Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Her grammar is interesting. It just...disintegrates as the letter goes on.

Over at Dear Author they’ve got a couple of posts about Triskelion and the RWA. The first is the news that Triskelion won’t be at the RWA conference and the second is an official statement from the RWA.

I know nothing about the situation, but jumpin’ Jesus, for an “editor” her punctuation and grammar are just appalling.

I think this woman would benefit from the rule of thumb never to post when angry and upset. Her inclusion of her personal business is far from professional, and obviously due to an emotional reaction.

I don’t know anything about anything, but in reading this letter I’m taken aback by its tone and its content.

It seems so very wrong to post this personal information about her children.

I’m with Nora & Jorrie...never good for business to mix your personal problems with your business problems.

I feel sorry for her daughter. Her mum has just told everyone that she is prostituting herself. Surely a sentence about significant family issues would have sufficed!

You know, dignity costs nothing.

TMI!  This letter was just TMI!

It was simply unprofessional and embarrassing.

Perhaps a letter sent to authors on a private list shouldn’t have been repeated on a public blog?
Unprofessional to leak and unprofessional to publish, I’d say.
I read the letter earlier today on the private list.
Gail Northman has never been anything but supportive to the authors at Triskelion, and she deserves better than to have a private letter put out on a public loop.
It was her desire to let everyone involved know all the details that led to this letter, and doubtless her distress might have led her to make a few grammar and spelling errors.
I also have family problems. My mother is seriously ill, has had a major operation and I’m now waiting to hear if it worked or if she has cancer. Comfortable with that as well? I put that up on the private loop a couple of days ago. And fyi, I’m still waiting.
Gail N wanted everyone concerned with the RWA’s decision to know what was going on.
The letter also detailed where she would be if anyone wanted to get in touch with her. Why don’t you make her day, print her address and private phone number so that burglars can invade her home?

I take it that money’s so tight, her Zoloft prescription ran out?  Oy…

I have to agree the post was bad.  And if I were one of the trisk authors I would jump if that is how the business was going to be ran.

At the same time… this wasn’t a public post.  It was a private loop forwarded from a member to a member to whoever.  Hell I can name 5 people who had this early this morning who ‘shouldn’t have’.

On one hand it stinks cuz use your head and know anything posted anywhere private or public has a chance of coming back and slapping you in the face.

On the other I think it is dirty pool to post a private email to a public place without permission from the sender or group owner.

But I think I am one of the few people that has issue with it.

No, I’m disturbed. Especially with the personal information of a third party being made public in this blog.

Sadly, this woman appears to be in a state of emotional distress and has gone and put it in writing. I understand how tough it is to try to take over and turn around a failing business...but she should’ve thought twice about posting anything in writing about her family business. Unprofessional doesn’t even begin to describe it. It was a poor passive-aggressive attempt for pity and it backfired because now not only did she lose any point she had made in the letter, she also seems a little loco to post such private matters.

And Lynne, I understand your point completely, but in today’s world, we’re told never assume anything in “confidence” because thanks to the cyberworld, there is no such thing any more. Emails will get forwarded. And any professional or anyone with a lick of common sense will know that. It’s a hard lesson to learn.

I think that, perhaps, when this editor decided to post other private correspondence on a somewhat public site that she then forfeited the right to protection from similar treatment. At least, it is hard for me to drum up sympathy for her discomfort at the airing of her private business. (Any site, to mind, is public even if the membership is limited. Frankly private correspondence occurs between only 2 people in my opinion.)

Why don’t you make her day, print her address and private phone number

The Smart Bitches did give Kathryn Falk’s cell phone number when they posted about her. I wondered then whether that might have negative consequences for Falk.

With regards to this particular email, I think it would have been better for the Smart Bitches to have edited the email they posted in order to protect the privacy of Gail Northman’s children, at least one of whom is a minor. The internet is searchable in a way that a private Yahoogroup is not, and so I have concerns about this information being so freely available and perhaps being found by people who know the children in question, live near them and/or attend the same schools as them.

As Candy so often says, ‘Won’t somebody think of the children?’

I’ve always been told (and try to practice), don’t put anything in an email (or blog post, for that matter) that you wouldn’t want everyone to see.

Email is not private. Yes, it should be, but when you post a letter such as this to a loop as large as the one she posted to, you have to know that someone somewhere will forward it to someone else.

That said, I have to admit I’d already heard most of this from another author, who is NOT one of her authors and my source had heard it from one of her sources,etc etc etc.

I have only been around in this world (i.e. writing and publishing...not the world in general!) for a couple of years and even I realize how small the writing community is and how quickly word can spread.

I do feel sorry for those authors, especially those who have been there for a while. But I am hearing of royalty checks in the amount of $0.00. YIKES! I can make that much breeding my 12 year old sterile border collie!

Nah, the Bitches didn’t give out Falk’s real contact info. It was a TV/movie phony 555- number.

Nah, the Bitches didn’t give out Falk’s real contact info. It was a TV/movie phony 555- number.

Thanks for explaining that to me, lovelysalome. As I’m not from the US I haven’t got a clue what formats/codes are used for US telephone numbers, so I just took that one at face value.

Yikes, she should have wrote this and then drawered for a day or so until she relaxed.

As far as this is a private matter and shouldn’t be posted, my thoughts are, I’m searching for a publisher, I want to know all I can about anybody before I send my work out there. Obviously she’s a bit overloaded and should consider taking a break instead of loading more on her plate.

Sidenote to Laura: All numbers that start with 555 either as the area code or the first three of seven digits are fake in the US.  This is why all phone numbers in movies and books and stuff, start with 555.

If I email something to a prive loop of personal friends, I expect those friends to keep my confidence. Or they wouldn’t be my friends to begin with.

If I post something on a professional loop or list, I’d fully expect someone would pass it on to someone else. It’s the way it works--right or wrong.

If an editor or industry professional emails a group of authors, it should be about business--certainly one might share happy personal news--if one doesn’t mind that news making the rounds. Because it would. Just as sharing family crises will get around.

This woman sounds severely and sincerely overwrought. While I can’t help but sympathize, I stand by my position that sharing the intimate and distressing information about family was a serious lapse of judgment, and very, very unprofessional.

It appears there are problems with this publisher which some of its authors have reported, and which RWA has chosen to address. Those are professional matters, and should have remained on a professional level.

All I will say is that gossip-mongers are everywhere.  A private post, on a private loop shouldn’t be circulated, its unprofessional.  Gail has a heavy enough load as it is and I know she has the fight in her to get everything sorted.  Triskelion is in good hands!!!!

Here is the deal - if a post was made on a loop that is considered private, yet it is forwarded on to many, many other people, well, I think we can all agree that is wrong.  This is the way it is in RWA PAN and PRO loops.  Unless Permission to Forward is granted, people are supposed to feel comfortable talking about whatever the parameters of those loops are.  Any discussions about agents/editors on those loops are suppose to remain private and not forwarded on.  There is a level of trust there so that we authors can feel comfortable discussing our hunt for the right publisher or the right agent.  With that said, no flaming reports allowed.

What disturbs me about this post is that it was taken off a private loop and with total disregard to the person who wrote it, publically displayed for the world to see.  I take issue with that.

It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with what is going on with Triskelion, or isn’t going on with triskelion, what matters was that private information was passed on and then displayed.  I myself have said things on private loops, under the assumption that it will stay with those people on the loops I have joined.  It certainly makes me think twice about saying anything, anywhere.  It’s sad when we can’t trust our fellow authors, friends, whoever.

I too received this letter earlier today on a private loop.  Lynne Connolly is correct that to post it here (or any where IMO) is unprofessional. I also find it distressing the personal information remained unedited before it was posted. But I am happy to see that other people’s personal problems can give so much joy to so many.

Triskelion is a good house and has always been up front with me. Gail is a talented professional and does not deserve this type of attention.

As for typos - So you all are so expert you never make a mistake?

Perhaps this is just a reiteration of points that have already been made, but…

Perhaps it is not so responsible on the part of SBTB to repost the information about her children.  I can see this point.  But to use a cliche, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.  Why was she posting this information about her family at all?  Anywhere?

Sure, it was posted on a private loop but that doesn’t keep people from passing it around.  If it’s being read by more than 1 person, it’s a public forum.  Also, it was posted on a professional forum, and that kind of information has absolutely no place there.  If the Internet has taught us anything, it’s that if you put it out there, people will find it.  And circulate it.

And honestly, why should her writers care about her problems?  Their relationship is professional, and needs to stay that way.  Her job is to make sure that they are taken care of.  If she has been slipping up, then sure, she owes them an apology, but nothing more than, “Due to personal problems, my work has suffered, and I apologize.” If she is this overwhelmed, however, then maybe now is not the best time for her to head this organization up.  She definitely seems to have more pressing issues.

It can’t be gossip-mongering if she’s being quoted directly.  And while the Bitchery is chock-full of Professional Bitches, this isn’t a professional site.  It’s a review site.  It’s editorial.  And it’s bitchy, in case you missed the site name.  We aren’t here to play nice.  I can see the point about editing the information to protect her children, but really, that should have been Falk’s primary concern before she spit it out to clients and co-workers.

But I do wish her the best.  She obviously needs a lot of support right now, and I hope she and her family come through all right.  It’s a horrible situation.

Children go through a lot in school-everyone knows that.

This letter, should it get back to friends in school, could make their lives difficult. 

This letter posted on this site should be edited to protect the privacy of the children involved.

I asked for and got my rights back not long ago. I hope Gail’s personal life rights itself and I feel badly for her, but I’m very glad I’m no longer with Triskelion.

As an author with Triskelion - and part of the recent change in Triskelion managemen - I have stayed quiet outside of Triskelion.  But, I realize that to a degree, silence indicates complacency.  A passive agreement to what is being said.  Since that isn’t the case, I decided I might try posting without causing a war of sorts.

Unil two weeks ago, I was the Executive Editor for Triskelion Publishing.  I was an author with them before that, and still am.  The ONLY reason I stepped down as Exec. Editor was because I had finally accepted the reality that I had taken on too much responsibility.  I am an author first, and I chose to step down to focus again on my writing. 

The biggest problem I see in this is the definition of ‘professionalism’.

It is easy to stand on the outside and condemn someone for sharing personal information.  But as an outsider, you cannot understand the close knit community of authors that makes up Triskelion Publshing.  We share our ups and our downs.  We talk about our families… our good times and bad.

This post was made on a loop intended ONLY for Triskelion authors.  This was not a reader loop or a public arena.  As such, the designation of unprofessinal falls on those individuals who deemed it their duty to take that business correspondence and air it to the general public. 

If this were a traditional office, and your boss sent out a company wide email… you could very well lose your job if you forwarded that email outside the company.  This is the same situation.

And the comments about Zoloft… please…

I said before that I am an author with Triskelion… and like many others, I have been effected by this business change.  To clarify… Triskelion is not stopping ALL print… nor is this permanent.  This is a revamping of a business plan.  Like other authors, I was anticipating my release with great excitement, and was disappointed with the change.

However, I’d rather deal with this change than hear that Triskelion is closing its ‘virtual’ doors. 

Far more authors are staying with Triskelion and supporting these changes with enthusiasm.  It is a small portion of the Triskelion ‘population’ who have decided they should bad-mouth the company to anyone who will listen.  It’s unfortunate that people are more willing to accept the negative than see the positive.

Gail Northman doesn’t deserve this criticism. 

I could continue, but I’m sure I’ve added enough fuel to the fire. 

Gail R. Delaney
Loyal Author with Triskelion Publishing.

I’m not going to approach the question of whether this email should be available to the internet at large, because I don’t know the parameters of the YahooGroup in question; if it’s open to anyone, without moderator approval, it’s as good as public, no matter what the name of the group is, or its intended membership.

I will, however, say that if Triskelion has been issuing NSF checks to authors, and authors are being left high-and-dry when their contracted print books don’t make it to print (after the authors have spent time and money promoting the books), then I think it’s only right that RWA disinvite them from the national conference. Triskelion needs to get its affairs in order before authors can commit to them again.

My spamblocker word is “low,” which certainly is how I would be feeling if I had to go back to the management of a bookstore and explain that I couldn’t hold my previously arranged booksigning because I had no books.

Interesting the furor all this has caused.  Being outside of the writing and editing world (I read this website because I like the genre of romance & the bitches are the best at satirizing covers that I’ve seen) and a small business owner, myself, I stand by my statement that this is not a professional presentation in a “private” loop for the business that someone represents.

I put in the quotation marks above because there can be no reasonable expectation of privacy on the internet.  If Gail has not learned this before then she has not been paying attention. 

As to what is appropriate for the Bitches to put up on their blog, quite frankly, that is their decision.  They might decide in the future, given the response, to rethink whether they post something similar, but again that is their decision.

General rule of thumb of email: Never send anything through email that you wouldn’t want the whole world to read. Even if it’s just to a friend, spouse, priest.

I’m appalled.  You have truly earned your names by posting this and deserve to be sued.  To post something that deals with a young teen with no regard to the ramifications is unforgiveable.  I will never read this blog again and will rally others to ban it. 

In regard to Triskelion and Gail…
Gail Northman has been the backbone of Triskelion.  She has always supported the authors and tried to do what’s best for them.  Sure, I lost money spent on promoting a book that will not go to print for now, but I’d rather see this company stay afloat than have it go under.  Samhain had to delay some prints, but no one made a stink about that.  Hollywood produces movies that get shelved. 

Gail knew we were all counting on Trisk surviving and stepped into a tough job to help.  For her to get this in return is more disturbing than what Trisk did. 

You Bitches have gone too far.  May the guilt of what comes of this eat away at you!  And I have to say that the person who sent this PRIVATE email to you also deserves to pay.  Why didn’t you make this blog about how terrible it was for someone to pass on such an email?  Why not post that person’s name and let them feel a fraction of the humiliation that teen will feel?  That would have been smart, bitches!  I hope you all get sued.
Doreen Orsini
TRISKELION AUTHOR

I simply wanted to jump on the “Email is not private” bandwagon.

Regardless of whether you send an email to a single person, or to a large group, as soon as you send that email, you have lost your right to privacy. That email becomes the property of the recipient, not the sender. Unless you state, specifically, in the email that no part of it may be posted/used without permission of the author.

This is why my email signature contains that very statement because that is really the only way to retain privacy rights in regards to email.

Although there is certainly no guarantee that people would respect your declaration of privacy, but if you did find people posting your emails in public forums, you would certainly be able to petition for their removal based on the fact that you declare all of your out-going email as private, and retain all rights to it. (Again, this would have to be stated in every single out-going email to make it legally binding.)

The Smart Bitches have not done anything wrong. While most people believe that there is an EXPECTATION of privacy in regards to email, there is no legal precedent for it.

And I think a woman who would tell a group of people that she suspects her 15 year-old daughter of prostituting herself has far more things to worry about than a leaked email. Such as why she felt the need to share her suspicions in the first place, instead of opting to protect the privacy of her daughter.

(And it is not the Smart Bitches responsibility to edit out the above information. It is the mother’s responsibility to not spread potentially libelous rumors about her minor child on the internet.)

I find it interesting how polarizing this is with Triskelion authors.  No matter where this is posted, there are the authors who have major complaints who are saying, “Good, I’m glad they’re getting what they deserve,” and authors who have never had any problem calling those authors whiners and liars.

Now, I am having a spectacular experience with Mira, an imprint of Harlequin.  But I know there are people who haven’t had a good experience with H/S, and I would never assume that what is happening to me is happening across the board.

And then, I see emails like this, where you have an editor spilling personal information very freely.  It’s like there is no line between business and personal matters.  Maybe that’s why there is such a divide in the way their authors are taking this news.  If personal information was shared this freely with their authors (and I’m just speculating here) it’s less like a business facing the consequences of their choices and more like a few close friends being treated badly by the big, bad RWA.

General rule of thumb of email: Never send anything through email that you wouldn’t want the whole world to read. Even if it’s just to a friend, spouse, priest.

I’m actually very glad that the SBs edited out the personal info by the time I got here to read the letter, because while I find some of these professional dramas fascinating, I don’t feel the same way about people’s personal dramas, at least when they don’t mean to share them publicly.  Of course you’re right about accepting the fact that even “private” correspondence can easily become public, but IMO there are other people who decide whether or not to print that information.  And people will have varying reactions to *those* decisions, separate, IMO, from the decision of the original writer to reveal the information.  I don’t think there’s anything good to be gained from reprinting the information, especially when it concerns children.

This the era of Youtube, bloggers trying to make a name for themselves, and instant gratification journalism.  There is nothing private, especially on the internet.  I don’t care if you are the only person posting on a private, passworded board, you still take the chance it will be hacked.  If you post something dishy on a “private” board, there is nothing to prevent an easy cut and paste. 
SBTB has always been about trying to keep it real, and I don’t see that they are doing anything differently here. 
Also, my mama taught me a long time ago to never write anything down I didn’t want preserved for all eternity.

I don’t think there’s anything good to be gained from reprinting the information, especially when it concerns children.

Let me just clarify that I’m referring here to Northman’s personal family info, not the general stuff about Triskelion.

I find it interesting how polarizing this is with Triskelion authors.

From the little I’ve seen, this seems to be the norm for many publishers.  Some authors couldn’t be happier, while some feel like virtual slaves.  Clearly there are issues, and perhaps they are exacerbated by the fact of the business/personal conflation you refer to.  There always seems to be a fair amount of drama around these situations that isn’t merely about *professional* relationships and situations.

Samhain had to delay some prints, but no one made a stink about that.

Probably because it’s not the same kind of situation, and that’s not really an entirely accurate description, either.

I don’t give a damn if her letter was put out on a public loop or not, this is just sorry as hell.  When you start putting kids into the line of fire, you’ve stepped over the line.
You have two words right in the title of your blog all right--Trashy Bitches.

~It’s like there is no line between business and personal matters.~

Nutshell.

Nora

I am not saying legal or not… I am saying it is wrong.  But we all have our lines, our morals and hot buttons.  There is a difference between The Star and The Post but really how many people buy the star…

So whatever, I do completely agree with with lisa, anything you send in email can come back to slap you.  It sucks but not everyone can be trusted so you should never put in email what you aren’t going to own up to in public if someone you trusted fucks you over.

Is it news?  Completely.  I think that is why Jane emailed RWA to get the facts and authors to get their take.  But I know this is an issue for me and it isn’t for many others. 

Many see anything as fair game and gossip is king.  It is something I have been thinking about a lot so this is perfect cuz I have examples to help explain myself now cuz god knows I ramble enough to lose people ;).

Yawn, here comes Doreen Orsini to kiss more Triskelion ass. What else is new?

I’m glad the personal info was edited out, but frankly amazed that anyone can claim Triskelion is a professional house after seeing an email like that from someone who is supposed to be an editor and in charge.

I get the point about this incredibly close community Triskelion is suppsoed to have (which isn;t what I’ve heard, and your own authors seem to belie that), but c’mon. PublishAmerica has a close community too, and its “authors” seem just as reluctant to use their heads and admit that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Having said that I sincerely hope things work out for Ms. Northman. It seems she could use a long rest, and I think it’s a testament to how un-bitchy the Bitches and the readers here are that everyone seems to feel that way.

Except that we didn’t put them in the line of fire. 

Their mother did.

And Our Bitch has had the dignity to admit she was wrong for posting that part of the original letter, and removed the offending information.

So, what’s trashy, by your definition?  Making a mistake, admitting you made it, and fixing it to the best of your ability?  Or posting that kind of information about your children as an excuse for not returning emails?

People are getting their panties in a twist because this was supposedly posted on a private loop--but once you go beyond a certain number of people, what sorts of realistic expectations can you have for privacy, really? From what I understand, the group consisted of all the authors and editors for Triskelion, so, what, about 200 people? What in the hell kind of privacy is that? That’s about how big my company is. To put this in perspective, what Northman did was the equivalent of my company’s President sending out a company-wide e-mail saying “Hi, I just wanted you to know that I haven’t been 100% at work lately because I’ve been too busy battling a raging case of gonorrhea contracted from my cheating whore of a wife. Also, I just found out my son is selling his body for crack. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be back on track.”

Yeah, it sucks for Northman that this was leaked. But dude. 200 people. Come on.

To put this in perspective, what Northman did was the equivalent of my company’s President sending out a company-wide e-mail saying “Hi, I just wanted you to know that I haven’t been 100% at work lately because I’ve been too busy battling a raging case of gonorrhea contracted from my cheating whore of a wife. Also, I just found out my son is selling his body for crack. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be back on track.”

I laughed uproariously at that. Still tittering.

Let me tell you, if my mother sent out an email to EVERY EMPLOYEE in her company accusing me of being a whore, I would be furious at her. What did she expect would happen?! If she knew that a private emails had already been forwarded, she HAD to have know that this one would too.

The RWA is an association for writers, and they were doing their job and protecting their members. After Gail’s daughter finds out that everyone in her mother’s aquaintance knows about her personal problems, there will be hell to pay at home. I mean, a 15 year old girl?! Her family issues have just gotten a whole lot larger, and she has no one to blame for that but herself. Rediculous.

I’m published by both Samhain and Triskelion, as well as 4 other publishers (that’s pretty much the norm in the epub world). I maintain my reputation by not telling tales. What is in one house and on the private lists, stays there. That way I can live with my own conscience, as well as with more than one publisher.
I am a writer. I have to live in this world and someone who might have been a rival one moment might be a collaborator the next.
Gail Northman is a friend, an editor and a mentor. Her style is to be friendly and upfront, something most people who come into contact with her appreciate. There is no snide, no hidden agenda with Gail, something so rare in this world as to be singular.
Her post was to people she regarded as friends, on a private list.
Moreover, there is a subscript on every post to that list, that it is a private list and no post should be shared outside the list.
Authors, editors and other staff regularly share their personal problems and their fears and hopes, trusting that the other members will treat their posts with respect for their privacy.
So it might be a legal loophole. So what? I take honor and trust seriously. A pity others don’t.

You should hang your heads in shame.  You, too, Nora Roberts. Professionalism doesn’t exclude being human.  As far as I’m concerned, Gail Northman has been the guts of Triskelion Publishing and I’m thrilled that she now has the opportunity to take the company where she wants.  And I’m sure Gail imparted that information trusting that the authors wouldn’t go pasting it all over the internet.  This whole situation makes me sick.

Normally, I stay out of stuff like this, but this is...I’m speechless. I sickens me that some people are so sad and pathetic, so mean spirited that they can only find happiness by screwing over others. Just remember. Karma is a bitch.

~But as an outsider, you cannot understand the close knit community of authors that makes up Triskelion Publshing.  We share our ups and our downs.  We talk about our families… our good times and bad.~

If you’re talking about intimate family business on a professional (close-knit or otherwise)loop, you’re making a huge error in judgment. If any of those discussing private family business is part of the publishing house, it’s unbelieveably unprofessional. That’s my term, that’s my absolute unwavering opinion.

There HAVE to be lines.

I would wager heavily than many on that close-knit group have never met IRL, but have formed their relationships on that loop. Has every one--and if there is ONE who hasn’t, it breaks it all down--forged a personal, face-to-face history? Do all know each other’s families, spent real time together?

Loops and blogs are marvelous, and can be valuable communication tools. But to believe they are intimate, to believe it’s okay to use a professional loop to air deeply personal business--and that it will remain within that box, is terribly naive.

Nora

I don’t give a damn if her letter was put out on a public loop or not, this is just sorry as hell.  When you start putting kids into the line of fire, you’ve stepped over the line.
You have two words right in the title of your blog all right--Trashy Bitches.

Unlike the mother of said children who posted the information to 200 of her closest friends--THAT was pure decorum, eh?

It’s good that Sarah edited out the information about Northman’s children. Northman, in my opinion, used the information about her kids in an unconscionable way--whether or not that was a conscious ploy for sympathy, it certainly struck me as such. But now that the TMI about her children HAS been edited out, why exactly is everyone getting all bugfuck nutty over OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN again?

And you know, the funny thing is, when I read the post, what struck me as newsworthy was how Triskelion in general seemed to be unravelling at the seams, and how the person running Triskelion in particular seemed to be losing it, and how this would be of interest to authors, editors and agents looking to work with them. It wasn’t until everyone started bawling about the children, the children, oh lawdy lawdy the children that it struck me that OH, right, that part was pretty awful, too.

Y’all who are hollering about this? Are adding fuel to the fire. Just a thought.

Ahhh, Internet kerfuffles. Where would we be without you?

Hmm. maybe if Gail and Triskelion hadn’t screwed so many authors over, they wouldn’t be getting screwed now...just a thought.

Professionalism doesn’t exclude being human.

No, it doesn’t exclude being human, but it does include using good judgement. She’s running a business, not a social circle. I think she used very poor judgement revealing what she did about her personal and family problems. Saying that there are personal problems is enough. Going into detail about to 200 or so people, regardless of whether you consider them good friends or not, in a supposedly professional email...? In email format, no less? No, I don’t think in a private list that information should be slapped all over the internet, but how close do you really feel to ALL 200 of those people?! Have you personally cultivated a many-year relationship with all 200? Do you trust each and every person in that group? More importantly, if you had common sense, WOULD you trust all 200?

I love the team of 10 people I work with - I’ve worked with them for 3 years or so. I wouldn’t reveal information like that to them if I didn’t want it around the whole company at some point. I think the example Candy posted is pretty accurate in comparison to what Northmen emailed.

~You should hang your heads in shame.  You, too, Nora Roberts~

For what? I should be ashamed for having an opinion?

Nora

“Authors, editors and other staff regularly share their personal problems and their fears and hopes”

This might be true. I don’t know, but during an agent workshop at a conference, one of this agent’s “never do this” was to tell your editor, fans, anyone when you were having martial problems, or kid problems, etc. especially if you’re not published or or are still trying to establish an identity. Her reasoning was that editors, agents, etc have enough dealing with authors who are not hauling loads of emotional baggage. Why would they want to take on an author who is?

Someone earlier noted that authors needed to know this information, especially those trying to make decisions about where to place their work. And from that standpoint, a situation like this would be disconcerting, to say the least.

As for her children, my heart breaks for them. Someone wrote “Her post was to people she regarded as friends” - maybe so, but 200 people as friends close enough to share that kind of intense personal information?

Again, I’ll say...this is a small community. It is difficult, if not impossible, to keep secrets, especially if 200 people know that secret. What is it that they say? Two people can keep a secret as long as one of them is dead.

I tend to believe that if the community was as close as people say it is this e-mail wouldn’t have been forwarded to people outside the loop. Further, is posting an e-mail from a private link on a blog and more wrong than posting a private e-mail on a private loop? Just another point to consider does personal information belong in professional correspondence, even if you would otherwise share that personal information with the receipents? Would any one have posted or forwarded the e-mail if it pertained soley to her children? If the peron forwarding/posting it were a total asshole. Should your children’s personal matters be discussed with all your collegues? I don’t care how close you are the answer is absolutely not.

Should the e-mail have been forwarded outside the group in the first place? Obviously not. There seems to have been some expectation of privacy. Should it be posted publicly once someone receives it? That’s a bit of a grey area.

For what? I should be ashamed for having an opinion?

Nora

You know posting the business information, that’s one thing. To post the personal stuff, that’s another thing entirely. They knew exactly what would happen when they did it and that’s exactly why they did it. It was done on purpose and with spite. Do I think they should be ashamed? Hell yeah I do.

What expectation of privacy does everyone think there was, when she clearly says in the first paragraph that people keep forwarding her private loop emails? DUH.

Emails and videos should always been created with the attitude that the whole wide world will have access to them.

Just ask Paris, Pamela and lots of politicians.

Well, Trista, you may feel posting the information shameful--and that’s your opinion. How is my responding to the information, as others have--shameful?

It’s okay for Pam Champagne to single me out as a commentor on this issue, to wag a finger that I should hang my head for expressing my thoughts on it?

You know posting the business information, that’s one thing. To post the personal stuff, that’s another thing entirely. They knew exactly what would happen when they did it and that’s exactly why they did it. It was done on purpose and with spite.

Oh noes we’ve been found out! Our secret agenda to...wait, what the fuck, Sarah removed the TMI bit about the children? OH THAT SPITEFUL BITCH.

Honestly, ladies,...um bitches..., I’m on those loops. 

I’m one of the authors that had a print book yanked out from under them two weeks before the street date, despite great reviews, a huge load of promo with booksellers, several arranged booksignings and speaking engagements, and about 500 preorders waiting at Ingrams to get filled.

I’ll agree that the professional tone of a LOT of email on that loop leaves something to be desired.  There are plenty of people sharing personal information that I wouldn’t put in a business forum. 

That said,there are a few things people are missing if they would get past the children comment (which for the record kind of stunned those of us on the loop who aren’t that “close” with everyone, we just work there as authors). 

1) Did anyone miss the part about the company being contacted by RWA three times for various concerns?
2) RWA didn’t yank their approval, just their invitation to go to nationals and get more business when they are seemingly way too overloaded at the moment with huge changes in-house.
3) Trisk has happy authors and pissed off authors.  All publishing houses do.

Triskelion is doing what they feel they need to in restructuring their company to maximize profits over losses as any business should do.  As a business person I understand that. 

They will print those authors that they had already paid advances sometime in the future, if those authors chose to stay. 

As a publishing professional I also can see RWA’s side of things.  They are looking at a publisher who is in the midst of a big shake up and thinking, if you can’t meet all the contracts you’ve already with print authors and are canceling contracts in large numbers, then why would we allow you to solicit more at this time at our conference from our members?

Unfortunately a lot of authors lose out, including those that are doing well with their ebook titles at Triskelion and are having to deal with the fallout. 

My editor at Triskelion did a great job editing my book, their cover art was wonderful and I’ve been paid royalities on the ebook version of it in a timely manner, but considering that this print book was to be my first and I already had sunk $$$ into promo and ads for it, I’ve asked for my rights to be returned. 

At this time I understand that all the authors with PAN status via, Triskelion are still able to retain that status if the ebook version of their book was released, even if their print version was canceled. 

Do I harbor ill will?  No. I feel bad for Gail, and I hope she’s able to overcome all her challenges and the company is ultimately successful for its authors.  But those feeslings aren’t enough for me to base a business on--and this is a business.

Oh noes we’ve been found out! Our secret agenda to...wait, what the fuck, Sarah removed the TMI bit about the children? OH THAT SPITEFUL BITCH.

Hah. I knew it. *smirks*

You should hang your heads in shame.  You, too, Nora Roberts

I don’t know why this made me laugh and laugh and laugh. There are… like… 65 comments on this thread. Why single her out? Like she’s supposed to be a Paragon of Womanly Virtue and Discretion because she’s got 250 million books in print? She’s human like the rest of us unwashed masses who surf the internet out of boredom and… like… have opinions and stuff.

Oh noes we’ve been found out! Our secret agenda to...wait, what the fuck, Sarah removed the TMI bit about the children? OH THAT SPITEFUL BITCH.

She left it in there to start with didn’t she? Why did she have to be reminded about the children before she took it down? Can she not figure it out on her own?

~Why did she have to be reminded about the children before she took it down? Can she not figure it out on her own?~

Mom shouldn’t have had to be reminded either. Again, that’s my opinion, and I’m not ashamed of it.

(And I do, too, wash, bam. Occasionally.)

This is why I stay out of stuff like this. It only serves to piss me off. Nora, i’m not signaling you out, sorry it came out that way.

Trashy Bitches, yep that’s the perfect name.

I’m out of this before I say and do something that I’m sure they’ll get a thrill out of throwing all over the web. I’m just sorry people get such a thrill out of stuff like this. It’s sad and so is the person who posted it.

I wouldn’t mind seeing this discussion veer back to RWA’s claims (according to the email) that Trisk royalty checks bounced and there was delay of payment and reversion of rights issues.  As an ebook author who’s had two publishers fold, there’s a great deal of fear and financial risk for the authors involved with these small houses. The more public discussion of these situations, the better informed new authors will be before they sign contracts.

Ooh, yes.  Getting bitch-slapped by the RWA saying, “Um, nevermind, you are not wanted” is definitely something I want to hear about.

I know for my union to send out three grievances is a big, bad deal with some heavy consequences.  While I know that the RWA is obviously not a union, to appear on their radar three times cannot be a good thing.

Enough with the “you’re wrong, no you’re wrong, no you’re wrong!” At the end of the day, opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one, and they all stink.  (And hence the unwashed masses!)

Let’s get to the real good stuff.  Let’s bring it back to the bottom line.

As far as I know, the explanation was that the checks bounced because they were erroneously written on the wrong account.

And as far as I’ve heard, Trisk has re-issued the checks along with money for the bank fees.

I did not mean to single out Nora Roberts in particular.  I’ve enjoyed most of her books.  I was disappointed with her opinion, but as has been pointed out, everyone is entitled to one.

I’ve never liked the media because they take a story and write it in ways that suits their twisted purpose.  That’s what I saw happening here.

Sort of like “Oh look!  Triskelion has fallen, let’s kick them while their down, especially the new manager.

I wish Gail luck both in her personal and business life.  If anyone deserves it, she does.

Regardless of privacy issues, someone needs to tell romance writers thinking of submitting to or staying with Trisk-e-mah-hoochie that this epublisher is in business trouble, apparently has been breaking contracts, not paying royalties, and whatever. And that its editor is having a hard time keeping her mind on her job because of personal issues.

“Written on the wrong account.” Ha! We all know what that is about. Float. Time for authors to up anchor.

Smart bitches warn each other when there is danger. You don’t want even one more author wasting effort or throwing promo money down a rathole over this, so timely info is crucial. And just how much forbearance should we have for publishers who break contracts? I say, none.

apparently has been breaking contracts, not paying royalties, and whatever. And that its editor is having a hard time keeping her mind on her job because of personal issues.

I thought her response was done well.  Rather or not is it true I guess we will see.  But I respect her for answering it and feel bad she was dumb enough to trust 200 people. 

I am glad I am not an author to have to decide to stay or go…

The vast majority of the article here was written by or to Ms. Northman. I don’t understand how anything was ‘twisted’ there.

The commentaries to the article are opinions, which obviously land all over the board.

And whether or not you agreed with my opinion, you did indeed single me out. Very specifically.

I don’t know whether this is more like a tennis match or a hockey game (no offense to either sport, as I enjoy them both), but Jane just posted a response from Northman on Dear Author.

Unlike the mother of said children who posted the information to 200 of her closest friends--THAT was pure decorum, eh?

Yes, even in a supposedly closed loop, it does seem like a grievous betrayal of her childrens’ privacy at the very, very least.  But judging by her response on DA, I don’t think she sees it that way—unfortunately.  Of course, when you’re emotionally over the edge, you *don’t* have the best judgment to begin with, usually, which brings us back to the question of Triskelion’s problems and the extent to which they are or aren’t connected to some folks being just totally unable to cope with the business of publishing right now.

Sadly, though, I don’t have really high expectations for the notion of “professionalism” after that whole J. Wallace massacre.  So now I start to wonder more whether some of the problems in Romance publishing are due to the blurring of these personal/professional lines, or at least exacerbated by that.

There are several things that hit me on a professional level about Ms Northman’s email (which I read on this site)and subsequent comments.

1) Airing very personal family information as an excuse for your lack of professional responsibility is beyond tacky.  One mark against Trisk for lack of professional ethics.

2) The ramblings of Ms Northman makes one look very askew at the business’s ability to edit the books they publish.

3) While it is very minor, it does not build confidence when the former Executive Editor, Ms Delaney, doesn’t know the difference between effected and affected.

It’s not the Bitches that have instilled a question about Triskelion’s business, but rather their own personnel.

From dearauthor.com: I chose to share, because in the past it has for many been a great help - the support network is tremendous.

So… now the professionals she works with are her therapists and support group?

Tsk tsk. As Nora and others have repeatedly stated previously - very unprofessional and in poor judgement.

I find it interesting how polarizing this is with Triskelion authors.

I didn’t mean polarizing in that some of them are happy and some are unhappy, but that some are defending the company and accusing the unhappy authors of lying or simply being too picky.  It’s like there isn’t a doubt in the minds of the well-treated authors that the company is a shining beacon that can do no wrong, just as there isn’t a doubt in the minds of the mistreated authors that the company is made of pure evil mined from the very depths of Mordor.

I have yet to see a post from someone saying the company is “meh” to them and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  It’s either “Stop talking bad about this perfect company” or “Stop talking good about this insidious, creeping scourge.”

I have yet to see a post from someone saying the company is “meh” to them and everyone is entitled to their own opinions.  It’s either “Stop talking bad about this perfect company” or “Stop talking good about this insidious, creeping scourge.”

But don’t you think that’s because it becomes an issue of personal loyalty for people, rather than a simple business analysis?  Heck, we see this all the time with readers defending authors and authors defending each other and readers attacking each other for criticizing certain authors, etc. ad nauseum.  I don’t know whether it’s the forum or the lack of face to face contact, but I constantly feel I have to make sure I include the appropriate caveats when I’m talking about certain things so my comments aren’t construed as absolutist.  As someone whose signature reaction is ambivalence, I became aware of that “you’re either with us or against us” attitude early on in many of these online discussions, especially those around heated issues (and is it any surprise Northman actually invoked that sentiment directly—I think that says a lot about the cultural paradigm functioning here).

But don’t you think that’s because it becomes an issue of personal loyalty for people, rather than a simple business analysis?

Oh, definately.  In fact, that’s what I find shocking about this particular case.  The authors aren’t saying “My treatment at the company has always been fair, so I don’t understand your complaints” but “if you complain, you’re being disloyal to the company are a big ole meanie head.”

It’s beginning to look more like a fight between high school aged girls instead of a business discussion.

I’m a third of the way through the comments but had to reply to this:

Samhain had to delay some prints, but no one made a stink about that.

This is because the print books at Samhain are selling so well, they’re changing to a different print and distribution system that will allow their authors to reach a wider audience than ever before.  Speaking as a Samhain author, while of course I’d love to hold my book in my loving arms now now now, it’s really hard to get disgruntled about something like that.  As someone else said, it’s really an entirely different situation.

Now off to keep reading the rest of the comments…

Do I think they should be ashamed? Hell yeah I do.

I think you’re projecting the shame Ms. Northman should be feeling on to other people.

It’s like there isn’t a doubt in the minds of the well-treated authors that the company is a shining beacon that can do no wrong, just as there isn’t a doubt in the minds of the mistreated authors that the company is made of pure evil mined from the very depths of Mordor.

This is pure brilliance.  I’ve been trying to put this into words in my mind for a while now, but you’ve done it better than I ever could.  “One Trisk to rule them all and in the darkness bind them...” LMAO!

And I must admit, I’m loving the shame-shame at Nora to the depths of my bitchy and snarkastic soul.  It’s so delightfully wacky.  Yes, it’s obvious that Nora Roberts knows nothing at all about how a professional relationship with a publishing house should look.  She’s clueless as to how this business works and needs your guidance to build her career.  After all, these Interwebs are so confuzzling.  Clearly she should sit down and shut up, sooner rather than later.

Snort.  I’d jump in and defend you, Nora, but you’re doing a bang-up job of it yourself and clearly don’t need any backup.

Personally, I don’t share personal information that could come back to bite my professional ass on loops or on my blogs.  I do, however, speak personally in one small and private yahoo group.  I’ve met about 75% of the members in person and feel comfortable discussing almost anything with them.  However, it’s important to remember that Google can search even private yahoo groups and will show your post to anyone if they click “show cached page” instead of the link.  (Did you know that?  I didn’t until I googled my pen name to find a review and bam, there were several of my posts--found because my pen name and book titles are in my email sigline.) So now I make sure to never put anything on there signed with my pen name or real name (everyone has nicknames there anyway), and I use a different email to post to it. 

Do I think this guarantees privacy?  No--as others have said, anything that’s out there on the ‘net is fair game for search engines and repostings.  However, it’s a small group of close personal friends, it’s not a professional group in any way, shape, or form, and I accept the risk while trying to minimize it.  But I have to say, if I thought my child was doing something like what I gather GN thinks her daughter’s up to, I wouldn’t even post it there.  Some things are too personal and even with close friends, there is such a thing as over-sharing.  It’s vital to know where to draw that line.

The Yahoo loop for Trisk authors--I’m still a member of it, even though Trisk sent back my rights. Not everyone who has access to that loop is a friend of Trisk.

I guess they don’t moderate.

The time is now. Our world needs guidance and leadership. I give you Romancelandia’s new religion… WWND?

Don’t you feel wiser, just having clicked on it?

*gasp*

I wonder if Nora Roberts having an opinion means she’s human like the rest of us and not some goddess who lives in a golden tower.

Damn, I’m really going to have to rethink the meaning of life now.

Nikky (who has no real opinion on the other stuff, but loves Nora)

I’m a co-owner of a publishing company. In the three years we’ve been in business, my partners and I have had health crises, deaths in our respective families, and emotional upheavals.

Like everyone else in the world, I have problems. Big ones, even. But I have a competent, professional staff who makes sure those problems don’t affect the business. I’m relieved to say that none of our authors know anything about my personal problems. My company has not bounced one single check, and we’re meeting our schedule for publishing books.

Authors trust my company with their intellectual property. It’s a huge leap of faith on their parts. The least I can give them in return is respect and professionalism.

Ana, I love it. WWND? Brilliant.

For the rest of y’all, I especially enjoyed the little rant about the media twisting everything to suit our own purposes. WTF? The “media” is not The Borg, people.

Or, to continue the LOTR metaphor, the “media” are not mindless, evil Orcs, bent ruthlessly to the will of Sauron.

I’m having a hard time figuring out who should be Sauron in this scenario (Robert Murdoch, maybe?), but you get the picture.

Will there be WWND bracelets?

...please?

Maybe it’s just too late at night, but I’m not so sure I’d be all that thrilled publishing with these people if their executive editor doesn’t know the proper use of periods. Just sayin’.

I don’t normally post here (I’m generally content to watch the snark go by), but I felt that I needed to add something to this debate.

Firstly, I think it’s a bit weird that people who I’ve never seen posting on this site before turn up and are all “for shame!” and “Karma will get you!” at the members of the bitchery. There were also insinuations that everyone here was getting joy out of Northman’s situation. I’ve read this entire thread, and I don’t see anyone getting joy from this woman’s situation. Confused and/or disgusted at her lack of professionalism, saddened at what she’s going through, but there’s no joy.

Secondly, as someone who has recently had an email to a colleague forwarded to others, and then been in a lot of hot water due to the content, I think people who claim that no-one should forward email and it’s just not right are being somewhat naive. As has been pointed out, once it’s out of your inbox, it’s not really yours anymore. I’m not bitter at the person who forwarded my email - it was my own fault, and I shouldn’t have said what I did. I paid for it, and I learned not to do it again. Claiming that those who forwarded on the email or made it public are vicious, manipulative beyotches who deserve to pay is just emotive, empty rhetoric.

Finally, I need to address Doreen Orsini , a post from a long while ago. Do you not realise how ridiculous it is that you seem to think you can sue anyone for the least infringement? I mean, honestly. I’m not American (Australian, actually), so the thought of suing someone over something like this strikes me as absurd, but it seems that you can get sued for anything in America these days. Why is the threat of being sued considered to be an effective attack? It’s like her thought process went “I don’t like you, you’re a big meanie, so I’ll sue you and that’ll make you sorry!”

Apologies for the rant and if I have offended the many right-minded Americans here. That just struck me as a particularly inane aspect of a ridiculous comment.