Ridan Publishing

[Stacia Kane]

Let's remember, guys, that the statement about Robin being ill is hearsay (the author "heard" she was ill but has not been told directly); we have no confirmation of it, it's just a rumor.

I hope for her sake it's not true.

The issue of authors not being paid, though, is not hearsay, and it's worrying and damning.

 

[thothguard51]

Well I guess I'm not your average reader. I have discovered alot of new authors via podcast, Nathan Lowell, Scott Sigler, Basil Sands, J.C. Hutchins,

Abigail Hilton ​

just to name a few. IMHO i think the average reader is missing out if they don't listnen to podcasts

You are right, you are not the average reader. Look at the names you choose...

There are many reasons the average reader does not do pod cast. Such as they don't have Internet, they don't know about them, they have too many things to do with their time, and on and on it goes. The average reader does not miss out if they don't know about pod cast, or choose actively not to do them.

Perhaps they find their new authors while browsing in book stores or libraries. There is also the old fashioned way of word of mouth, which is still the number 1 in recommendations.

 

[amergina]

While I agree with you, Thothguard, about the average reader not checking out podcasts...

I don't understand what that has to do with this bewares thread.

The average reader isn't going to be checking into the background of publishers, either.

There was information about an authors interaction with this publisher in the 'casts. Someone posted about it. It's the *same thing* as folks mentioning blog posts about author/publisher dealings.

 

[kaitie]

Agreed.

 

[thothguard51]

Was responding to Padraigh who mentioned that the readers are missing out by not listening to podcast. The podcast in question was from Nathan Lowell's stuff, which has something to do with this thread. I am also a little suspicious of Padraigh who joined in Dec and has a total of 4 post, all devoted to this thread.

As I said upstream, the average read does not do blogs or pod cast and have no idea what is going on at Ridan. All the average reader knows is that books they expected out, are not release yet. It's not Ridan who will suffer for this, but the authors in lost readers, lost book promotions and lost name recognition. IMHO of course.

Still, I would love to hear from Ridan as to what is going on now, especially about the missed payments to authors. The last Ridan update on their web site was 2/19 but I assume the missed payment are from before this time.

Yes, it sounds like crash and burn to me, but I still hold out hope that Ridan takes care of their authors, and sooner than later...

 

[Sheryl Nantus]

An update of sorts: "Double Share" from Nathan Lowell has finally been released - between eight and ten months late, depending on which timeline you follow.

However, the editing has been criticized in the "comments" section in Lowell's blog...

http://solarclipper.com/books/double-share-2/#comments

One reader lists, page by Kindle page, the errors. Another notes the errors and bad editing.

On the Ridan Publishing home page they note formatting errors in the Kindle and advise the buyer to contact Amazon to ask for the most recent copy. No comment on the editing complaints.

Just an update.

 

[Old Hack]

I can't help feeling that the errors should have been pointed out to Ridan, and not to the author.

 

[thothguard51]

Why? It appears Ridan is unresponsive to previous comments about schedules and payments.

We all know Robin surfs the web for anything commenting on Ridan and or her authors. I doubt this news is unknown to her/Ridan.

 

[Sheryl Nantus]

I can't help feeling that the errors should have been pointed out to Ridan, and not to the author.

Well, one hopes they cc'd their concerns to Ridan.

However, given that Robin Sullivan seems to be MIA from her blog I doubt they'd hear back. Maybe direct contact with the author is the best they can hope for.

His book may be selling like gangbusters but I feel for him. Waiting this long is bad enough and he's complained about losing the momentum... but this may be an example of being badly published vs. not at all.

*shrugs*

 

[Old Hack]

Why? It appears Ridan is unresponsive to previous comments about schedules and payments.

We all know Robin surfs the web for anything commenting on Ridan and or her authors. I doubt this news is unknown to her/Ridan.

By the sound of it, this author has had his Ridan books delayed repeatedly and now they've been published, they're full of errors. He must be feeling bad enough already: telling him all about them seems a bit like kicking him while he's down.

And what will that achieve? The author can't do anything about it; only the publisher could correct those mistakes.

 

[Terie]

By the sound of it, this author has had his Ridan books delayed repeatedly and now they've been published, they're full of errors. He must be feeling bad enough already: telling him all about them seems a bit like kicking him while he's down.

And what will that achieve? The author can't do anything about it; only the publisher could correct those mistakes.

I agree with this. I never tell authors about errors unless the info is solicited. And the time that it was, I prepared a physical list and gave it to her in a sealed envelope so she could send it straight to the publisher without even looking at it. It's so disheartening, especially right at release, to have errors pointed out.

I don't think we should condone behaviour that causes heartache to authors, no matter what anyone thinks of the publisher.

 

[thothguard51]

I don't think we should condone behaviour that causes heartache to authors, no matter what anyone thinks of the publisher.

Teri, I understand what you and Katie are saying, trust me, those comments would hurt me.

But when a writer puts up a blog, puts their name out there for their fans, they have to take the good with the bad. As writers, we may feel it's in bad taste to blame the writer for the publishers editing and formating mistakes, but the truth is; We can not tell readers how to respond.

Besides, Nathan could have turned comments off had he wanted to, or deleted those he did not want seen. I think Nathan left the comments up to show his frustration with Ridan, perhaps.

Nathan has stated more than once his frustration with Ridan and that he is working on other options, but wanted to stick with Ridan to keep the series with one publisher. Easier for his fans to find.

I wonder if this will be the straw that broke the camels back? I noticed he has not commented yet about the negative comments on editing. My thought, he is thinking this over before commenting. A wise decision.

I really feel for Nathan Lowell as he has worked hard, and been patient with Ridan. He does not deserve this...

 

[Terie]

Teri, I understand what you and Katie are saying, trust me, those comments would hurt me.

But when a writer puts up a blog, puts their name out there for their fans, they have to take the good with the bad. As writers, we may feel it's in bad taste to blame the writer for the publishers editing and formating mistakes, but the truth is; We can not tell readers how to respond.

I'm not saying that we can tell readers how to respond. I was really supporting Old Hack's response to your comment here:

Why? It appears Ridan is unresponsive to previous comments about schedules and payments.

We all know Robin surfs the web for anything commenting on Ridan and or her authors. I doubt this news is unknown to her/Ridan.

You (whether intentionally or not) actually condoned people telling an author about problems.

I totally understand why readers do this, but as a writer, I would never EVER in any forum anywhere suggest, as you did, that it's a good idea to do it. That's what your 'why?' (in response to Old Hack) does: it says 'why shouldn't readers report errors to the author rather than to the reader?'

And my answer is: 'It does no good and can do harm. That's why.'

 

[thothguard51]

You (whether intentionally or not) actually condoned people telling an author about problems.

Just to clarify and not start a flame war...

Readers writing to authors to tell them they enjoyed the work or did not, has been around long before the Internet, blogs, or my statement.

My comment to Old Hack, I merely felt I was pointing out it should not surprise him because Ridan has pretty much ignored readers comments in the past. It was not a blanket statement of I condone such action. I just am not surprised by these type of reviews. Just to clarify my position.

I totally understand why readers do this, but as a writer, I would never EVER in any forum anywhere suggest, as you did, that it's a good idea to do it. That's what your 'why?' (in response to Old Hack) does: it says 'why shouldn't readers report errors to the author rather than to the reader?'

No, you took my words out of context. I never EVER suggested by my comment that this type of review behavior is acceptable. I even noted I would feel hurt by such statements. But then, if my response was not clear, that is my fault, not yours. Just to clarify...

And my answer is: 'It does no good and can do harm. That's why.

We, as writers, are told to grow thick skin.

We have had several threads on how authors should not respond to negative reviews and comments. And in each of those threads, it has been clearly stated we can not control the actions of our readers in their comments. They paid for the product and have a right to express their opinions.

We have also had many threads about pirating. My opinion has always been clear...its theft. But yet, some of our members understand why readers do it. Does that mean those members condone theft, even as writers? I don't think so. They were just expressing an opinion...

So far, I think Nathan Lowell has handled the comments with understanding his fans frustration. But that is also my personal opinion based on his previous statements and interaction with fans.

I had hoped Robin/Ridan would improve and succeed because they are a local publisher and they started out like gang busters. From some of the threads and blogs by their authors, (excluding Michael Sullivan's), I would have to say it looks like Ridan is taking two/three steps backwards. Growing pains any business experiences some might say? Lets remember, Robin bragged about all the success she had in other businesses she ran so she should understand and have been prepared. IMHO of course...

 

[IceCreamEmpress]

I think that it would have been far more appropriate for the frustrated reader to comment "I enjoyed your book, but I feel like the copy editing did you a disservice in its sloppiness; I can send you a list of the errors I spotted if you like" rather than use Nathan Lowell's blog as a place to rake the Ridan copy editor over the coals.

That said, sloppy copy editing really does decrease my enjoyment of a book, and it seems to me that mentioning it is useful to other readers who might feel the same way. And as a writer, I would definitely want to know if that was something that was affecting readers' enjoyment of my book.

 

[Mustafa]

I had hoped Robin/Ridan would improve and succeed because they are a local publisher and they started out like gang busters. From some of the threads and blogs by their authors, (excluding Michael Sullivan's), I would have to say it looks like Ridan is taking two/three steps backwards. Growing pains any business experiences some might say? Lets remember, Robin bragged about all the success she had in other businesses she ran so she should understand and have been prepared. IMHO of course...

I just read this thread with interest. I hope you're right about it being growing pains. They *appear* to have, or to have had, a lot going for them.

If I recall, there were a couple other AW members mentioned a few pages back who had books in the pipeline with Ridan. I wonder if they'd come back and tell us how things are going on their end?

 

[Mustafa]

I just checked out Nathan's blog. That person did a lot of work to write each of those mistakes down. I tend to agree that he should have emailed them to Nathan, but as was pointed out, Nathan could remove the post. If nothing else, the book will be better because of the persons keen eye.

For my first book, I asked the copy editor what would be considered an acceptable number of errors. He answered, "zero to one."

 

[shaldna]

If I were an author contracted to Ridan, I would be very concerned with the last few months - books which are late, repeatedly, editors MIA, emails ignored, and then sloppy editing when it's finally delivered.

It's just not good enough.

 

[shaldna]

Anyone got any updates with what is happening with the delayed books and the missing/late payments etc?

I've noticed that Robin (who was previously VERY active online) hasn't updated the Write2Publish blog since 23 Feb - that's four months.

The Ridan website has been updated - albeit with very brief posts mostly about sales figures and rankings.

 

[amergina]

Anyone have any updates on Ridan? R. Sullivan's name came up in another thread, and I got curious and noticed that the publisher's website hasn't been updated since June and Nathan Lowell posted on his blog that he hasn't received edits back on a manuscript he sent in June. It's release date was supposed to be Sept. 1. (here)

Anyone have any insight? Ridan seemed for a time to be an up-and-coming publisher for SF/F, especially in ebooks. It's a shame that they seem (at least from outward appearances) to be faltering...

 

[thothguard51]

From Goodreads "Fans of Nathan Lowell," a post for Captain's Share, by a member named Betsy posted this on Aug 31st, 2010, to clarify an Amazon notice...

"PLEASE NOTE: This book is being added for pre-order purposes and the actual date has yet to be determined. We (the publisher) are still waiting on a final manuscript from the author, and will update the release date as we know more. Please keep in mind that this is an arbitrary date at this point."

But, from Nathan's own blog, dated Aug 29th, 2012, he states...

I sent the draft to Ridan in June. They haven’t gotten it back to me yet. There’s a stub in Amazon for pre-orders, but that’s only for paper. So far we still cannot set up a preorder for ebooks. I’m guessing that —unless they accept the manuscript I sent without any edits — we’re not going to make the Sept 1 date.

There seems to be a discrepancy between Ridan and Nathan about getting the manuscript. Ridan says they are waiting for the manuscript and Nathan says he sent it in June and has not heard back from them. So, from Nathan's comments, he has not even gotten the edits back yet, unless, as he noted, they are going to release it as is...

You got to admire Nathan's fans, they are a patient bunch.

 

[Terie]

"PLEASE NOTE: This book is being added for pre-order purposes and the actual date has yet to be determined. We (the publisher) are still waiting on a final manuscript from the author, and will update the release date as we know more. Please keep in mind that this is an arbitrary date at this point."

Blaming the author publically? Gosh, that's professional....not. Even if it were true, that's just not on. Since it's not true....wow.

 

[Parametric]

In fairness, the Amazon notice could date back to 1980 for all we know - it's only that the Goodreads member posted about it in August this year. So the author may well have delivered the manuscript late. Or maybe not.

 

[Terie]

In fairness, the Amazon notice could date back to 1980 for all we know - it's only that the Goodreads member posted about it in August this year. So the author may well have delivered the manuscript late. Or maybe not.

According to his blog, he sent it in June. And his blog post stating this is dated two days before Ridan's stating he hadn't submitted it.

 

[Parametric]

According to his blog, he sent it in June. And his blog post stating this is dated two days before Ridan's stating he hadn't submitted it.

No, the Amazon notice by Ridan is undated, and an unrelated third party posted about it on Goodreads on the 31st of August. So it could be that Ridan is lying, but equally it could be that Ridan posted about it on Amazon before June, the author submitted the manuscript in June, and the notice remains on Amazon where the third party spotted it on the 31st. In which case nobody is lying.