Or…You Could Fucking PAY ME

Like many writers and publishers, I received an email yesterday from independent distributor AllRomance eBooks (that also has a publishing arm) informing me that they’re closing.

In three days.

Oh and they can’t pay me from this quarter. But they’ll give me 10c on the dollar if I agree to it as a settlement and don’t pursue legal action.

No, really, that is a thing actually suggested. Here, look:

We will be unable to remit Q4 2016 commissions in full and are proposing a settlement of 10 cents on the dollar (USD) for payments received through 27 December 2016. We also request the following conditions:

1. That you consider this negotiated settlement to be “paid in full”.
2. That no further legal action be taken with regards to the above referenced commissions owed.

I wonder what Skyla thinks of that?

You know what, though? Of course they’d go that route. Of course they’d decide that the ones who shouldn’t be paid are the writers. [ETA: I am sure it’s entirely possible other staff isn’t being paid as well.]

Because writers are the last ones to get paid. Everyone takes their cut and if something’s left over, we get it. If someone has to go without payment, it’s us.

You know, I’m also an editor and cover artist. And I like getting paid–in fact, I fucking insist on getting paid. But I also recognize that I would not have a job as a cover artist if someone didn’t write the fucking book in the first place.

Publishers. Artists. Editors. Marketing departments. Distributors. The producers of e-readers and devices books are read on. Typesetters. Printers. The dumb fucks running piracy sites who make money from ads on their forums.

This entire ecosystem exists because writers write books.

Distributor doesn’t want to pay? That trickles down and the writer ends up without money, and they’re expected to shut up and accept TEN CENTS ON THE DOLLAR ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME LORI JAMES???

How about no. How about you fucking pay me my fifty-fucking-dollars because that can pay for a three month supply of one of the cheaper meds I’m on. How about you honor your fucking contracts.

You avoiding bankruptcy is not my fucking problem. Money comes in, sixty percent is owed to other people? Put it in an account and don’t fucking touch it until you pay people what is owed!

I spent an hour and a half last night with increasingly strong alcoholic beverages trying to remove the fifty-odd titles I oversee from distribution. While the site frequently crashed. As of right now, I have nothing for sale at ARe–had anything sold today, it’s clear from their email I wouldn’t have even been entitled to my fucking ten cents on the dollar anyway.

What burns me even more is the number of writers I’d recommended ARe to. They’d paid on time, they ran a lot of free promotions, and they’d been good to me. So I talked them up, I encouraged self-publishers I know and work with to distribute through them. But this lack of transparency and outright fraud is fucking bullshit. [ETA: Multiple authors are now reporting their royalties reported today are lower than they were for the same period yesterday. If you have work at ARe, download your reports and screenshot ASAP.]

So no, ARe, I will not be agreeing to your bullshit settlement offer. Much like I said to a closing publisher when they tried to pay me in unsold books instead of money: NO.

Incidentally, Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Nook, Smashwords, and GooglePlay all do pay me, and if you have holiday money to spend, please consider picking up a book or seven. Bloodlines is still on sale for 99c. I also sell eBooks direct on Payhip–which pays me immediately–and Solomon’s Seal can be picked up for 50% off through the end of the year with the coupon code 2016ISTERRIBLE which you’ll find at the bottom of the page.