Comments on: REVIEW: Triskelion Bankruptcy Update: Schedule of Assets and Liabilities Filed

By: Lynne Connolly

Lynne Connolly — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:32:22 +0000

I wouldn’t call it tragic, Ciar.
We’re in a business where for every published author there are at least 20 waiting to take her place. That’s the basis of all these problems right there - there’ll be another one along in a minute.
So you take a risk. I love e-publishing, and I never want to leave, but this is one of the risks. You have to have a certain profile to be a successful e-author and one of them is the ability to roll with the punches, to take them and carry on. You have to balance the risks, minimise them as much as you can and then go for it.
I’ve been asked for some work by New York publishers but my e-publishing background gives me a little more choice, and I can be more selective.
I’m still not leaving e-publishing.
What keeps me going is the fact that I write anyway. So I just carry on.

By: Linn Random

Linn Random — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:09:17 +0000

-OMG—if this all wasn’t so terribly tragic!!!!! I’ve clicked on the links to the article and the absolutely hands down terrific rebuttal by Brenda Lyons who lays the facts out–go read her thoughts on the same page as the article. Then I clicked on to Magical Media…and there is Kristi Studts’ new business!!! She also does book covers on Magical, and aren’t those the Triskelion Covers???? I see Lynn Connelly’s Diamonds of Ice..so I click trhru to Lynn Warren’s and would you believe….yep, it takes you to Lynn Warren’s site, and there are the two dogs who are featured on the Ron Studts real estate website. Holy Cow!–isn’t anyone at the bankruptsy court watching!!!!! I am dumbfounded by this. Thank you Dear Author!!–for keeping us informed and doing such an amazing job. If I ever need a private investigator….I know who can get the goods!!!! Linn

By: Linn Random

Linn Random — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:06:33 +0000

Karen, I’ve heard the rumors too. And there are a lot of authors who aren’t being paid, a former editor who built the place is owed over $ 1900–that I know for a fact. I’ve also heard that owners might just walk away from MGP and form a new publishing company. (How can they do that???) I hate it if it happens because the ebook industry doesn’t need another black eye especially in light of the Triske fiasco. As they say……stay tuned. Linn

By: Karen Scott

Karen Scott — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 19:02:20 +0000

And there is one more yet bad apple who is waiting in the wings, I fear.

Rumour has it that Mardi Gras publishing isn’t too far away from folding. I’m willing to believe those rumours.

By: Linn Random

Linn Random — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 18:15:05 +0000

Like Ciar, I also tried to warn any new authors who would listen about Triskelion –way back when–by telling them that the actual address of Triskelion was a UPS drop box in Surprise, AZ and other perils that lay ahead. I worry that my voice wasn’t loud enough and I just absolutely grieve for the authors caught in this tangled web. Kristi and Ron come from Real Estate and I believe Ron still owns a real estate company. When I got one of my nasty letters from the Studts, Ron signed as President–this was in 2005/2006, so he’s always been involved though Kristi ran the company. as Ciar stated Kristi writes under the pen name of Lynn Warren. ( I fondly refer to that awful period as Triskelion Wars-and at the end of the day, got all my rights back—what a blessing!! in light of the developements) This combined with the sad state of affairs with Silk Vault just puts a bad light on an otherwise brilliant industry of ebooks. And there is one more yet bad apple who is waiting in the wings, I fear. I hope when all this passes, readers, writers, authors will be able to move on and see a few very bad apples don’t spoil the barrel. I hope that the authors trapped in this vortex of deceit and betrayal have a representative to meet in September and have a voice in the future of their novels. God Bless, I am watching and praying this will end well. Linn

By: Shiloh Walker

Shiloh Walker — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 00:26:30 +0000

coming in late on this but I had just had to chime in. I am so frickin glad that I had the rights for my books with them returned to me in 2006. Our parting of ways was amicable and came about due to some issues we couldn’t work around. At the time, it was a huge headache. Now I see it as a blessing in disguise.

By: RfP

RfP — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 05:58:09 +0000

The Arizona Republic has a new article (24 Aug) on Triskelion, focusing on the impact on authors.

If the first Republic article above is correct that the owners of Triskelion are starting a new business in the Phoenix area, all this reportage can’t be good for their startup.

By: Treva Harte

Treva Harte — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 20:33:23 +0000

Yeah, you can gross that kind of money and better in e-publishing. Of course if you do, and you want to keep making that kind of money, you have to pay out most of it in royalties, cover art, bookkeeping, editoral payments, etc. etc. and do it timely and accurately, not just for a year but for as long as you stay in business. Your return isn’t going to be what you gross–trying that gets you into illegal activity. Oh, and you do have work your butt off.

Treva

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 02:21:45 +0000

If anyone thinks Trisk authors saw very much of this $300K you are sadly mistaken. If you looked in more detail at the bankruptcy documents, Kristi Studts paid herself a very suspicious high-dollar amount for ‘royalties’ in July 2006. My feeling is that Trisk went bust, not because of some rush to print, but because something fishy was going on with the handling of money within the company itself. How anyone can justify paying themselves a salary when their bills go unpaid is beyond me. I am also guessing that the $80,000 in credit card debt was not credit used solely for business purposes. I am so curious to see how this all plays out in court.

It’s sad that a person (who may have been dishonest no matter what business she was in) has made epubs look bad.

Regarding the print vs epub. While I may post this anonymously (I’m a chicken, sue me) I can honestly say before I knew of epubs I wanted to be in print and whether I have a successful career in epubs, I still want to be in print.

By: Cynthianna Appel

Cynthianna Appel — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 21:49:36 +0000

Yeah, it’s sad to think that my books helped that “banner year” of 2006, and yet I only got one month’s royalty check for my print book that came out over a year ago.

I doubt I’ll ever find out how much it sold over all–and is still selling. (It’s stlll at Amazon and could be in bookstores through out the US.)

It’s a “live and learn” process in the e-publishing world. I’m sticking with the publishers who treat me like a human being–regardless of sales. If they treat me right–I’ll stick with them for my contract length. But if anyone ever starts acting up like Trisk did… I will be out of there faster than the speed of light!