I was just over at Desiree Erotique’s blog, where she’s got a post up, outlining her latest conversation with James Lightsey, NCP Author Liaison Extraordinaire.

She writes:

“Yesterday I finally received a reply to my email sent to Andrea DePasture at NCP, in which I informed her of my request to be released from my contract, and the reasons thereof. Now the reply I got didn’t come from Andrea, it came from james lightsey…..

The content gist of Mr. lightsey’s reply was to inform me that NCP is only required to pay royalties twice a year (something I already knew) and an allusion to something about their trying to pay quarterly in order to make it easier for the staff. None of this addressed the situation that the royalty statement he’d last sent reflected earnings made in the last quarter of 2007, which should be, logically, reflective of the monies he’d promised to send by a check.

He proceeded to tell me that my attempt to renege on my contract was being rejected and that I would not be let out. I had never used the word renege so this was one he’d come up with on his own. So I replied to him by asking if by renege he meant this- and I pasted his assurance emailed on February 19th to send the check out that week.

Not surprising, he did not respond.

This correspondence left me with the feeling that since the check hasn’t yet arrived Mr. lightsey had changed his mind about sending it, and furthermore had no intention of sending it any time soon.

Later in the day, my husband contacted Mr. lightsey and sent him as exhibit a copy of the very sales statement Mr. lightsey had forwarded to me some weeks before. My husband let him know that according to the language of my contract NCP was in fact in breach. To this Mr. lightsey responded with the claim my check had already been sent, and Mr. lightsey went on to tell my husband that he could stick that in his exhibit. My husband then replied to Mr. lightsey that, indeed, all his correspondences do go into his exhibit.”

If Mr Lightsey was in my employ, I’d have to sack him because quite frankly he comes across as an unprofessional, incompetent fool. NCP obviously don’t care that he makes them look even more ridiculous than they did before.

Des later had a confirmation from one of the owners, Andrea DePasture, that they wont be releasing her from her contract. In that case, why don’t they at least pay her?

They’re blaming the lack of royalty payments on book-keeping errors. What a load of bollocks.

I’d say they were having financial difficulties and are struggling to pay their authors.

UPDATE

Ahem just posted James Lightsey’s latest ramblings in the comments section. It’s a doozey.

Here’s an excerpt:

About Exclusivity
The is a powerful word, in our contract where it says “the rights” the means exclusive. While it is possible to sell your print rights to one publisher and e-book rights to another publisher.

No publisher will ever knowingly buy the rights to a book that have been sold elsewhere. That would be like going to pick up the new car you just bought and finding out that three other people bought the same car. When you buy a car, you don’t buy the exclusive rights,
it is understood that by buying it that you are buying the exclusive rights.

You have only ‘one’ print rights and only ‘one’ e-book rights. To sell a thing that you only have one of many times would be immoral, unethical, and beyond a doubt illegal.

Oh. My. God.

You’d think the higher-ups at NCP would have taken away his keyboard by now.

He continues:

About Civility

I am at a loss to explain why there has been this breakdown in civility. It seems all that we get anymore, particularly from some of the new authors are demands and threats. The only thing that I can figure is that we somehow picked up some of the problem authors from some of the defunct e-pubs.

As for contract release, as I stated before, Ms DePasture is reviewing the booklist for books that can come down(WHICH MEANS CONTRACT RELEASE) No demands, threats, tantrums, or team of lawyers will get a book released before its expiration date unless Ms Depature approves it.

james

Jesus. Effing. Christ.

Say it with me folks, FUCKTARD.