How would Hachette react?
24 May 2014
In a comment about one of the Amazon/Hachette posts, Elka wondered how Hachette would react if an author who was negotiating a publishing contract with Hachette went on the internet to complain about Hachette’s negotiating style and contract terms.
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Send them to Author solutions, of course.
BWAAA!!! Good one.
The offer would be pulled and that author would never be offered another contract, with that publisher, or, since we KNOW they talk to each other, any other publisher.
You are correct, sir.
Exactly.
You mean — GASP! — that publishers and agents really DON’T nurture like they and everyone says they do?
JEH
I agree with Randall. The big publishing pond is tiny, and ripples would have an effect overnight. That author would be a pariah to the industry for daring to voice the iniquities in the system.
It always amuses me to hear the gander squawk when it gets the goose treatment.
Wow, part of my comment got it’s whole post on PG’s blog. I feel so proud.
In that other post I also added:
While reading the complaints against Amazon, it made me think, who’s the real hypocrite here.
Plus the author signed the contract with Hachette, not Amazon. Authors need to focus on their real problem: they signed their rights way. Well, I’m sure they cashed their advance check, so . . .
Elka proposes a rare scenario, Bob; doing something rather stupid might actually be the best thing for them in the end.
One of my first thoughts was noting that if Hachette authors were indie they wouldn’t have any of their current problems. We can only hope that some will remember this when its time to negotiate that next contract.
We can only hope that some will remember this when its time to negotiate that next contract.
If the current contract contains the kind of noncompete clause that the BPHs love, indie may not even be an option. Or blogging. Or even writing on walls.
Additionally, has Hachette told its authors how much or less their royalties will be based on these negotiations? Seems to me, since they make % of cover price, it doesn’t matter to THEM, only to the corporation.
You’re right on printed books, but on ebooks, BigPub authors receive 25% of the net their publishers receive from Amazon, Bob.
Uh, I thought it was “net” as defined by the publishers Harlequin-style) rather than actual wholesale?
*snort*
You’re right that it all depends on the contract language, Felix.
There speaks a lawyer.
It only depends on the contract language if you can actually afford to take them to court to get the contract enforced. Otherwise, it depends on how little they think they can get away with and how badly they feel like screwing you over.