Jules Jones

Siren Publishing won the bid on the book contracts in the bankruptcy auction of Triskelion's assets. They will be releasing all the contracts, with a generic release letter sent to each author. More details here:

http://www.sirenpublishing.com/inthenews/triskelion/

Note that the original list of authors and titles supplied to the bankruptcy court was not accurate, and there is still some disentangling to do.

(Picked up via EREC: http://www.erecsite.com/2007/11/it-is-rumored-that-siren-publishing-has.html )

Jane at Dear Author goes over the whys and wherefores of the Triskelion contract, and explains why the bankruptcy clause in the contract does not guarantee that the authors get their rights back:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/06/24/authors-rights-when-a-publisher-files-bankruptcy/#comments

It occurs to me that there may be people reading who have an interest and have not yet heard -- the erotic romance epublisher Triskelion is declaring bankruptcy, and officially closes on July 2nd. There is some useful discussion at Dear Author:
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/06/20/triskelion-publishing-closes-its-doors/
and later details at
http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2007/06/20/triskelion-bankruptcy-update-contract-clause/

Jane has said that she will post an article about some of the consequences for the contracts of authors (no, they *won't* necessarily get their rights back) on Sunday.

Note that Triskelion was an RWA-approved publisher. RWA approval means that a publisher meets certain minimum standards, but it is no guarantee that the publisher is long-term viable. It is a good guide and is a factor to take into consideration when looking for a publisher, but you still need to do your homework, as even established publishers can run into trouble. There were clear warning signs a month back, when RWA took action over concerns raised by members, and rumblings before that. Always check out a publisher (or agent) before submitting, ideally in several places. And always think about what's being said -- sometimes aggrieved authors really do kick up a row over nothing simply because they feel slighted, even if that can also be a convenient excuse for a publisher caught behaving badly.