Re: Re: ebook sales

That would be the P&E that, after having awarded Zumaya a commendation  
for being author friendly, a year later now lists us as "Not  
recommended" because of "bad contract?" The provision of our contract  
that led to this is the one wherein we permit authors to purchase 20  
copies of their own books at wholesale than unlimited numbers at 52%  
discount. According to Mr. Kuzminsky, this makes us look like a vanity  
publisher. What we're supposed to do is make our authors register with  
us as vendors, get the standard discount (which, btw, for prepaid  
nonreturnable orders is exactly 2% less than the author discount) then  
pay them royalties on those sales.

Bear in mind that this contract he feels is so bad nobody should sign  
it has been reviewed by literary agents and intellectual property  
attorneys and found to be VERY author-friendly. And that the above is  
SOP with many in the independent industry because it simplifies  
bookkeeping and allows authors who know they have an uphill battle  
persuading booksellers to stock their books opportunities for signings  
and other events they might otherwise never have.

All of which I pointed out to Mr. Kuzminsky, to no avail. He also took  
exception to a clause whereby the author pays a use fee of $250 if  
they choose to use our version of the book to produce an audiobook for  
commercial purposes. However, it was the author discount and the right  
to unlimited purchases that was apparently the major problem.

I'll note that this abrupt reversal of our status at B&E came less  
than a week after I questioned the former president of the Mystery  
Writers of America regarding a rather illogical new membership  
requirement MWA enacted that led to a number of previously accepted  
publishers, including Zumaya and Mundania, being "unaccepted," thus  
barring any of our authors who are MWA members from participating in  
programming at major mystery conventions. At the time I posted that  
question to the gentleman's blog, someone without the courage to use  
his own name (although I have my suspicions as to his identity)  
screamed Zumaya was a vanity press because it publishes my own books.  
That would be three-going-on-four out of 170-plus. Apparently,  
"Anonymous" never heard of Bennett Cerf.

I have no proof the incidents are connected. I just find the timing a  
bit serendipitous.

L
Elizabeth Burton, Executive Editor
Zumaya Publications LLC
http://www.zumayapublications.com
Opening doors to the creative mind


On Nov 18, 2007, at 4:06 PM, [email protected] wrote:

In the case of Preditors and Editors, I know that from personal  
experience that they carefully verify any complaints they receive and  
this site has been performing yeoman service for our industry for many  
years.



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