Email: About Your Problem

I received this email today from "M" and read it with mixed emotions. In replying to the sender, I requested permission to post their message. I’m choosing to answer publicly because it might give people insight into how some writers’ think. Or, insight into how I think. Or insight into how I didn’t think…

My reply follows the message.

I feel for your plight in this but shouldnt you have known better after what happened at OMP? If you had done a basic search you would have seen, that NCP has had problems for a long time now. Don’t get me wrong, because I like you books and have read several of the stories you put out, but, I wondered about your choices of picking publishers. Some are good like Liquid Silver and Loose Id. But the other ones??? I really shook my head when you all scattered last year but was happy to see my favorite authors find new homes for their books. Good luck with this mess, and I really hope you land on your feet,again.

No offense meant.
- A Reader

By the way, the email is in response to this post at the SIA blog.

A Reader: No offense meant.

Layne: None taken. In fact, I appreciate your message and receive it with the goodwill I believe was intended. Thank you for your concern and for following me the last few years.

A Reader: I feel for your plight in this but shouldnt you have known better after what happened at OMP? If you had done a basic search you would have seen, that NCP has had problems for a long time now.

Layne: You got me. I did preliminary research and discovered some authors had a hard time with NCP. But I didn’t let that bother me because, to be frank, I’ve never been with a publisher who ranked high on everyone’s list. If I had to do it over again, I might have sent feelers to authors who have a history with New Concepts. I know a few in passing, but I didn’t feel comfortable contacting folks I’d not corresponded with in years to get info. My shyness/reticence in this matter has come back to bite me in my oversized backside. From now on, I will always ask. Always.

A Reader: Don’t get me wrong, because I like you books and have read several of the stories you put out, but, I wondered about your choices of picking publishers. Some are good like Liquid Silver and Loose Id.

Layne: In all honesty, I never imagined I’d leave my first publishing home. I wasn’t aware of a lot of things going on, and for the most part, I was happy. But after I chose to leave OMP, I was disheartened by much of the drama and became depressed. A friend pushed me to submit to Loose Id. I didn’t hold my breath. But then the contract came, and I realized I still had a few stories left to tell. And yes, Loose Id is a good place to publish. Professional. Timely responses. Edits. Honest and fair assessment of manuscripts. Open discussion without fear of reprisal.

I also have respect for Liquid Silver Books. When they bought Breaking Becky, the editor told me the story would be published in four months. BB released almost four months to the day I signed the contract. LSB are open to discussion, professional, and I never feared reprisals even when I disagreed about their opinions re: one of my stories.

Another thing I’ll say about these two publishers: Both declined the same manuscript nearly a year apart. Well, both required revisions and edits on the same manuscript, and each gave succinct, storyline-based reasons as to why the story could not be published in its current form. I appreciated their critiques immensely, and though I’ve not yet moved to update the story in question, I walked away with the feeling that I had dealt with people who know their stuff.

So while I’m loathe to give “big-ups” to publishers given my varied history, I’ll say that I doubt writers of erotic romance could go wrong in submitting to Loose Id and Liquid Silver Books.

Also, though I’m not with them anymore, Phaze is a place to look at. I once had a long correspondence with editor-in-chief, Kat Lively, and she’s a great lady and knows her business. Gracious. Kind. Understanding. Professional.


A Reader: But the other ones???

Layne: I (and my writing buddy Taige Crenshaw) chose Total-E-Bound because we wanted to sell a series that the majors had rejected due to a fear the story might offend. Sin (and its brothers) are works of fiction, but I was unwilling to revise or edit out the “troubling” spots, even if it meant losing a chance at snagging a contract many erotic romance writers pine for. Besides, I’d just realized I wouldn’t be writing much more erotic romance…

…Because I discovered The Wild Rose Press. The roster is huge with many authors returning often. I liked that they have so many lines and departments. And since I’d been impersonating an erotic romance writer (sometimes well, sometimes not) I was intrigued about having the option of not sweating over sex scenes.

So far, I’ve worked with three editors at The Wild Rose Press. Each has been knowledgeable. Friendly. Professional. Prompt. Courteous. Helpful. This is not an endorsement. This is my experience.

My experience with New Concepts was strange, to say the least. I received an acceptance letter and contracts for two shorts I submitted. The editor-in-chief liked that I submitted two genres and invited me to submit more. I got excited and queried but heard nothing back about them—though they were interested in the fantasy series I’d placed elsewhere. After that, I sent in my paperwork And waited. A couple of months later, I sent emails inquiring about an editor. Anything. No response.

During that time, I was tired all the time. Could barely pull myself out of bed most days. Soon I was in and out of the doctor’s office, trying to determine the cause. It took awhile to get a diagnosis, but I was thrilled to learn I wasn’t dying. After that, I began to take stock. I had a lot of contracts out there, and I wanted to get everything off my plate so that I could rest. Since the NCP staff had yet to move on my titles, I asked NCP about options in releasing my contracts—I even considered buying them back, something I swore I’d never do—but then the threats came, and I wasn’t interested in playing anymore. There was no malice on my part before then. There is none now. I just don’t appreciate threats or being spoken to with an attitude my own mother never took with me.

And after being called a “…pre-madona [sic]” it occurred to me that I might be in danger, but by that point, I was too angry to care. If asking questions, standing up for my work, and fighting back when insulted makes me a problem, I’ll gladly own it. I’ll continue to do all these things because when a publisher contracts my work, it is not a favor to me. Publishers contract stories they think will sell. That’s the way it works. While I really like a couple of my publishers, I don’t have any friends among them. That means I have to go to bat for myself. And I don’t mind doing it.

A Reader: I really shook my head when you all scattered last year but was happy to see my favorite authors find new homes for their books. Good luck with this mess, and I really hope you land on your feet,again.

Layne: Thanks so much. I truly appreciate it. Thanks for writing and reading.