When I decided to self-publish Dark Inheritance: Fallen Empire, it wasn’t my first choice. I did my research, dutifully shopped my story around to several publishers all with the same response: We love your writing but we can’t market a book like this. Well, okay, fine.
Articles like these make me so very happy that I took the publishing of my works into my own hands. Granted, I’m positive there are more reputable publishers who offer their authors a fair share, but this is Harlequin. Harlequin! The supposed epitome of romance.
What this means to the authors can be illustrated by an e-book with a hypothetical cover price of $8.00. The “net receipts” made by Harlequin Enterprises Limited from the exercise, sale or license of e-book rights would be at least $4.00, of which authors would be entitled to $2.00 based on their 50% royalty. Computing the “net receipts” based on the “license” between Harlequin’s Swiss entity and Harlequin Enterprises, Plaintiffs’ 50% royalty amounts to only 24 to 32 cents.
What’s a writer to think when she reads something like this?
Wow. Did not realize that this was happening. So glad many authors are now self-sublishing!
Craziness all around. I can’t believe I once wanted to write for such an unscrupulous company! It’s kind of sad, actually.