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Re: What have you heard about Spilled Candy?
They seem to be a small pagan market. If you ask here: mysticwicks.com/forumdisp...38de4&f=69 they will probably know more.
They seem to be a small pagan market. If you ask here: mysticwicks.com/forumdisp...38de4&f=69 they will probably know more.
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Specialty publishing for a relatively well-defined small market, issuing both softcover and electronic editions. They offer booksellers a 40% discount. Their books are a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. They list 23 authors (all female) and 81 titles, though many of those titles are not yet scheduled. Of those 81 titles, 25 list Lauren Hartford and 26 list Lorna Tedder as the author or co-author.
To their credit, most of the promotional push I see on the site is for authors who are neither Lorna Tedder nor Lauren Hartford.
Good signs: You have to hunt to find information on submitting books to them. Their submission guidelines start with a plea for authors to read their guidelines before submitting manuscripts. They explain in some detail what they are and aren't looking for. They give approximate turnaround times. They want a query first, and if they're interested, they'll ask to see three chapters. That all sounds real.
Not-so-good signs: The submission guidelines say they're bought up through Spring 2004, and a number of books in their catalog are still labeled Scheduled for 2007, so it Looks like they may have some problems keeping up with their plans.
On the other hand, their front page says "We are now open again after a death in the family. All orders placed in our absence have been shipped. Thank you," so maybe they're getting over whatever problems they've had. On the other other hand, that announcement is preceded by a small banner that says "A Blessed Harvest to You!", so it can't have been updated since this past autumn.
Inscrutable sign: They sell a book on how to open your very own interdimensional portal, so they can't be too concerned about losing an occasional customer.
To their credit, most of the promotional push I see on the site is for authors who are neither Lorna Tedder nor Lauren Hartford.
Good signs: You have to hunt to find information on submitting books to them. Their submission guidelines start with a plea for authors to read their guidelines before submitting manuscripts. They explain in some detail what they are and aren't looking for. They give approximate turnaround times. They want a query first, and if they're interested, they'll ask to see three chapters. That all sounds real.
Not-so-good signs: The submission guidelines say they're bought up through Spring 2004, and a number of books in their catalog are still labeled Scheduled for 2007, so it Looks like they may have some problems keeping up with their plans.
On the other hand, their front page says "We are now open again after a death in the family. All orders placed in our absence have been shipped. Thank you," so maybe they're getting over whatever problems they've had. On the other other hand, that announcement is preceded by a small banner that says "A Blessed Harvest to You!", so it can't have been updated since this past autumn.
Inscrutable sign: They sell a book on how to open your very own interdimensional portal, so they can't be too concerned about losing an occasional customer.
Don't worry. I've submitted my book titled "How to return once you've stepped through your interdimensional portal" and hopefully that'll solve the problem with lost customers.
LOL!
Thanks HapiSofi. I read their submission guidelines, but needed an interpreter. It sounded okay. I didn't catch the clues in the dates you mentioned, good eyes!
Do I see Maggie Shayne on their list of authors??
Thanks HapiSofi. I read their submission guidelines, but needed an interpreter. It sounded okay. I didn't catch the clues in the dates you mentioned, good eyes!
Do I see Maggie Shayne on their list of authors??
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Rumors?
Got an email from Spilled Candy today which I'm posting below. I hadn't heard rumors that they were going under in the first place, but I know they haven't responded to any emails I've sent to them, so make of it what you will.
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Spilled Candy Books[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]29 August 2007[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP A RUMOR! Please pass this on to your communities and circles.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
We are NOT shutting down, NOT filing bankruptcy, NOT going away...unless, of course, we do nothing but spend time on rumors and hate mail.
We're re-organizing and re-focusing Spilled Candy Books over the next few months because of a personal crisis that is requiring our limited resources right now and we don't have time to work with new projects or spend time with our current authors until this is resolved. Many of you know this has been a difficult few years for us with divorce and several deaths and illnesses touching our family, and it's necessary for us to pull in and re-group before figuring out how to go forward. How can I emphasize this enough? We need to spend some time with our loved ones while we still have them on this plane and that means we have to make some changes in how we operate.
Part of this reorganization includes a lot more automating, a tighter focus, and having to let SOME of our authors go (some are at the end of their contracts, for example), which we considered to be a better thing than letting them languish when we can't give them the attention they need. True to our solar return for this year with a second house sun and uranus and an eleventh house pluto, we have expanded and now need to pull in and focus on fewer projects.
On 22 August 2007, did send certified letters to several authors, reverting their rights and allowing them to find other publishers right away instead of waiting years or making them ask as many publishers do. We stated our current plan of action to them, including keeping Spilled Candy running in a condensed form, and while we were very candid about the financial atmosphere of pagan publishing, we never mentioned shutting down or filing bankruptcy--because we aren't.
Some of our books will be going out of print as of 1 October 2007, so yes, now's the time to order if you haven't. Meanwhile, please be patient with us while we switch to a new website and new structure...things should even out by yearend.
Ironically--and don't you love this eclipse--we needed to do this so we could spend more time on an emotionally charged personal issue and instead of being where we are needed right now, ALL our time and energy is going to rumors and hate mail.
Please help us stop the rumors so we can spend our energy first on the homefront and second on our reorganization. Those of you who have been so supportive, we really appreciate you!
And from an energetic standpoint? Please don't be concentrating thought on bankruptcy or shutting down. Think instead of us prioritizing and refocusing on what's important in life, which is something this personal crisis has taught me we should all consider.
Thank you and blessed be,
The Spilled Candy Books Family
www.spilledcandy.com
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
Got an email from Spilled Candy today which I'm posting below. I hadn't heard rumors that they were going under in the first place, but I know they haven't responded to any emails I've sent to them, so make of it what you will.
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Spilled Candy Books[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]29 August 2007[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]WE NEED YOUR HELP TO STOP A RUMOR! Please pass this on to your communities and circles.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif][FONT=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
We are NOT shutting down, NOT filing bankruptcy, NOT going away...unless, of course, we do nothing but spend time on rumors and hate mail.
We're re-organizing and re-focusing Spilled Candy Books over the next few months because of a personal crisis that is requiring our limited resources right now and we don't have time to work with new projects or spend time with our current authors until this is resolved. Many of you know this has been a difficult few years for us with divorce and several deaths and illnesses touching our family, and it's necessary for us to pull in and re-group before figuring out how to go forward. How can I emphasize this enough? We need to spend some time with our loved ones while we still have them on this plane and that means we have to make some changes in how we operate.
Part of this reorganization includes a lot more automating, a tighter focus, and having to let SOME of our authors go (some are at the end of their contracts, for example), which we considered to be a better thing than letting them languish when we can't give them the attention they need. True to our solar return for this year with a second house sun and uranus and an eleventh house pluto, we have expanded and now need to pull in and focus on fewer projects.
On 22 August 2007, did send certified letters to several authors, reverting their rights and allowing them to find other publishers right away instead of waiting years or making them ask as many publishers do. We stated our current plan of action to them, including keeping Spilled Candy running in a condensed form, and while we were very candid about the financial atmosphere of pagan publishing, we never mentioned shutting down or filing bankruptcy--because we aren't.
Some of our books will be going out of print as of 1 October 2007, so yes, now's the time to order if you haven't. Meanwhile, please be patient with us while we switch to a new website and new structure...things should even out by yearend.
Ironically--and don't you love this eclipse--we needed to do this so we could spend more time on an emotionally charged personal issue and instead of being where we are needed right now, ALL our time and energy is going to rumors and hate mail.
Please help us stop the rumors so we can spend our energy first on the homefront and second on our reorganization. Those of you who have been so supportive, we really appreciate you!
And from an energetic standpoint? Please don't be concentrating thought on bankruptcy or shutting down. Think instead of us prioritizing and refocusing on what's important in life, which is something this personal crisis has taught me we should all consider.
Thank you and blessed be,
The Spilled Candy Books Family
www.spilledcandy.com
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
- Joined
- Apr 20, 2006
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My impression is that they are self-doomed. A business that makes detailed reference to their astrological charts is not a business I would want to be involved with much.
Regards,
Scott
Regards,
Scott
JCT
Banned
Could be worse. They could be sucked through an interdimensional portal.
BUT their intended audience is into zodiac signs and such. Don't knock them; it maybe the same affect as Christian book publisher putting messes form Jesus and God on their website.
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Well, they're a Pagan publisher. As was pointed out, it's no weirder than some of the stuff you'd find on a Christian website-- but people are used to seeing Jesus references in general context, at least in the US.
As for whether they're self-doomed...I'm thinking sending that email to their entire mailing list is indicative of something, but of what exactly is up for grabs.
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I don't have any interest in writing for the Christian market either, actually.
Regards,
Scott
No matter what happens, at least they're doing the right thing by reverting rights back to their authors.
I wish them good luck.
~Nancy
Im a lurker not a poster. Be gentle with me?
I know these people and they used to give workshops and volunteer with the writer groups all around the town where I live. I talked to the daughter. 4 deaths in a year would be tough on any family and it may not be over. They are waiting to see. They downsized because of family health reasons, they tried to do good by their authors by revertting rights but 1 is trying to force them not to downsize. There are a bunch of email campaigns telling people its unfair when your book goes out of print and it must be because they are bankrupt. The daughter said it was costing them alot of sales because their readers thought they were gone.
The daughter said right before this that Spilled Candy was trying to get a new web site to go live and update their readers. They had a bunch of new books ready to be printed when this happened. So they are on hold ? I guess. I can try to call the family and find out more but the daughter said theyve been inundated with emails for the past 2 weeks.
Both Lorna and Lauren have a devoted following for the type of weird stuff they write. So does Vicki but I know her too and she is Christian. I think the Madden woman has a big fan club too among pagans. Not sure about the others.
Cynthia
I know these people and they used to give workshops and volunteer with the writer groups all around the town where I live. I talked to the daughter. 4 deaths in a year would be tough on any family and it may not be over. They are waiting to see. They downsized because of family health reasons, they tried to do good by their authors by revertting rights but 1 is trying to force them not to downsize. There are a bunch of email campaigns telling people its unfair when your book goes out of print and it must be because they are bankrupt. The daughter said it was costing them alot of sales because their readers thought they were gone.
The daughter said right before this that Spilled Candy was trying to get a new web site to go live and update their readers. They had a bunch of new books ready to be printed when this happened. So they are on hold ? I guess. I can try to call the family and find out more but the daughter said theyve been inundated with emails for the past 2 weeks.
Both Lorna and Lauren have a devoted following for the type of weird stuff they write. So does Vicki but I know her too and she is Christian. I think the Madden woman has a big fan club too among pagans. Not sure about the others.
Cynthia
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J. R. Tomlin
Banned
There is a big pagan community. Putting someone down for their religious beliefs, because they don't happen to coincide with yours is hardly polite.
I hope these people get past what sounds like a pretty horrible time, but that is what can happen with a small, family run business.
I hope these people get past what sounds like a pretty horrible time, but that is what can happen with a small, family run business.