Jill Noble, the face of the house and editor in chief has quit. She apparently was working for her brother Jim and tried to buy him out and didn't, leading her to quit the house in one of the greatest flounces ever.
At this moment, I do not know what the owner's plans are, as far as the company's immediate future is concerned. I'm pretty sure he'll keep it up and running, in some form, so he can earn back some of his initial investment. I, on the other hand, only invested years of my life, my talent, my expertise, and my hard labor, and so I don't imagine there is any way I'll recoup my contribution. ;-) I'm not concerned about that, though. For me, this has always been a labor of love. I've met a lot of really wonderful, talented people (and let's face it - a few crazy ones, too, lol), and up until this past year, I never looked on my position here as a "job." Jobs are never this fun. To say I've enjoyed working with you sounds like such a cliche, but I promise you, it's true. I'm hoping many of you will want to keep in touch and maintain a friendship on some other level. On the bright side, I can now review your books without being accused of practicing favoritism.She went on to say :
I sincerely apologize for the fact that my parting ways with NRP will no doubt disrupt some of your lives, to one degree or another. I hope you're treated fairly; I believe you will be. You all have contracts; follow them to the letter, and you'll be fine.I loved that. Follow your contracts to the letter... but the company doesn't have to?
Of course the minute she sent that out then the authors started talking. Suddenly we learn that royalties haven't been paid, promises about books in print weren't followed through. Emails have gone unanswered.
Then Jill's daughter, apparently another Noble executive came into the author's loop and demanded that the authors show loyalty to her departing mother by not discussing royalties or issues. Good authors don't discuss such things, it seems. When she was shot down it got momentarily not prettier.
Noble's new "face" Jim, the owner we didn't know there was, is not taking calls at this time. The person left as a contact for the authors isn't contacting back. And the author's loop was shut down.
My experiences with Noble weren't good. I contracted Hot Hexed and Bothered with them. Far from my best book but definately my best title (hee hee). Anyway, the editor I was assigned never contacted me and we had a quick release date approaching so a new editor was assigned maybe two weeks before release.
That editor rewrote sections of my book (she just rewrote, no asking) and so I rewrote them back to what they were. I was assigned a new editor who sent me an email and said she didn't know anything about editing but she was there to be my publishing buddy and get me answers to any questions I had.
Then Jill wrote me a week before my release and said the book wasn't going to be released on time. I complained and she apologized and said they'd provide me some swag for giveaways to make up for it. Apparently she meant they'd provide pictures of swag because I never got a thing from them.
They released the book, it tanked, they released it as erotic romance even though there wasn't a single sex scene in it *scratching head*.
Being in the author's loop with Noble it was easy to see that the business was being run like a club. Jill was the most popular girl and she promoted hard the people she liked. It was a clique and not a business, or so it seemed to me. And later Jill was offering an online workshop which lasted one lesson and then she dropped it and never mentioned it again. Flaky.
Anyway, so that was my experiences with Noble. It'll be interesting to see what happens next. But I'm not going to hold my breath for them. Unless they hire someone whose last name isn't Noble to run the business. Then they might have a fighting chance.
Interesting to see that you can slander a business as well as other professionals names, talk so lowly of a company because all of a sudden Jill Noble has resigned. You fail to mention this in the months before hand that you claim to have been so disappointed with in the first place. Why is this? Gossip? more traffic for your blog? You say that they have not followed the contract, why have you not complained? Oh and BTW, I love how you throw in a "part" of the letter and not the entire piece. Gossip, all sites like these are good for. Try telling the truth for a change.
ReplyDeleteWell, Anonymous, or should I say Gutless, it's easy to be critical about someone if you don't have to sign your name to your comments, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteLori's comments are not libelous. (slander is NOT the appropriate term here) Her comments are HER opinions and she is perfectly justified in expressing them in HER blog. So back off!
I would have a lot more respect for YOUR comments if they didn't sound like a massive hissy fit from the apparently dysfunctional company in question. Coincidence? I suspect not.
Lori and Carolyn don't need me to fight their battles for them, but I take a dim view of cheap shots such as yours - and I don't mind telling you so.
*spidey senses a-tingling*
ReplyDeleteI wonder how anon can claim knowledge of whether or not Lori complained or to whom about what, and when.
Oh and when a person shares her own experiences about anything, it's not gossip, darling.
Anon, I couldn't give a rat's ass.
ReplyDeleteAnd interesting that the email that came from Noble Publishing the day after Jill's flounce and the author's starting their own loop to discuss what to do was the publishing house saying they didn't even know that Jill was going to quit.
Oh flouncing is such a lovely thing.
And you're right. My post drove traffic to the blog. Big fucking deal. So would a picture of my fat, white ass.
But the difference is that my ass would attract pervs. This post attracts people who are wondering what they should do because they entrusted their books to a business that they're afraid is imploding.
Defend Jill and the company all you want. It doesn't change the fact that Noble is going to have a very hard time coming back together with their authors after this. People will want their rights back. People will be wary.
And Cheryl **kisses**. I feel all warm and tingly inside now.
Thank you, Cheryl, you took the words right out of my mouth. I just didn't have time this morning to post.
ReplyDeleteStraight to the point and well written! Why can't everyone else be like this?
ReplyDelete“Because her reputation and her ability to play the poor, misunderstood, beleagured, put-upon, and hard-done-by tragic heroine (did I hit ALL the appropriate notes and cliches with that one, editors? ;) ) is being directly endangered by a handful of mere minions who are finally fed up” ~ J.S. Wayne
ReplyDelete“ I didn't put Jill or Noble on blast any more than was strictly necessary” J.S. Wayne
“But if that's how the game's going to be
played, then I've got three words:
>Game fucking on.” J.S. Wayne
“How nice for her. I suspect her rep. will be ruined before this is all said and done.” Brita Addams
“So, she's going to Anaheim? I'm assuming then, she's going to the RWA 2012. She's got some balls, then, I'll give her that.” Erastes
Perfect example of the new tasteless, tacky authors loop that was created by the select few that caused the very reason for termination of the first loop in the beginning. Most of the authors in this loop have taken it upon themselves to purse vengeance against Jill for most personal reasons and belligerency. Their actions are clearly malevolence and hold no real truth behind them. Rumor has it that one author stooped so low as to post a photo of her three year old grandson on an Erotic blog site. Despicable, disgusting act, if you ask me. True intention and true colors adequately shine through in be the case of the authors intentions. Legal ramifications may be in the works if they continue to harass or defame her in anyway. JMO and Observations.
Anon, those comments you're crediting to JS Wayne were made by Karen Scott.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming you, Anon, are either Jill or her daughter. I mean, it's kind of obvious. Sadly obvious.
You won't have a leg to stand on in claiming there's legal action. Nobody is defaming you.
Get your head out of your ass and see that there's a lot of hurt and upset people who were thrown under the bus when you walked out. Questions weren't, and still haven't been, answered.
The letter that went out to the authors from Faith suggested that Jill surprised the brass with her walk out. They weren't prepared and apparently they don't know what they're doing.
Faith also said that the royalties were pretty much screwed up by Jill. That there's nobody else who seems to know how to do them is disturbing.
What disturbs me is to see you trashing the authors like JS Wayne, who have been so supportive of you in the past.
Grow up Jill and stop acting the ass. This time you did the damage and trying to claim others damaged you will never fly.
Dear Lori:
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate your defense, in this case it's unnecessary. "Anom" posted precisely the same thing on Karen Knows Best, and I'll reply to it here as I did there so there is no possible chance of a misunderstanding.
I DID support Jill and Noble, there is no question of that. I did so in the face of evidence that perhaps my loyalty might have been misplaced, as I spoke about on my blog. But any remaining loyalty I felt vanished when she walked out the door. I don't wish to be her enemy...but after all this, I certainly don't count her as a friend. My friends don't do things like that.
Dear Anom:
Clearly you need to consult a dictionary. By making the contents of a private discussion loop (where authors are justifiably angry, I might add) public, you YOURSELF are engaging in harassment and the unauthorized transmission of privileged communications.
Yes, I said what I said. No, I’m making no apologies for it. Like every other author at Noble, Jill’s sudden departure created immense problems for me, and I’m angry about it. I also take great exception to being referred to as “trash.” Just to put the remark about “game fucking on” in context, that and every other remark of mine posted in Anom’s comment came from an email I wrote immediately after reading the FB post in question.
I’ve calmed down some now, because I’ve already done everything I need to do and there’s nothing to be gained by anything but watching and waiting at this point. But rest assured I will keep my readers (also Noble’s…ponder that) informed as to what’s going on and I am aggressively pursuing the reversion of my rights. You don’t have to like it, but I’m cautioning you: everyone knows what stepped-on toes are often connected to.
I don’t say anything in private I’m not perfectly willing to back up in public. I didn’t start this dance, but if you’d care to have another go, be my guest.
Best,
J.S. Wayne
First off, we all know who Anonymous is. I've had a spate of emails from her today, saying pretty much the same thing, with accusations and her lawyer thrown in for good measure.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, since I am one of the authors quoted in Anonymous's rant, I thought I'd step in here.
I made the comment about Jill's rep being tarnished for leaving Noble the way she did, and...
It is! Does that make me "tasteless and tacky" for stating the obvious? Hardly. It's an opinion and one that the past few days has borne out.
This whole situation could have been avoided by Jill not flouncing out, as you so aptly put it Carolyn, but instead, working out a reasonable period of time so all issues, some only known to her, were taken care of and the mess not dumped into a silent owner's lap.
I'm about at the end of my tether with Jill's Anon or Anom as she sometimes likes to write, defender, making up lies about how we, the authors, are out to do damage to Jill. We don't have to, honey, she's done it to herself. What respect does a person garner when she simply leaves and tells the authors, I don't know what Jim will do, but I'm sure you'll be okay. (paraphrased but the same thing)
Fact - she left her position at Noble with No Notice to anyone. Her staff was shocked, as were authors. By Faith's admission, the corporate offices didn't know either.
NO AUTHOR made her leave, yet the vehemence with which the authors have been treated by Jill's daughter is unconscionable. She has repeatedly attacked authors, the latest being myself and another author as we received an email accusing us of posting a picture of her 3 year old son. My blog doesn't even contain pictures of MY son, let alone hers. This email came from her @nobleromance.com account, with the signature of Executive Assistant at Noble Romance. That in my book, indicates that she is representing the company and extending their disdain for the authors that helped build NRP. Such disrespect is astounding.
She also would like the world to believe that it is a few, 10 according to her latest email, disgruntled authors, who have been so vocal. Our loop has 97 members, and a majority of them feel as I do.
Noble Systems will be flooded with certified letters next week.
Ultimately, I want this to go away so I can get back to writing. My rights, that's what I want. If NRP comes back in some incarnation, I want nothing to do with it.
Hugs, Carolyn and Lori. The piece was great.
This is Anon76.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carolyn for calling out the distinctions in the different Anom, Anon, Anon76. at Karen Knows Best.
Okay, you didn't say it outright, but you did ask for others to make the distinction.
Much appreciated.
You're very welcome.
ReplyDeleteAs a friend frequently tells me "reading is fundamental", and anyone who edits knows very well the brain sees what it expects to, so read carefully. :-)
Anon/anom - you're a fuckwit.
ReplyDeleteAmarinda, I thought fucktwat myself.
ReplyDelete(but then, I hang out a lot at Karen's ;-) )