Silver Publishing

[LindaJeanne]

They feel they've been stabbed in the back over me taking this public.

Divide and conquer seems to be working well for this publisher.

They're convinced if we stay quiet everyone will be paid.

Classic abusive relationship behavior. Walk on eggshells to keep the abusive partner happy, and everything will be fine. Only it never works out that way in real life.

 

[michael_b]

There isn't any money and they won't be paid.

I've been telling them this for weeks. They refuse to believe or listen and anyone with a difference of opinion is shouted down.

 

[michael_b]

Divide and conquer seems to be working well for this publisher.


Classic abusive relationship behavior. Walk on eggshells to keep the abusive partner happy, and everything will be fine. Only it never works out that way in real life.

Exactly.

 

[madmumbler]

Deleted this post because the authors at Silver are up in arms over me speaking out. They feel they've been stabbed in the back over me taking this public. They're convinced if we stay quiet everyone will be paid.

Time will tell, won't it?

I'm not betting on them seeing their money post or no post.

All the more reason you need to KEEP speaking out.

If any of those authors thinks keeping quiet will get them paid, I've got a BEAUTIFUL ocean-side condo in Phoenix AZ, that I'll sell them quite cheaply!

The MO of these publishers (and any schemer of their ilk) is to get as much money out of their victims as possible before they're forced to shut down.

All this guy is doing is hooking more victims in and "paying" others off the backs of the newbies, who will then become victims themselves.

The best thing any of those authors can do is bail ASAP, get their rights back, and take their books elsewhere. Because even if they haven't been screwed by this guy yet, they soon will be.

I mean, SERIOUSLY??? How do they think staying silent is going to help them??? What kind of alternate reality do they think they're living in that ENABLING the crook stealing from them and their fellow authors is going to help them get paid??? That's like not calling the cops on a guy who's robbed you before and leaving the damn door unlocked for him because he keeps telling you he'll bring your stuff back if you don't have him arrested. But he just keeps stealing more from you. And you KEEP LETTING HIM DO IT.

ARGH!!!!!! *mind/blown*

 

[gingerwoman]

Especially since the publisher came on this forum and blatantly lied when I posed the question a couple of months ago. It's about time it's finally made it to light to warn off other authors from making the mistake of signing with them.

OMG you're Tymber Dalton!

On topic--- this is paticularly shocking because....doesn't have lots of books doing really well on All Romance Ebooks? I was wondering about this publisher because I write a market news blog and they seem to have a lot of best sellers on All Romance Ebooks.

 

[madmumbler]

OMG you're Tymber Dalton!

On topic--- this is paticularly shocking because....doesn't have lots of books doing really well on All Romance Ebooks? I was wondering about this publisher because I write a market news blog and they seem to have a lot of best sellers on All Romance Ebooks.

LOL yeessss. That's me. And no, I have no books or business dealings with Silver.

However, this publisher has screwed friends of mine over, and as I said on my blog posting about this, besides my coffee there are three things you don't mess with: my family, my furbabies, or my friends.

I don't know how well they're doing in terms of sales. But unless and until ALL the authors and editors there are paid EVERYTHING they are owed as per their contracts (and not these stupid percentages he's doling out at his leisure, and who knows how accurate his reporting is) any new authors/editors signing with them are setting themselves up to be ripped off.

 

[michael_b]

All the more reason you need to KEEP speaking out.

If any of those authors thinks keeping quiet will get them paid, I've got a BEAUTIFUL ocean-side condo in Phoenix AZ, that I'll sell them quite cheaply!

The MO of these publishers (and any schemer of their ilk) is to get as much money out of their victims as possible before they're forced to shut down.

All this guy is doing is hooking more victims in and "paying" others off the backs of the newbies, who will then become victims themselves.

The best thing any of those authors can do is bail ASAP, get their rights back, and take their books elsewhere. Because even if they haven't been screwed by this guy yet, they soon will be.

I mean, SERIOUSLY??? How do they think staying silent is going to help them??? What kind of alternate reality do they think they're living in that ENABLING the crook stealing from them and their fellow authors is going to help them get paid??? That's like not calling the cops on a guy who's robbed you before and leaving the damn door unlocked for him because he keeps telling you he'll bring your stuff back if you don't have him arrested. But he just keeps stealing more from you. And you KEEP LETTING HIM DO IT.

ARGH!!!!!! *mind/blown*

All of this. All of it.

I asked for rights back. As of last night I hadn't heard anything back, but some authors have been told the time to ask for their rights back has 'expired' which also boggles my mind since the request for rights to be returned is allowed for in the contracts. Then again, a lot of things in the contracts are being ignored, aren't they?

 

[madmumbler]

All of this. All of it.

I asked for rights back. As of last night I hadn't heard anything back, but some authors have been told the time to ask for their rights back has 'expired' which also boggles my mind since the request for rights to be returned is allowed for in the contracts. Then again, a lot of things in the contracts are being ignored, aren't they?

*head/desk*

I'm no lawyer, but can the authors send him a certified letter (or whatever you have to) demanding rights be returned, and a timeframe in which to reply (since he's already breached contract by not paying), and a declaration that any failure on his part to respond in a timely fashion (giving a set time frame) is default returning rights to you? (Brain's not working right today so hope that made sense.)

He's already in breach of contract. What do the other terms in the contracts say about the validity of the contract once it's breached?

Frankly, I'd get an attorney to send him a cease-and-desist letter demanding all books be pulled and declaring the contracts are nullified due to his breach of contract and move on. Although I know not everyone can afford a couple hundred for an attorney to do that.

Has anyone looked into finding a US attorney willing to take on a class-action suit?

And I hope someone is saving all these emails he's sending out as evidence against him. I'd love to see someone posting them to a blog, even anonymously.

Anyone that thinks that crook will make good is fooling themselves.

 

[James D. Macdonald]

Has anyone looked into finding a US attorney willing to take on a class-action suit?

If he actually is located in Capetown, South Africa, this will do sweet Fanny Adams for you.

 

[michael_b]

If he actually is located in Capetown, South Africa, this will do sweet Fanny Adams for you.

No, he lives in Michigan, and there is a Michigan address.

 

[ShelleyRunyon]

Another Silver author heard from

The situation has gone from bad to worse, from the ridiculous to the sublime. First he spends vast amounts of money he doesn't have on things no one needed - a $40k retreat. His "business" trip to several states (with his personal assistant, I understand). Flying Mom back and forth from South Africa.

Then there were the half-truths, semi-truths, total lies - who knows? Who can tell? The accounting firm that may or may not exist.

I hear he's in debt to the tune of $250,000. And authors are pulling out right and left, while some of the ones that remain are trying to put their fingers in this leaking dike, under the illusion that if other people stay and contribute they will be paid. Never mind if the new authors never get paid or not.

And now - suddenly and miraculously - he discovers he's overpaid people? Seriously?

I hold out no hope of seeing any of my money. But I am warning new authors, for the love of God, do not sub there. Ever. That is the Titanic there, don't step aboard.

 

[OhTheHorror]

And now - suddenly and miraculously - he discovers he's overpaid people?

I have a friend with Silver Publishing that I've tried to talk some sense into. She's with the "keep quite and we'll get paid" crowd.

This situation makes my stomach ache.

 

[James D. Macdonald]

First he spends vast amounts of money he doesn't have on things no one needed - a $40k retreat.

Interrogative Whiskey Tango Foxtrot DESIG "$40K Retreat," over?

I doubt that he owes his authors, as a group, any $40K.

 

[ShelleyRunyon]

No, what I've been told is he owes his authors about $250k.

Obviously, this has been going on for a while. Since the beginning of 2012.

 

[madmumbler]

Well, if he really is in Michigan as someone else said, time for a class-action lawsuit.

 

[ShelleyRunyon]

One of the problems is his corporation is South African, not US. Also, he owns nothing outside of the company, not that I know of, anyway. And we don't know if he is a citizen or not.

 

[mlhernandez]

I doubt that he owes his authors, as a group, any $40K.

I don't. He had some extremely well-loved M/M authors in his stable of writers. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were earning 40K a quarter, especially the prolific ones who also wrote for some of the digital powerhouses like Siren, EC, Samhain, etc. We're talking incredibly loyal readers who gobble up new books the moment they're released.

That's what's so sickening about this whole debacle. He had some ridiculously talented authors on his roster. If he had the common sense of a p*ss ant, he could have made a successful go of his publishing company.

*Disclaimer: I was solicited to write for Silver but didn't. I'm basing my guess of the top-tier author royalties on my 2012 earnings and my familiarity with some of the authors involved in the Silver fiasco.*

 

[Satori1977]

Oh wow. I had heard snippets of financial troubles, but didn't realize it was this bad. I have officially taken Silver off my list of publishers.

I also read back a few pages on this thread. Someone from Silver posted many months ago...but they have not shown up since. If that doesn't look suspicious, I don't know what does. I am grateful for this forum, because I bet a lot of would-be writers have no idea.

 

[michael_b]

The situation has gone from bad to worse, from the ridiculous to the sublime. First he spends vast amounts of money he doesn't have on things no one needed - a $40k retreat. His "business" trip to several states (with his personal assistant, I understand). Flying Mom back and forth from South Africa.

Then there were the half-truths, semi-truths, total lies - who knows? Who can tell? The accounting firm that may or may not exist.

I hear he's in debt to the tune of $250,000. And authors are pulling out right and left, while some of the ones that remain are trying to put their fingers in this leaking dike, under the illusion that if other people stay and contribute they will be paid. Never mind if the new authors never get paid or not.

And now - suddenly and miraculously - he discovers he's overpaid people? Seriously?

I hold out no hope of seeing any of my money. But I am warning new authors, for the love of God, do not sub there. Ever. That is the Titanic there, don't step aboard.

Thanks for posting. I've been trying to get a number of the SP authors to see reason to no avail. I suspect, after the most recent email from Mr. Dysel the number who are getting fed up has dramatically increased. (Now if they'd just speak up, maybe some other people wouldn't be stepping into this steaming pile.)

I have seen comments on what is owed to various authors and if these statements are true, then that $250,000 mentioned might be the tip of the iceberg. And yes, epublishers can easily bring in that kind of money. For those of you who may doubt this I had a title--an ARe bestseller--bring in over $10,000 in a single quarter and Shadowfire Press was not and never has been as big a powerhouse as some of the older, or bigger epublishers. I know of one author who regularly makes over $30,000 a year writing for ebook publishers and I'm sure there are many others out there doing the same.

 

[Filigree]

I hang out on a few other erotic romance sites, where Silver authors make occasional appearances. Other than having one person PM me privately off that site, asking what I'd heard about the Silver meltdown, no one has mentioned a word of it. The Silver authors who are staying are trying to keep each other's spirits and sales up, in the hope this is a temporary glitch that can be solved with some better financial news. In private, they are bitterly disappointed with the public defectors' 'disloyalty'. The fallout from this will poison relationships for years to come.

Personally, I suspect the loyal authors are whistling in the dark. That's fine by them, but verging on criminal to court new authors without fully disclosing the financial problems.

The whole mess saddens me. Some really amazing authors wrote great books for Silver, and the earnings potential was decent.

 

[benluby]

One of the problems is his corporation is South African, not US. Also, he owns nothing outside of the company, not that I know of, anyway. And we don't know if he is a citizen or not.

If he's in the states doing business here, and his bank accounts and 'company owned assets' are located in the US? He's making a bad mistake keeping everything in the company name.
If the authors sue the company for breach of contract en mass and the judge agrees with the defaults and payments? They'll liquidate the assets.

 

[LindaJeanne]

in the hope this is a temporary glitch that can be solved with some better financial news. In private, they are bitterly disappointed with the public defectors' 'disloyalty'.

See, I don't get this at all.

Do they think that by quietly letting him get away with irresponsible and unethical behavior, that this will convince him to behave in a more responsible and ethical manner?

Or do they genuinely believe that there is no mis-management, and the problems are just a "rough patch" beyond his control?

 

[Filigree]

As near as I can tell, the response has been ' he's having a rough patch'. I suspect that at least some of the authors know it's more than that, but are hoping that if they don't rock the boat they'll eventually get their money.
They may also not want to be seen as 'difficult' authors, when they are shopping for new publishers.

 

[Mercy Celeste]

There is a fear especially with newer authors that speaking out against a publisher, no matter how dirty that publisher is treating you, will cost you your career. That you will be seen as difficult to work with. When this isn't the case at all. True it depends on how you do it. Stick to the facts, don't spread lies and rumors, things such as that. To add to the discussion about what's going on at Silver and why I haven't said anything since my original post in November, it's simply a case of me and all of the accused trouble makers were cut off completely from any and all information. Those labeled spies for me, those whom I don't even know were labeled trouble makers and "shunned". It's been a long two months with no updates or even gossip filtering my way, and definitely nothing factual to report....so fact, I was paid a 10% "good faith" allotment in December with comments that they knew about my blog post and sort of kind of hinting that I was only hurting myself by trying to hurt them....A new email suggests that we are to be paid all of third quarter back owed royalties this month. I checked with two other former authors and they received the same email. Still I'm getting frantic emails for advice and with each new group of those I visit here to find new activity that makes me think it's not going well there at all. Do I wish the company harm? No. In fact I'm hoping he can turn it around, seek sound business council, secure loans to repay the funds he "repurposed" and maybe grow back into what they were on the verge of becoming. I was hoping the email was a step in the right direction. But after reading the new posts here and reading the emails of confused authors I have to think that it's just more "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" theater. What I do have is hearsay only....he owes at minimum a quarter million in back royalties. he is no longer returning rights upon request saying that window of opportunity has closed. he has imposed a gag order on those rights he does revert. I suspect that he owes more than the above mentioned. But that's just my gut instinct. Those who chose to champion the publisher have scared the newer authors into submission. But most who stayed simply can't get out or don't want to rock the boat. 95% of this is through third party sources. And frankly I have no idea what's going on which is frustrating. Thanks for letting me ramble on. Mercy

 

[Mercy Celeste]

scratch that last about the email stating their intentions to pay off quarter three royalties this month. The payment was once again a ten percent of that quarters statement, except two hundred dollars had magically disappeared between last month and this month. At this rate it will take years to pay off a $3300.00 one quarter debt when he owes me back to February in off site vendors and through October for onsite sales....hang em.