Would you stay with an abuser?

...if someone tells you you can't make it without them?
...if someone tells you they made you who you are?
...if someone isolates you from friends and tells you who you can and can't be friends with?
...if someone tries to control your career?
...if someone controls your earnings and lies to your face when you know the facts don't support what they're saying and tries to screw you out of money?
...if someone violates terms of contractual agreements?
...if someone always has an excuse or tries to sweet-talk or guilt you into giving them more time to clean up their act?
...if someone always blames others for their difficulties?
...if someone tries to circle the wagons and foster an "us versus them" culture in your relationship?
...if someone basically uses you and isn't there for you when you need them?
...if someone stole from you after saying they didn't know what you were talking about and you had proof?
...if someone claims they're broke yet spent on lavish stuff?

Would you stay with someone like that in a relationship?

THEN WHY THE FARK WOULD YOU STAY WITH THEM IF IT'S YOUR PUBLISHER???

I wish I was making this up, but, just as with Silver Publishing a few years ago, I know a LOT of people--editors AND authors--being fucked over by a small indie press (who isn't even current on their corporate filings with the state they're registered in). This publisher has the authors convinced that either they're in a "pity poor me" situation, or sweet-talks them into believing them, or flat-out threatens to "ruin careers."

Seriously??? RUIN your career?? The only career being ruined right now is this publisher, who is quickly growing close to the point of being publicly outed.

Yes, it's the same publisher I ran the bad contract series about a few months back. I had hoped that would scare enough sense into them to straighten up, but apparently they are that narcissistic that they think they can get away with screwing people over.

Frankly? I've given the name of an IP attorney to the writers I know who are being screwed over, and I'm encouraging them to go after the publisher with a class-action suit.

Yes, I hope that publisher sees this.

Their actions include blatant skimming of royalties, late/no payment of editors and authors, refusing to return rights despite their own contractual violations, AND, even better, after returning rights to an author, they then took their company's logo off the books and ILLEGALLY RE-RELEASED THEM WITHOUT COMPENSATING THE AUTHOR. (Yes, the author is sending out D&C and DCMA notices as I type this.)

Worse, the publisher has cultivated an inner-core of supporting authors they use to try to bully the other authors with. As authors wisen up, they are cut out of that inner-core, and the same kind of techniques abusers use in relationships are used against the other authors. (Hey, it happened with Silver Publishing, it's happened in other publisher implosions, it's NOT a new phenomenon.) What's even funnier is that those same inner-core authors ARE being screwed over, but because they think their friend would NEVER do that to them, they ignore any little inconsistencies they see, they ignore the other authors (and editors) cut out of the loop, because they've been told they're either troublemakers, or lying, or whatever. So that inner core of supporters believes the bullshit of the one rather than face the truth of the many.

Writers, editors -- you HAVE to band together and stand up to this bully. Because that's all they are: a bully. YOU have contractual rights being trampled on, you are being STOLEN from. Would you stand there and tell someone robbing your house, oh, it's okay, no big deal?

Screw that noise. Get loud, go public, or else this THIEF will be able to keep up their abusive tactics.

So hey, you want to know who the publisher is?

Fair warning to said thief: You keep this shit up, if you don't immediately release rights to the authors demanding them AND pay up, you WILL be outed, and NOT just by me, either. You've pissed off a LOT of people who are friends with the authors being screwed over. Including people pissed off that you told your authors not to "associate" with certain other authors because it would be "bad" for their careers. The truth is, you told them not to associate with those authors, because you knew damn well you would be called out for YOUR bullshit, sweet cheeks.

*Monday rant out*

(No, this is NOT about my publisher LOL. I am VERY happily published with them, and have never had anything but good experiences with them.)

If y'all are as pissed off about this as I am, feel free to rant away about this or your own experiences with asshole publishers in the comments. Don't name names, but feel free to vent.