The editor of Weirdbook took umbrage at my previous Facebook post, claiming that my "trashing" of Wildside Press and John Betancourt meant that I have

"absolutely no faith in the project or those involved".

He subsequently withdrew his acceptance of my story.

I leave it to others to decide whether my statements constituted "trashing"; in my opinion, I simply expressed concerns based on past experience and the current situation, while also expressing the hope that things had changed.

I will also leave it to others to decide if the editor is punishing me for expressing my 1st Amendment rights. He did drop a previous publisher because he didn't like his politics.

I will, however, point out that I had signed and returned the contract BEFORE he tried to rescind his acceptance.

The contract specifies only certain conditions under which the story may be dropped from publication, and they do not include "trashing" the publisher or any arbitrary reason the editor dreams up.

This puts him in breach of contract.

He has tried to defend his actions by claiming:

"Nothing in the contract says that it has to be printed."

But as I pointed out in my reply:

"That is very thin rhetorical ice to found a stance on. The promise to print is built into the very nature of the contract. The entire point of the contract is to legalize an arrangement in which I give Wildside Press my story and they print it. The lack of a stated promise to publish is irrelevant, otherwise contracts of this sort would have no legal authority. Writers could freely violate the terms of the contract by arguing that without a stated promise, they are not bound by the contract until the story is actually printed. Which is legal nonsense. Similarly, it is legal nonsense to claim that the lack of a stated promise allows the publisher or editor to just drop a story for any reason. Either both claims are true, or both are not, and since no court will allow the former, they won't allow the latter either."

I have suggested a second time that he reconsider his refusal to honor the contract. If he declines a second time, or refuses to reply, I will approach the publisher. If Mr. Betancourt refuses to honor the contract, I am considering taking legal action.

I should state that, even if they do print my story, I have no illusion of ever being published in Weirdbook again. Besides, my payment will only be $10 and two contributor copies.

So why am I making a big deal out of this?

Because, writers get exploited in so many ways if they do not have Big Name clout or a powerful agent. This is just another example. If we just bend over and take it (forgive the crude analogy), we simply enable this exploitation to continue. Contracts are supposed to grant legal protection against exploitation; if editors and publishers can just ignore them whenever they wish, then they become meaningless and useless. And if this editor believes he can get away with it because I am not a Big Name and have no agent, that simply underscores the exploitative nature of the situation.