Scandal Engulfs Independent Publisher ChiZine Publications - Writer Beware

Today as Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere, the Panzermobile was suddenly buffeted and shaken by yelling and screaming outside. Braving the chaos and following all the noise took our adventuresome kitty boy to the Writer Beware site. It took no digging at all to find the cause of all the hullabaloo was a post about Canadian indie publishing company ChiZine Publications. In case you didn't know, Writer Beware is a site which advises writers about scams and unscrupulous sites, agents, and publishers.

Watch where you step.

According to Victoria Strauss, ChiZine Publications has recently had numerous complaints filed against the company by writers. While it appeared the company had an excellent record working with authors, it has come to light according to the quoted authors, sites and blog posts this wasn't true. The post contains quotes from authors' blogs about not getting paid their royalties, statements from writers' organizations, and a statement from ChiZine. There are also links to several blog posts about the issues as well.

Panzer says, "This is definitely one big pile of pooh you don't want to step in."

Note: This is a humongous post. Bring a gallon of tea and a dozen muffins for today's reading selection. If you plan to follow the links, also bring a gallon of cocoa, a dozen muffins and a dozen chocolate chip cookies.

To read the post tootle over to scandal

More Protests Against 'NYT' Bestseller Cuts - Publishers' Weekly

Panzer was just tootling around in the Catosphere today when his delicate kitty hearing was attacked by yelling and screaming. Following the cacophony took our poor kitty to the Publishers' Weekly (PW) site.  With a little digging there he found a news release about the New York Times (NYT) cuts to their bestseller lists. A few days ago Panzer told you when the cuts happened and authors' and publishers' reactions to them then.

A lot of humans are really angry.

According the release, now there is even more backlash against the New York Times (NYT) cuts of the mass market paperback bestseller list and the ebook bestseller list. Six authors' organizations, including the Mystery Writers of America, have joined forces to protest NYT's cuts to the lists. A total of 20,000 authors are members in the organizations issuing the statement.

Panzer says, "Hmm ... Do you think the New York Times cares if 20,000 authors complain? Now, if it was 20,000 subscribers, they might care. But 20,000 authors? I don't think so."

Note: This is a short news release. Bring a cup of tea to read today's selection. If you want to read Panzer's other post about the bestseller list cuts (this one has links to other posts), bring a thermos of tea and two muffins.

To read the post, tootle over to New York Times Bestseller Lists

To read Panzer's other post about NYT's bestseller lists cuts, tootle over to bestseller list cuts