Generally, large presses are viewed as corporate monsters, while the small guys are always, without a doubt, in it for their love of the genre. Well, situitions like this just got to show that just about everyone is in it for the bottom line, big and small. Seamus Cooper, author of the hilariously titled Mall of Cthulhu, has been ripped off and deceived by Night Shade Books:
I was paid my advance for this book, but I have no confidence that I'll ever know if I'm owed more money. If I were to be owed money, I have no confidence that I'll ever be paid. Night Shade's business model appears to be disappearing for months at a time, offering elaborate apologies, and then disappearing again.
There seems to be little he can do, short of prohibitively expensive court battles, but that doesn't mean that the whole situation should just fade away. The Speculative Scotsman brought the issue to my attention on his blog, and I agree with him when he says that readers in general should email Night Shade at info[at]nightshadebooks[dot]com.
If you're one of Cooper's readers, or are interested, you can get some cheap-to-free fiction, as well as support an unjustly treated man, out of this whole thing. Cooper has made the kindle version of Mall of Cthulhu available directly through him, for only three dollars, and that's in addition to the free version here. If you've read Mall of Cthulhu, and are eager for more, Cooper is publishing the beginning of the sequel on his website, with a paypal option for those of you who are in a generous frame of mind.
Even if you've never heard of Cooper before, this is a good chance to both check his work out and support him with an email.
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