Ashcroft Associates

Could only find this, Lexy, sorry. It explains why Black Cat were removed from the WAYB in 2003: Black Cat(link is external)

Thanks Andrea If their linked to Blackie & co it speaks volumes. Writers beware no mention of the charge to publish on their web site but there is one, ive read alot about them from the Johnathon clifford site. Again thanks, will leave well alone though, I'm tempted to play along just to see just how dodgy they are.

TRY THIS SITE http://www.sfwa.org/beware/general.html#titsworth(link is external) HOPE IT HELPS

To whoever I too have received a letter from Ashcroft Associates saying identical things about taking my submission to some publishing houses. This was completely out of the blue and also associated with the Black Cat Group. I have tried to ring them a few times but have only got through to an answering machine system. Seems odd and now I've found your letter on this website which flags up alarm bells. If you find out any further information about them I would be grateful to know. They may be credible but then again not so I suppose one just has to wait and see what happens. Shirley

I came across these messages when on the web searching for information on Ashcroft... I recieved a letter this morning which sounds identical to the ones that other people have recieved. I wrote to Black Cat nearly a year ago to an address near Ely, which is my local town and had nothing back until now. In the mean time I decided to write off to some publishers as well as agents to see how my luck fared and wrote to a company called 'Blackie and Co' (as mentioned above), unaware of the nature of their publishing. Well, a few weeks into this process I recieved a letter from them saying that they would publish my work for a fee of £3000. I wrote back and asked to see their contract to show to a solicitor. At the moment I have been waiting for correspondence back from them since I wrote to them in October with the problems with the contract... Funny thing is, Blackie and Black Cat both have similar (the same even???) address. (Although Blackie has a mail drop in London Fleet Street). And now Ashcroft are interested. Can't help feeling a litte suspicious... Ellen

i have two words ...those bastards

In February of this year, Blackie and Co went into liquidation and are currently being pursued by dozens of unhappy authors who paid money to them and had no book published. At least 2 of those is still trying to get their work back. No-one seems to know where their assets are. I heard first hand accounts of a shambolic creditors' meeting in March, Cambridgeshire a month or so ago, where there were some quite undignified scenes. The company has suffered quite a 'naming and shaming' exposure in the local Ely newspaper I hear. The last I heard, this week, was that one author had been told by the appointed Receiver, Accountants Neville Exley, that she could have her manuscript back if she paid them a £15 fee for postage. She refused and is likely to attack them in court. It seems that the business they were in was of attracting hopeful authors to sign very one-sided contracts and pay over money, usually £3250 per book, then produce very few copies digitally and market them minimally. The whole thing sounds very like the business run by Max Bialistock in the film "The Producers". The rot began for them last year when they were taken to court by an author, lost badly and were obliged to pay costs. Hearing this, other authors decided to pull the plug and because there were no real assets to fall back on they decided to fold. It was always going to end in tears it seems since they had developed a dreadful reputation in the publishing fraternity as vanity publishers who would publish somewhat uncritically. What a shame for those writers of quality work caught up in the mess. The person who knows most about this is Johnathan Clifford whose website on the subject of vanity publishing is required reading for any budding writer. Blackie were by no means the worst vanity publishers. [%sig%]

I too hve recieved a request fro my complete manuscript on disc. I'm with Jo on this one, as far as i can see there is no harm in sending them your stuff, if they do ask for money then i'm in no way obligated to sending them any. But they are welcome to my overdraft!

Actually I was the person who first notified Jonathan Clifford about Blackie Publishers after they agreed to publish my book for £3000. I was promised book signings etc, but eventually declined their offer, though they looked impressive with some celebrities as clients. Weeks later I recieved another letter from them saying if that I was not successful in finding another publisher, they would consider publishing my novel for free. I have since had two novels published with a respectable POD publisher and have heard nothing more from Blackie.