Sharon's Muse.... Let's chat over coffee while I ponder some things
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Sharon's Muse.... Let's chat over coffee while I ponder some things |
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Name::Sharon Cullars
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Saturday, October 28, 2006 Genesis Press There's some nasty stuff going on in the publishing world, some outright thievery and an even more pathetic attempt to slap the mouths of those who are speaking out. Simple synopsis: Genesis Press (GP), an independent publisher of African-American and multicultural books, has not been paying its authors - sometimes for years - and has the nerve to cry "slander" because said authors are now suing and speaking up in the press, in particular, Publishers Weekly. The owner of GP is Wilber Colom, who is African-American as are most of the authors, with a scattering of a few white authors. Maybe Mr. Colom thought racial solidarity would keep their mouths shut. As a matter of fact, I would bet my last dime that was the case. Because all us Negroes know we're not supposed to speak out against each other. Bullshit! Some of these authors, like Karin McLarin, have gone on to more prestigious houses and a great career. Some are still struggling to make it and need their monies paid in full. Even more appalling is that GP has in some cases re-issued books from years ago for which they have yet to pay the author for the first damn run. And you know there's no monies being exchanged for the reissues. Talk about gall. The authors, tired of the runaround, have wised up and decided to let the law work for them. They filed suit against GP, for its contract breaches and monies owed. So did GP buckle down and pony up once it was exposed? Heck no. It figures it needs a good smoke screen to unsully its name, so it's taking the offensive and countersuing, citing slander and libel (and other "malicious acts") and - here's the kicker - asking for $3 million in damage and punitives - against those whom it hasn't deigned to pay the small stipend it promised in written word. Let's analogize: that's like someone beating you up, then calling the police and crying foul because the you dared to report the abuse. Uhn huh. Makes some damn sense don't it? I applaud the authors for finally standing up and taking ground. As for the silly countersuit, I defy any self-respecting judge not to throw it out with a hearty laugh. As I said in comment on author Monica Jackson's blog, Mr. Colom needs a kick in and up the ass.
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