“Authors in general don’t have a lot of money, and lawsuits are expensive.”
- James D. MacDonald
“Help Defend P&E – Unfortunately, there are those who do not like P&E or its editor because we give out information that they would prefer remain hidden from writers. Usually, they slink away, but not this time. P&E is being sued and we are asking for donations to mount a legal defense in court. Please click on the link below and give if you can to help protect P&E so it can continue to defend writers as it has for over a decade.”
The quote above is the headline to the Preditors & Editors website. Seriously, how pathetic can David L. Kuzminski be? Asking authors to bail his tuches (ass) out with donations to fund his legal defense? We don’t need to tell you that authors are generally not the highest paid individuals. For David L. Kuzminski to ask for financial assistance from them is despicable. As you may know, a self-published author must sell approximately 5000 books before he/she breaks even. Considering David L. Kuzminski’s own Amazon Sales Rankings, it’s no wonder that he would solicit handouts for a legal problem that he alone created.
David L. Kuzminski, if you’re going to “give out information” at least back it up withprimary source material. It’s not that some people “do not like P&E,” it is, however, the total lack of disregard of proving claims with demonstrative evidence that people don’t agree with. Unfortunately, in your case, it appears to have caught up with you. It’s your problem and it’s time for you, and only you, to face it. Again, to request struggling authors to financially support your legal defense is despicable. It reeks of the very same accusations you’ve made against various publishing companies. literary agents and individuals. It’s time to put your big boy pants on and face your own reality. If your experience contributes anything to the publishing world, perhaps it will be what not to do and solidify the need for using primary source material. If the low donations to the “Atlanta Nights” film project (and the dreadful Amazon Sales Rankings of the companion book) are any indication of author support, we would assume that few are supporting your plea. Please, stop begging from authors and remove this pathetic request for donations. Remember what “Uncle Jim” says, “money flows to the author.” However, it should not flow to the legal defense fund of another author.
Normally, only registered non-profit ((501 (c) (3)) organizations can solicit donations from the public. To do so otherwise can give rise to investigative curiosity from the Internal Revenue Service, state agencies and the Attorney General’s office of any given state. We have not found any Articles of Incorporation, DBA’s, Assumed Names or IRS documentation which categorizes Preditors & Editors or David L. Kuzminski as a “public charity.” In addition, the Preditors & Editors website is registered under David L. Kuzminski and is not affiliated with any corporation, DBA or other business entity.
References
Attorney General of Virginia. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.oag.state.va.us/>.
“Compliance & Enforcement.” Internal Revenue Service. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.irs.gov/compliance/index.html>.
“Cretella v. David L. Kuzminski (Preditors and Editors) « The Write Agenda.” The Write Agenda. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/cretella-v-david-l-kuzminski-preditors-and-editors/>.
Preditors & Editors. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://pred-ed.com>.
“Uncle Yog’s Gears and Wrenches 2.0 – Page 62 – Absolute Write Water Cooler.” Absolute Write. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. <http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5986662#post5986662>.
“UPDATED/Intriguing: How Does the “Thumbs Down” List Amazon Rankings Compare to the “Watch Dogs”? « The Write Agenda.” The Write Agenda. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/intriguing-how-the-thumbs-down-list-amazon-rankings-compare-to-the-watch-dogs/>.
“Virginia SCC – Office of the Clerk – Business Lookup via Clerk’s Information System.” Virginia State Corporation Commission. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://www.scc.virginia.gov/clk/bussrch.aspx>.
“Writer Beware: Who’s Not Minding the Forum? Boobs, Bras & Panties? « The Write Agenda.”The Write Agenda. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://thewriteagenda.wordpress.com/2011/03/22/writer-beware-who-not-minding-the-forum-boobs-bras-panties/>.
“Wikipedia:Identifying Reliable Sources.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Mar. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources>.
