Happy Friday, my lovelies. ❤
Today is a good day!
I’m happy to announce that I have severed ties with the company Red Rose Publishing, and that they are no longer distributing my books. Believe it or not, this was a long time coming. ;o)
I received many emails from fans with questions on why I hadn’t released another novel for the Dragon Queen series. Thank you for your concern and please forgive me for my silence on the matter when you inquired, but now you know why.
In addition to unlawfully holding onto my books, this publisher has not paid me my royalties. However, I’m not angry, nor surprised. I expected nothing less, being that this company has done this same thing to many other authors, cover artists, and editors before me.
I won’t go into a long spiel on why I left Red Rose Publishing, but just know it was a necessary move. I don’t regret what I went through with this company, because it taught me a valuable lesson, a lesson I can pass onto inspiring authors, so they don’t make the same mistake I did.
I know the feeling of submitting your work and waiting impatiently to hear from the publisher. It’s nerve wracking. I also know the delighted feeling you get when you receive that letter from the publisher expressing their desire to publish your work. You’re so overjoyed that you’d blindly sign the contract, anxious for the moment your book goes out to the world.
The first thing you should do is research that publishing company. If there are any negative blogs or reports about the company you’re looking to submit to, then you should cross them off of your publishing list and move onto the next. Also, please look into Preditors & Editors. They will let you know which publishers are worth your submission. Any publisher with Not Recommended, or Strongly Not Recommended next to it, you should avoid them.
Once you receive the contract, read through it, thoroughly. If you have any friends that are attorneys, have them take a gander at it. If the contract is poorly written, DON’T SIGN IT. If there are any terms in it that inhibits you from getting your rights back after a reasonable amount of time, DON’T SIGN IT.
You must be aware of your rights as an author, and know the terms of your contract with the publisher. Keep in mind that the body of work you submit is still yours; you’re just allowing the publisher to distribute it and collect a percentage of your royalties.
Should the publisher not meet the terms you agreed to, like advertising your work, or paying your royalties on time, you should reevaluate the publisher you’re with. If you ask them why you never see them advertised anywhere, and all they have are excuses, then they are not doing the job worthy of the 40% or more they get from your royalties. If they are sitting back, taking your money and not doing anything to advance their company in this market, then you’re getting played. Empty promises don’t count either. Saying they’re going to do something and actually doing it are two very different things.
If you decide to disassociate yourself with that publisher, make sure to follow the steps in the Terms of Contract in order to get your rights back. Should the publisher refuse to comply with your demands, don’t let it get you down, just take some aggressive actions. Like hire an attorney. If the publisher ignores the demands from your lawyer, contact the web host provider, like GoDaddy for instance, and explain to them that the publisher is infringing on your copyrights. Attach a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (”DMCA”) notice, along with your attorney’s demand to the letter. The web host provider will respond very quickly.
So that you are informed, read Section 512. Limitations on liability relating to
material online (Add this link to your “DMCA” letter as well.)
Should you find yourself in this unfortunate situation and you can’t afford an attorney, there’s a yahoo group of authors who have a lot of useful information to offer. http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/RRPImplosion/?yguid=354324235
I’d like to give a huge thanks to my attorney, Myra Loughran at Jaxbeachlaw! She was very aggressive and reliable with my case. I couldn’t have asked for a better lawyer.
Don’t just sit back and be a victim to these small publishing companies. Get up and do something about it!
Now to the fans of the Dragon Queen series… Hey, ya’ll! 😀 The novels will be re-released in May on Amazon and available for print. I will be giving away some signed copies and Dragon Queen T-shirts to the fans who have supported me from the very beginning. It’s my way of saying thank you. 🙂 I will also be releasing a new novelette and novel for the series later this year, so stay tuned. 😉
yvonnenicolas.blog 
I am sorry you had to go through all that… Sad that people take advantage of others for the benefit of their own gain… Glad you are going to have your books on Amazon and here is hoping you do well in the future. 🙂
Aw, it’s alright, Jeannie. I’m glad this happened, so I can share my experience, and hopefully prevent it from happening to others. There’s an old saying that goes a little something like this; “Everything happens for a reason.” ^_^
Thank you for commenting.
Congratulations to you. I commend you for the steps you took to take complete ownership of your own work. I released my first novel last week. I did everything myself, including formatting my digital version, writing, editing, cover design, marketing, etc. I had so many issues with giving so much of my money away when I’ve done all the work. I may not get the mass market lots of others get but I’m writing because I enjoy doing so and for now I’m very happy with my product and content with the decisions I am making for my dreams. Good luck with your re-releases and with any other upcoming releases. My second novel is coming out in August and I’m just as excited as I was about my first. Have a great season of writing.
Reblogged this on Tricia Drammeh and commented:
A warning and a bit of inspiration all rolled in to one article.
I am so, so , so happy for you! And, sorry you’ve had to go through this. I’m currently in the same boat with a small publisher, so I really appreciate you sharing this. I’ve tried to warn other authors to be careful before signing ANY contract with an agent or publisher because I don’t want to see anyone else go through what I’ve been through. I’m still dealing with the issue with my publisher, so I can’t comment specifically, but one need only view the Look Inside feature on the Kindle version of The Claiming Words to see what my main complaint is–a typo in my name that has been there for over six months.
Your story is very inspiring and I hope it helps others.
So relieved you didn’t lay down and take it. Being proactive took you to where you wanted to be. Congratulations!
Thank you for this! You are dead on when you talk about wanting your work to be published so much, that you rush to sign a contract. I’ve blogged about warning signs of rogue publishers, and I agree with everything you say here. I’m so glad you got free and clear, and I appreciate your tips for online material. Thank you! And congratulations!
Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I believe all writers should read this post–very informative.
I’m glad it all worked out for you.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. It’s good to know that we newbie authors that did sign our contracts without researching the publushing company and lived to regret it, are not alone. Sad though, to know how many awful publishers are out there. Well done for breaking free, I know I feel so much better to be free of mine! 😀
Some lessons are learned the hard way. Thank you for passing on all this valuable info to other authors so they might possibly avoid the horrible mess you had to slog through.Best of luck in your future writing endeavours.
I would love to repost this on my blog..and I would love even more if you would stop by and allow me to promote you and your work. Your story is an inspiration and a guide post to other authors who are embarking on this journey.
Glad to hear this info. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the new releases!
Peace & Blessings:)
I’m not a fan of P &E. I have seen them bash decent publishers. That being said, if someone wants out of a contract let them go. Not everyone is a good fit and that not make me right and you wrong. It simply makes us individuals who didnt fit. I’m glad this was resolved for you and sickened a lawyer was required. That’s wrong on too many levels.
Happy to hear that everything is working out for you. I always look forward to reading your novels. I wish you the best, and am patiently awaiting your next novel.
oh, can’t tell you how glad I am you got away. There are so many bad publishers out there, its scary. I was fortunate and found absolutewrite before I started looking for a publisher. Its much like P&E and talks about every publisher under the sun, so you can find out which ones are good and which ones are bad. Saved my butt for sure!!!!
Three cheers for you for being so forthright and honest about your experience instead of covering it up. You have save many authors from the same fate. I applaud your actions and wish you the best. I might also recommend my publishing company, Secret Cravings, who has never missed a royalty payment and offers a fair and honest contract. We’d love to have you with us. Great post!
Reblogged this on Flossie Benton Rogers and commented:
Determined author fights to regain her rights.
I too went through this with this particular publisher back in 2010. In fact I was at the forefront of the initial explosion that led to RRP being exposed on both Dear Author and Preditors & Editors. And because I refused to tell my story anonymously I endured many very mean spirited and cruel attacks. My mother, who at the time was not an author was attacked as well. It was a nightmare. But I took RRP to court and won. My rights were one of the first to be returned. Now understand, I am one of only a small handful who have gotten their rights back. Its now 2013 and I know for a fact because so many of the authors contact me still asking for help on getting their rights back that with Yvonne, only about 6 people so far have gotten their rights back out of nearly 200 who are trying.
And if you don’t want to check preditors & editors then try Piers Anthony’s site. He also reviews publishers since he went through an experience with a bad publisher who tried to blacklist him as RRP tried to do with me. I know for a fact RRP is listed as a publisher on his site to avoid.
Ah, yes. I went the same route with a publisher that shall remain nameless and ended up buying my rights back because I never got paid either. I went the self-publishing route and have since published with two excellent small presses, Muse It Up out of Canada and Gypsy Shadow Publishing. Both are eBook publishers. I am trying to get an agent because I feel I need one to get to the next level but it’s been tough. Meanwhile I keep writing. I agree that Absolute Write, Piers Anthony and P&E are great, i also feel that agents/publishers listed on Querytracker are okay and I also check Writer Beware run by Victoria Strauss. I am much more cautious now than I used to be but I still get excited when I finish a book. I am in the process of writing a YA contemporary novella with historical elements I plan on self-publishing as soon as it’s done. I have a science fiction novel I am editing and will send out as soon as it’s ready. I have a YA contemporary just released in March, 2013 by Gypsy Shadow called HOW TO BE ALMOST FAMOUS IN TEN DAYS about a plus-size teen who feels “invisible” and wants to be seen. I’m doing a blog tour for it in June with Xpresso Books Blog tours. I feel that as writers we need to “pay it forward” to the writers just starting the process and blogs like this are so important. Thanks!
Reblogged this on Yvonne's Reviews & Stuff and commented:
If you find yourself trapped in small publishing hell, don’t fret. There is a way out.