Hello everyone,
It is with deep regret that I am writing today to let you know that as of the start of the new year, we will no longer be reviewing books from Dreamspinner Press or hosting guest posts to promote Dreamspinner books. I say deep regret because I had so hoped it would never come to this and that things would get resolved and people would be paid. It is not an exaggeration to say I have agonized over this decision and spent countless hours struggling with the best way to proceed. However, the company still owes countless authors money for unpaid royalties going back many months, along with reports of money owned to contractors as well.
My goal during all of this has been to support the authors as much as possible, while still making clear my anger, frustration, and disappointment at the company and the situation it has created. I realize that there are many authors caught up in a mess not of their own making, and I had hoped by continuing to review their books and host them on the blog, we could do a small part to help. I have tried to walk a line in showing my personal feelings, while still supporting authors the best we can as a blog. However, at this point, I do not feel this is a line we can continue to walk. The situation has become increasingly untenable and, while I wish to support authors as best I can, I no longer think it is possible to continue to review/host Dreamspinner books given the current situation.
I realize this decision has the potential to hurt current authors and those who are waiting for their past payments. As I said, this has been my struggle all along and the reason I agonized over this decision for so long. However, after a lot of thought I have come to this realization. There are companies, organizations, and individuals I do not support for various reasons, whether it is because of where they donate their money, their public statements, or their actions. I know that there are likely innocent people affiliated with these organizations that may be hurt by boycotts and protests. But I can not let that stop me from acting with my conscience. I feel that this situation is no different and I have to act in the way that is most in line with my values and what I hope we can be as a blog.
Please know that I hope nothing more than that things resolve for Dreamspinner, that they are able to pay everyone what they are owed, and hold a place as a voice for LGBTQ romance publishing in the future. I will be monitoring the situation and will be open to reconsidering our stance as things develop further. In the meantime, some housekeeping issues:
- As of January 1, 2020, we will be halting reviewing of Dreampsinner Press books and our hosting of authors who are specifically promoting Dreamspinner books. Until then, we will honor our commitment to author guest posts and reviews we have scheduled through the remainder of the year.
- We will continue to review/host hybrid authors who may be published with Dreamspinner if they are promoting a non-Dreamspinner book.
- If the situation with Dreamspinner changes, we will re-evaluate and potentially change our position at that time.
Thank you all in advance for your understanding in this situation. Please know this is not a decision I made lightly. I am happy to discuss the situation further and feel free to send me an email if you want to talk. Thanks, Jay
P.S. In a bout of unfortunate timing, I am away all day today. However, given our busy holiday schedule during the week, I felt it important to post this today. I will try to respond as quickly as possible to any messages, but it may be Sunday before I can respond to everyone.
Goodness. You are in a tough position. At this point it’s almost like a Ponzi scheme. They need more money to come in to pay the existing overdue funds, but if people stop buying and promoting the books incoming funds will continue to dwindle. Ultimately, you can’t get blood from a stone. I wonder if they can (and ultimately might) claim bankruptcy/close shop and be absolved of paying anyone back.
Yes, it is a difficult situation. I hope they can find their way out of it.
Leaving Dreamspinner absolutely broke my heart. I had stopped submitting to them four years ago, but I’d had every intention of leaving the books I had given them with them. And then the royalties stopped being paid. Knowing what happened to some authors when other publishing houses declared bankruptcy and closed down, I felt it was best to request my rights back. Now I’m slowly re-releasing those books. Some will be spruced up, others are as spruced as they can be. About half will be published by JMS Books, while the other half will be self-published.
I hate to say this, but at this point, my desire to continue writing is hanging by a thread.
Thanks so much for standing by us.
I adore your books. You have to take care of yourself and do what’s right for you, but rest assured that if you do continue writing, you’ll always have a reader in me.
Thank you, Jenya! That means so much to me. <3
Thank you! It means a great deal to hear this. <3
I can only imagine how hard this has been. I hope your writing mojo comes back soon!
I get why you make this decision. I was thinking about buying new Dreamspinner books or not buying them, for some time now. And decided to buy them.
As Christina already said: when people don‘t buy books from Dreamspinner anymore, for the reason that they are angry about the mess Dreamspinner made, when they don‘t spread word and when they don‘t review books any longer because of that said mess, there is no chance in hell, that Dreamspinner can get out of that funk. Without fresh money, even more authors will get into deep trouble. And the ones who will get hurt the most, are these authors, and not the Company itself….
So I get your decision, I really do, I get why you do this. But I will buy the books I would like to read still. (And in all honesty, I will hope that I get each and every book that I paid for. I always feel a bit uneasy when I make an order!) I just don‘t have the heart to not buy them, if you get what I mean. In case they go belly up, I would always wonder if I‘m perhaps a bit guilty about them going down also, because I was one of them who did hold my money and my orders back…..
I never know if what I do is right, or not…..
There is just no excuse for a publisher to spend royalties. It’s not their money! Thank you for taking this step. If everyone acts like nothing’s wrong, they’ll just keep doing it. They created this situation and it’s no one’s fault but theirs even though they try to blame readers for not buying their books anymore. I used to buy Dreamspinner books all the time, but once a company acts like this, forget it.
It was heartbreaking for me to leave Dreamspinner Press. I had published more than thirty titles with them over the course of the last decade. Never, in a million years, would I have predicted the current state of events. I’m only one of hundreds of authors who are owed thousands of dollars and am left wondering if I will be paid the money I earned. The hardship of this isn’t only financial–it’s had an impact on my writing, my creativity, and certainly my stress level. I have seriously considered giving up writing because I feel so betrayed. But I will persevere! All of my pulled titles have found new homes. Some of already emerging and, by mid-2020, all former DSP titles should be available once more. I respect your decision, Jay, and know how hard it must have been for you. It was equally, if not harder, for me to come to terms with separating from a company I considered not only good friends, but family, and with whom I’d hoped to continue working with for many books and years to come.
It’s heartbreaking. I’ve been very vocal about Dreamspinner and more than once have been accused of being mean spirited but this is a situation that hit our family hard, financially, professionally and emotionally. There were promises made when we signed with Dreamspinner that were broken and deep trust which has been breached in a terrible way. I feel you, Jay and I’m sorry you were forced to make this decision.
Jay, as a reader I thank you for your stand and I support you. I stopped buying books from Dreamspinner Press months ago. I have been following Dreamspinner’s failure to pay it’s authors their hard earned royalties for about a year. Some authors are owed Q4 of royalties, books already bought and royalties already earned, where is the money. Thank you to the authors posting here today. I hope Joyfully Jay will keep it’s followers up to date as authors regain their rights back from Dreamspinner Press and promote their new books. Please keep writing your readers will find you and support you.
Thank you, Jay. I can appreciate how hard a decision that’s been for you.
DSP gave me a start in writing professionally. It was a tough decision to leave them a couple of months ago, but by doing nothing, authors risk their book rights ending up goodness only knows where. I wasn’t prepared to take that chance. I’m owed for Q2, Q3 and Q4 when that is finalised. I can’t say I expect to see any of it. It’s heartening to see review blogs standing with us.
I think Rick has said everything I would want to. I’ve worked with Dreamspinner since year one, both of the company and my publishing career. I blossomed there, found my readers, found friends, found my voice. But it’s always been a business relationship as well as an emotional one. So there are legal commitments that both sides have to abide by, or it collapses. I have all my books back now but I wish this had never happened. Not just because I’m owed money but because of the way it’s hurt and divided people. Like Rick and others, it’s sapped my love and enthusiasm for writing.
When I saw the subject line for this email my heart sank for you. This has to be an incredibly difficult decision for you and obviously not taken lightly. I have seen it play out with authors and other professionals in the genre on both sides over the course of it and it equally enrages and saddens me. You have to go with your gut on this and your analogy makes sense. We have our ways in which to show support or the lack of for a company’s decisions and sometimes it is the only voice we have. <3
This is such a difficult situation. I wouldn’t be in print if it weren’t for DSP, but I also know the present goings-on have put so many authors and reviewers in terrible, even dire, circumstances. I know this will not have been a decision you’ve made lightly, and as always, thank you for your continued support of this community.
Thank you for the support. It was a very challenging decision to pull my rights for the four titles I had at DSP, but I truly feel like it was the best decision.
Thank you for the ongoing and tremendous support you’ve shown to all authors. I am among the Dreamspinner authors who, after many years with them, made the decision to request the rights back for all my books. It was difficult and heartbreaking. I’m sorry it has come to this.
I’ve been following this situation and it reminds me somewhat of the demise of The All Romance site. I find it so sad for all authors and readers impacted. Legit small e-pub outlets seem to be fighting a losing battle against Amazon and I’ve tried to support them where possible though I also buy from Apple and Kobo. I admit I don’t understand all the nuances but it seems obvious something is very wrong and I totally support your stance.
Although not a Dreamspinner author, I do understand where this statement is coming from, and can understand how difficult this decision must have been. You have always been fair, and do so much work for authors no matter who they are published by and while I truly hope for my Dreamspinner author friends that their situation improves, it is lovely to see a site like yours making a stand for your convictions. Continuing to promote books for sale, where an author may not see a cent of those royalties would not have been fair. It wouldn’t have been an easy decision for you, but it is heartening to see.
I certainly appreciate your decision, Jay. I understand that the likelihood is small, but I hope that Dreamspinner will be able to pay the authors what they are due.
As yet another ex-dsp author, I can say pulling my English and foreign books was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. And yes, I’m owed thousands too. Nothing about this has been easy, it’s affected my writing, and it wasn’t a decision I made lightly. I struggled with it all of 218 and into 2019 before finally taking the final steps. It’s heartbreaking it’s come to this.
I really appreciate the stance your blog has taken, as I know that it is hard to typically make one vocally. I hope that the authors affected get some sort of justice, but it is a shame that this all went down.
I’m just a reader, not an author, but I want to echo all of the sadness expressed here. I want to keep reading and enjoying your stories, but I’d like to do that ethically as well. I hope for justice for all of you, and for the safe passage of your stories into the world.
Sending lots of hugs Jay, as a fellow blogger, albeit a tiny wee one, I made a similar decision a few months back and have, with only a couple of exceptions which were done via the author direct or via a PR agency I didn’t want to let down, stopped dealing with DSP direct.
I know it was a tough decision to make, it’s a rotten position to be put in and no-one’s fault but DSP themselves for failing to protect their authors’ royalties in the first place.
Thanks Louise! I appreciate your support!
I respect and support your decision.
I know what a hard position you & other blogs/reviewers are in. I have the utmost respect for your decision & I think it’s the right one. It’s one more thing that Dreamspinner has done wrong. They’ve put bloggers, reviewers & readers in a terrible spot.
Breaking with DSP was heartbreaking for me, but the atmosphere of gaslighting and untruths coming from them since has made it all the worse. I feel true sorrow for all the people and careers that have suffered because of it. I’m sorry you need to be in this position, and want you to know how much I value you and your site.
As a fellow blogger, I support your choosing what you will or won’t review. This has been a tough situation to witness, and I respect that you have made the choice that’s right for you and your blog!