open to us that we truly have the right to take action on! So why shouldn't we be the one to raise it?

What's wrong with the world these days? Why do people not make a straightforward apology for their mistakes and instead insist on having the last shot and insincere sarcasm?

This post is the close of this matter for us. Otherwise there'll be no end to this childish self-righteousness.

Renaissance Publishing has spoken; Veinglory has replied. I think that takes care of the issue raised here.

There is another issue to be raised, however. I've done so in this new thread.

- Victoria

I have another problem with Renebooks. I just got my 1099-misc from them. They are saying that they paid me $1089. in royalties for the two royalty periods that they still had my books before I pulled them. However, my records show me as having been paid only $488. So far they are not returning my phone calls about it.

Sizzler Editons

http://sizzlereditions.com/ I spotted a thread about them in the erotica forum.