The Permuted Press Publishing Debacle Continues
Those of you who follow my work closely will remember the great Permuted Press Apocalypse of 2014 in which PP decided to call backies on nearly 100 publishing contracts and deny the previously promised paperback edition of the authors' novels. I was among those authors and promptly unleashed my war dogs upon them until the rights to the ETERNAL VIGILANCE series was returned to me in full. One would think that, after the horrendous fallout from media slaughtering they underwent that they would have learned to treat their authors with respect, especially the ones who were loyal enough to stick out the first war and continue to rally to PP's side. Apparently loyalty means little to them. And, apparently they didn't learn a single lesson. Earlier this week news of a second round of pink slips issued to authors broke, making me simply shake my head in wonder.
This time Permuted Press has decided to rebrand. After years of building a rather notable brand recognition as a leading small publisher specializing in the zombie genre they have decided to refocus their featured genres. No more. They have decided to no longer spend time nurturing the genre that made them, thus releasing quite a few of their authors (the number isn't available at this time) from their contracts. My take on the situation is that, they were hoping the first effort they made to destroy the business completely in 2014 didn't work. They don't want to be in the publishing industry. But somehow they survived, but they're still not making money. So, what the hell, let's try sinking the ship again! Maybe this time one of those carefully, angrily aimed bullets will take it down once and for all.
My question is: why do Permuted Press authors remain so loyal? They obviously don't have the writing community's best interest at heart. They behave like they resent the fact they HAVE to honor contracts, pay authors, and even publish the books at all. The publishing industry is falling apart one house at a time. Authors already have it terribly hard (there's a reason we drink) so why subject yourself to such blatant emotional abuse. It's like an abused spouse clinging to the hem of their abuser and telling the world "Oh, he didn't mean to beat me with a baseball bat. It's better to be married than divorced, right?" Seriously people, there are better options. Yes, it's daunting to think about looking for another publisher or striking out on your own. But you've waited a very long time to see your dream realized so what is waiting a little longer to make sure that it is in good hands and receives the respect it deserves?
Our work deserves to be treated with honor and the knowledge that we have spent months, sometimes years writing these damned tales. Long hours of fretting over every word. Editing sessions that make you cry and beat your head against the desk. If you don't think you deserve that respect, then maybe Permuted Press is right for you. Just be prepared to bend over and take it... And you probably won't even get paid.
