Just let the writer write

Okay, so you all know you cannot at any time have sex without a condom. There are diseases you can get and there’s the whole pregnancy thing and some would say it’s not ‘nice’ dealing with sticky stuff. What? You've heard all that before?  It’s not what you believe?  Oh, you don’t care for the dictates of others? You’re saying you can do as your conscience sees fit and you are aware of consequences? Wow…well, okay, if you have a mind of your own that’s your choice. 

Here’s the thing, stories are just that – made up fiction. An author has an idea. They write it. It may or may not be based on their beliefs. A reader buys a story and reads it. The reader has a mind of their own. They read and evaluate using their belief system. It’s a no-brainer really. When someone reads a story with vampire sex – chances are pretty slim of sleeping with a vampire  - but if the question came up then the reader would make a decision based on her beliefs and not on what was written in a story. Sex with a condom or without a condom – same thing. A reader isn’t instantly going to change her sexual preferences based on whether a writer has a to semen or not to semen ethic. And writers? Hell, they’re not responsible if you get pregnant by a gargoyle just because the heroine in their story did. Gargoyle sex is a personal preference and not a decree by an author.

No writer is ever going to say in a story have sex or don’t have sex or use a condom or don’t use a condom or don’t ride a cowboy or be sucked by a vampire during sex or have gay sex, lesbian sex, man on the moon sex, clown sex…ok, I am going to draw the line at clown sex because clowns are creepy. It's no ones business what anyone else does - except for the clown thing of course. That'll send you straight to hell.

  

The thing is everyone is accountable for their own lives. No book or story or any piece of romantic or erotic fiction is going to make you do something you know in your heart you’re morally against. I wouldn’t expect that of anyone. I do, however, think some publishers are getting sillier by the second when they assume readers cannot make judgments for themselves and that as publishers, what makes their teeth grit, is not necessarily a moral indicator of what’s good and bad in the world. Sure, sure, they know what the trends are. They don’t want to buck the system. Buck it I say. Let the individual decide for themselves. Trends only come about when someone challenges the norm. 

Years ago, when I was writing for Ellora’s Cave, and every hero had to have condoms on or else you wouldn’t get published -  it’s probably still the same at EC -  I had a reader email me saying she liked one of my stories but she was – SICK OF CONDOMS!!!! I CAN MAKE MY OWN DECISIONS ABOUT SEX!  STOP THE CONDOMS! Yes, it was all in capitals. I’ve never forgotten it. I have it somewhere in my files. And I thought then as I do now, yep the woman is right. Readers are individuals who will read sex on their terms and make decisions based on their beliefs as to whether there is latex snapped on or not. 

Just let the writer write.           

Aisle...Isle...I'll....

First up, let me say I really am enjoying the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K Hamilton. I’m a big fan of Jean Claude…not so much of the werewolves she mixes with but then I’m a vamp girl.

Anyway, I was reading another instalment in the series today and a typo in the paperback was doing my head in. Yes, yes, I know typos abound in books especially ebooks and not every editor and final editor is going to pick them all up. But, I expect a reputable publisher and not a fly-by-nighter e-pubber to pick up something simple like the fact that ‘isle’ does not mean the same as ‘aisle.’ I read it three times, in three different places, in a short space of time, and I had to put the book down. The two words have two different meanings and neither is the slightest bit similar nor can it be blamed the whole UK versus USA spelling.

Hmmm…at least they didn’t use “I’ll”….

       

Buck it...

So, there is always drama in romance writing land. Porn versus romance. This writer hates that writer. Help me, but I won’t help you. Crap editors. Horrible covers from cover artists who think all women are stick thin.  And then there are the Publishers.  This comment, about the crapacious and unprofessional Noble Romance Publishing, was on the Karen Knows Best blog and it pretty much sums up the ebook industry and the half arsed publishers in it.   

"I'm throwing up my hands with most publishers at this point."

Yes. Exactly. Probably why self pubbing is so popular. You don’t have to deal with dishonest publishers. There are a lot of them around and it’s not until you actually get screwed over by one that you learn the lesson. But can you go it alone? Of course. Will you? Doubt it. There’s a lot of scared writers out there worried about bucking the system. Buck it I say. The system only changes if you challenge it.   

Depravity…

Adj. 1. depraved - deviating from what is considered moral or right or proper or good;

So a newbie writer asked me what a publisher meant when they listed ‘no depraved acts’ in their submission guidelines. My learned response was ‘I dunno.’ If I had to take a guess I would say the publisher – and not just that one – says that to make them look less like they are accepting porn even if they know they are. You know, it’s like don’t run with scissors but we could if we wanted to and no rule is going to stop us.

What is depraved in the book writing-romance business where the most popular e-books out there are about one woman having sex with 5 men who become werewolves at night? Is that depraved? Multiple partners? Is having sex with step-sisters/brothers/parents depraved? Is shoving ones fist inside a woman’s vagina depraved? Is tying up a woman to break her will into submitting to whatever her punisher wants depraved? Is mock rape as titillation depraved? They’re all been written about and published right now. I would suggest depravity abounds.

“We will accept no stories depicting acts of depravity”…oh bullshit. Depravity sells. Publishers know it. My advice? If you’ve written something considered depraved submit it anyway. I bet the publisher takes it.

New release!!! Sorta…kinda…ah, well, no…

So I’ve noticed one particular publisher is releasing old, old books - I can remember when some of these books first came out in 2007 and 2008 - as ‘New releases!’ Yes, sure, they are probably working on the fact that some readers would never have seen those titles before or that some people don’t have good memories. But I have to wonder about a couple of things. If a publisher is doing this then to me it indicates they have dramatically lost authors and what does they say about the company’s stability, internal politics and their long term financial longevity? Then there is the thing about why lie to book buyers and indicate something is new when it’s not? Why not have a section on your front page indicating re-releases and have a re-release price to entice the punters to buy? I guess it comes down to ethics, desperation and the particular shade of grey that you reckon you can get by on and how long you can successfully fool the people.

Unbreakable...

I was looking at the sales on a particular book – thank you to all who have faith and keep buying – and I thought back to the words a particular publisher said to me when I was first starting in the writing gig. She was known for being a ‘bitch’ and enjoying ‘terrifying authors’. Oh yeah, she had power but no class. Wise people use power wisely. Others hide behind it and take jabs at the vulnerable. Anyway, this publisher sent me a ranting email, which I kept, about how the hero of my book was an ‘asshole’ – that’s arsehole to Aussies – and that she basically wanted me to justify them publishing it. My response back was along the lines of publish the arsehole hero book or not. They did. Bullies only win if you allow them and there are a bucket load of them in publishing. Why? Because they use what powers they have to scare an author into conforming to their anal-power-hungry world by threatening not to publish them. And yeah, there are lots of authors out there who are scared a publisher will drop them. There are also authors out there who think fuck you, I’m worth more and I’ll go elsewhere. So they do. My point is? Measure your worth as a person first and a writer second. Are you unbreakable? Can you put up with the tremendous loads of shite diva publishers will dump on you and yet not change who you are as a person? Talent is all well and good but perseverance, a thick skin and a good sense of humour is what will save your arse as a writer.

Just is...

So, another small publisher folded. I’m not surprised. Publishing, like any business, is just that. A business. Things happen – boom, bust, cash in, cash out, debtors, creditors, bad decisions, lousy decisions, best decision? Move on if you’re no good at business.

In my previous job, I worked with shit loads of debtors. There are those that have no clue what they’re doing and they get into trouble. There are those who are shonky dealers who don’t give a crap if they owe money because they have money and they’re not going to share it because if you were stupid enough to buy or invest from them then their theory is that’s your problem for being stupid. I’ve read many administrators letters, touchy feely lets all be one in this debt deed of company arrangements and I’ve sat in liquidators where the bottom line is ‘you’re getting stuff all.’

So, publishers going under? No big surprise. I believe – actually I know – the mistake new, small pubs make is by taking on multiple authors before they have worked out all the pitfalls and are ready to handle it with the time needed. Hence, Scarlet Harlot Publishing will only take on authors when I’m ready, satisfied and have the time. Otherwise, the Harlot’s doing very nicely thank you.

Your publisher gone under? Stop whining. Do two things. Assess whether the loss is worth hiring a lawyer. If it’s a couple of hundred dollars, I would write it off on taxes. But that’s me. I’m realistic. And two? Learn from it. Business - publishing – is not fair or pretty. Don't go into it being a sap.

Liar, liar pants on fire…

The most asked question of me as a writer? What is my inspiration? Finding myself alive every morning. Do I suffer for my art? Oh, fuck no. Do I have a muse? Oh, double fuck no. Actually the most asked question is from others writers and it’s about publishers paying royalties on time and did I get my payment because they didn’t.

E-book publishers? I reckon probably 2 out of 5 you can trust. Generally, from my experience they’re a dodgy bunch who rob Peter to pay Paul in an effort to tide themselves over to the next month and they blithely think the author won’t notice any slipshod behaviour because the author is so grateful to be published. Bollocks. Like anyone who works for a living a writer expects to be paid on time and the correct amount. That ain’t got nothing to do with gratitude especially in a market where many e-book publishing houses are going hungry for new releases because they have a bad name.

Now to me, alienating writers due to sloppy or non existent royalty payments begs the question – how do you run a successful business if you treat the merchandise and suppliers like crap? Answer is - you don’t. There are a lot of publishers who trade on past glory with very little stock. The solution? Pay your writers on time and the right amount or expect a revolt. It’s not rocket science.

Here’s what I know…

….if someone does a job for you and you get your share of the payment then it’s not unreasonable for the other person – subcontractor, writer, whatever - to get their share. Contracts are like that. We’ll take this much and give you X in return once a month or quarter as the case may be. It’s all about honour and commitment and good business principles. You can lie your arse off and tell me cheques get sent every month on the same day to every single person, without fear or favour or nationality, but you know what? If I don’t get said cheque within a certain time period, and I hear others living in the same country as the cheque sender have not got theirs and it’s time for the next cheque to come out, well then I tend to think liar, liar, pants on fire. Publishing is a business. It’s as simple as that. You may set yourself up as demi-goddesses and expect to rest on dusty, rat eaten laurels of when you were at the top of your game but all the pretence in the world is not going to cover cash flow problems. So – pony up and pay or admit you’re in deep shite and that you can’t pay your authors. That’s what I know…

Lying scumbags…

…or publishers who couldn’t organize a root in brothel – a root, in Aussie slang, equates to getting laid and a brothel – well, that obvious. I’m a tad pissed at the moment. I’m tired of dealing with suspect publishers with dodgy sales reports. Skimming money? Not acceptable. Withholding author money to tide yourself over until next month? That would be oh hell fucking no.

Now, I should point out there are some exceptionally good publishers out there who do the right thing and it’s only the inept, cheating ones – two in fact - that piss me off.

So, in light of dealing with these swindling nongheads, I’m in the process of opening my own publishing company. It’s called Scarlet Harlot Publishing™ and I do have a website for it but if you go to http://scarletharlotpublishing.com/ you’ll see stuff all as this is a work in process. I’m doing it between work, moving and other boring life events. I’m going to start out with my own books. The theory behind this is if I balls it up then I only piss myself off. Later, I will be calling for submissions.

Yes, yes, every author seems to be starting a publishing company. Many have told me they’re sick to death or dealing with dodgy publishers and that they have had enough bad experiences that they reckon they can do better. Can the market sustain so many publishers? Of course it can. We’ve already seen readers desert the original publishers in droves as the newer publishers can cater to more diverse taste. And let’s face it, most authors have the experience of what to do and what not to do under their belts.

Will Scarlet Harlot succeed? Dunno. It’s a put it out into the universe kind of thing and wait for a response. I do know, that unlike other publishers, I know what authors want. It’s actually pretty simple. It’s what workers all over the world deserve – an honest wage for a job well done. It ain’t rocket science baby.

Amarinda Jones
Penn Halligan
www.amarindajones.com
www.amarindajones.blogspot.com
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