Publishers: Transfer your files to BookLocker instead of leaving your authors in a lurch! Contact Angela for details. Your anonymity is guaranteed.

Authors: If you have recently learned your publisher is going out of business, please send a link to this article to them, and contact Angela right away so she can offer to help. If your publisher is way behind on paying royalties, contact Angela about that as well. She will reach out to your publisher. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not an attorney and this is not legal advice. For advice about your specific situation, contact an attorney.

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If you own a publishing company using one of the printing divisions of Ingram (the largest distributor), and if you are about to go out of business like so many others have done in the past few years, there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER to leave your authors in a lurch, and to face possible civil litigation, and even criminal charges.

Recently, Infinity Publishing/Fast Pencil closed its doors. They sent their authors an email. And, they were charging their authors for files the authors had already paid the publisher to produce. Worse, they gave the authors one month to respond (though they appeared to extend that after complaints from authors). Some authors are still just now finding out about it. There was no need for Infinity Publishing/Fast Pencil to do that!

When Tate Publishing went out of business, they claimed they’d lost some authors’ files at one of their foreign locations. The owners were later convicted of several crimes (embezzlement, extortion, and racketeering), and are very slowly paying restitution. We believe most of their authors will never receive refunds.

Many publishers have closed their doors in recent years and we frequently hear from authors of even more closing their doors. I was contacted by one such author a couple of weeks ago. The publisher was actually doing the right thing. They offered to pay any fees to other publishers so their authors could have their files reformatted if needed. I contacted the publisher and told him there’s a much faster and less expensive way since we use the same printer and distributor. The company had no idea that was an option!

For publishers who are trying to take the easy way out, instead of closing up shop, and refusing to respond to emails, phone calls, certified letters, etc., you can simply transfer your authors’ books to BookLocker’s account at Ingram. That way, the books are still up for sale, and are still being printed. BookLocker’s royalties are higher than what most other firms pay so authors are unlikely to complain but they should be given a choice. Of course, you can give them the option of sending them their files, and letting them choose another publisher. You should NOT charge authors for those files under any circumstances!

The worst thing you can do is to stop responding to authors. You could face civil lawsuits, as well as an investigation by your state’s attorney general. If you have not been paying your authors’ royalties, and if you have been running your business very badly (like Tate Publishing did), you could end up being charged with a variety of crimes. If you go “out of business,” but continue to sell your authors’ books, and keep all of the proceeds, you’re going to be in a mound of trouble. Once you close your doors, you no longer have the right to sell your authors’ books. Copyright infringement is serious. The fines can be astronomical. And, in some places, copyright infringement is not just a civil matter. It is also a criminal matter. Keeping all of the proceeds from the sale of your authors’ books is even more serious.

Is it really worth it to try to squeeze a few more dollars out of your authors before terminating them? Is it even worth it to terminate them at all when you can simply transfer them to another publisher?

If you own a publishing business, and if things aren’t working out, do the right thing. Contact Angela. Your anonymity is guaranteed.

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• “My publisher went out of business but I only have one printed copy of my book…and no files!”

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?

Angela is not only the publisher of WritersWeekly.com. She is President & CEO of BookLocker.com,
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.

ASK ANGELA!

Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.

About The Author

Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).

Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.

WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.

BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."

Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.

PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!

Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.

Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)

See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.

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Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/

Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE