Via Colleen Lindsay, a big ol’ heads up with impending ORLY? surrounding FirstOne Digital Publishing. FirstOne is a new digital press (Wait, why do I hear popcorn popping? Stop that!) that opened its doors this week with a contest that raised a few eyebrows. Aside from what Laura Anne Gilman noted in her entry as the standard hyperbole of a newly launching digital press, there’s a contest with a rather high entrance fee of $149 and a clause that has an Absolute Write thread discussing the entire concept in detail.
The clause reads, on the FirstOne website:
All submissions become sole property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. By submitting an entry, all entrants grant Sponsor the absolute and unconditional right and authority to copy, edit, publish, promote, broadcast, or otherwise use, in whole or in part, their entries, in perpetuity, in any manner without further permission, notice or compensation.
In other words, as I and others are reading that, you pay a $149 fee, submit, and lose many, many rights to your work before the contest has even begun. You pay them, they can take your work and do all kinds of fun and profitable things with it… and not pay you a penny.
Oh, my. Remember, Always Read the Fine Print Before You Sign Your Name. This is a classic example of why.
The response from the publisher, Karen Hunter, who lists a lot of co-writing credentials in her biography, to the Absolute Write discussion, raises my eyebrows more than the clause itself. I mean, wow. First, she says, “Whatever is telling you that something is amiss, is lying to you. And we accept your apology because you are wrong as it relates to the contest. To judge a book before you’ve read it is unfair. Let us launch the contest (Feb. 11). Join it. And if you have a problem, then you have a right to criticize. But it’s not even officially launched yet.”
Then, later in the thread, “LOL…to most of the responses. Here’s the deal: If you want to be a part of something bigger than what you’re currently doing, join us. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the naysaying and the problem. It’s very easy to sit on the sidelines and poke holes at everything. It is far more difficult to get out there and do something different. That’s what we’re doing.
Again, we’re grateful for the feedback because it certainly forces us to do a better job, which we will. But it seems as if the comments and the criticisms are not edifying. If your goal is to be a boo-bird. Good job. If you’re goal is to help change publishing, get in the game and let’s play.
Either you’re part of the solution or you’re part of the problem. And if you are an author, finding so much success on your own, then keep it moving. No need to be concerned with what we’re doing.”
No, there’s a lot of room to be concerned. Janet Reid has explained her concerns, not only about the clause, but also the unfortunate and disrespectful response from Karen Hunter. The writers on AW are lining up reasons why this is a hot mess of bad idea, as are others on Twitter. The correct response is not, ‘You’re wrong. You have to trust me because I am made of awesome and also experience.’ No amount of sports rheotic and cliche will move that response from its current location in the Far Reaches of the Land of Crap.
There is room for responses that can respectfully examine errors and correct them. This is not one of them.
There are also a lot of fabulous contests out there, where you can win a query letter review to a publishing contract to a mullet wig. This is not one of them.
ETA: Evil Wylie has posted a similarly inspired contest page – and is soliciting ideas for better clauses in the comments. In addition, Scalzi has also posted, saying, in essence, “Run away! Run away!”
@ Elizabeth – I won’t sell you the rights, but I’ll trade you for this very lovely bridge that I’m selling.
Lynne, move up one and pass me the bucket of salty, would you? This one is going to run and run…
I am totally at a loss – this whole thing is so OTT ridiculous. But what’s worse than this outrageous ploy to rob people of their money and their work is that there are new writers out there who won’t do their research and will actually fall for this.
I went to the website to see what everyone was talking about and couldn’t get past the flash on the first page. The first slide in the flash was promoting a book titled “Ni**er”.
Usually I can take explicitness, in any form, but it just kind of stumped me. I couldn’t force myself past it, once I shook myself out of my shock I closed the page uninterested in reading anything more.
“FEES: There will be a $149.00 entrance fee for each submission. The fee must be paid online before the manuscript will be accepted.”
So unless I pay I get no play? Puhleez, that scam is as old as the hairs on God’s head.
**meaning, I know we all pay entrance fees, but damn that price is high
I don’t think that Amazon thing that starts Jan 24 has an entry fee. But I am NOT positive about that.
@Gina
Just for the record, Nigger is an autobiography by Dick Gregory first published back in the 60s. Gregory is a comedian and political activist with a clear anti-racist agenda. While the choice of title was and still is controversial, it really isn’t another strike against the publisher.
Lord knows, FirstOne’s contest has enough strikes against it and brings a new dimension to the concept of exploitation, but reissuing a digital version of Gregory’s book should probably be counted in the win column.
Interestingly, boo bird is not all she will be associated with. This is also the woman that suggested atheists need Hallmark cards. She does have a way with words.
WTF? I continue to be a part of the problem . . . and my verification is “specific 69”. Nice.
Where do I get my Boo Bird Badge?
If the best defense is a good offense, the publisher’s response certainly qualifies: it was good and offensive.
Wow! Amazingly ridiculous! What a scam. Unfortunate that some people will fall for it.
As an athiest, I’m confused. What do we need the cards for? Does she mean cards to convert us? To express sympathy for our lack of belief? Or more secular cards that we can use (Happy Winter Holiday?)
Never mind. Due to the power of google, I am now depressed. No Hallmark card can possibly cheer me up, unless it’s one from Karen that says, “Sorry I had this huge blind spot that made me a total douchecanoe. Separation of Church and State ROCKS! Love, Karen. PS – my contest was dumb.” It should come with candy. And flowers. Thanks Karen, write anytime.
true44: There are 44 true reasons for me to cheer up, but religious intolerance is not one of them.
@Kelly L. – Anne Shirley: Did she enter a writing contest and win, only to be horrified that the sponsors had inserted their product? Or was it Diana that inserted the flour into the story and submitted it without Anne knowing? I think that’s it, and she was still horrified.
Now I need to look it up. But which book? The first? I think the 2nd book, maybe. Oh, how this will bother me until I KNOW!
Sadly, I don’t remember anymore! I think I’m due for a reread. LOL.
Diana adding the flour sounds right, though. Also I think there may have been a similar plotline in one of the Emily books.
Well, I suppose the lady can actually say she’s telling the truth. She admits to scamming and taking advantage of the contest entrants right there in the contest pages. FirstOne is under no obligation to do anything actually helpful for you, ever, because they say they aren’t.
Well, that’s certainly true. No one can deny that.
However, it isn’t honest.
I saw her on TV a few days ago (MSNBC, CNBC, one of those high-dial cable news channels) promoting her brave new world of excellence in digital publishing. When no one questions anything she says, she can seem quite pleasant and probably earned a few $149s from those who won’t investigate further.
Wow… Entrants, can you say SCREWED? I knew you could.
My verify word is free87. Yeah, the best things in life are free. Does that makes this contest one of the worst things in life?
On another thread on this wonderful, informative and entertaining website (SBTB) I asked for input re: the Amazon/Penguin/Create a Space collaborative contest. It sounds kind of good to me, but, as I have said, I live in cloud cuckoo land, and would enjoy and appreciate having any negatives pointed out to me. In the meanwhile, it may be worth a look by y’all. (That would be “you guys”.) Be forewarned. Crate a Space is a vanity publishing deal, but I don’t think you have to do that.
Just as American Idol has given us Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, and so many, many more, First One will deliver the next Stephen King, Nicholas Sparks, and Stephenie Meyer
No one with a scrap of legitimate publishing experience and a dribble of realism would ever say this.
This is the promise of a con artist.
Hi Virginia,
This is the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It’s a legit contest, and winners/finalists have indeed been published by Penguin. I’m not quite sure what role Createspace (not Create a Space, just FYI) plays in this, except that they’re owned by Amazon, and I’ve heard rumors of past ABNA contestants getting lots of emails suggesting they go ahead and publish themselves. But it is a legitimate contest, in that it’s not a scam and people have actually won.
Having said that, though…
The rules require you to accept the contract offered, with no negotiation. That’s not good. And given the competition and the manner of judging, you’re starting out with several strikes against you, as opposed to submitting to agents in the normal fashion. I’m also not at all confident about the way these books are judged, frankly.
Personally, I think the vast majority of contests—certainly those which offer publication as a prize—are a waste of time. If your work is good enough/marketable enough to be published, it’s good enough to be published through the usual channels, and probably faster than it would be through a contest. Not to mention you’ll be able to select an agent to represent you (assuming one offers) and negotiate the best possible deal for you. And to submit to more than one publisher. And to not spam you with offers for vanity publishing.
Something like ten thousand people enter this contest every year. Sure, about the same amount submit to agents every six months or so, but that’s more spread out.
Submitting to agents is like entering a contest every day. 🙂 So why not do it that way, and stand a better chance of getting a great deal, instead of maybe being forced to take whatever you’re offered?
Here’s the AW thread on the ABNA:
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91733&highlight=amazon+breakthrough
if you’d like to read through it.
I hope that helps. Feel free to ask questions or register at AW and ask there.
Correction: Apparently you now can negotiate the contract, but you’re still required to accept it; entering the contest automatically gives Penguin your first publication rights if you become a quarter- or semifinalist.
That is simply amazing. Unfortunately I guess the reason they do it is as a result of it working and people handing over their fee. Maybe I should stop writing and start holding contests….
Did this woman used to work at Cook’s magazine ? ; )
@StaciaKane. Thank you. Cleared a couple of clouds out of my head. I am TOTALLY cowed by the submission process and am trying to work my way through the query letter thing. Why I can do 70,000+ words but am stymied by a simple query letter is probably due to my tendency to accumulate phobias for fun. I appreciate your generous response. The one thing I have heard that I always try to remember is that you shouldn’t have to pay anyone in the process.
Query letters are hard. They suck, really. Nobody likes them/writing them. But they do get easier. 🙂
AW has a Share Your Work forum (password protected; password is VISTA) where you can post excerpts and queries for critique. Some good advice there.
I assume you know about Janet Reid/Query Shark? Good place to learn more about queries. And of course Miss Snark, now archived, but still totally worth looking at, because she gave fantastic advice.
Good luck!
I love learning new languages! I thought “H.E. double hockey sticks” was brilliant but “Boo Bird” kicks arse!
I hope, somewhere, there will be follow up so we can find out how successful, or not, Hunter’s idea is.
@StaciaKane. Thanks. Saved this. Do they get all mad here if we go WAY off topic? I know I only have to write one query. And I am going to. I am. Right away. Writer’sDigest is supposed to have a critiquing blog, even sorted by type, but I cannot figure out how to get there. They have lots of info, but much of it is for sale. Sooner or later, you find it for free.
@Carin: Diana added the brand name of the flour to the end of the story. Anne was horrified and gave up writing for a while as a result. It’s in the first book. 🙂
the Plot Moppets & the Potato Rage have got to be one of my favorite quotes from this particular posting.
who else thinks it sounds like she’s starting a cult? lol. i feel for the people who actually fall for this line of bullshite.
P.S.
Boo-Birds of the World Unite!
plot moppets and potato rage come from Redheadedgirl. rock on, redheadedgirl, but you’ll have to work hard to top “boo bird”.
OK, I’ve been living in an editing cave for the past week and am just now reading this.
WTF in 20 pt. font! Are these people serious? This has got to be a joke—something put out there to get a response. And if it’s not a joke, then this so-called publisher needs to quietly slither away into the night. To all unpublished authors who are tired of receiving rejection notices: DO NO ENTER THIS BASTARD OF A CONTEST! It is NOT publication. It’s not even vanity press. It’s worse. It’s theft.
Unfortunately, some authors will bite thinking this is their way to success.