Financial Problems At Elloras Cave?
Thursday, March 12, 2009Posted in: e-book publishers behaving badly?, Elloras Cave
Is there trouble at the Elloras Cave mill, I wonder?
I got this e-mail last night:
I’m surprised this isn’t out. EC was supposed to mail January royalty checks on Feb 25th, then an e-mail went out from management claiming that because they changed banks the checks were delayed. As of last Friday or so, they were still ‘working on sending out’ the Feb 25th checks. Authors are grumbling about it but nobody is saying anything to management that I know of.
I’m personally not saying anything because if you start asking questions you tend to end up on the ‘shit’ list.
Another author, one who has a huge following, …. is one of their highest sellers said she’s only been paid on time ONCE in the last twelve months and there is fear that something is seriously amiss in paradise, so to speak. I asked her what she thought was going on – poor fiscal management was the response. Now what that means is anybody’s guess, but I can say that I’m still waiting on my money.
I have no doubt that the authors will eventually get paid, but late payments would suggest that EC’s ship may not be as steady as it used to be.
Any anon authors out there willing to confirm or deny?
Thanks to you-know-who for the tip-off
Insomniac EC Author
March 12
8:15 am
Checks are late, and yes, there was an email about switching banks. Over the last year, I’ve noticed my checks arrive a bit later each time. As to the shit list, yeah… The last time checks were late around Thanksgiving a few authors piped up on the EC loop and a certain author brought an unholy smack down to all the dissenters. Really left a bad taste in my mouth…
Karen Scott
March 12
8:23 am
I bet that author was Ann Jacobs.
She’s a bit of a Stepford suck-up. *g*
Amarinda Jones
March 12
8:25 am
Never have any probs with my cheque.I live in Oz so mine are always a week late but that’s to be expected with the overseas mail.
Insomniac EC Author
March 12
8:26 am
Ooh! Damn you’re good! And now that I’ve stirred the poo pot, I’m off to bed.
Angelia Sparrow
March 12
9:25 am
Mine isn’t here. My partner in Toledo, who gets hers a day before mine hasn’t gotten one.
Print checks were supposed to be cut the 10th. I’m just hoping to get paid in time for the convention in a week.
Mari
March 12
12:24 pm
I haven’t gotten my “Feb 25th” check either. I haven’t been happy there for a long time, so this is not too surprising. I’m not of the preferred there, so anything of mine is merely a minor annoyance to them.
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authorette
March 12
1:04 pm
I got mine! Two, in fact …. but not the really big one I’ve been waiting for.
Rosemary Laurey
March 12
1:15 pm
Mine came too. A bit late but it got here also print royalties for Dec 08.
Anion
March 12
1:28 pm
I’ve never had a problem getting my checks on time; they’re always postmarked with the correct date.
Shiloh Walker
March 12
2:39 pm
I haven’t ever had trouble getting mine.
Anonymous
March 12
3:03 pm
Haven’t got mine and friends I’ve spoken with haven’t received theirs either. I don’t know if this is a sign of financial difficulty but I know it irritates me to no end. Other publishers, that shall not be named, are able to get their royalties to thier authors on time, so why can’t EC?
Teddypig
March 12
3:13 pm
Not a good sign when some report nothing wrong and yet other authors are wondering where it is. In a normal business it should be the same batch of checks right? Not just some are handled before others.
Lauren Dane
March 12
3:53 pm
I’m finally at the point where I’m so frustrated I’m going to say something. I’m sure I’ll live to regret it, but this is simply one more thing in a long line of things -but messing with my money is a huge problem in my book.
Still waiting for my January royalties and I’m not the only one. According to my contract, they should have been mailed on the 25th of February. That did not happen. We were told on March 3 that the royalties would be late and would “hopefully” arrive soon (I’ll skip the whys out of respect for the privacy of the note and loop). This went to all authors subbed to that loop.
I’m afraid I find that very unsatisfying.
Postmarks don’t mean “on time” by the way, it means postmarks. I can postmark things any date i want if I had a pitney bowes machine. My experience with mail arriving on time when it contains a royalty check has gotten more and more frustrating.
Sylvia Day
March 12
4:30 pm
I’ve received two checks in the last two weeks (print and e-book come separately). One was printed and mailed on Feb. 25th.
Karen Scott
March 12
4:43 pm
If Loyalty cheques are supposed to be sent out at the same time, I wonder why some people receive them on time, and others don’t? Is this a favouritism thing?
Your face fits, so you can have your money on time, yours doesn’t, so you’ll have to wait?
Or maybe they’re weighing up who they can afford to piss off the least/most?
Heather Holland
March 12
5:06 pm
I will admit to having had problems with them in the past, but the issues were worked out and all’s been running smoothly ever since. I’ve always been paid on time, as well.
Teddypig
March 12
5:38 pm
Did Gail Northman resign again Lauren?
*Sorry, where is that handbasket?*
Amarinda Jones
March 12
5:56 pm
G’day Karen…I don’t believe it’s a conspiracy theory when it comes to cheques. They arrive when they arrive and no, I’m not towing any company line but my own. I’m in this for me. I also think that while we all write for the dosh, none of us can ever be sure if a cheque will be $5.50 or $500 or whatever. So yes, while it’s nice to know what you’ve sold, all publisher money goes up and down and it’s not a reliable wage that can ever be counted on.
Anon
March 12
7:01 pm
Mine arrived last week. But all my publishers have been late with checks this month. I write for 5 e-pubs.
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Angelia Sparrow
March 12
8:10 pm
Lately, most of my pubs seem to have had some trouble getting checks out on time. Naomi’s arrived today. Mine should show tomorrow.
I’ve been through this with Ellora and Phaze both in the last few months. With Phaze, there were about a dozen of us caught in a computer glitch that coded the envelopes wrong. We got our checks, a bit late and with many apologies.
Ellora was excellent about on-time payments early last year. They seldom took more than a week after the 25th. Since about October, the checks have been showing later and later. This is the latest yet. I do understand a bank move will slow things down.
Fae
March 12
8:46 pm
My co-author and I haven’t gotten ours, but while it’s annoying it’s not worrisome just yet I don’t think. Mostly annoying for me because I’m waiting to see how my most recent release sold, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be annoyed.
An update would be nice, though, sort of a “Okay, they’ve all gone out, look for them!” thing.
Nonny
March 12
9:29 pm
Don’t mind me, subscribing for e-mailed comments. >_>
TJ Michaels
March 13
12:37 am
No check. No update on why there is no check. And regardless of whether the income should be counted on or not (it’s true, you never know what it’s going to be) I still expect to get paid on time. And that’s just good business.
Do I like writing for EC? Sure. But it’s a business arrangement. So even if my check is $1 I expect to see it in a timely manner. The company I contract for has changed banks more than once. Did they still meet payroll? Yep.
I don’t know what’s up. It may be nothing. But not hearing an update leads one to think the worst.
Anon
March 13
2:20 am
When it comes to money the words “most” (as in most checks) and “hopefully” (as in hopefully be done soon) should never be used. Although I’ve received both my checks I find the lack of updates, and the lack of definitive information in the single update we received, appalling and the fact that emails inquiring about the checks going unanswered unprofessional. Bank changes happen all the time in corporate America. I suspect though, that there is more than we’re being told and there is probably a reason why we’re not being told such things.
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