There are a few things going on in the Ellora’s Cave world of late, so this is a catchup post. (March 16 Edit: there are some corrections, which I’ve detailed in an update at the bottom.)
Ellora’s Cave Titles Per Month Decline
I’ve previously shown a chart about the long decline in Ellora’s Cave’s titles published per month.
Here’s an update on that chart covering the last few months including January and February, probably the biggest title push months for romance publishers. January gets a big bump because many people get e-readers (or new e-readers) for Christmas, plus publishers want fresh stock for Valentine’s Day.
Year over year, you can see the decline since the events of August and September 2014 (with the layoffs and defamation lawsuit, respectively).
That chart is pretty devastating, but not as much so as looking at a chart of the quarterly releases since the beginning of 2013:
Ellora’s Cave Author Numbers Decline
In addition to publishing fewer titles over time, Ellora’s Cave has also had declining numbers of authors, as this next chart shows.
First, before I present it, there are some caveats here:
- The information is taken from screen scrapes of Ellora’s Cave’s website over time, both by myself and by archive.org, so it’s limited to the accuracy of the underlying page. In at least one case, I know of an author signed to EC who never had a book published by them, but the author’s name appears on their screen scrapes. I have no idea how many authors this is true for.
In other cases, the same author was on the Ellora’s Cave pages more than once. Right now, EC’s author page lists both Allie Standier and Allie Standifer even though her name on the former’s book cover is spelled like the latter. It’s not like editing is supposed to be a core competency of a publisher or something. -
Authors appear on these pages before their first EC books are published (because preorders), so this isn’t a true correlation with the books published charts above.
-
The time intervals aren’t as linear as neat columns make them appear to be, and this causes some horizontal distortion.
When I first showed an earlier version of that chart, what people wanted to know was: how many new authors was Ellora’s Cave signing?
That’s a little bit harder question to answer, so I took my handy screen scrapes, cobbled together a simple Ruby on Rails application and imported the data. This involved some cleanup, as author name variants and URLs had changed over time.
Then I tried to normalize the data into quarterly time periods (save for the last, which is two months and a week), assuming people joined or left linearly along the time span between scrapes. Unsurprisingly, there’s still a huge inflection point in the third quarter of 2014.
Since the end of the third quarter 2014, existing authors have been leaving Ellora’s Cave at five times the rate new authors have been joining (210 vs. 41 authors, respectively).
How Many Books Have They Lost?
Ellora’s Cave has lost a ton of authors, and many more have had rights revert on some books, but not all books. The question, though, is: how many? In other words, how big is their book catalog vs. how big was it before?
That’s a question that eluded me on how to answer for some time.
It turns out that All Romance E-Books allows one to search by publisher, which is pretty genius.
Further, archive.org has saved some of those searches. So, while I have four points of data, I can make a reasonable estimate of a fifth by adding the books published between the end of the second quarter and the end of the third quarter 2014.
Between the end of second quarter 2014 and the end of the third quarter 2015 (so 15 months), Ellora’s Cave lost a net 1,037 books. In the same period, they published 345 new books, so the total books reverted (or canceled) was 1,382 books, or 92/month. (Assuming information provided to All Romance E-Books was accurate, of course.)
In the five months since, Ellora’s Cave has published 41 new books but is no longer publishing 574 books, so they’ve reverted (or canceled) 615 books, so just over 120 per month.
Regardless of how you slice it, it’s not a happy picture of what’s going on at Ellora’s Cave, and my sympathies for all the writers who still have books there and would rather not.
Robin L. Rotham’s Post
Robin L. Rotham blogged about her experience with Ellora’s Cave. She was one of the early writers to provide a declaration in support of Dear Author’s side of the Ellora’s Cave lawsuit.
What is new in this post is her revelation about how Ellora’s Cave’s alleged unilateral change of contract affected Robin personally:
3. EC made a deliberate unilateral change to the payment terms of my books (and those of many other authors) contracted before the spring of 2008, and as a result, they’ve underpaid my royalties by more than $18,000 since late 2011. Because they’d suddenly made their royalty statements long and difficult to analyze, with many and varied amounts supposedly received from Amazon for each book, I didn’t detect the underpayment until late 2014, when I audited all of my royalty statements. I sent EC a spreadsheet detailing the underpayments, demanded immediate payment and offered to accept the rights to my books in lieu of payment.
Ellora’s Cave Performs Extreme Manscaping on EC Romanticon Site
I note a distinct lack of male cover models compared to an archived version of the site. Instead, there’s a lot of flames and incensed rhetoric, but without the lovely lingering scent of church incense.
So I guess Romanticon, formerly an annual convention, is officially dead then. Not a surprise, just an…what’s the word I’m looking for?…unusual way to announce its demise.
Tina Engler Moved Back to Ohio
Tina Engler, Ellora’s Cave founder and majority owner, announced on Facebook that she’s moved back to Ohio. I don’t think this will come as a surprise.
Corrections
March 16th Update….
There are a few significant corrections that have affected the charts I’ve provided above. In the interest of transparency, I’ve linked the original versions below.
Releases by Month
This and the next section are for corrections made on March 16th, 2016.
Corrected graph is here. Link to uncorrected version.
- January 2013 inadvertently counted five February 2013 releases (that were also counted in February, yay weeks split between two months). This changes the scale of both monthly and quarterly charts.
- August 2015 inadvertently omitted one release.
- December 2015 missed six releases late in the month due to a formula error.
- February 2016 incorrectly included two re-releases. My intention was to include only first-time releases as I believe that shows a truer picture of publisher state.
Releases by Quarter
Corrected graph is here. Link to uncorrected version.
Corrections are the same as noted above.
An Early Look at Earlier Years
Okay, we’re done with corrections. New Topic.
Here’s an early look at some data I’ve imported from FictionDB’s Publisher Series Lists. I haven’t imported anthologies yet, though I have imported smaller multi-author titles.
First, it appears that their information for 2012 is really incomplete (and almost non-existent for later years), so don’t make any assumptions about 2012 based on this. Also, it appears their information includes mostly in-print books including both print and e-book versions. I de-duped any duplicate entries, keeping only the earlier entry.
That said, given that this dates well into the Kindle era, it’s quite possible that a significant fraction of these titles are re-releases, I’d just have no easy way to know that.
Lopping off the years 2001-2006 (as those also seem to be incomplete), here are the numbers for 2007-2012 imported from FictionDB.
2013 and after are from direct import.
These are some very protracted death throes, aren’t they?
Very.
Unless something big happens.
So sad that Tina/Jaid doesn’t realize what a joke she’s turning her company into with that “witch hunt” site. I wish Patty or someone with some sense would step in and try to reason with her.
Upon glancing at the site the first thing that comes to mind is that Tina appears to have the victim and the perpetrator reversed in many cases. Hope that being home in Ohio surrounded by family and friends that care for her gives her some much needed perspective of why and how her company fell into this seemingly (IMO) death spiral.
People seem to become frozen in their own stories of themselves. It’s too painful—even impossible for them to entertain the possibility that any other perspective exists. Unless some major event can jar them free, they’re just as stuck as air bubbles in ice. Given recent EC website nonsense, it doesn’t look as if there’s hope for a TE thaw any time soon.
Sadly true, and based on her mother’s recent comments on Facebook, she completely approves of what Tina’s doing–so no chance of her stepping in and turning this poop show around.
It boggles the mind that these people can’t understand that saying “I haven’t been paid” is not the same thing as posting private information about people and their children.
Not to mention–what author would want to sign with that company and give their full name, social security number, and address, knowing that at some point if they do or say something that strikes Tina the wrong way, she could make all of their private info public?
Especially if they need to preserve their privacy with a pen name.
WHAT?????
TiNut and company doxxed someone in the re-purposed company website?
How low will they get?
Well, the site got yanked for ToS violations, so we’ll just have to see what happens.
She posted private information about someone’s children. That’s so far out of line, it’s not even funny.
I hadn’t looked at the ‘Cyber Witch-Hunt’ site until this evening, and must say that the only adjective that does it justice is ‘meshugge’. (When a Norwegian-American exhausts his usual vocabulary for describing WTFery and must resort to Yiddish, something has, I submit, gone Pfftt!, done went broken, mechuleh. But thank you, Mr. Leo Rosten, for providing industrial strength verbal tools for spelunking craziness.)
Mzcue: People seem to become frozen in their own stories of themselves.
Always remember: Everyone’s a hero-protagonist in his or her personal narrative. (Other people are merely corroborative detail, intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative.)
And, as we know from US domestic politics, someone who’s put himself/herself into an untenable position will always double down.
Rick Moen
rick@linuxmafia.com
Relative to something that was said on twitter – looks like there may be some question about EC and postage dating.
Stamps.com does require things to be dated with actual mailing date — see here: https://stamps.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/303/related/1/session/L2F2LzEvdGltZS8xNDU3NjE5MzQ0L3NpZC9xUmJCMjdMbQ%3D%3D
The only exception is if they are using “Net Stamps” which are standard first-class stamps that you print at your location on a special kind of security roll, with serial numbers and other features.
If they are printing on the envelope directly, or on plain paper, it must be sent with date.
Does anyone have a current envelope from EC that they can check to see which kind of stamps.com product EC is using?
If they are printing directly on the envelope then it should include a date and should look like this: https://stamps.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/288/kw/date%20stamp
The answer you link to is about metered postage, though. These are covered by different regulations.
I actually use the analogous program through Endicia and it doesn’t print dates on stamps. They do require special labels, though.
I left this in a post, but it must have gotten snagged because I put some links in it.
The USPS requires all first class mail to have human readable dates, and it also requires all checks to be sent via first class mail.
As far as I can tell, per the USPS rules, stamps.com and meter mail all fall under the same category. This is what the USPS says:
Postage Meters and PC Postage Products (“Postage Evidencing Systems”)
4.1 Basic Information
4.1.1 Definitions
Postage meters and PC Postage products are ****collectively identified as “postage evidencing systems.”*** [Emphasis mine] A postage evidencing system is a device or system of components a customer uses to print evidence that postage required for mailing has been paid. Postage evidencing systems print indicia such as information-based indicia (IBI) or intelligent mail indicia (IMI), to indicate postage payment…
4.1.2 Product Categories
Product categories include postage meters and PC Postage products. The primary characteristics of postage meters and PC Postage products are described below.
a. Postage meters are devices that allow download, storage, and accounting of postage in the device. Meters print indicia that may be IBI or IMI, to indicate postage payment and are digitally generated indicia that include a two-dimensional barcode. IBI are digitally generated indicia that include a two-dimensional barcode. Postage meters are available only through authorized providers. Meters may only be leased or rented and may not be sold or resold. Some components of metering systems may be purchased as authorized by the USPS.
b. PC Postage products allow customers to purchase and print postage with IBI or IMI indicia directly onto mailpieces, shipping labels, and USPS-approved customized labels.
c. USPS-approved commercial providers offer PC Postage products for customers through subscription service agreements.
It goes on to list stamps.com as one of the services.
Sorry, it was in my pending queue because of the links and I hadn’t gotten to it by the time you reposted.
It’s a “my bad”, but I don’t routinely check the publisher sites where I have books. So a couple weeks ago when I checked to make sure my reverted rights books were, indeed, pulled off, I was a bit stunned at all EC’S new “lines”. Non-fiction! Literary fiction! And so on!
Of course theres the whole paying for branding and building a line thing (though I havent actually seen any signs of that elsewhere) which is, if not criminal, at least tone deaf and clueless in light of the authors who are waiting for royalties over a year late… The thing that got me is, I sure never got anything from the business loop announcing them. I consider myself an active author – I have nine co-authored titles there that I don’t expect to ever get back or see more than a few dollars (total) a year from – but because I’m not prolific (even when I was actively submitting there I’d give them a solobook maybe every 18 months) I was excluded from the new active (aka loyal?) biz loop started a year or so ago. So is that why I had no idea?
And one question I have about remaining authors… how many have all their ebooks reverted at this point, but have a backstock of print copies being sold for $5, thus keeping them on the author list?
Don’t forget their new self-publishing line (a rebranding of “Bet on Black” perhaps?).
Re: Stamps.com and dates on postage.
Per USPS guidelines, all checks must be mailed first class: http://pe.usps.com/text/DMM300/243.htm#2_0
2.0 Content Standards for Standard Mail
2.1 Definition and Weight
Standard Mail consists of mailable matter that is neither mailed or required to be mailed as First-Class Mail nor entered as Periodicals (unless permitted or required by standard) and that weighs less than 16 ounces.
2.2 Personal Information
Personal information may not be included in a Standard Mail mailpiece unless all of the following conditions are met:http://pe.usps.com/text/DMM300/243.htm#2_0
a. The mailpiece contains explicit advertising for a product or service for sale or lease or an explicit solicitation for a donation.
b. All of the personal information is directly related to the advertising or solicitation.
c. The exclusive reason for inclusion of all of the personal information is to support the advertising or solicitation in the mailpiece.
See also this:
A check which is made payable only to the addressee or only to a specific individual, i.e., “Pay to the order of John Doe,” “Pay to Jane Doe or order,” is considered “personal” information and generally is mailable only at First-Class Mail prices. (http://pe.usps.com/text/CSR/PS-026.htm)
Metered mail and postage from stamps.com fall under the same regulations: http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/604.pdf
Postage meters and PC Postage products
are collectively identified as “postage
evidencing systems.” A postage evidencing system is a device or system of
components a customer uses to print evidence that postage required for mailing
has been paid.
4.1.2 Product Categories
Product categories include postage meters and PC Postage products. The primary
characteristics of postage meters and PC
Postage products are described below.
a. Postage meters are devices that allow download, storage, and accounting of
postage in the device. Meters print indici
a that may be IBI or IMI, to indicate
postage payment and are digitally generated indicia that include a
two-dimensional barcode. IBI are digitally generated indicia that include a
two-dimensional barcode. Postage meters are available only through
authorized providers. Meters may only be leased or rented and may not be sold
or resold. Some components of metering systems may be purchased as
authorized by the USPS.
b. PC Postage products allow customers
to purchase and print postage with IBI
or IMI indicia directly onto mailpieces, shipping labels, and USPS-approved
customized labels.
c. USPS-approved commercial providers offer PC Postage products for
customers through subscription service agreements.
The USPS requires complete human-readable dates on first class mailings:http://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/Q604c.htm
The date format used in the indicia is subject to the following conditions.
Complete Date. Mailers must use a complete date for the following:
All Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, First-Class Mail, and First-Class Package Service pieces.
I just checked, and I’m still listed on the EC author page although all my rights have (very, very fortunately!) been reverted. Apparently, there are 2 remaining copies of one of my print titles that are keeping me on the list. I would be willing to bet that the number of authors reflected on their page currently isn’t entirely accurate because of circumstances like this, where an author has left EC but there are a few print copies lingering. Either way, you can count me as one less with a huge sigh of relief.
I don’t want to be connected in any way to a publisher that has “repurposed” a company domain with the use of company time, energy and money into a site that is devoted to attacking authors, readers, etc. while failing to pay royalties to its authors per contract and blaming their business failures on the authors they are victimizing. I can’t make sense of this kind of behavior, which in my opinion shows a complete lack of business acumen and a great need for a re-evaluation of reality and priorities.
Fun fact nugget: Back in October 2014 on the Passive Voice blog, Tina Engler had this to say, “I may not like what a person has to say, but you can bet your last buck I’m the first one to defend their right to say it.” I guess she changed her mind?
And thank you for this insightful post. Always an interesting read.
Scarlett, I thought EC went POD some time back. If that’s so, how can they still have print copies of your book?
I’m honestly not certain about POD. This is an older title of mine, and it was also offered on sale in paperback version at some point, so either of those facts may explain it.
I can’t say I like the connotations of “EC for Adults” and “EC for Women” as if women who like chicklit or sweets aren’t adults… It my seem minor, but it annoys me as a potential customer. Adult books are in every genre.
Not to mention they still haven’t sold 1056 Home Avenue. It’s down to $350,000 — didn’t they list it originally at $475,000?
As someone else said — they’re going down, and they’re going down ugly.
I think it was $495, then $475, then $450, and then $425 (third price reduction) and now $350 (fourth price reduction). I think we didn’t see it at all until it had been reduced once already.
Even if EC does continue to limp along with an influx of new authors there’s no way that they will be great again. Tina has done an awesome job with ruining their reputation, name and branding in the publishing industry. It must truly hurt to be so out of touch with reality.
Tina may need to change her ring tone to Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’.
On the “currrent” author list I can see, with just a quick skim down the page, dozens of names of folks I know are actively seeking reversion on most or all of their titles–and if they’re not seeking reversion on a title it’s because they know reported sales are too high to bother (whether or not they’ve been paid timely/per contract is a separate issue, of course). And I suspect there are at least a few others besides Scarlett who’ve remained listed after all their books reverted (I was on the site forever before they finally took me off…and like Dottie said, they’ll have anybody on there whose print book copies they’re still selling off, even after the rights have reverted). And I see quite a few names of folks who wrote for them years ago but nothing recent (and don’t plan to ever submit there again). So even that lower number of currently listed authors isn’t an accurate reflection of how many people are actively writing for them. There isn’t really a way to get at the real number, I know, but I suspect it’s much lower than is reflected by the listed names. 🙁
Thanks for your comment Del. (Fangirl moment: I’ve read quite a few of your books including your Cosmo Hot Reads, the Science of Temptation series, and Truth & Lies.)
I understand that people are listed after their reversions (at least some times). There were also authors listed who never actually had books with EC. They had a contract that fell through, but their name was on the site. To the best of my estimation, I believe that’s no more than ten authors, though.
I’ve been working on getting a better estimate of who’s still writing for Ellora’s Cave, but here’s a thumbnail:
Author.where(id: AuthorsBook.select(“author_id”).where(book_id: Book.where(“pub_year >= 2015”))).count
(In English: count the authors matching books published in 2015 or later)
That turns out to be 116 authors for 194 books (up through the end of February).
Egotistical, greedy people that intentionally screw other people over never “come to their senses” on their own. In fact, they tenaciously cling to their failure and faults.