How about doing a nothing that actually does something
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From: MontiLee
To: contests@dorchesterpub.com
Date: Thu, Mar 24, 2011 at 10:30 PM
Subject:Top 20 Titles that should be an E-bookHello,
How about any 20 titles where the author actually receives compensation per their contract? How about 20 titles you actually own the rights to publish and distribute?
When you guys get around to paying your authors maybe I’ll consider buying your books again. I hope the top 20 titles aren’t authors getting the shaft because you lack ethics. Until then, this avid reader will be boycotting anything with the Dorchester/Leisure logo. I know you’ll claim I’m hurting your authors by encouraging others to avoid Dorchester like it was PublishAmerica, but it’s not as if you’re paying them anyway.
You used to be a great press.
Sincerely disappointed,
Me
Dorchester Leisure wants the common people – you, the readers – to choose the next twenty novels they plan on selling in digital format, probably without paying the rights holders. They’re doing it anyway, selling books by authors like Brian Keene, to whom all rights reverted back on December 31, 2010 – so why not make a very public spectacle of it.
This is clearly a problem.
Please consider boycotting Dorchester/Leisure books. Poor business practices breed poor business practices, and we want to make the kind of example of them that discourages this kind of behavior. We’re asking readers and authors of all genres to stand with once voice, because it affects all of us. Like the cool kids say:
In short, we need your help. If you care about horror fiction, and more importantly, if you care about the people who write horror fiction for a living, and if you disagree with this publisher’s methods, history, and “mistakes”, then please consider withholding your financial support of Dorchester Publishing and Leisure Books. Boycott them.
*If you follow them on Twitter, please unfollow them.
*If you like them on Facebook, please unlike them.
*If you receive their marketing emails, please remove yourself from their list.
*If you belong to one of their book clubs, please consider canceling your membership.
*If you are considering publishing with them, please reconsider.
*Most importantly, please don’t buy their books, regardless of whether it’s on their website, in the $1.99 dump bin at Wal-Mart, or available on the Kindle. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester book, check the spine. It should say Leisure Fiction or Dorchester Publishing. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester ebook, here is an example: If you scroll down, you’ll see that this Kindle edition of J.F. Gonzalez’s Shapeshifter lists “Leisure Books” as the publisher (later today, J.F. will also be asking his readers to boycott Dorchester editions of his work, and he gave me permission to use this Kindle edition as an example).If you are a Leisure author with a grievance against the company, please consider sharing it with the public. If you are an author with another publisher, and wish to show your solidarity, please join us. Please consider adding your voice to our call for a boycott.
We spend a ridiculous amount of time posting in our Facebook statuses the colors of our bras or changing our profile pictures as if we’re we’re “really” raising awareness about the Disease of the Week Meme. If you’re going to do nothing, how about doing it in a way that *does* something. And then do something.
Fire off a letter to Dorchester while you’re at it. Robert Swartwood shows you how!
Spread the word. Make it loud.
Now to see if I can get GLAHW behind it …