Herbivore Magazine - Editor's Blog

Since there were statements made on Vegan Yum Yum that I feel misrepresent what happened with the book deal, and author felt it was fine to approve them, I need to set the record straight about a few things. We have also gotten some terse emails from people who pre-ordered, which have now all been refunded. We are a two person company, refunding hundreds of people was a huge job and honestly a pain in the ass, made worse by people who think we did something wrong here. These people have no idea what they are talking about. Since Herbivore has said nothing publicly, this sentiment is coming from how the author has characterized the situation, and by the comments she has allowed to be posted on her site. I don’t know where else the rudeness could be coming from since nobody but she and us know what happened, and thus far, we have made no public statements about this.

I’m tired of this. Michelle and I work our asses off trying to do things the right way and we do as much as we can in this movement. We donate our time and money and the stuff we make to pretty much anybody who asks if they are working in the animal rights movement, even when we don’t have the time or money to do it. I am not a whiner, I am not looking for sympathy, but there is no way I will allow our work and dedication to be questioned and sullied by a business deal gone sour when we did everything we said we would. We gave someone a deal that does not exist in the world of “big time” publishing, both in the production values and financially. As self-aggrandizing as this sounds, and I want it to sound, I actually bothered to check with people I know in big time publishing and they confirmed that I am either painfully generous, or a complete moron for verbally agreeing to a book deal this beneficial to the author.

Here is what I promised and had either delivered on or was on schedule to deliver (we were six days away from going to press, and on schedule which means almost all of this was checked off the list):

• A full color book with full-page photos of every recipe taken by and art directed by the author. The dimensions of the book were set up specifically so author’s photos would not be cropped.

• Final approval from the author on layouts, cover photo, cover design, and interior layouts. (Initial proofs had been reviewed and we were making the changes author requested.)

• Input on how we marketed and sold the book.

• Input and final approval on the promotional materials for the book.

• A foreword written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, as the author wanted.

• Author wanted blurbs to help market the book. I arranged a New York Times best-selling author as well as highly respected heads of national animal rights groups, the publisher of a nationally distributed, award winning feminist magazine, amongst others.

• We’d sell the book on our site and on Amazon (as well as to a bunch of yet to be determined independent bookstores and a bunch of vegan owned businesses we have business relationships with.)

• I agreed to pay author 5 bux per book after costs were covered. This was an estimate based on preliminary quotes from the printer, but having seen the final quote, this was very close. This is many times the rate other publishers pay out. It appeared we were maybe a month away from having the costs of the book covered and we could begin issuing royalty checks on a monthly schedule or more frequently if author preferred. Other publishers don’t pay anything for a year or more and then pay royalties twice a year.

We were on schedule to send this book to press with all of those agreements honored and in place. Author decided to pull this book and take it elsewhere at the last minute. We are out months of work and thousands of dollars. I have no way of recouping any of the money I spent, author can go sell her book elsewhere as we don’t make authors sign contracts.

That is all I have to say about this. I am not going to allow comments to be posted because I have no interest in either author or myself/Herbivore being attacked or defended and I am certainly not looking for a public outpouring of sympathy over this. It became clear to Michelle and I we needed to clarify a few things; I have done that, so this is all we will say publicly about this situation.

If you’d like to email me and tell me I’m an asshole or that you support us in this, it’s editor@herbivoremagazine.com