Harlequin Horizon: Pay-To-Play

Hi all,

There's been some controversy about what happened this past week with Harlequin Enterprises, the biggest romance publisher in the world.

For those of you who didn't hear, Harlequin's CEO decided to add on a little venture to the company's pasture. It's a vanity publisher that seems to be luring in authors (Harlequin Horizons). The name of the company might change, but the intent will probably stay the same. At the Harlequin Horizon's web site, there's a posted implication that if you pay to have your romance novel published - the same one that may have been rejected previously by Harlequin or a brand new one - Harlequin MIGHT pick up that vanity title for publication with one of their regular romance lines.

Harlequin isn't promising anything, but they're more than willing to take a lot of money from the would-be romance authors - authors who're willing to throw the dice. Nothing at the Harlequin Horizon's site is saying that practically every reputable agent, editor and writing organization has come out this week against Harlequin Horizon's vanity publishing model; Harlequin isn't telling the would-be authors that 'some' writing organizations won't even let authors published this way join their organizations.

You might say, why not let everyone get published like this? Why punish those who want to take the chance that their novel might be good enough to eventually be contracted as a Harlequin Romance? This is just elitism at its worst, you might say.

Really? Think about it...........

What happens if every publisher, editor and agent starts charging money to get all kinds of books published?

Answer:
Only the wealthiest of us will ever be able to see our stories released to the public.

That's right folks! If publishers follow this trend...only people with money will ever be able to get their books into the market. Publishers will start charging authors whatever the market will bear and every single author will have to pay that price if any of us wants to see romances published. Indeed, imagine a world where only folks with a lot of dough can release any fiction novel...non-fiction too.

Publishing is like any other business folks. If you wouldn't want to pay your boss for the privilege of coming to work everyday, then why would writers want to pay publishers? If you want books to keep coming out; books by your favorite authors...then the publishers should pay the authors to write. Simple enough.

Just think about it...that's all I'm asking.

The blog is open...what's your opinion?

Thanks all,
Candace Sams (aka C.S. Chatterly)
www.candacesams.com (paranormal titles)
www.cschatterly.com (erotica titles)

I put this together hoping people would pick up a new friend. Enjoy these warm, fuzzy faces!

Candace Sams (aka C.S Chatterly)

New Book Video - GRYPHON'S QUEST

Ms. Pershing replies to D. Knight

Okay here's Ms. Pershing's response to Ms. Knight (see the link below).

Clearly, the real issue may be who is and who isn't 'recognized' or whatever semantic is being used this year for who can and can't enter contests and come to conferences. If that term can be changed, the entire issue of the RITAS and conference attendance is changed as well.

My answer is simple ( well, it's simple to me).

Bring this recognition thing to a vote; indeed demand it! Then vote not to let the BOD of RWA make ANY recognition decisions in the future as that decision effects everyone in the organization. Write this refusal into the bylaws! Write a bylaw that states the membership must approve ALL recognition issues and this is to be done in open, public forums....by a vote of the majority. Of course...some will argue that the rest of us are too stupid to understand the business so they need to make these decisions for us (oh....they're already making that assumption, aren't they and while not understanding certain new aspects of the business themselves....how curious).

If that means that we all (everyone in RWA) have to fight for six months or more to get some kind of rule with which we can live, then let's do it. If the rule we write ends up needing to be changed to meet new kinds of publishing options, then let EVERYONE in the org. vote and not just 60 or so people behind closed doors. Yes....this may take a lot of time, but the alternative is to have most of the membership not vote or act as though they don't care (oh, wait.....that's already happening, isn't it?).

As it is, the only thing I've ever been asked to vote for are strike-throughs in the bylaws - wording changes that don't make a whole lot of difference. Important decisions are all made behind closed doors and by people who never offered any clue as to how they'd vote OR that they'd decide whether my books were 'recognized' at all! Since their books usually are recognized and mine usually aren't....well....two plus two always equaled four when I went to school. You figure out whose interests are being best served.

There's another option...........don't recognize anyone BUT authors! Tell publishers/agents that if they want to come to the conferences, there's a certain amount of space....first come, first served and they must pay their own way. Makes sense to me since a majority of pubs and a lot of agents aren't contracting from conferences anyhow. Oh....most of them ask to see the authors' manuscripts, but how many authors actually get contracted due to a conference face-to-face session? If RWA is paying to have pubs and agents there....RWA is, in effect, supporting and recognizing those entities. RWA is saying that 'these publishers and agents are okay'....those who aren't allowed to come 'aren't okay'.

Just my opinion here.....but I'm getting sick of letting someone else protect my rights when they seem to be doing everything to keep me from competing......and I'm paying the same exact dues to get treated this way? My money goes to supporting a system that won't let me compete? Is this even legal under the nonprofit laws of the State of Texas - the same exact laws under which RWA was formed?

As to the RITAS.....the contest should be about the best STORIES....not the way the books are being published or distributed (The way it stands, the RITAS are about hailing a few NY pubs - those who can pay the one grand advance! Again, this is just another way to support certain publishers who put out certain BOD members' books). RWA needs to go look at some of its chapters' contests, find out what those chapters do and then model the RITAS after them; those contests seem to cause so much less angst for some reason. Perhaps that's because all our dues go to the RITA ceremonies when most of us can't compete? And all while certain members tout the RITAS as being the 'industry standard'. The standard of what? How a book is printed and how it gets distributed....NOT whether it's the best story.

Okay....my cauldron stirring on this issue is about done. You decide. As for me.....I'll look out for my own interests. Ms. Pershing.....please don't do me any favors....all you and some BOD members have done thus far is to keep my book from competing against yours in certain venues....why would anyone be afraid of competition? Deep down.........I fear that's what this recognition thing is really all about. You insist that we should all make a fair living from this business while simultaneously telling us that 'your' idea of a fair living is the only one that matters. Members never even knew all this would happen; it was done so conveniently where we couldn't see or hear about it until it was too late.
No wonder the majority is silent.....

http://espan-rwa.com/rwa-president-pershing-responds/

D. Knight right on the money

Has anyone seen D. Knight's post concerning RWA and its president's position on e-published or small press authors?

I personally thought Ms. Knight was right on the money. What about you?

http://espan-rwa.com/the-digital-age-and-rwa-a-call-for-change/

Above is the link if you didn't get to read it. I think the opposition (and I mean this in every sense of the word) means to post tomorrow or thereabouts. What the ($*#! are they so afraid of)?

Stirring the cauldron again,

Candace Sams (aka C.S. Chatterly)

Welcome Everyone

Hi all,

I just wanted to put up a welcoming post and let you know that you can say what you please....I particularly want to welcome anyone who writes paranormal romance, but you can chat at will. So...what's up? Who'd like to gripe, complain, compliment or fly a broom like me?