I received this email from author Roslyn Holcomb yesterday with regards to Elloras Cave delaying royalty payments:

So here’s the story: My book, Drawing the Stud was published by them on July 26, 2013. It went up on the third party sites (Amazon, B&N, ARe) shortly thereafter. My first checks from them were paltry, which isn’t surprising because I know the third party vendors pay in arrears. So, for a book that came out in July, they would pay EC in November, which means I should’ve gotten my money in December.

That didn’t happen. Supposedly it takes them two months to process it. Fine. January then. No checks. No fucking explanation. So they say wait two weeks after the end of the month to inquire. That was January 14, I sent an email to them. No answer. Next day I sent an email to the address for contracts. No answer. I emailed my editor and she gave me a third email address. No fucking answer. Finally by Saturday I’d had enough of this shit, so I emailed all the addresses and told them if I hadn’t heard back from them by noon on Monday I was going public with this bullshit. In response I got this email:

Please see the message posted on ec_biz/ec_biz2. That is our official and announced communication method to authors – all authors are expected to be subscribed and check all postings promptly. If something is posted there, we do not send individual emails. If you do not maintain active reading of that announcement list, you are missing important information. (And please do take the time to read the Cave Communique newsletters for lots of good info.)

Apparently, there was nothing on the Elloras Cave loop addressing the late checks business that morning, however they finally got round to posting some information on the loop. The gist of the posts were as follows (I’m paraphrasing folks):

‘Sorry for the delay in posting the October royalty statements, we have a new accounting system and we’ve have been experiencing technical difficulties.

We are also short-staffed in the accounting department so please be fucking patient. You’ll get the checks as soon as possible. Pinky swear.’

There was also a reminder that they aren’t obligated to pay the royalty checks monthly, as the official contracts say that they pay quarterly. In other words ‘Listen you whinging fucking bitches, we don’t have to pay you motherfuckers monthly, we choose to, so sit the fuck down and be grateful for what you get, even though there’s been an unspoken understanding that the checks will be processed monthly, for years now.’

There was then a reassurance that once the system starts working properly again, and the new staff are fully trained, they will endeavour to mail out the checks asap.

Reassuring huh?

Apparently then, there was also another communication, this time from Raelene Gorlinsky (the publisher) who basically apologized for the delay in responding to the issues, but gee golly, she’d been at a conference all week and hadn’t managed to check her emails because there were so many, oh and by the way, she’s still not going to be able to deal with the crap because she’s got some personal stuff that needs to be handled so it might be a few weeks before any of these issues can be resolved, so yeah, fuck you and your problems authors. Or something like that.

Anyway, Roslyn obviously wasn’t happy, she wrote to me:

Now seriously, do they think I rode over on the motherfucking Mayflower? I know bullshit when I’m reading it. Nobody in their right mind tries to implement a new accounting system in December, or even in the fall of the year. That’s year end closeout and they back right up on having to have tax forms out in January. Nobody’s that fucking stupid. These bitches are broke as all hell and holding on to people’s money so they can rob Peter to pay Paul.

It’s like they’re playing directly from the disintegrating epub playbook. Accounting systems. Dead people, etc… So knowing your authors hadn’t been paid you went off to some goddamned conference (who they hell has conferences in January?) Shouldn’t paying your authors be consideration number one. I’m so pissed right now I can’t see straight. So I sit here now without my fucking check. Money they’ve had for two goddamned months now. I’ve got a special needs child who needs a $600 tricycle and these bitches playing fast and loose with the cash.

Of course it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that EC are struggling, I’d love to see their financials. It’s clear thought that they give nary a fuck about their authors, because if they did, they wouldn’t be so lax with regards to paying them in a timely manner.

Anybody else having issues that you want to share? If so, you can email me at hairylemony @ gmail.com, (minus the spaces of course)

Honestly, I’m bleeding surprised that they’re still in business.

Anyway, Elloras Cave…