I don’t often comment on the publishing industry, but I could not let this article from The Bookseller [thanks Passive Guy!] pass me by.
In a nutshell, Freight Books is in trouble. Authors published by the company [who haven’t been paid in months] received an email from Davindar Samrai, the co-founder of the company, about the situation. The following are snippets from that email…-laughs in disbelief-
“If you would like to buy stock of your titles, it may be prudent to act sooner rather than later”, Samrai said. “I appreciate this may cause unease but depending on quantities, I may be able to supply at a better discount than the regular author discount. If you would like to secure books – please email me your requests and I’ll do all I can to ensure you receive your books.
He [Samria] added: “If any author is owed monies by way of royalties/advances etc. it may be possible to set stock against any monies you are owed. Also, if you are owed royalties an invoice should be submitted, in order to be registered on our accounts system (even if you not interested in books as payment).”
Being Indie can be tough at times, but I’d still rather be Indie than a ‘published’ author with a company like Freight. I cannot imagine anything more demoralizing than having my dreams come true one day only to disappear down the gurgler the next.
Author beware indeed. 😦
Meeks
October 10th, 2017 at 11:19 pm
YES Author beware!!!
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October 11th, 2017 at 9:09 pm
😦
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October 10th, 2017 at 11:15 pm
Gosh, that is awful! This isn’t the first I’ve heard of this with a smaller press, either.
I’m seriously considering Indie, myself. It works well for the genre I write in, and as an unknown, I’d have to do most of my own marketing anyway. This just further makes it look more appealing.
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October 11th, 2017 at 9:10 pm
I went straight to Indie so I have no experience of the other side, but I believe all but the most popular, best selling authors have to do their own marketing these days so…why bother with a publisher?
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October 10th, 2017 at 6:57 pm
that’s terrible.
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October 10th, 2017 at 10:23 pm
I suspect the company’s in trouble through poor business management than out and out fraud, but that’s of no comfort to the authors.
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October 10th, 2017 at 10:45 pm
Yes, that’s how it sounded to me. And I bet the authors will be at the bottom of the creditors list should the publisher go into receivership
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October 11th, 2017 at 9:11 pm
Without a single, solitary doubt. 😦
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October 10th, 2017 at 11:13 am
Those poor authors. They must be so frustrated. 😟
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October 10th, 2017 at 10:25 pm
Yeah. I’ve known a couple of people now who’ve been stung like this. It’s a lottery, in a bad way.
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