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Dreamspinner Press
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I feel like I want to say something, but there are just no words. I've been watching this unfold and I'm so heartbroken for the authors. I've seen some people on Twitter say they're owed $10 000 or more.
This definitely looks like an Ellora's Cave situation, but I hope everyone manages to recover the royalties that've been held back.
This definitely looks like an Ellora's Cave situation, but I hope everyone manages to recover the royalties that've been held back.
I doubt that will happen. From what DSP authors are saying in different groups, there is no money. At least not any DSP is going to give to the authors. If they were willing to pay them they'd not be in this mess. Whatever was owed to these authors was already spent trying to keep the company afloat for the last few years. That's why they couldn't pay the authors in the first place. They got in a hole probably (like most small presses eventually do) and are using authors' royalties to fund the business. Just straight out fraud and theft and still up there on Facebook advertising books like everything is fine. Who do they think they are kidding?
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Not sure if this was to me or not but just want to be clear I wasn't blaming victims. True victims are the authors like the ones on this thread. All I was saying was that if you know this is going on and you still sign with a pub then that's on you. At some point people have to be responsible for their actions and their decisions. These are grown ups. Grown ups should know to research and if they research and see a bunch of red flags, then walk away. How hard is that? That's not a victim like an author who was cheated by their pub. That was someone who didn't use good judgement or ignored what others tried to tell them. You have people like that. You try to help them and sway them from bad decisions but they do it anyway. Guess I just don't understand why some ignore warnings. If someone tells me not to go in the house on the corner because a serial killer is in there and I go anyway...
Just saying. I can't understand why some people don't listen when others try to help. That's why boards like this one exist, to warn writers so they don't go through this stuff.
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There's no money. At least, I've seen no indication that there is. They've openly said they're using Q4 sales to pay Q3, Q2, and apparently even a few lingering Q1 royalties, which just means they're getting farther behind.
Allegedly there's a loan coming, but it's been coming for months. At their DSP workshop in September, the owner assured attendees that everyone had "misunderstood" her about the loan: that the SBA backing was what was secured, but securing a lender was the next step. Which... if that's the case, then clarify it? Tell us that? Also, a number of people who work in the finance world have said that if it's taking this long to secure a loan -- SBA, lender, or otherwise -- then something is wrong. Loans of that type simply don't take this long.
AND... even if the loan DOES come through... it still has to be paid back.
I genuinely don't see a way they can dig themselves out of this hole.
An author posted about DSP on her blog.
https://charliecochet.com/blog/posts/my-thoughts-on-dreamspinner-press#.XfRdwvkKxbw.twitter
https://charliecochet.com/blog/posts/my-thoughts-on-dreamspinner-press#.XfRdwvkKxbw.twitter
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Her blog. (Charlie is a woman)
Of interest also is this post by Bob Appavu, who is both an author and an artist. Dreamspinner isn't paying contractors (cover artists, etc.) either:
https://www.bobappavu.com/418/ive-parted-ways-with-dsp-publications/
TJ Klune also had it pretty bad.
For those who don't know, TJ was one of Dreamspinner's biggest names at a point. He got famous with his novel "Bear, Otter, and the Kid" back in 2011.
He posted on his Twitter how DSP owed him over 37k just for one quarter (IIRC Q3) which means they made over 80k on his books the past year. It's also worth noting he had his lawyer threaten them and only then did they send him money - albeit not all of it. I wonder what happens to all the authors who don't have money / connections for a good lawyer?
He posted on his Twitter how DSP owed him over 37k just for one quarter (IIRC Q3) which means they made over 80k on his books the past year. It's also worth noting he had his lawyer threaten them and only then did they send him money - albeit not all of it. I wonder what happens to all the authors who don't have money / connections for a good lawyer?
Wow. I know of TJ, but keeping up with all the current dramas in Romancelandia meant I missed that.
Her blog. (Charlie is a woman)
Of interest also is this post by Bob Appavu, who is both an author and an artist. Dreamspinner isn't paying contractors (cover artists, etc.) either:
https://www.bobappavu.com/418/ive-parted-ways-with-dsp-publications/
I just skimmed the blog when I first posted so didn't catch she was female. I corrected my post.
Linked to the current debacle at the RWA. There are folks wondering why Damon Suede has not been as swift to have RWA address DSP's nonpayment to authors, while apparently claiming recently that DSP is running in the clear, while apparently knocking the publisher's lower-selling authors.
Not particularly fine optics.
Not particularly fine optics.
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Questions have been raised over Suede's handling of DSP complaints during his time on RWA's board. The current scuttlebutt is he deliberately kept information from the rest of the board so as to not let anybody discover he may have been lying about a new release that qualified him to run for board president (essentially, you have to have been an RWA member for X amount of time and sold Y amount of novels, novellas, shorts, and anthology subs not counting). First, he'd said it wasn't coming out this month because he'd missed deadline. Then he'd said he'd never even mentioned it was coming out this year, but it's being released next year. Finally, he's told others he didn't even say he was having anything being released, much less through DSP.
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The fair is actually in Leipzig, Germany.
Here's a Twitter post on the topic: https://twitter.com/DecentFellows/status/1228742118845435906
Here's a Twitter post on the topic: https://twitter.com/DecentFellows/status/1228742118845435906
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Pardon my "French," but Jesus fucking Christ. They've got who knows how many authors owed thousands, the money required to be held in escrow spent, and this seemed like a good time to take an unnecessary trip to Europe?
I want people to sue them with attorneys like Laura Dern's character in Marriage Story. And I want every author paid in full, their rights returned.
Maryn, livid
I want people to sue them with attorneys like Laura Dern's character in Marriage Story. And I want every author paid in full, their rights returned.
Maryn, livid
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Sigh. I wish.
My attorney has been in contact with theirs, and it's been a sloooooooooow process. Dreamspinner abruptly decided in December or January to hire a firm to help them "restructure," and they cheerfully announced that they would back burner royalties due prior to November, and pay subsequent royalties on time. Then they'd figure out "payment plans" with each author owed money from pre-November.
As of right now, I've been paid in full for November and December... but I'm still owed over $5K from Q2, Q3, and October, and there has yet to be a "plan." Their attorney got back to mine last week and basically said to confirm that we were on the same page with regard to amounts owed... which we were not. The Q3 royalty statement he attached DID NOT match mine. >.<
So they still can't get their numbers straight, they're still holding us to this "payment plan" nonsense that is NOT in our contracts and we did NOT agree to, and they're going to France and Germany on top of it.
Oh, and they've stopped sending weekly updates "unless there is something new to report."
Have they stiffed any writers in Germany or France? Maybe they could get together, make a few signs and 'just show up'? Go, EU!
And, they've partnered with 'Cursed Verlag'? How very appropriate! I hope they rip each other off, then blame each other in court.
If authors can't get their money back, they can at least laugh as Vengeance does her stuff.
And, they've partnered with 'Cursed Verlag'? How very appropriate! I hope they rip each other off, then blame each other in court.
If authors can't get their money back, they can at least laugh as Vengeance does her stuff.
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I sent a request for a rights reversion on my 11 remaining Dreamspinner/DSP Publications/Harmony Ink Press books in May. Dreamspinner responded quickly, and I had the reversion letter within a week or so. Earlier this week, I received a very small (2-digit) sum which I assume was the outstanding royalties they owed me.