Author Paradise

Author Paradise
http://z15.invisionfree.com/Author_Paradise/index.php

Monday, March 31, 2008

OMP Host Gator Update

Hey everyone,
I am on my way to bed but thought I would stop by and leave this note. As you know I sent a letter to Hoste Gator asking if they can do something about the whole OMP thing. The person who responded was rather rude but he did make a valid point. He said that you should send them proof that OMP is using their services to operate illegally and they can work from there.


Here's the email

Hello,Well, how are we to know about a supposedly deadbeat publisher? The publisher may or may not be MIA, they may just be ignoring emails, we have no clue as we don't police our accounts with such scrutiny. If you can provide proof that something illegal has gone on, please do send it this way.However, if I were anyone dealing with this company, I'd simply sue them for backpay + royalties + interest.

Regards,

I removed his name but if you'd like to complain or send proof to them you will have to send it to tickets@hostgator.com or visit their website http://www.hostgator.com/

Well I'm going to bed...
WD

Friday, March 28, 2008

No More Mrs. Nice Crusader

Hello guys,
Well I didn't want it to come to this but I am sick and tired of this damn yo-yoing by OMP. So this morning, I wrote a letter to their hoster asking what they intended to do about OMP. As of now I will keep the Host's name out of this (though some of you may already know it) but I will wait for their reply before.

One day they are gone, the next they are back and the authors who are still on their site is still being sold via the bestseller's list.


Blind Date by Veronica Tower
Having His Baby by Candy Caine
The Truth About Kevin by Felicia...
Truth Be Known by Essence
Close Shave by Veronica Tower
Not Another Dateless Valentine's...
Never Change A Thing by Candy Caine
Valentine Love by Felicia Anthony
What Comes Up by Essence
Strip Poker by Veronica Tower

See what Imean? This is getting out of hand and I for one will not be sitting back and watch thise go on. I mean these authors have entertained me with their works/work and they don't deserve this.

Royally Pissed
WD

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Well What do you know....

Hello everyone,
I went checking into the Ocean's Mist Press website and it is gone, again. This is could be another one of their sick jokes that they've been playing again. The last time the website was down, we thought they were gone, then it turned out they had only taken the site down long enough to rework it to screw others.

I don't know why it's down this time but I'll keep my eyes open. OMP former authors let me hear from you, any of you gotten paid yet? It's almost the end of March. Let me know.

Bored
WD

Monday, March 24, 2008

And another one Bites the Dust...DEP is going going...

Well guys,
It never gives me great pleasure to do this but it has to be done. Dark Eden Press is calling it quits. So far I have heard mixed feelings about Dark Eden Press, but I have to say the best people to get these info from are the authors and from the authors I've spoken to, I was told that DEP has treated them with nothing but respect. Well we actually had permission to post the following email so don't have a cow. I deleted the private email address belonging to Debra.

***VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE***
Posted by: "Debra"
Mon Mar 24, 2008 5:23 am (PDT)
I don't often share much personal stuff about myself or what isgoing on with me, so I never thought I would be coming to any of youwith this but sometimes life comes at you and you have to deal with it,and this is one of those times for me.I could beat around the bush here but that's not me. You deserve thetruth even if it is painful for me to talk about.I have found out recently, very recently, that my cancer has returned. For those of you who do not know, this is my 6th time around with thisin a little over 10 years. It started as cervical cancer 10 years agoand each time has gotten worse and spread to other places. I will bestarting chemotherapy and radiation treatments shortly and as I havebeen through these same treatments twice already, I can honestly say itisn't pretty.


After discussing the issues and options with Susan and Billi, and thenGretchen and Brenda, it was decided for a few reasons that I willdiscuss below, that the only option was to close Dark Eden as of April1st. I have to devote my energies and my time to getting better, and tomy daughter.One reason for closing is the treatment plan itself. I will be in noshape to run a company, much less take care of anything else. Anotherreason is with Brenda having gone back to work fulltime, that wouldleave just Gretchen to do it all and as great as she is, she can'tdo it by herself. Billi works fulltime and does her part of thebusiness in the evenings and on weekends. Susan has health problemsthat she didn't have when we started this company and wouldn'tbe able to do the things that I do. It was hard enough after the housefire to keep things running smoothly and even then they were gettingsome help from me.

They pitched in and ran things beautifully after thefire but that was only for a few months, this would be for the next 6months at the very least.The last reason is all of you. All of you deserve an owner who is goingto be here, who is able to get the things done that need to be done. Idon't want my authors trying to figure out why I haven'tanswered emails for a couple of days, or why royalties are late, orwondering when the things that need to be taken care of are going to getdone, when the reality is that I will be too sick to do it.I will spend the next two weeks preparing letters to release your bookrights to you, doing March royalties, and closing the readers group. Iwill then begin shutting down all the DEP email addresses except for myown and forwarding all mail from that to my personal email address.

ByMay 1st, I would hope all payments have cleared the bank, and on thatdate I will also close the author group.On a personal level, I feel horrible that this has to be done to all ofyou. I have come to know almost every one of you personally and I feelas if I have let you all down when you trusted me with your stories, andI am so sorry for that. You trusted in the fact that DEP would bearound for a long while and I am truly sorry that we are not going tobe.If you have any questions or problems, please don't hesitate toemail me as I will be working to get last minute things tied up over thenext several weeks.

Please feel free to post this on your blogs or websites as you see fit. If I have not told all of you lately, it is and has been, a pleasureworking with all of you gifted writers and DEP's fantastic staff.

Debra Durham
President

And so ladies and gentlement, we here at Writers' Dish wishes Debra all the best. I know that with Cancer you can never tell but we can all have hope and faith. Writers' Dish sends you Debra Durham positivity and prayers. Just be strong and fight.

Well, see you all around
WD

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Noemi is like a bad taste...just wont go away!

Hello my beauties,
I am sitting here in a cafe waiting for the time to come for me to go to my micro biology class and decided to check my email. Look what I found! [And I quote]

"Noemi is Essence and has a book with Loose id today, did you know that? She has not gone away and has books coming with Siren press too! She has not gone underground, she is still around and not paying people. She is rediculous!!! These companys know who she is but don't care. I heard this info last year after she closed and cheated the authors. I hope you can get her!!!"

Are you kidding me? Why would you know that this person has decieved people, stolen from people and have her around? There have been so many authors tring to get a hold of her, as well as myself, and it was like she was gone now she's popping up as a different person. I do not understand. Maybe she's trying to make money to pay off the authors but that would be too much of a stand up thing of Noemi to do. I am not all together heartless, mind you. A person who makes a mistake and shows genuine remorse for said mistake, deserves a second chance, but this woman has shown no remorse what so ever. Every email that has gone to her that I have known about has gone unanswered, every try to get payment from her has gone unanswered. She keeps pretending to remove author works from her website and stop their sales but she lies because the books left on her site at the moment can still be bought.

How do you know that a person such as this, who has burnt so many people and has stolen from so many, won't do the same to you? And how can you as a business take their work without thinking of the consequences. Dont get me wrong, I have nothing against Loose Id or Sirens because I've heard nothing but good about these two publishers but come on guys, open your eyes! She has managed to bury herself and soon, she will do the same for you because I don't know of any author who will willingly be in the same place with that woman.

Anyways, I will be doing a little more digging to see what I can find out about all this and as soon as I do, I'll pass it on to you.

Highly Annoyed
WD

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Out of Control

Well guys,
I am back and I have done my checking and OMP is still going on with their BS! Can you believe what hard learners these people are? They cleared out the main page, but if you click on the authors in the bestseller's list, you can still purchase the books. Seriously, these guys are not going to learn and come tax time, the authors there will get dinged because according to law, you are still earning money from this company though you aren't really.

They think that because they take the author list down and cleared off the main page it means that the books cannot still be bought. They can be and if you authors doesnt want to be in trouble come tax time, you ought to do something.

Moving to Dragon Spell erm Lyrical Press. Has anyone noticed that they are using the Ameican Idol logo for their new contest? Can you say copyright infringement lawsuit? And what is up with that boring as hell website? Anyways the website is the least of their troubles because the owner (At least one of them) is going around and bad mouthing other publishers when her house isnt even off the ground yet. And isn't there a law that says books over a certain length MUST have an ISBN number? Does anyone else notice that none of the "coming soon" books has any? You guys may want to look into that. I wish her all the best but authors, keep your eyes open. Or as my friend would say "sleep with one eye open" to watch for the knife and your back because we all know its coming.

Must go back to studying me loverlies, see you around...
writers dish