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Entangled Publishing

Le Mole

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Yes, this happens to me quite often. It's definitely frustrating.



I totally agree. If you are happy with the story submitted and accepted by the publisher, then it can be demoralizing to see it become something quite different. However, if the rewrites make the story stronger, then I'm prepared to do the hard work. But it can be a difficult thing to judge when you're drowning in edits.

That's my point though - edits that are given to make your book stronger are fabulous and necessary. Multiple edits that are given to fit arbitrary guidelines and NOT to serve the story are a whole different kettle of fish. And before anyone says this is the case for all series books with different publishers, that is not true, and I say this from personal experience as well as anecdotal evidence from other authors.
 

Saskatoonistan

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I've been reading this thread with interest. What I'm reading is there are challenges at Entangled just like there are pretty much every place else. I've had five books published now, my last two with a publishing house that went under less than two years after opening its doors with great fanfare in the YA book world. I've had editors tell me to make major changes, I've read reviews that seemed to suggest those changes weren't the best thing in the world to do. I've had unanswered email. I've had one book published with the wrong version of the manuscript because the editor screwed up on a galactic scale.

Nothing is perfect. Nothing is 100%. The industry is all over the map right now and nobody knows what's going to happen next. I'm self-publishing my next book just to see what happens, but I haven't given up on traditional publishing. If your experience at Entangled was troubling, that's unfortunate. I know Entangled authors who are quite happy there but that doesn't mean that everything is 100% perfect 100% of the time.

I think they do good books. I think they have great covers. I think they make mistakes just like every other publisher out there.

My three cents.
 

Fed Up Writer

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To be honest I'm right there with Le Mole. I'm published with Entangled, with two traditional publishing houses and two other ebook publishers writing across different genres. I've been very disappointed with Entangled. The lack of communication is the basic issue. There is a loop and Liz Pelletier regularly holds Town Hall meetings for her authors. But trying to get someone to reply to a basic email takes skill I obviously don't possess.
One of the biggest issues is turnover of staff. Entangled has pretty much had a revolving door the whole time I've been involved. I think I've gone through four editors, three publicists, three financial directors and a whole host of people with titles I haven't even seen! The editing and QA processes have already been discussed. At one stage they decided to do line edits and story edits at the same time. Did this make sense? Of course not.
It's a huge pity. Entangled had real potential. But authors are leaving in droves, as are the staff and you've got to ask why?
If you know happy Entangled authors then good luck to you because in the last year just about everyone I've spoken to has become sadly disillusioned by Entangled and some agents are refusing to work with them now.
Are their practices normal? From my other publishing house experience I would say absolutely not. I won't work with them again but good luck to anyone currently there.
 
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APolar

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This is not meant in any way or form to sound doubtful, but as a sub who, like EKWriter, has been told my work, which I've shown exclusively to Entangled, is after several months still being considered (last update now over a month ago). I am curious--if authors are leaving in droves, why is the subbed work sitting there so long?

Thank you, by the way, to everyone who has stepped forward. It has been very helpful for me and I'm sure others who have been sitting patiently with decisions to make.
 

Fed Up Writer

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I can answer that one easily APolar and I'm sorry to disappoint but it's disorganised chaos. There's no editors to review and assess the current work that's sitting. It's highly likely the person who saw your original submission and liked it isn't there anymore. There are no real handovers between staff. Some people seem to just disappear. Even authors currently under contract submit work then hear nothing for months. Then they get given massive revisions and are expected to turn them around in a couple of days. Then...they move your release date and 'forget' to tell you. The best advice I can give you is not to show your work exclusively. Submit elsewhere too and best of luck to you.
 

girlyswot

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And I'd be lying if it didn't cross my mind if this is what it would be like if I were an Entangled author with a question about my royalty statement.

Just about the only person I've consistently received timely and helpful responses from at Entangled is the finance person who oversees royalty statements. Which is a big thing to be thankful for.
 

veinglory

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I've been reading this thread with interest. What I'm reading is there are challenges at Entangled just like there are pretty much every place else. I've had five books published now, my last two with a publishing house that went under less than two years after opening its doors.

IMHO that does not constitute "every place else". My two main epublishers and one print publisher have been open many years (one for decades) and the one time I had an issue with an editor I requested a new editor and was duly reassigned.

Yes I had chaotic experiences with presses that are now closed. But I consider my experiences as the more stable presses the "norm" that I as an author should be able to expect. That includes having clear timelines, editorial rules and standards, and a feeling of clarity and integrity to how my work is handled be it a scientific textbook or werewolf erotica.
 
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EKWriter

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I can answer that one easily APolar and I'm sorry to disappoint but it's disorganised chaos. There's no editors to review and assess the current work that's sitting. It's highly likely the person who saw your original submission and liked it isn't there anymore. There are no real handovers between staff. Some people seem to just disappear. Even authors currently under contract submit work then hear nothing for months. Then they get given massive revisions and are expected to turn them around in a couple of days. Then...they move your release date and 'forget' to tell you. The best advice I can give you is not to show your work exclusively. Submit elsewhere too and best of luck to you.

I know more editors who have worked for Entangled than authors, and they pretty much share the same story. Full time hours, no pay, shoddy communication. Most stuck with the job for a year or less. All were writers who took the job primarily to gain experience and cultivate industry contacts. Basically, looking at it as a stepping stone to something better. If a large percentage of your staff are unpaid interns working remotely, turnover will happen, and a lot more often than most other places.

Note: unpaid internships are a staple of the publishing industry and are not isolated to Entangled. While I do think it's shady to hire "interns" to work for "experience" (aka peanuts) in order to keep overhead low, anyone who takes on a position like that knows what they're getting into, and it's their right to take it or leave it.
 

Le Mole

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I know more editors who have worked for Entangled than authors, and they pretty much share the same story. Full time hours, no pay, shoddy communication. Most stuck with the job for a year or less. All were writers who took the job primarily to gain experience and cultivate industry contacts. Basically, looking at it as a stepping stone to something better. If a large percentage of your staff are unpaid interns working remotely, turnover will happen, and a lot more often than most other places.

Note: unpaid internships are a staple of the publishing industry and are not isolated to Entangled. While I do think it's shady to hire "interns" to work for "experience" (aka peanuts) in order to keep overhead low, anyone who takes on a position like that knows what they're getting into, and it's their right to take it or leave it.

Really? That's funny because less than a year ago the authors were told categorically that our editors were dropping like flies because of 'an overabundance of abuse from authors and agents.' Yep. As I stated in my first post, everything wrong with the company is the fault of the authors.
 

Fed Up Writer

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LeMole you made me laugh out loud. I'd forgotten about the abuse by authors and agents comments. I think the fact that people are actually commenting speaks volumes. I know if I complained about anything i.e. timescales, lack of communication, quick turnarounds after being ignored for months etc the blame was given proportionately to my editor/s. It must be soul destroying for these people, who I suspect are as much in the dark as us. No wonder they walk with their feet. You'd think there would be a learning curve here for the person at the top? But no. Apparently not.
 

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Looking at last year's RT Booklovers Convention program, they were feted and LOUDLY at the 30th anniversary ball, almost to the point you'd expected Harlequin had announced they were closing and giving all of their business to Entangled.
 

DisenchantedDoc

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I had a pretty negative experience with Entangled for all the reasons (and then some) listed by Le Mole and Fed Up Writer. For those who've had a positive experience, congratulations - you're some of the lucky few.

Frankly, I'm counting down the days when I can get the rights back to my titles there. Until then, I generally tell people to enter into business with Entangled with both eyes open and make sure you pad some insurance (like hard and fast dates/timelines/etc) into your contract so you don't get caught into the never-ending edit-release purgatory.
 

junierob

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Thank you to everyone who's shared their experiences. I'd planned to send something to Entangled, but now...probably not.
 

TalanaRay

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I've got something subbed with them right now. Thank you for your experiences and guidance. If they do accept, I'll have a lot to think about.
 

AprilA

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My own experience with Entangled has been, hands down, the most stressful time of my entire career. I'm published with two other publishers, one of them fairly big, and they have always shown me high levels of professionalism, support and courtesy. I expected the same, if not more, from Entangled.

Silly me.

Late edits (by many, many months), a complete lack of communication (emails not replied to for months, if at all) and little support throughout the publishing process (release dates changed with no notification, battles over poor covers, the much lauded ‘marketing support’ never materializing). It has been an uphill struggle all the way with this publisher and I wish I had never signed contracts with them. I will say this for them, the editing is very good. But if you want to keep your authorial voice you had better be prepared to battle for it.

For a while I thought I had simply slipped through the cracks and I didn’t want to be ‘that author’ by constantly complaining (it made little difference in the end as they stopped replying to my emails months ago, even the one requesting a reversion of all my rights). However, I have since spoken to several other Entangled authors and they tell the same story. Late edits, no communication, and poor sales (even though almost every book is now reduced to 99 cents in the opening weeks whether the author likes it or not). I’m quoting one author directly here: Entangled sell you the dream but the reality is a nightmare.
 

romancewriter

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I've had a similar disappointing experiences with my Harlequin epublisher and this has been from the very beginning. Set calls times that were ignored three times without explanation. I have never heard a word about my 2nd contracted story despite their being a supposed 90 day review period on their part. That past last June. And that's just the beginning of how this experience has gone. Many of the authors have similar complaints.

I'm not trying to diminish anyone's opinion and believe me I'm beyond frustrated with my first experience into the publishing world. I have wondered how common this sort of thing is, but I've been hearing more and more about this sort of thing from various publishers. I would be more willing to put up with it if the payment was at least somewhat decent, but I've basically given away my first story.

I don't know what the answer is. Getting published isn't quite the dream many of us had thought it would be. But our work is out there. Our foot is in the door. The best thing that can be done is keep writing and hope to find a situation that is better suited to our needs.
 

quacktaculaura

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I don't know what the answer is. Getting published isn't quite the dream many of us had thought it would be. But our work is out there. Our foot is in the door. The best thing that can be done is keep writing and hope to find a situation that is better suited to our needs.

Unfortunately I think you're right. I read an interview recently with a big name author who left the Big 6 publisher she'd been working with for over a decade because of the same issues that everyone else is having. I'm not sure the problem is limited to one company. Unfortunately I think it might be spreading throughout the industry.
 

A.P.M.

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...Yikes.

This was my prime choice to send my recently completed NA romance to if agents didn't bite. Now? No way.

I'll start saving up for cover designers, I guess.
 
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APolar

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Keep writing 'em Bubastes. There are still lots of options, and it's better to have work ready for that perfect request . . . or self-publication. There are also contests where you can catch the eye of an agent or publisher. Having a book ready is key and has proven a valuable door to many. Hmm, I should probably follow this advice. Gotta go write . . .
 

romancewriter

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I've decided to look at experiences like my own and that of the previous posters as a reality check. I doubt many new and relatively new authors accept a publishing contract with the idea they'll be receiving huge royalties and overnight fame. But we do have certain expectations of answered emails, timely communication, and a certain amount of moral support. For some that may be the reality, but I'm hearing more and more that it isn't. It's upsetting when something you've dreamed of achieving your entire life is met with lackluster sales, lack of response from your editor and a royalty check that might buy you lunch at McDonalds. And no, that's not an exaggeration. But it is what it is. Entangled isn't alone in this.

Basically what I'm saying is everyone is entitled to their opinion. Feel frustrated. Take your work elsewhere. Whatever you feel is the best for you. But this is the reality for many people and not just a few.
 

EKWriter

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What's happening to Le Mole, et al, sucks. But don't let those things--or worse, a fear of those things--make you jaded or cynical or otherwise kill your joy. Learn from your experiences and the experiences of others and protect yourself as best you can, whether by negotiating better deadlines in your contract or adjusting your expectations in terms of sales or money. The magic is and always will be in the books and the writing. The publishing part is just like any other job, warts and all.

I've decided to look at experiences like my own and that of the previous posters as a reality check. I doubt many new and relatively new authors accept a publishing contract with the idea they'll be receiving huge royalties and overnight fame. But we do have certain expectations of answered emails, timely communication, and a certain amount of moral support. For some that may be the reality, but I'm hearing more and more that it isn't. It's upsetting when something you've dreamed of achieving your entire life is met with lackluster sales, lack of response from your editor and a royalty check that might buy you lunch at McDonalds. And no, that's not an exaggeration. But it is what it is. Entangled isn't alone in this.

Basically what I'm saying is everyone is entitled to their opinion. Feel frustrated. Take your work elsewhere. Whatever you feel is the best for you. But this is the reality for many people and not just a few.