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.