Y'all.
NOPE. CHECK IT OUT:
As established, AG Porter (Amanda Porter) owns Nightshade Publishing LLC.
I'm
living for this 8-day old
Publishers Marketplace announcement (screenshot hosted on my website).
In this announcement, she announces with great excitement that she sold her first romance to her
own publishing company through her romance "editor,"
Kayla Dzakic, who is still listed under Literary Agents (see tab at top
) whose experience in editing is that she had a Bookstagram and a Booktok account.
Decoded, this says, in Pub Marketplace lingo, that
Amanda sold herself her own book for $49,000 (or less, natch,
see PM deal language).
Whew. That's just lying, y'all.
Another good one: her site says, on
the very front page:
Trusted Publisher
Since 2000, authors have trusted Nightshade Publishing, LLC to edit, publish and promote their books. We are always on the lookout for fresh and new talent and are firmly committed to all our authors.
Interestingly, her own site says on
this page, that she started the company during the pandemic. Then, the same page says she started her "team" after she published the anthology Endless Moonlight, on November 30, 2021.
So, in my math, she's been a "trusted publisher" for like 6 months? Mayyyyybe 7.
Not for twenty-two years, as it says on her front page. (Screenshots
here.)
In Porter's Feb. response in this thread, she said that fantasy writer AK Mulford is doing an anthology with her, trying to boost validity/trust in her brand. I can confirm that AK Mulford is busy writing books in a 7-figure deal with Harper Voyager,
not with Nightshade Publishing. AK is a friend of mine, and she
had agreed to write a story for Porter's Booktokker anthology, thinking it was a nice way to help other new, indie-pubbed writers out. Luckily, AK's advisory team was savvy enough to point out the glaring inconsistencies of Porter's business (as well as the holes in the shabby contract).
Honestly, I'm mad. I hate NOTHING more than seeing new, hopeful writers get taken for a ride.
(Sorry if it looks like I'm new here - have been a member since 2009, but I think it doesn't show the old posts? Just had to relog in to post this.)