Destroy The Brain! Supports the Boycott Dorchester Campaign
Horror author Brian Keene – with the support of many authors, fans, and reviewers – posted a call to arms on his website this past Thursday to BOYCOTT DORCHESTER because they (1) aren’t paying authors the money due to them and in fact continue to sell unauthorized copies of authors’ books from which they see no payment or royalties and (2) Dorchester has outright ignored requests from authors for the reversion of the rights to their own books. Fans of their horror imprint Leisure are probably aware of the Dorchester Publishing debacle. In mid-2010 they abruptly announce they would switch exclusively to a digital format leaving the scheduled release for forthcoming mass market paperback (mmpb) titles unlikely. At the time, most fans were disappointed that the affordable Leisure titles would no longer be available in the mmpb format, but were probably unaware that Dorchester-Leisure was blatantly ripping off writers and denying them the rights to their own books. Find out how to support your beloved horror authors and avoid putting more money into the pockets of Dorchester Publishing beyond the break.
(From Brian Keene’s BOYCOTT DORCHESTER post)
*If you follow them on Twitter, please unfollow them.* If you like them on Facebook, please unlike them.
* If you receive their marketing emails, please remove yourself from their list.
*If you belong to one of their book clubs, please consider canceling your membership.
* If you are considering publishing with them, please reconsider.
* Most importantly, please don’t buy their books, regardless of whether it’s on their website, in the $1.99 dump bin at Wal-Mart, or available on the Kindle. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester book, check the spine. It should say Leisure Fiction or Dorchester Publishing. If you aren’t sure how to identify a Dorchester ebook, here is an example: If you scroll down, you’ll see that this Kindle edition of J.F. Gonzalez’s Shapeshifter lists “Leisure Books” as the publisher (later today, J.F. will also be asking his readers to boycott Dorchester editions of his work, and he gave me permission to use this Kindle edition as an example).
Visit Brian Keene’s website to be added to the growing list of authors, reviewers, and fans who support the boycott and find out about the latest developments with the campaign.
There are a number of great small presses where former Leisure authors have found their homes. Not sure where to find an alternative to Leisure? E-mail me at meli AT destroythebrain DOT com and I will do my best to help. Destroy The Brain! will post links and information about some of our favorite small presses in the coming weeks, so stay tuned, fiends!
Melissa Denton
I am a child of the 80's raised on a healthy diet of slashers in the Hoosier state of Indiana. I now reside in NW Ohio and spend my time watching horror flicks, reading scary books, and listening to spooky tunes. Have a book you would like Destroy The Brain! to review? Contact me at meli AT destroythebrain DOT com!