All Romance is Closing Effective 12/31/2016

So here’s the news: All Romance eBooks and OmniLit will be closing effective 12/31/2016.

Per the email sent to ARe customers, readers are encouraged to “take this opportunity to finalize any transactions, download your purchases, and back up your library.”

If you’ve purchased ebooks there, you must download them immediately* as the sites will go dark at midnight CST, 12/31/16.

*Of course, all the traffic is making the download and access process very slow. I’m having a plodding time trying to navigate to my library, but it’s nearly 9pm ET. I imagine it may get better the later it gets.

Authors who sell their books through the site as well as publishers received a different message. Per the email statement from Lori James at AllRomance LLC:

Authors whose books were contracted by AllRomance as a publisher are receiving their rights back, and no monetary compensation.

So authors who were published by AllRomance as a publisher will receive no compensation for fourth quarter 2016. Parties who were distributing books through AllRomance can receive 10% of what is owed to them from sales dated October 1 through December 27  — which was yesterday. Any sales made from today until the site goes dark are not included.

RWA posted a response on their site outlining the terms of the closing of All Romance, then adding:

RWA finds it unconscionable for the owner of ARe to withhold information so long and to continue selling books through the end of the month when the company cannot pay commissions. RWA contacted ARe but has not yet received a response.

There are a number of unanswered questions, such as: what happens to pre-ordered books? All Romance hasn’t released any details, but a number of small presses are honoring receipts for pre-orders made at All Romance, including Interlude, Dreamspinner, Nine Star, and Less Then Three Press, via their statements on Twitter:

 

W/ @allromance closure, if you preordered Dreamspinner title, forward receipt and we’ll honor via our store contactATdreamspinnerpressDOTcom

— Dreamspinner Press (@dreamspinners) December 28, 2016

If you have preordered any IP titles from @allromance, send us confirmation (screenshot or receipt) and we’ll honor at the IP Web Store

— Interlude Press (@InterludePress) December 28, 2016

It seems ARe is not refunding preorders. Send the confirmation email to Raevyn@ninestarpress.com. I will make sure you receive the book(s).

— NineStar Press (@ninestarpress) December 28, 2016

we’re going to make this easy for ppl: if you pre-ordered an LT3 title on ARe, forward the receipt to service@lessthanthreepress.com.

— Samantha M Derr (@rykaine) December 28, 2016

Samantha Derr also mentioned on Twitter that despite All Romance’s offer of 10% of fourth quarter totals owed, “no matter how LT3’s agreement w/ #ARe works out, LT3 authors WILL NOT take the hit. you will get what you are owed.”

I’ve seen conflicting reports regarding eBook Buck balances at ARe. Some folks are reporting they haven’t been able to use them, and others tweeted their transactions went through.

In the meantime, many publishers and self published authors are removing their books from AllRomance as fast as they can, since they won’t be receiving any compensation on sales made today through midnight Saturday. Anyone trying with success to use their AllRomance store credit may not find much by Saturday.  Or midnight tonight. I have a small amount of credit, and books I try to purchase yield a notice that “This book is no longer available on our website” despite appearing the catalog.

Many, understandably, are furious about the extremely short notice, and even more infuriated by the 10% offer on fourth quarter monies owed, advising readers to backup their libraries immediately and to stop making purchases there since the authors won’t receive compensation.

Some are not entirely surprised. One individual I contacted said, requesting anonymity, “Anyone who has been distributing via ARe for more than a couple of years will not be surprised – their advertising rates have gone up just as sales have gone down, indicating profitability issues. I just wish they had done the right thing and closed doors before they had to screw authors.”

Speaking for myself, this came as a shock to me, and I’m terribly sad and disappointed, which aren’t big enough words but I’m exhausted so they’ll have to do. I’ve been working with AllRomance since they opened in 2006. They approached me with the idea for the Sizzling Book Club, offering a 50% rebate on the selected titles. They were sponsors of the DABWAHA tournament for multiple years, and have advertised with SBTB as well, though they did not renew for 2017.

To see AllRomance come to an abrupt and contentious end is bitterly sad – for readers, authors, and publishers, and those who are all of the above. I don’t know anything about why this happened or how, but this is not the ending anyone would wish for.

The details are still confusing and uneven, and I am having trouble finding more information for the questions I have. Regardless of the answers, if at all feasible, you should download your purchased books from your AllRomance library as soon as you possibly can. 

ETA 12/30/16: Regarding pre-orders, I have received information from multiple individuals that if you pre-ordered a book, you can request a refund but you must do so by 1 January 2017. You can open a support ticket or email service AT allromanceebooks.com and include information about your purchase, such as order number, date, or a screen shot or copy of your receipt.

If I receive any additional information, I’ll post it here.