miércoles, 25 de marzo de 2020

Going public: a timeline of the Italian mayhem

Here's a timeline of the Italian mayhem:
I was contacted by Meridiano Zero/Marco Odoya in March of 2019. They wanted the rights to Zero Saints. They sent a standard contract: small advance and then 8% royalties for the first 1500 copies.
I asked around, visited their page, and talked to Italian publisher/editor Mauro Falciani, who vouched for Meridiano Zero.
The contract was signed, scanned, and sent on April 12, 2019. They notified receipt of the document. The advance was due at signing according to the contract. Failure to pay within a month of signing would mean breach of contract. I received no advance. I emailed them in May and July. My May email was ignored. In July they replied and said payment of the advance was scheduled for late August or early September.
I reached out again in November and asked Falciani to try to contact them as well. No dice.
I emailed them again during the first week of March. My email was once again ignored. Then I learned they had hired a translator. She hasn't given me permission to use her name, so I won't use it here. She translated the novel but never got paid for her work.
I emailed them again yesterday and said I was going public with this. No reply. Well, now I'm using my platform so no other writers have to deal with this bullshit.
The rights are mine because of contract violations. The novel has been translated. I would love to see it published in Italy and I would love to see the translator get paid for her work. If you know of any solid Italian crime/horror publishers, reach out.
Here's a personal note to publishers across the globe:
Don't fuck with writers. Respect the work of writers, translators, editors, and cover designers. Also, don't fuck with me and don't fuck with my money. I'm a high school teacher and sometimes the money I make from my writing is the difference between paying all my bills and having to pick which ones I'll pay. Be decent or get exposed. Have a nice day.

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