Apology

I've been in e-mail contact with Sue Fishkoff, author of The Rebbe's Army. She is very upset at how she has been categorized on this blog. A summary of her concerns follows:

1. I did not get rich off of Chabad. I am not now nor have I ever been rich.

2. My book advance was primarily used to cover expenses occurred in writing the book and to offset lost income while involved in its writing.

3. I have not yet received royalties from book sales because not enough books have been sold to pay off my advance.

4. Contractually, I cannot comment on the amount of my advance or other financial matters related to the book.

5. I do not know how many books have been sold to date.

6. I speak about my book to a wide variety of Jewish groups including Reform, Conservative and Chabad congregations, JCCs and Federation gatherings.

First, I want to apologize to Sue Fishkoff for the hurt my words caused her. I believe her representation of events surrounding her book is sincere.

Second, I want to note the following. I contacted Schocken Books and its parent Random House to try to ascertain sales figures for The Rebbe's Army. Random House referred me to Schocken. Schocken refused to give sales figures or to categorize sales volume in any way. I asked Schocken if this policy applied to all works it publishes, or if it was a policy specific to The Rebbe's Army. Schocken refused to answer. I waited a few days and asked again. Again, Schocken refused to answer.

I have been told book club and volume sales are often excluded from standard royalty agreements, or are paid at a much lower rate than bookstore and Amazon.com sales. Volume sales tend to reward the publisher much more than the author.

I still believe that Chabad had a pre-publication volume deal with Schocken and that Schocken editors shaped the book to reflect that deal, but I no longer believe that Sue Fishkoff knowingly slanted her work to reflect that.

Again, I apologize to Sue Fishkoff for the hurt my words have caused.

Comments

Congratulations. It must be chodesh Elul! Chabad has and had no deal with the publisher! They were just hospitable and cooperative with the author. Some Chabad reps by the books in volume (but those numbers are nothing in comparison to any serious sales. Many Chabad reps refuse to promote the book by any means.

Your apology does mean a lot to many of your readers both supporters and detractors. Thanks!!!

Yasher kayach Shmarya ! Impressive words.

May we all be zoche to do teshuvah shleima bikorov.

[shmuel munkes]

kol hakavod shmarya
now I know that we are truly in "ik'v'sa d'm'shicha!
a guten chodesh and a g'mar tov

[whoapologized?]

let's note that Shmarya still believes there was an underhanded under-the-table deal for mass purchase, notwithstanding the author's "ignorance" and the fact that the book isn't paying for itself--he still sees a conspiracy

[rebtsvi]

You shoot first and appologize later.

I bet as a new author, she got less than 40 cents per book sold.

New authors live on the advance. If she hasn't gotten royalties - and there is no reason to doubt her - the book did not sell at all.

I'm still waiting to find out how this is Chabad's fault.

[Shmarya]

Try rereading my apology.

1. Most books sold seem to have been bulk sales to groups – i.e., Chabad.

2. Bulk group sales pay the author little but the publisher much.

3. Sue won't get royalties until he advance is paid off. Since many of the books seem to be sold through bulk group sales, it will take many years, if ever, for Sue to pay off her advance.

4. Sue cannot reveal the size of her advance and Schochken will not, just as it will not reveal the number of books sold.

5. I've spoken to several publishing insiders all of whom believe that Chabad and Schocken have a deal. They vary as to whether Sue knew about the deal and whether she intentionally wrote her book to conform to it.

6. I believe Sue is sincere in her representation of the book deal and issues surrounding it, and that she was unawre of any pre-publication arrangement between Chabad and Schocken.

[Rebtsvi]

You don't get it at all. In publishing bulk sales do not refer to a local chabad house putting in an order but to a rush of orders at one particular time.

If all the Chabad houses were ordering, the initial printing of the book was so small they would have had to do a second printing and pay royalties.

The book is just not selling.

[Shmarya]

No. You don't get it. If Merkos, for example, bought 5,000 copies and sold or distributed them to Chabad Houses (after all, that's only 2 copies per Chabad House, right?) that would pay for Sue's advance and the books sold through bookstores and Amazon.com would be all profit (less the cost of printing, or even less) for Schocken. Why? Because the bulk sale to Merkos would count less (or not at all) toward Sue paying off her advance, and all store/Amazon sales would be counted against that payoff. Schocken would not have to pay Sue a cent over her advance. That makes both sales – bookstore and bulk to Merkos – extremely profitable to Schocken. These types of deals are not all that uncommon in publishing becuause they are extremely profitable for publishers – as opposed to authors.

[shmuel munkes]

may I be heard? an author receives an advance against future royalties for writing a book - I would surmise it was anywhere from 10-25k (just an educated guess) the publisher will pay a reduced royalty or none at all as scotty says (typically a fraction of the regular royalty)for books sold on any type of heavily discounted sales(like amazon/B&N/ bulk orders - book clubs (6 books for 99 cents) some of which are actually called in the trade "free goods"
and they do not enable the author to recoup the advance - if chabad "cut a deal" with the publisher it would have affected the rate at which SF recouped - the author bears the brunt of the discount - the publisher less - as the publisher has more to lose up front - when an author or artist becomes seasoned the whole structure changes
the question of what did sf know and when did she know it is another thing - after reading the book, I don't for a second believe that she was influenced by the promise of sales to chabad or promises of a lucrative speaking tour at chabad houses - the subject matter is certainly interesting enough to warrant legitimate literary interest
BTW in her conclusion, she said she hasn't flipped and become frum, but there's morte meaning in her yada yada, etc. hardly an unqualified success story
scotty - you did better on this one than on your "fair use doctrine" posts :)
sm IP ESQ

[Ariel Sokolovsky]

By the grace of G-d
Shalom everyone!
I think that Shmarya was right as to "anti-Mashichist bias" in her book but was wrong to use unduly harsh and profane language he used charachterising her as a Chabad kadesha see: failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2005/06/chabads_kadesha.html
I also think that her reasons for writing her book and articles this way have litle to do with money but rather what kind of a Shaliach "mekareved" her to Chabad - who her friends are basicaly and her own character and emotional and intellectual makeup.
Read her LukeFord.net profile it's very telling lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/sue_fishkoff.htm
for example:
Luke: "You might have strong feelings about various issues that clash with Chabad. It's sure to push hot buttons to immerse a secular person within the Chabad world."

Sue: "The only times I got close to that were at some classes where they were talking about the Afterlife in front of people who'd just converted. According to Orthodox Jews, and Orthodox Jews don't like to talk about this, in the Messianic times, all Jews will be resurrected along with the righteous Gentiles. That means there are non-righteous Gentiles who dissolve into the mists. Some of the converts were saying, 'How will I know if I'm going to be in Heaven with my family?' Being a [Orthodox] convert myself, that whole conversation appalled me. That reminded me of the ugly underbelly of Orthodox Judaism that we don't talk about - that Jews are a Chosen people who have an additional soul that enables them to be a holy people. All of that ugliness touches a bad chord in me."

I think that probably the main reason she trys to play down Mashichistim is that she herself doesn't want Moshiach at least not the way she thinks he is described in Orthodox Judaism...
Of course that's only my opinion and I have never hadd the honor of talking with her in person yet. I bet that if she would have been introduced to Chabad thru someone like Aryeh Gotfryd or me for that matter Shmarya would end up accusing her of Mashichist bias...:-)
With respect and blessing.
Ariel Sokolovsky
http://www.MoshiachTV.blogspot.com
Long Live our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe King Moshiach Forever and Ever!

[Joel Shurkin]

As the author of 9 published books I can tell you that Ms Fischkoff's response rings true. Very few books earn back their advance and the advance is what you use to live on while you are writing the book--unless you have a swell day job. Additionally, royalties, when they come, generally amoung to between 10-15 of the gross but the gross if figured oddly, in the publisher's favor.

I doubt very seriously if Ms. Fishkoff got rich doing that very fine book. Few people get rich writing books.

[Joel Shurkin]

And I apologize for spelling Mrs. Fishkoff's name wrong.

[Rebtsvi]

Dream on. Merkos bought 5000 books. You're funny. I'll bet the whole run was about 5000 books. I'm in the publishing business and you are looking for a conspiracy that doesn't exist.

Any bulk orders would have come from reading circles looking for Jewish books to review.

[Shmarya]

Chabad bought Despite All Odds (an earlier ode to Chabad) in bulk and distributed it just as I described above. I have no reason to believe they acted differently with The Rebbe's Army.

[rebtsvi]

You have no reason and no evidence to back it too. LOL

[Shmarya]

I suppose the personal contempreneous testimony of senior shluchim given to me at that time won't count.

[Shmarya]

You see, child – I was there.

[Yankel pipik]

My 'beef' with Sue has never been about 'getting rich'.It has been about being snickered in by the ungodly Lubab p.r. machine.
Her book was basically a puff piece to Lubab omitting or glossing over the serious problems in Lubabville such as the deviant Messianic movement THAT CONTRARY TO THE IMPRESSION GLEANED FROM HER BOOK is a powerhouse in Lubavitch including running their main worldwide sanctuary 770 Eastern Pkwy.
Shmarya:You should feel for Sue, it took you years to realize that Lubab was not about helping Jews.It's about power and ruling the Jewish world.
Lubab:The NEW MORMON CHURCH!

[Yankel Pipik]

That's a very appropiate name for you. Pipiklach, tah's probably all your worth. You and shmarya can have a ball lamenting your marital and life issues whilst pouring out your wrath on --- none oter than chabad. Perhaps they didn't give you enough recognition when you so badly wanted it, nebach shame!! Maybe had you benn a better maganet they would've given you more attention and tlc....

.........GET A FUCKING LIFE...........

That's the message to all the losers still wasting time reading this website

[greg]

so shnmary it's elul time, time to do teshuvah. why don't you beg mechila from the rebbe? and from all the yiden around the world?

[greg]

btw shmarya rosenberg;

The torah way of life is not democracy! there is no freedom of speech or freedom of thought according to torah! u must do, act and think according to the way of the torah, and thats all! even the jewish kingdoms aren't democracy! it is KINGS!

so stop trying to make everything in the jewish world seem strange; hayitochen this and that... slifkin... (don't froget about the halacha to listen to what the rabbi's rule - EVEN IF U THINK ITS WRONG!!!)