100 Meters From Shore, Part 2c, Addendum: Tactical Stalls?

On October 3rd, two days after the infamous 10/1/12 email, infuriated, betrayed, and seeking a solution, on the advice of a relative, I contacted my lawyer for a serious consultation.  After sending her every document, every email exchange, and after several lengthy phone conversations over a period of multiple days, I came to a decision regarding my relationship with Passionate Writer Publishing.

But before I go into all of that, let's back up to an observation I did not include in the last blog, an observation - a suspicious question - I had at the time of receiving the following set of emails.


Contrived and/or Useful Opportunities to Delay? 

Recall in part 2c that the format lead claimed that, due to an Act of God which created a server problem, PWP had lost or confused my manuscript.  See the string of emails again.

**********

From: "omitted@passionatewriterpublishing.com" <omitted@passionatewriterpublishing.com>
To: Lal Wynstrom
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:18 AM
Subject: Re: status

Hello,

We had a bad storm a few weeks ago and it affected our servers.

(They) would not have made any changes after the final proofread.

I have a file but because everything was reloaded all the dates are the same. I'm just trying to be thorough and insure I have the most current file. 

(name omitted)
Team Lead
Formatting
Passionate Writer Publishing

--- wynstromword@omitted wrote:

From: Lal Wynstrom <>
To: "<omitted@passionatewriterpublishing.com>" <omitted@passionatewriterpublishing.com>
Subject: Re: status
Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2012 09:57:00 -0600

Server issues? For how long?

I can send that, however, (name omitted) received the last edit back in March. At that time (omitted) indicated that (omitted) do one last proofread. If (omitted) made any last moment corrections I was not privy to them, nor did I receive a copy back.

Thus what I'm saying is that the final version I have is the last version submitted before (omitted) may have made any corrections before forwarding it to you.

Would (omitted) have made any changes at that point without sending me a copy back per chance?

I'll send you what I have regardless.

On Aug 21, 2012, at 8:20 AM, <omitted@passionatewriterpublishing.com> wrote:

Cedric,

Do to some server issues I want to ensure I'm working on the last update file for you. Please email me the final edit you finished. Thanks.

(name omitted)
Team Lead
Formatting
Passionate Writer Publishing

**********

Also recall from 2b that the same format lead claimed that they were working on my manuscript as of August 6, 2012.

**********

Monday, August 6, 2012

7:25 AM

FROM: (omitted)@passionatewriterpublishing.com

TO: wynstromword@(omitted)

Hello,

This is an update to let you know I'm now on your manuscript. I had two very long ones before yours so it put me about a week behind.

(name omitted)
Team Lead
Formatting
Passionate Writer Publishing

**********

This is my observation, and thus the reason for the title of this section:  two weeks prior to August 21 was the week of August 6, the same week the format lead claimed to have started work on my manuscript.  And thus the reason for my question of August 21st: "Server issues?  For how long?"

The question to be judged therefore is this:  If PWP was suffering server problems from at least the week of August 6th - the same week that the format lead claimed to be working on my manuscript - why did it take an additional two weeks after August 6th, until August 21st for them to even notice that they may have been formatting the wrong manuscript?

Was this some form of attempt to stall, hold up the process, and therefore run out the clock until October 1st, or merely incompetence?  I'll let you decide.

Further, when I combine this action with the format lead's sudden departure on 9/6/12 with the Berlin Wall of Silence that took place after September 20th - in which the format lead did not bother to reply to me for 2 weeks until October 1st- a serious veil of doubt drapes itself over this entire sequence of events.

I have re-included graphical timelines 2 and 3 as visual analyses to assist your understanding.



timeline 2





timeline 3



My Contention in Lieu of These Matters...

...Is that PWP had known for some time prior to October 1st that something was in play within their organization.  Something that was going to affect their ability to complete publication of the stories then under contract for release prior to 10/1/12.

Further, I contend that - whether by thoughtful calculation to stall, delay, and ultimately hinder completion and release, or whether by making use of actual unfortunate circumstances that possibly continued to plague them - the leadership of Passionate Writer Publishing deliberately threw up a wall of impenetrability designed to shield the fact that they were not going to finalize my manuscript.

I also contend that PWP leadership instructed their subordinates to become complicit in this reversion of contract. 

I do not assert, however, that those subordinates - in this case, the editors and formatters - actually knew of this intention and thus consciously participated in said enterprise.  However, that those subordinates, in various and different ways, in the end, followed their instructions, to me, is undeniable. 

I believe this was especially true after September 20th when I received no further communication until October 1st.  I also believe that this circumstance did not apply to me specifically (and was therefore not about me alone), but also applied to at least a handful of others whose stories were not complete at the time of PWP's switch from a traditional to a self-publishing company.

I believe, in the end, this was a business decision, not some form of personal or professional vendetta designed to scuttle my manuscript, but, however, that PWP's handling of this whole affair was underhanded, unethical, and demonstrated a serious lack of respect for the authors who trusted them, and the relationships we had built with them.

If PWP cares to ever state otherwise, and to include its perspective and side of this saga, their voices are as free as mine.


In the next part of this marathon monologue I'll include the advice I received from my lawyer, relatives, and friends about this matter.  Hopefully - I know, I know, I keep saying it - we'll square all this up and get on to other, more uplifting things.


Until then...



To the upward reach of man.