tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post115313386476235410..comments2024-03-19T09:18:41.352+00:00Comments on Grumpy Old Bookman: Aultbea Publishing -- an updateMichael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11338398159818400930noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-19574592351923941762010-09-24T17:49:16.962+01:002010-09-24T17:49:16.962+01:00I can't see anything wrong with a company help...I can't see anything wrong with a company helping authors self-publish (I have to declare an interest as Leaf Books does offer a self-publishing service, which is soon to be expanded.)Book Publisherhttp://www.schieldenver.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-85725240747770708482010-02-26T14:24:15.048+00:002010-02-26T14:24:15.048+00:00great post. Aultbea does depend upon the gullible,...great post. Aultbea does depend upon the gullible, it's a fact of life.Jameshttp://www.schieldenver.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-18559854356567658722007-09-06T13:48:00.000+01:002007-09-06T13:48:00.000+01:00I see aultbea has changed their name to script pub...I see aultbea has changed their name to script publishing ltd is this a new dodge I see also they have only a few books on sale and few authors they sem like a shower of bandits<BR/>lets hope that the public smarten up and stop sending them material<BR/>thank god for the grumpy old bookmanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-60140288682713692042007-08-19T20:51:00.000+01:002007-08-19T20:51:00.000+01:00well i can agree with some of all these things...D...well i can agree with some of all these things...<BR/>Didn't quite get the inside view of the company but I was the second young author published by Aultbea, and i quickly discovered disorganisation and a slight sense of disease accompanying the moves of the company, the exaggerated media etc.<BR/>Furthermore the company donated a couple of thousand copies of my book to Blythswood... all in good intent i'm sure (coughs) but could they have possibly asked me first if i wanted just another couple so i could give them to anyone who asked me for a copy. Oh yeah, and the books seem to be somewhere in teh back of a warehouse. And how much use could they be, exactly, to young romanian orphans who need toothpaste and clean clothes?<BR/><BR/>that's enough. i'm happy anyway, quite content to pursue music and acting and leave writing as a hobby for now...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1171056404249792632007-02-09T21:26:00.000+00:002007-02-09T21:26:00.000+00:00Oh hey, by the way, you might want to check out th...Oh hey, by the way, you might want to check out this update from my own blog:<BR/><BR/>http://www.used-goods.net/forbidden_knowledge/?p=57<BR/><BR/>Wordpress > Blogger, btw :P<BR/><BR/>Oh, and I'll admit to being pretty disapointed that you've never e-mailed me before going around using my name as another hook to reel in the search engines. It isn't exactly hard to come by.<BR/><BR/>Are adults alone worthy of your electronic contact, then?<BR/><BR/><I>Urq<3</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1171053516169032122007-02-09T20:38:00.000+00:002007-02-09T20:38:00.000+00:00A quick check on Wikipedia would inform you that E...A quick check on Wikipedia would inform you that <B>Emmma Urquhart has terminated all contracts with Aultbea Publishing</B>. Even checking the Aultbea site would show a completely lack of DT stock.<BR/><BR/>So please, say what you like about the company, but keep yours truly out if it.<BR/><BR/>Can you manage that, Mr.Bookman? ;]<BR/><BR/>Urq<3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1170043313328424692007-01-29T04:01:00.000+00:002007-01-29T04:01:00.000+00:00Emma Maree Urquhart's Dragon Tamers has cover art ...Emma Maree Urquhart's Dragon Tamers has cover art remarkably similar to Dragon Lance The Legend of Huma.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1168429370031491242007-01-10T11:42:00.000+00:002007-01-10T11:42:00.000+00:00Aultbea do seem to be making a very bad name for t...Aultbea do seem to be making a very bad name for themselves. <BR/><BR/>I can't see anything wrong with a company helping authors self-publish (I have to declare an interest as Leaf Books does offer a self-publishing service, which is soon to be expanded.) <BR/><BR/>But Aultbea does seem like a con. £10,000 is a lot for 1,000 copies of a book. You're effectively paying £10.00 a book. What sort of marking does that buy you?<BR/><BR/>A writers group publishing a collection of there work or a poet who has a pile of poems that they've had published in the small magazines or a short story writer or a someone with a novel that they just can't place should be able to make their work available to a wider audience without the label of vanity publishing. <BR/><BR/>There is a different between mainstream mass market publishing, small press (who unfortunately have to think in 1,000 plus sales)and writers who work has a smaller but still valuable audience.<BR/><BR/>In Aultbea's case I'd feel better about them if they actually did generate one or two best sellers but seemingly it's all smoke and mirrors and lots of broken promises.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1161272812888724492006-10-19T16:46:00.000+01:002006-10-19T16:46:00.000+01:00Is aultbeau a serious publisher. On their site the...Is aultbeau a serious publisher. On their site they have editions 250 and 500 of each, it does not seem that the writers that he promises fame and fortune from sales like this their budding writers will not earn much.<BR/>500 Sold £6;99. Eight per cent royalties on this is around £279.60<BR/>hardly a kings ransom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1160666312918379782006-10-12T16:18:00.000+01:002006-10-12T16:18:00.000+01:00As an employee of another publishing house I must ...As an employee of another publishing house I must add there is something fishy here. Publishing houses do not request fee's from authors. It is quite <BR/>unethical to do so. Also giving people false hope is not correct.<BR/>My I would suggest that novice writers should take extreme caution before dealing with this company and if they do they should involve a specialised lawyer to control any dealings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1160665735659286812006-10-12T16:08:00.000+01:002006-10-12T16:08:00.000+01:00There seems to be a pattern here. has Charles Faul...There seems to be a pattern here. has Charles Faulkner ever clinched a film deal for a writer? NO<BR/>Are his best sellers available nationwide in bookstores? NO<BR/>It would be interesting to ask his child authors how much they have made in royalties and how many they have sold.<BR/>It seems Aultbea are a vanity publishing operation posing as a respectable publisher. Perhaps someone should run a financial check on the company to see just how profitable it is. I would strongly advise would be authors not to give him their manuscripts.<BR/>The sad thing is that everytime Aultbea get a mention in bona fide news publications and radio it is a free advertisement for him to attract his next victim. Someone should collate all the information and send it to the feature editors of all the leading newspapers and radio stations to prevent novice writers being exploited.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1160229532854626892006-10-07T14:58:00.000+01:002006-10-07T14:58:00.000+01:00The aforesaid publisher recently showed extreme in...The aforesaid publisher recently showed extreme interest in my book claiming in a meeting that it was "exactly what he was looking for”, and was eager to publish it and also show it to film companies. I travelled personally to Inverness to meet with said publisher as he wanted the full manuscript and sequel in hard copy and disk, and he was keen to have this title published quickly. He promised to send me a contract within two weeks and said that in six months I would have to be free to do lots of publicity and marketing. Naturally I was overwhelmed by the response. To reiterate his words he said "This book will change you life”. In a sense he is correct as I have never felt so foolish or so overwhelmingly disappointed in human nature! In addition, I must add that during our first meeting I was asked to contribute £15,000 towards marketing, something which seemed rather unusual and to which I said ‘no’. He apologised for the misunderstanding saying that he had intended to give me a 50/50 royalties deal with the possiblity of plenty of co-edition publishing deals. We finished the meeting with said publisher agreeing to draw up a contract that suited both of us. Two weeks later instead of receiving a contract as promised I received a letter stating that they had decided not to proceed with my book. I now feel incredibly stupid.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1160168901607787442006-10-06T22:08:00.000+01:002006-10-06T22:08:00.000+01:00My father, also a budding author, was offered fame...My father, also a budding author, was offered fame and fortune by said "publisher", only to meet two weeks later with disappointment. To put it politely, they are a SHOWER OF COWBOYS! Having worked in publishing myself and having heard in details the discussions with this publisher, I feel that they prey on the vulnerable. These guys should be put out of business! The sooner the better please! If you are considering taking up their offer, please don't go there! They shall only lead you up the garden path.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1156345155559129652006-08-23T15:59:00.000+01:002006-08-23T15:59:00.000+01:00My god - you really are a grumpy old bookman!What ...My god - you really are a grumpy old bookman!<BR/>What exactly, I would like to know, is your problem with Charles Faulkner and his publishing company?<BR/>What proof have you that he has exploited the young authors he has published?<BR/>Surely he has just given them an oppertunity that they would not have been offered elsewhere?<BR/>Really, stop picking on the kids now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1153299195215514152006-07-19T09:53:00.000+01:002006-07-19T09:53:00.000+01:00Speaking as a bookdealer - one who trades books - ...Speaking as a bookdealer - one who trades books - I am absolutely dismayed at the manner in which so many modern journalists and allegedly responsible media channels give ad-lib exposure to poorly written badly researched books. <BR/><BR/>Of course it is not only the media, for some titles get funding from NGO's etc when the "resources" should have been better used.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1153272536481137552006-07-19T02:28:00.000+01:002006-07-19T02:28:00.000+01:00A nasty business altogether. As regards child lite...A nasty business altogether. As regards child literary prodigies, I am content (except for my misspelling of the name of Adora Svitak) to stand by <A HREF="http://grumpyoldbookman.blogspot.com/2006/03/more-about-child-prodigies.html" REL="nofollow"> this opinion</A>, which I offered on the GOB some time ago.<BR/><BR/>It's amazing just how seriously Aultbea's claims have been taken by people who should know a great deal better. Some months ago, Emma Maree Urquhart's <I>Dragon Tamers</I> was very favourably reviewed on, if memory serves, Radio Four's <I>Open Book</I>. Well, I managed (with remarkable difficulty, considering that Aultbea would have us believe that it's absolutely everywhere) to acquire a copy, and I'm pretty confident that most people would find it unreadable.<BR/><BR/>But another issue altogether has now arisen. If Aultbea is metamorphosing into a vanity publisher, then people need to be warned.<BR/><BR/>Many of the readers of this blog will be streetwise enough never to be conned by the scam publishers and agents who are more common today than ever before. But many, I fear, won't.<BR/><BR/>I was daft enough to self-publish a novel, but at least I controlled the entire process myself, and wasn't left with the added humiliation of knowing that I'd been conned. Which happens all the time.<BR/><BR/>The publishing scams of today are not only far more numerous but also far more sophisticated than ever before. Without a pretty thorough knowledge of how trade (aka consumer) publishing now works, anyone might be taken in. It's an entirely safe bet that many of the victims of the con-artists are simply too embarrassed ever to admit to what has happened.<BR/><BR/>ej (previous comment) mentions <A HREF="http://www.sfwa.org/beware" REL="nofollow"> <I>Writer Beware</I></A> and <A HREF="http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors" REL="nofollow"> <I>Preditors and Editors</I></A>. Anyone so ill-advised as to consider writing for publication wihtout being very well connected would do well to follow those two links, and to spend some time on both sites.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1153230982217943022006-07-18T14:56:00.000+01:002006-07-18T14:56:00.000+01:00Great post. I checked Preditors and Editors as we...Great post. I checked Preditors and Editors as well as Writer Beware after reading your post and this Aultbea is not listed on either site. I'll try to pass the name on to them, along with a link back to your post, as soon as I can. And I'll put something up on my blog as well.<BR/><BR/>As clive keeble said, you get the gold star for this.EJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03204842128461319750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1153214816382647582006-07-18T10:26:00.000+01:002006-07-18T10:26:00.000+01:00Aultbea depend upon the gullible (and some might s...Aultbea depend upon the gullible (and some might say lazy) UK press taking their PR spin at face value without bothering to delve beneath the surface. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps Boyd Tonkin, as Literary Editor of The Independent - which has in the past given free publicity to the Aultbea dreamworld - will do an indepth insight article based upon GOB findings ??? Don't hold your breath in anticipation.<BR/><BR/>Michael, you deserve an award "gold star with merit" for today's jottings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com