She says she’s from the south? Holy hell I’ve met TONS of southern women and none of them are like that. They don’t take crap from anyone but they are more polite about it. Damn–is it me or can anyone own a business these days?

I wouldn’t have even noticed the publisher a couple of months ago, but all this NCP nonsense lost them a sale. I was wondering if they’d reformed, but seeing this makes me glad I didn’t buy the book. I feel bad for the author who lost a sale though. It might have been a better book than the one I did buy.

Cher

BTW, I lived in Valdosta, GA for a time when I was a child

Cher

The thing that once again I find almost unbelievable is this publisher’s seeming shocked response to an author’s words. For months the NCP author promotion loop at Yahoogroups has seemed virtually suppressed to posts by those viewed as traitors. (The last time I recall trying to post was to express condolences to the news that another author had lost a family member, and even this was not allowed through.) And suppression isn’t enough, apparently, when even author blogs are vulnerable to the whims of you copyrighted my words forwarded to you! scenarios. With these kind of suppressive tactics in place, I have to ask: what other kind of response did this publisher truly expect from those under NCP surveillance? For people to lay down like sheep and let the truth be gagged? Over the last few months I’ve read the many posts Ms. DePasture has sent out on the loop. I don’t quote her, I don’t re-post her words, I don’t distribute her posts. But I am one of those indeed fed up with what I feel is a practice of high-handed and hypocritical behavior. I may be wrong, but this is the feeling that her general tone leaves me with.

For my part, I did not promise, vow or agree to support the company, New Concepts Publishing. In my contract I agreed to promote my book, which I did. I therefore resent being reprimanded for not fulfilling a clause for which I did not agree to. Also, being a woman born and bred in the South, the sentiments and accusations reflected in Ms. DePasture’s latest post does NOT reflect the behavior and decorum that I was taught is the mark of a lady, whether that lady be Southern, Scottish or any other place on the planet.

No author knows this going in. There are a lot of good, reputable, honest e-publishers out there like Loose Id, The Wild Rose Press, Amber Quill Press…that treat their authors very, very well. I mean with respect for the author and their work. And being e-published doesn’t diminish the quality of the author’s work even a little bit. Good e-pubs are looking for quality work as well as print publishers. Just because you’re e-pubbed doesn’t mean you’re desperate or that it was easy for you to get published.

Kate Duffy stated a few months back on the Fog City Divas blog that at first she thought e-pubs didn’t have what it took to compete with print publishers but she admits she was wrong. She said “There’s gold in them there hills.”

I do think that e-pubs are willing to take a chance on a new author when a lot of print publishers aren’t. And I think it simply comes down to dollars. Print is expensive, no doubt about it. Not to mention the number of people it takes to get a novel on a bookstore shelf. Being e-pubbed is a lot less expensive even though an e-pub does have expenditures in publishing –editorial and cover costs for instance. I was lucky and also blessed that Loose Id gave me my first chance at publication. Working with an editor is a phenomenal experience. My writer’s learning curve went way, way up. I learned so much with that first book. So when I received my edits on the second one they were so minor I couldn’t believe it.

After the little Rocky Horror Publishing Show I’ve been through with NCP, I had firmly decided never to send anything to any e-pub again–at least one I had never worked with before. Then two days ago I received an invitation to submit to Amber Quill Press. I am going to consider it because my book would not only be electronic but print as well. However, my most immediate goal is to submit to print publishers first and foremost simply because I want the pleasure of walking into a brick and mortar store and seeing my little story on the shelf. I do have a complete ms on a print publishers desk at the moment that I’m still waiting to hear from. It’s been there OVER 2 years! One good thing about an e-pub is that the wait time is a lot less.

Cher