Popular Conservative Authors Sue Publisher Over Lost Royalties

New York Times:

Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company.

In a suit filed in United States District Court in Washington yesterday, the authors Jerome R. Corsi, Bill Gertz, Lt. Col. Robert (Buzz) Patterson, Joel Mowbray and Richard Miniter state that Eagle Publishing, which owns Regnery, "orchestrates and participates in a fraudulent, deceptively concealed and self-dealing scheme to divert book sales away from retail outlets and to wholly owned subsidiary organizations within the Eagle conglomerate."

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[mabinog]

05:55 PM on 11/07/2007

I bet it stings a conservative more when the invisible hand of the free market b*tch slaps them. We should pity them


NOT

[MikeDu]

04:18 PM on 11/07/2007

Aren't we taking just a little *too much* glee in this news? ...nawh, lets celebrate!!!! :)

This is the BEST of both worlds. If the authors *lose* it serves 'em right for polluting the country with their excremental diatribes. If the authors *win* a major fascist-right propaganda house takes a body blow.

[Galvestonians for Dr. Ron Paul]

03:49 PM on 11/07/2007

Is this a joke?

I mean really!

The lawyer fees will FAR outweigh the profit on the 20 or so, books sold...(probably as Christmas gifts at house parties)
How funny...
Once again, the lawyers get rich.
It doesnt happen to often, but it is funny when they are caught ripping each other off, which is essentially what happened. The dummies woke up! The GOP scorns you if you "miss money". They automatically gravitate towards the best profit maker,(like a scavenger to roadkill) in this case the publisher...Watch these plaintiffs get thrown under the GOP caboose.
Stay tuned!
How funny!
Would love to hear the dinner party conversations!
They hate spending money on things like this.
These shits are all about the profits, and there will be none!

[BigDan]

03:48 PM on 11/07/2007

Good for them! I hope they get it right up the ass! For helping Bush get in office! Fuck 'em!

[LouC]

01:51 PM on 11/07/2007

In the immortal words of Nelson:

HA ha!

[truesonofliberty]

01:37 PM on 11/07/2007

Conservative authors being denied profits for slanderous tomes?

Excuse me now, I am crestfallen, and must weep.

(Translated from the Russian)

[bdl0715]

12:54 PM on 11/07/2007

Maybe their books don't sell for full price because no one wants to buy their view of fiction.

I have seen many conservative books, like Newt Gingrich and others at the $1.00 store. They must be so proud

[Nuzzy]

12:52 PM on 11/07/2007

Let me see if I can restate the issue as a question that summarizes these writers' position. OK, here goes: We should feel sorry for a bunch of right-wing, feces-flinging, free-market fascists who are complaining that the contracts they agreed to and signed are somehow unfair because the publisher has maximized its profits?

Hmmmm.. that's not quite it; let me reframe that: these conservative 'the-government- should-not-regulate-private-affairs' capitalism-monkeys are running to the courts for protection from agreements that all freely entered into?

Nope, not there yet. Let me try again: these brainiacs whose opinions we should reflexively take as our own without examination or analysis weren't smart enough to negotiate simple business contracts for themselves?

I think I'm getting closer: these cheerleader-types for big corporations over individuals are now complaining that the big corporation took advantage of them as individuals?

Geez, still not quite there. Maybe this: those believers in individuals' right to be free of paternalistic governmental actions are now seeking the assistance of government because they made what they now realize are bad choices?

OK, I give up. There isn't a single question that captures the full spectrum of the stupidity, absurdity, and hypocrisy inherent in this situation.

[BDuPont]

11:42 AM on 11/07/2007

So the pigs are fighting among themselves - wonderful! I bumped into this Corsi character in late 2004, had no idea who he was - what an unattractive, classless person. He introduced himself as a NYT bestselling author, his wife as a head of a maid cleaning service, and said he was working on a book about ... IRAN!

The guy took a year off from Wall street to put together the swift-boat book, and his rich paymasters were supporting him. Not to mention his Polish cleaning lady wife!

[sneezeguard]

11:25 AM on 11/07/2007

Sorry boys. You don't get to choose where your books get sold. And you signed the contract that says you get 10% of whatever revenues your publisher gets. That's called CAPITALISM. The company gets rich, while you get F(@)#*$.

That's the trickle-down, asshats.

[frappe]

10:43 AM on 11/07/2007

These authors are just getting a taste of what most Americans have gotten from the Bush administration -- the SHAFT. I suggest that they write it off as another example of a conservative ethos that seems to endorse an attitude of "screw them if you can".

[eugenegerard]

10:32 AM on 11/07/2007

The authors should pay the publishers to put this crap out.

[carex]

10:26 AM on 11/07/2007

This publsher is opportunistic, not interested in long term author relationships or publishing rights. It's what happens when you misrepresent and wontonly lie, misrepresent and obvuscate. By reducing the prices to fire sale level they are effectively marketing to their core audience. Those with no money and little or no education and nominal decsion making abilities.

[AnnArky]

10:20 AM on 11/07/2007

Uh, doesn't your book actually have to SELL in order to receive royalties?

[getoffmedz]

10:00 AM on 11/07/2007

Authors of books proven to be based on lies should not be compensated.