I chose to be with DEP because my writing partner, Auburnimp had good dealings with them and I chatted extensively with Debra and most of her staff before I sent anything to them. I have no complaints about DEP, and only the highest regard for the entire DEP staff. They’ve been terrific from start to finish and I am pleased to say I was with DEP. And if Debra can ever come back to epublishing I’ll be the first in line with new book proposals cheering her on.

Yes epublishing can be risky for the authors, but so can pro publishing. I’ve heard many stories of bad edits, non-payment and other terrible incidents with pro published authors. No, they don’t go out of business if someone dies, but they do get bought out by bigger companies fairly often and that too can be a nightmare.

Try talking to Piers Anthony about his book, “But What of Earth” sometime, or find a copy of the book that details what happened to him when that book was first published. It’s a real eye opener, and it’s far worse than most of the things that can happen to an author dealing with epublishers.

Dark Eden Press might be gone, but I can tell you I won’t ever forget them. They were a class act run by one of the most professional and fun bunch of people I’ve had the pleasure of working with.

Get well Debra. We need you back, if for no other reason than to show people how this business should be done: with class.

Dark Eden is being handled with rare consideration for its authors. Ms Durham is returning full rights to her authors (after having added the value of professional editng) -’ and many publishers will look favorably on a book someone else bought (for the same reason it is easier to find a job while you are still working someplace else)… Frankly, as an author, I'd rather have my rights returned to me than have the books shuffled (without my consent) to another owner/editor who might not do as good a job. So returning the rights, to me, would be preferable to having her find a buyer for her business (though selling would certainly be financially better for Ms Durham).

Couldn’t have said it better, Patricia. I am also grateful to Angela for her supportive post and am proud to be an author with Samhain.

Although I have 3 novel length releases at Dark Eden Press and contracts for future work, my only concern is Deb’s prognosis. And if I were in her shoes, more likely than not, I’d be falling apart in a pool of self-pity. Not Deb; she is answering emails, seeking cover rights where she can and searching for potential publishers. She has also received submission offers from publishers and made them available to DE authors. Due to her incredible consideration, I know there will not be a single buyer left in the lurch.

Farewell, Dark Eden Press.
Get well, Debra.

It isn’t a matter of not having enough sympathy for someone who is seriously ill. It’s not a matter of any lack of understanding on the part of anyone involved. It’s a matter of good business.
The bottom line is that anyone who starts up a business where they are selling a product to the public, taking on the responsibility of hiring employees and contracting work (from authors) should have a plan in place for handling emergencies.
If you have a day job, imagine what would happen if your boss suddenly became seriously ill and no one in the company could get their paychecks because the boss was the only one who had the combination to the safe where the checks are kept. I’m sure you would have a lot of sympathy for your boss, and you would certainly care whether or not he/she lived or died, but the fact remains that you need your paycheck. Car payments have to be made, mortgages have to be paid and groceries have to be bought regardless of the state of your boss’ health. In a good, well-run business, there are at least one, if not two, other people who could handle something like this.
Getting back to the publishing house issue, it’s also not just a matter of a bunch of selfish authors who want their rights and royalties. Books have been purchased (paid for) by readers, and the books were never delivered. These readers have no idea that the owner is ill or in the hospital-’especially when their email queries go unanswered. They just want a book in return for the $11.95 that was charged to their credit card or deducted from their checking account. Is that being selfish? I don’t think so, because from their POV, they’re not dealing with a person who might have fallen ill. They think they’re dealing with a business and good businesses don’t leave people hanging this way.

I tend to think of everything as a learning experience. I have a homebased business with my husband and right at this moment if something happened to me, he would be up a creek without a paddle… I intend to fix that, and soon… I have the management in place to handle things, but he needs to be aware of where the accounts are, and how to file the fricking taxes (which he avoids)…

Most businesses are started by one or possibly two people, and most would fail if said owners died or suffered serious health problems. That would be normal in any business. Not everybody starts out as a solid corporation, and some of those corporations aren’t that damn solid. *shrugs*

Thank you. Your post goes to show that yes, even as little as six months ago, a company like yours, as big as it is, would have had serious problems had something awful happened. Our company is not even a year old.

Also, I agree with Patricia. It does not sit well with me in the mass selling of my authors contracts. What if I sold them to a house that eventually treated them badly? Or were sold to a company that some of my authors didnt like and were stuck with because company Z bought their contract. I would rather release them and let the author research a place that is a good fit for THEM, not a good fit for me or my pocketbook. I recommended a few publishing houses that I thought were good, and they will make their own choices in deciding where they want to be.

Debra

Samhain is still young, and as early as six months ago, if Crissy or I were murdered in our sleep, the company would have faltered, though I don’t think my loss would have shut the company down, just forced some restructuring. Until recently, Crissy was the only one who really knew the ins and outs of the royalties. But that’s since changed and I believe that if something were to happen to her, the office staff and myself could drag the company along in a reasonable manner and then eventually get back to kicking epublishing ass :P

Now, were we both to die a fiery death when flying to Australia in August, I think the company’s growth would slow, while those remaining picked up the pieces, but the company wouldn’t have to close,no.

The fact is, we’ve worked really hard to build a staff of capable, competent, intelligent people on all sides of the business and they could continue on without us.

Of course, I would be deeply, deeply missed and if you’re Crissy and are reading this, I am truly irreplaceable. No one can do what I do. Ever.

But back to being serious, I think, speaking of Samhain, as each year passes, the stability of the company and its ability to survive the loss of one of us will continue to increase. But I hope we never have to find out the truth of that, and I’m sorry that Dark Eden, Debra, and the authors did.

If they don’t have a plan in place, this brings up a valid concern for them to address, for the continued health of their company.

However, that does not take away from the fact that publishing in the ebook market is less stable than the NY houses. Just as publishing in a small press is less stable than large press. And that adds to the feeling that ebooks are not “real” publishing.

…the instability in epublishing. That is not an attack on anyone, in my opinion. It just is a fact.

Not an attack, Jane, but something of a sweeping and rather harsh generalization. Maybe “the potential instability of sole-proprietor epubs” would’ve come closer to nailing the truth. I tend to doubt that all of epublishing is in a rickety, rocking bucket.

I’m grateful to find out when unethical behavior is behind e-pubs closing/weird stuff going on so I can withhold my dollars from those places. In light of the NCP discussion and the stories about other unscrupulous e-pubs shafting authors etc. I really felt the post about DEP was lumping them in with the bad apples out there.

I wish Ms. Durham all the best in her difficult health situation.

Jane, your right that it is a risky business and that yes, even a profitable house can close. My opinion was that DEP, and its authors, should not be lumped with what is being considered a ‘bad' publisher

Ah – this is a case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

If it means anything, I didn’t perceive that at all from Jane’s post. Her post, to me was more of a cautionary tale to authors like she said, not so much the way you are describing it or making it out to be. The different perspectives from one post is quite interesting.

As for people being selfish in this thread – diagree with that assessment, too. No one is being cruel or insincere here. People are asking practical questions that any author would ask if associated with an epub that is closing its doors.

If I had more time, then yes I would have looked for someone to buy the company outright, or purchase the contracts. But the reality is I do not. It is as simple as that.

Jane, your right that it is a risky business and that yes, even a profitable house can close. My opinion was that DEP, and its authors, should not be lumped with what is being considered a ‘bad’ publisher.

Ann, thank you so much for the support. I dont consider any of the comments as having a go at me. As far as most are concerned we are just another publisher that is closing. Nor do I consider any comments insensitive. I am old hat at the cancer thing, believe me, and certain questions and comments are going to be asked and said in this type of situation, it is to be expected.

Debra

I’m sorry to hear about the illness of DEP’s owner and wish her the best of luck with her treatments. Too many people I know have suffered through the devastation of cancer and if we took half the energy we’ve just spent complaining about the trivial matter of epublishing and spent that on something worthwhile like cancer treatment maybe we’d actually get something important done.

Authors should be aware that good, honest people can end up with the same results as dishonest and unscrupulous ones.

Thus the metaphor of “on the rocks,” which simply means *in peril* — not ‘let’s celebrate another closure’ or ‘those dirty epubs’ or ‘they’re all stinkin’ liars’ or ‘how dare they.’ In peril. And sadly, it’s not a surprise anymore, because the business structure of so very many of these epresses seems so very fragile to begin with, even those run by perfectly well-intentioned, responsible folks.

I doubt that Berkley or Avon or Bantam would close its doors if its CEO got cancer. I even wonder if EC or Samhain would. Small businesses do open and close all the time, it’s true. There is a relatively high fail rate for small businesses in almost any market.

But Ms. Durham’s situation should be a cautionary tale for e authors that in this business, even a honest, hard working epublisher can go belly up due to an unforeseen malady to its owner. One person is all that the success relies upon. That’s pretty risky. The closing of Dark Eden Press actually amplifies the riskiness in epublishing, in my opinion, because the business, as Ms. Durham stated, was profitable and growing but still is closing down.

Authors should be aware that good, honest people can end up with the same results as dishonest and unscrupulous ones.

I think asking a sick woman over and over why the business isn’t being sold, even when she’s explained why, is ‘having a go’. If you know about the realities of cancer treatment, then I’m surprised you can’t see this. Exposing bad apples, corrupt practices and shoddy ethics is absolutely the right thing to do. But there’s nothing to expose here but a private tragedy, and unless you’ve got evidence to the contrary, I really disagree with your stance, and the way the information was presented in this post.

I should add I have no personal knowledge of Ms Durham at all, never communicated with her, am not one of her authors or colleagues. I’m going on what she’s said and you’ve said in public.

This is the time to publish facts. Not spin.