if you ever wondered what SFWA does....
Jul. 9th, 2010 07:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lagilmanA Note to SFWA Members Regarding Night Shade Books
I for one hope to hell that Night Shade gets their act together and goes forward in a professional manner. They publish some kickass books and the genre needs strong small presses to balance the major corporate publishers. But this is a reminder to anyone who ever doubted it: publishing is a business, not a hobby. When you take on the role of publisher, you must also take on the responsibilities -- and that includes honoring ALL of your financial and contractual obligations. And if you can't/won't do that, you have no business being in this game.
To counterbalance: I was recently working with a small press that discovered it would have trouble meeting said obligations. They were honest and up front about it, and although we came to a parting of ways, I had a great deal of respect for how the situation was handled, and would work with them again in an instant if circumstances allowed. Being aware of when you're running into trouble, and communicating any potential problems to your authors/publishing partners, is key. Respect, both ways, goes a very long way.
I for one hope to hell that Night Shade gets their act together and goes forward in a professional manner. They publish some kickass books and the genre needs strong small presses to balance the major corporate publishers. But this is a reminder to anyone who ever doubted it: publishing is a business, not a hobby. When you take on the role of publisher, you must also take on the responsibilities -- and that includes honoring ALL of your financial and contractual obligations. And if you can't/won't do that, you have no business being in this game.
To counterbalance: I was recently working with a small press that discovered it would have trouble meeting said obligations. They were honest and up front about it, and although we came to a parting of ways, I had a great deal of respect for how the situation was handled, and would work with them again in an instant if circumstances allowed. Being aware of when you're running into trouble, and communicating any potential problems to your authors/publishing partners, is key. Respect, both ways, goes a very long way.
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Gods yes, to every word
Date: 2010-07-09 06:24 pm (UTC)Not a hobby. It's a business, it comes complete with those responsibilities, and it takes more than just the desire to do it. You need to know the limits and the horizons, you need to know to not bite off more than you can chew, and you need to have the patience to grow a list and nurture your authors, not just cut the cheques.
It all has to happen. Otherwise, you're doing it wrong.