Speaking of the Harlequin Controversy

Today,  Caridad Pineiro has some great information explaining the different aspects of publishing and on the latest HQN debates. Check out her blog and the links she offers.

And moving on, here is an excerpt from a blog post at  BVS-U Blog


Harlequin Horizons — Less Than Full Disclosure

Posted By lrs979 on November 23, 2009 from BVS Blog


It has been a busy week in the romance publishing industry. The kind of week that reminds all of us in the industry that change is happening within our industry and will continue to happen no matter how much some of us might wish that things remain the same as they have always been.

There has been a lot written about Harlequin Horizons and RWA and why the Harlequin Horizons business model (and the advertisement of it) is troubling to romance authors and the the organization that represents the interests of romance writers Romance Writers Of America. I agree with most of what has been written.

While Harlequin has every right to open a vanity publishing company or a self publishing company what they haven’t done is provide full disclosure as to the nature of what they are offering authors. They are in essence, using the trust that they have in the industry to dupe unsuspecting authors into a publishing deal that in all likelihood will not earn the author back the initial investment in printing, let alone the other services that Harlequin Horizons will sell to authors for an additional price. This is particularly true since Harlequin Horizons authors will not enjoy any of Harlequin’s distribution.

For more details on the Harlequin Horizons situation you can find some straight forward explanations of this venture and its impacts on authors who write for Harlequin and those who might be tempted to buy into Harlequin Horizon’s vanity publishing deal (advertised as a self publishing deal) at Jackie Kessler’s website. There are three posts there that sum up the arguments very well. Check Out Harlequin Horizons Vs. RWA for a piece by piece explanation of the issues. The Day After Harlequin Blinks will give you even more detail of why Harlequin Horizons is perhaps not the best choice for aspiring authors. And Answering Your Questions for still more answers to questions about Harlequin Horizons.

Be informed. Know what you are signing. With any publisher. There are some cringe worth clauses out there, and there are some deals that just aren’t set up to profit anyone but the publisher/printer. Be careful.
  To read the entire blog post and access the links from BVS go to:  BVS-U Blog (November 23rd post)
 
I hope this helps you understand what is happening at HQN. 
 
Kaye