I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought Harlequin’s proposed self-publishing imprint was a very bad idea. John Scalzi writes:
This is basically a skeezy, cynical and horribly demeaning thing Harlequin is doing, padding its bottom line by suckering a bunch of folks who don’t know better into thinking that paying for publication is a legitimate path into the publishing world. In a stroke, they’ve become the sort of scumbag publisher that writer’s organizations warn their members (and their aspiring members) about. But apparently the folks at Harlequin thought that the response would be different with them, because, after all, they’re Harlequin, and they’re too big to fail.
He also reports, encouragingly, however, on the reaction of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) (as well as the Mystery Writers of America and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America), who have all announced sanctions against Harlequin in response.
Harlequin, of course, has responded with mock surprise, indignation, and a promise of nothing better than a change in the imprint scam’s name.
Why can’t more Harlequins be like this?