tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.comments2022-09-30T16:47:58.293+01:00Ramblings of a Frustrated Crime WriterJennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-9360668148883763102022-09-30T16:36:37.759+01:002022-09-30T16:36:37.759+01:00Thanks for posting, Selma. I know exactly what you...Thanks for posting, Selma. I know exactly what you mean when you say " I felt like I was in a toxic relationship with an abusive employee" as that's exactly how I felt. It took me a long time to get my rights back and during that time they were an absolute nightmare to deal with. <br />I hope other people read about our experiences and avoid this nasty company. Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-40612831564460803532022-09-30T16:04:42.881+01:002022-09-30T16:04:42.881+01:00Oh they are the absolute worst. I came across your...Oh they are the absolute worst. I came across your comment after reading their first two reader comments on my book, so unprofessional and rude that, even tho it seemed like they were ready to give me a contract, I just ran for my life. Immediately withdrew my submission. They clearly use the tactics of a schemer, try to bring down the author with their rude comments about their work, so as to make them think that their work has no value and they are actually doing you a favor by giving you a contract. Luckily, being an English teacher, an academic and an editor myself, I KNOW the value of my work and writing. There's that and also the fact that before submitting my book to them I had nothing but really amazing feedback from people who have bought it, including this movie producer who really liked it. So all that meant that I could have never been their prey. Instead I was just seriously appalled by the fact that they even thought that they could try that one cheap trick with me, after having looked at my profile. But then again schemers don't care about any such thing as your credentials, they try it anyway. I had no idea that they were a vanity publisher before sending in my work, otherwise I would have never done it. Should have done my due diligence better, and I really advise everyone to do their due research on any publisher before they send them their work, so as to avoid the unpleasantry that I suffered from these people right before realizing what was going on. Make no mistakes, vanity publishing is a scheme, and one which like any other scheme should be illegal. If one trusts the worth of their work there is no reason what-so-ever to enter any type of dealing with a schemer. I feel like vanity publishing serves those celebrities that can’t write, so they proceed to pay either ghost writers or vanity schemes, because to them the “contributions” that the vanity industry asks for are peanuts. But it is not for serious writers to engage with these people at all. I had self-published my book already, all on my own, before I contacted John Hunt Publishing, and this experience was further confirmation to me that one does not need a publisher these days - unless it’s a real publisher. There is absolutely no reason for any serious writer to settle for any less than a proper, fair, traditional contract with a serious publisher. Those who sign up with vanity schemers always end up having to do their own marketing anyway, and a vanity publisher has no credibility in the industry; having your own name on the book is actually the same, if not better than to have a vanity name. Anyway, thank you for your entry, it has really helped me make sense of my very brief, yet extremely unpleasant and toxic experience with these people. For a moment there, I honestly felt like I was already in a toxic relationship with an abusive employer, even before getting into a contract with them, how crazy is that?! Lol And this was literally only two reader comments in. Their comments are so vicious, so mean; absolutely disgraceful; and then at the end of those they offer you a contract anyway!? See what I mean, it’s the classic abusive, manipulative narc dynamic, where the latter first brings you down, so as to have you where they want you, and then bate you into the scheme; and people seriously need to start becoming more vocal about their experiences with the vanity industry scheme. I wonder if their “readers” even have any kind of credentials to judge and assess anyone's work. They really sounded like they don't even have the basic manners, and human report skills, much less the credentials. They are proper bullies. To say good riddance does not do enough justice to how I feel about this very short, yet quite unpleasant, interaction. Anywho, again thank you for the feedback. I only wish that more people could comment to bring awareness. Fear to speak out will take us nowhere, as far as making these kinds of schemes redundant. Selmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609602466790635593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-49584768757837806532022-01-13T02:40:40.136+00:002022-01-13T02:40:40.136+00:00Good theory. I just wish they'd solve this mys...Good theory. I just wish they'd solve this mystery to give the families some closure. Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-73794617003582187922022-01-13T01:04:36.385+00:002022-01-13T01:04:36.385+00:00It was the Taxi Driver who committed the murder &a...It was the Taxi Driver who committed the murder & rape of the three married women in Glasgow. Most serial killers have a driving trade. The Yorkshire Ripper was a lorry Driver ETC. The Police always assumed the killer met the women in the night club. It was outside where they got into a Taxi, a trusted Driver or so they thought. There is DNA on the stockings & would definitely match the Driver who is now deceased. TRUTHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18039419667108981924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-9755058077389119652021-05-07T12:59:36.575+01:002021-05-07T12:59:36.575+01:00Thanks for telling me about your experience. You m...Thanks for telling me about your experience. You must be in so much pain. I've heard of some doctors prescribing Botox. Not sure if that would help you or not. Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-45357977228612255262021-05-07T12:49:39.979+01:002021-05-07T12:49:39.979+01:00Amazingly, the Baclofen makes me clench my jaw mor...Amazingly, the Baclofen makes me clench my jaw more than ever. I have 2 different neuro/nerve & muscle disorders & take Baclofen for these. I’ve noticed that when I do take it, about 1/2 an hour later, my jaw is completely clenched…and I just can’t figure it out. It seems, that I am the only one that has this effect. Going back to Flexeril. Best of luck to you!C. L. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13748757936394712207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-72574162452563587802021-02-19T04:01:32.644+00:002021-02-19T04:01:32.644+00:00Great! best keypad phones under 2000Great! <a href="https://www.reviewunbox.in/best-keypad-phone-under-2000/" rel="nofollow">best keypad phones under 2000</a><br />whatsapp plus themeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17010776741345243017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-50190571195394684552021-01-27T07:25:22.743+00:002021-01-27T07:25:22.743+00:00brilliant thankyou, i have my sanity back, and i f...brilliant thankyou, i have my sanity back, and i found a few other things there that i wanted like the 3 buttons on the bottom, not 2 by defaultaussiemikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05125396515791447743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-9963193493258351962020-07-23T01:33:06.467+01:002020-07-23T01:33:06.467+01:00Hi, I am so sorry that happened to you. I've h...Hi, I am so sorry that happened to you. I've had more response to this post about John Hunt publishing than anything else on my blog - many of them ahave been from authors like us who have asked for me not to print them on my blog. <br />The company seems to have shattered the dreams of many writers. I am amongst them so I understand your pain.<br />Please keep on writing and don't give up up because of what was no doubt a horrendous, not to mention costly experience. <br />I believe that I was only given the rights to my 2 books back because at the time John Hunt had a Facebook page that was public and I posted about what was happening on that. After what I'd consider to be bullying and aggressive behaviour from them, I was blocked from the page and their website as were other writers who wanted their work back. <br />Without that Facebook page, I don't think I would ever have gotten the rights back to my two books.<br />Please don't for a moment think that what happened to you was your fault. Certain companies prey on writers because they know what they can and cannot get away with. They make a fortune doing it and retire to the south of France.Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-91088498843972682572020-07-23T01:05:10.632+01:002020-07-23T01:05:10.632+01:00I too had a bad experience back in 2009 and have y...I too had a bad experience back in 2009 and have yet to get the rights back to two books. I have asked only to be told I would have to pay almost 10,000USD to buy my rights back for my work. My first book was not properly edited and I immediately started getting emails from fans about all of the errors. Contacted the publisher and they said that it would stand as is instead of them fixing anything. I offered to pay an editor and resubmit a new manuscript. They said fine. I did all of it only to have them tell me no. So here I am with a bloody mess. Second book I had edited professionally and submitted and whilst you are probably asking "Why would you do it again?" the answer is simple. I did not know the issues of the first book until I had already signed a contract with the second.<br /><br />I have given up. No marketing was done at all. I tried marketing it myself but holding down a full time job and having kids doesn't leave much time to do much else. Yes, that was my fault, but I learned a hard lesson and have moved on. I figure once the company finally dies out is about the time I get my rights back through a lawsuit. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15768587407618680545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-21736802478325832952020-03-04T15:29:44.470+00:002020-03-04T15:29:44.470+00:00Hi,
Thanks for your comment. I haven't had any...Hi,<br />Thanks for your comment. I haven't had any dealings with John Hunt in quite some time. Back when I had two books published by them there was a fee deducted from your royalties depending on the size of the book for the eBook version. This applied to everyone including authors like me who weren't on contracts that were supposed to be subsidised. John Hunt had various levels of contracts. Some involved an author subsidy in what I would call vanity publishing. <br />They then started asking for a fee that would be deducted from your royalties for turning your book into a physical book, but after an outcry they stopped that.<br />Hope this helps.<br />They do very minimal marketing but if you want any real marketing i.e more than an hour spent on your book you need to pay for it.<br />Even if you do all the marketing yourself which you have to do anyway unless you want to pay, to my knowledge you still have money deducted from your royalties to cover the cost of making your book an ebook.Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-69307721460105753232020-03-04T15:05:52.611+00:002020-03-04T15:05:52.611+00:00Hi, is it necessary that an author pay costs to th...Hi, is it necessary that an author pay costs to them for publishing their book or only if an author wants them to market their books is when the author pays them?Know Thy Futurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06197749962709275332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-60685499346192403012019-12-16T13:28:55.746+00:002019-12-16T13:28:55.746+00:00Thanks for the heads up.Thanks for the heads up.Scott Talbot Evanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973425975691386889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-61844443848253263542019-09-22T23:44:27.601+01:002019-09-22T23:44:27.601+01:00Hi there, I'm sorry it happened to you too.
G...Hi there, I'm sorry it happened to you too. <br />Getting my rights back was a struggle and I had to constantly contact them. Back then they had a Facebook page and I also posted on that until they blocked me even although I'd always been polite.<br />Good luck. Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-82191219106846951382019-09-22T17:04:37.026+01:002019-09-22T17:04:37.026+01:00Thanks for sharing Jenny. I've sadly had a sim...Thanks for sharing Jenny. I've sadly had a similar experience and would not touch with a barge pole again. How did you go about getting back your rights. I would like to do that and republish either through another publisher or myself?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15306148245375081207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-17201962287589294492019-08-27T12:13:45.169+01:002019-08-27T12:13:45.169+01:00You could be right, Graham. You could be right, Graham. Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-8801863336623303232019-08-27T11:42:04.484+01:002019-08-27T11:42:04.484+01:00A crime of opportunity, or did the perpetrator mak...A crime of opportunity, or did the perpetrator make the dog escape so that Sandy & Donna would leave the safety of the garden?Graham Claytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09182805428889776703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-35754800514287919832019-03-22T13:13:54.859+00:002019-03-22T13:13:54.859+00:00Georgi, I'm sorry you had such a bad experienc...Georgi, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience with John Hunt Publishing. I don't know anything about taking legal action except that it would be very expensive.<br />Please keep contacting them to try and get your rights back. I did it across all platforms I could find and think I only got my rights back through pestering them which was stressful because they were extremely unhelpful and rude and I nearly gave up. <br />Good luck, Georgi. I wish I could be more helpfulJennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-81093056532904582682019-03-22T09:27:14.262+00:002019-03-22T09:27:14.262+00:00I'm recognizing all the above disappointments ...I'm recognizing all the above disappointments with JHP. I wonder if we have a case for a class action to get our rights back? In despair, I asked for the return of rights and was told that as it had sold over 500, it was too successful. This was after previously saying that the book was doing poorly (as if that was my fault). <br />Right now, I'm creating an audiobook as thankfully that's not covered in the contract.<br />I contributed for starters 800 BP towards çosts, believing there would be serious promotion and distribution. My second book is self published, and it cost me the same. But I have full control, have sold double in one year, and have all the royalties and rights. <br />People so much love the JHP book, that they have translated it into Dutch. I would like to self-publish the Dutch version. But they are ignoring my request to get the Dutch foreign rights from them - even for payment. They seem to only want to deal with an official Dutch publisher. It's not that they ask how I would do it, or discuss the price. I am just ignored.<br />Is there a lawyer among us that could look into if there is actual breakage of contract? Georgihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15610620236333398863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-40727235921226887322018-10-15T16:59:17.548+01:002018-10-15T16:59:17.548+01:00Baclofen, an agonist of GABAB receptor, could be e...Baclofen, an agonist of GABAB receptor, could be effective as a skeletal muscle relaxant and has been also found to have antispastic effect. <a href="https://www.bocsci.com/baclofen-cas-1134-47-0-item-474356.html" rel="nofollow">Baclofen</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12128271861530734257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-36366402790550166612018-03-05T04:49:45.452+00:002018-03-05T04:49:45.452+00:00Hi, Unknown.
I'm sorry that like me you had t...Hi, Unknown. <br />I'm sorry that like me you had the misfortune to be published by John Hunt Publishing, but I'm glad you found my post helpful. <br /><br />I also found their contract and terms confusing and I was angry to discover that they deducted a fee against future royalties for converting my novella into an eBook. Before I got the rights to my books back they were going to start charging for bringing books out in paperback too. A fee of £100 was mentioned. I don't know if they went through with that or not.<br /><br />It doesn't seem right that with £1000 worth of sales you only received £4 in royalties. As for them paying your money into a bank you don't bank with, that surely must be a mistake. <br /><br />I hope you have better luck with your other books. You deserve to:)<br />Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-76928724922288729572018-03-04T11:00:52.516+00:002018-03-04T11:00:52.516+00:00Finding this blog post has helped me no end.
I ha...Finding this blog post has helped me no end. <br />I had my first book published by JHP in 2015 and have received about £4.00 in royalties in that time despite sales totalling around £1000 (not huge I know but look at that percentage wise!) <br /><br />Having very little experience of the word of publishing I just assumed, as I was receiving no payments, that my book was not selling at all and I focussed my energies on selling my signed author copies. Having logged into their dashboard today I sell that royalties have been 'paid' out to a Barclays account?? I don't bank with Barclays. Awaiting a response from them. <br /><br />Their contract was quite misleading I feel looking back, with sales percentages not being 100% crystal clear to a newbie writer. I now self publish. <br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02787078737924377126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-20355004304198791822017-11-23T12:30:08.472+00:002017-11-23T12:30:08.472+00:00I find it astonishing that people like John Hunt a...I find it astonishing that people like John Hunt advertise in the Writers & Artists'Year Book and get away with exploitation like this. I have been warned off, thanks. I was nearly tempted! The bottom line seems to be AVOID subsidy publishers!ericleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16149713572853455212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-65627993555241666642017-11-09T16:16:06.321+00:002017-11-09T16:16:06.321+00:00Thanks, Patsy:) Hope everything is going great wit...Thanks, Patsy:) Hope everything is going great with you.Jennifer Lee Thomson, Jenny Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07999487852799181636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12967920743292569.post-47719305459269279852017-11-09T10:34:12.431+00:002017-11-09T10:34:12.431+00:00Congratulations on the publishing deal!Congratulations on the publishing deal!Patsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12263765378083045973noreply@blogger.com