Hypnagogic State

Harlequin changed the name of its vanity publisher from Harlequin Horizons to DellArte Press. That wasn’t enough distance for the Mystery Writers of America. The Board voted to remove Harlequin and its imprints from their list of Approved Publishers. That means writers can’t use Harlequin published works as their membership requirement. Harlequin publications will not be allowed in the Edgar Award competition.

MWA’s problem is Harlequin’s continued interactions with their vanity arm:

MWA does not object to Harlequin operating a pay-to-publish program or other for-pay services. The problem is HOW those pay-to-publish programs and other for-pay services are integrated into Harlequin’s traditional publishing business. MWA’s rules for publishers state:

“The publisher, within the past five years, may not have charged a fee to consider, read, submit, or comment on manuscripts; nor may the publisher, or any of the executives or editors under its employ, have offered authors self-publishing services, literary representation, paid editorial services, or paid promotional services.

If the publisher is affiliated with an entity that provides self-publishing, for-pay editorial services, or for-pay promotional services, the entities must be wholly separate and isolated from the publishing entity. They must not share employees, manuscripts, or authors or interact in any way. For example, the publishing entity must not refer authors to any of the for-pay entities nor give preferential treatment to manuscripts submitted that were edited, published, or promoted by the for-pay entity.

To avoid misleading authors, mentions and/or advertisements for the for-pay entities shall not be included with information on manuscript submission to the publishing company. Advertising by the publisher’s for-pay editorial, self-publishing or promotional services, whether affiliated with the publisher or not, must include a disclaimer that it is advertising and that use of those services offered by an affiliate of the publisher will not affect consideration of manuscripts submitted for publication.”

Harlequin’s Publisher and CEO Donna Hayes responded to our November 9 letter, and a follow up that we sent on November 30. In her response, which we have posted on the MWA website, Ms. Hayes states that Harlequin intends as standard practice to steer the authors that it rejects from its traditional publishing imprints to DellArte and its other affiliated, for-pay services. In addition, Harlequin mentions on the DellArte site that editors from its traditional publishing imprints will be monitoring DellArte titles for possible acquisition. It is this sort of integration that violates MWA rules.

John Scalzi took Black Matrix Publishing to task for their offered pay rate of one-fifth of a cent per word. In a followup post entitled “Aspiring Writer Stockholm Syndrome“, Scalzi responds to defenses offered for the criticized publisher:

“We can’t all make what the pros make” — Why not? All it takes is the decision not to take less than that for your work, and patience until you get to that point. This is why I advise writers to keep their day jobs. If you can’t or won’t wait, pick a lower amount you’re happy with, below which you do not go. Allow me to suggest that amount be an integer when it comes to pennies per word.

“A market like this gives me hope” — A market that thinks so little of you that it takes five words to get to a penny gives you hope? You need better hope standards, my friends.

I have yet to have any fiction published but I have been writing professionally for a few years. Working as a freelance writer makes you realize quickly what monetary value you can- and should- put on your work.

I had no real experience when I started working as a freelancer. But even at my first job- a poorly funded online magazine- I made more than one cent a word. And it was openly acknowledged by my boss that the pay was fairly crappy.

I’ve worked up since then, building my portfolio along the way, and am now supporting myself decently solely on freelance writing. It is obviously unrealistic to plan on supporting yourself as a short story writer. But you still shouldn’t undervalue your work.

Let’s look at the standard pay rates for short fiction writing. Duotrope’s Digest has the following definitions of payment: token- under 1 cent per word, semi pro- between 1 and 4.9 cents per word, and pro- 5 cents per word and up.

To join the Science Fiction and Fantasty Writers of America as an associate member (the lower membership status), a writer must have at least one short story sale to a qualifying market. To qualify, the markets must pay at least 5 cents per word. The Horror Writers Association qualifies publications at the same pay rate

The publications with pro rates are going to be the most competitive. The upper end of semi-pro isn’t a bad gig if you’re not angling for membership into one of those groups. But there doesn’t seem to be much point in submitting to a publication paying token rates.* Those publications likely have a very low readership, little to no industry recognition, and essentially exist, for writers, as a “place to get published”.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to get a story published somewhere, anywhere. But if your story has found no home in the pro or semi-pro markets and you feel that it absolutely must see the light of day, why not publish it yourself at your website or via a service like Lulu?

* There is a very large exception category here. There are well-respected smaller publications who have a nonexistent budget (for whatever reason) and offer payments of little to nothing with the implication that the real payment is the honor of being published there.

One of my first published articles was in such a publication, well known and respected among liberal political sorts. I don’t regret it at all and am still quite proud of the piece and the placement. But making such a decision requires sufficient knowledge of the industry you are submitting to and the publication in question.

My schedule soul suck last week kept me from posting on the Harlequin Horizons debacle as it was happening. A brief recap: Harlequin opened up a vanity press called Harlequin Horizons. Through the HH site, they made it seem as though aspiring writers that (over)paid for a package would get the strength of the Harlequin brand behind them. At the same time, Harlequin was telling its contracted writers not to worry because those other books wouldn’t be on the shelves next to theirs.

I’m going to refrain from doing a long post on the subject because others have already done so and done so well*. Some links to get you started:

Falconesse is a great first stop because she explains why Harlequin Horizons is a vanity press- not a self publisher- and brings the math to show why it is an even worse deal for aspiring writers than it seems on the surface.

Jackie Kessler gets snarky in a faux author-HH conversation, answers questions in two parts, and shows a bookseller’s perspective.

And you can read the statements made by the Romance Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and Science Fiction Writers of America. (h/t: Ecstatic Days)

*And now I have mid-90s LL Cool J stuck in my head.

Eden Robbins is guest blogging over at Eclectic Days while Jeff VanderMeer is on his Finch/Booklife whirlwind tour. Robbins’ used Booklife as a touchstone to discuss whether and when a writer should quit their day job to pursue their passion.

She lists her “rules for choosing and thriving in a day job” and the first is that said job must not involve writing. But there is an exception:

1a. The exception to this rule is what I have heard called “word math.” This is basically writing that doesn’t take much creative initiative, or writing about a subject that you know so well that it takes almost no energy to do. Curriculum, web copy, press releases, that sort of thing. Word math.

I have been working as a word mathematician for the past two years, though this is the first I’ve heard of that term. I work as a freelance copy writer and produce web content for a variety of sources and clients. The pay is decent- better than when I was working as a pharmacy technician- and the hours are whatever I would like.

But the best advantage of being a word mathematician is that it got me used to treating writing like any other job related task. When you’re a cashier, you can’t refuse to ring up a customer because you have cashier’s block. You have a limited number of breaks and sick days and excuses you can file before the job is no longer yours.

But writing- fiction and nonfiction, strenuous and light- tends to have the reputation of a mysterious rebel who can come and go as he pleases and that best be respected. There’s talk of inspiration and muses and creative flow.

Needing to pay the electric bill is tremendous inspiration. Having to write in order to make a living has made it a lot easier for me to do other forms of writing. I’m currently writing “word math” for five hours a day and fiction for a few more hours. I am also in my final year of a Journalism degree, which carries its own writing load.

Do I suffer word burnout on occasion? Of course. But I have become a much stronger writer in the past two years because writing is now a scheduled daily activity rather than a side task that must be worked around other events.