Publisher Sues “Dear Author” Blog and its Owner, Jane Litte

This post by Pete Morin originally appeared on his blog and is reprinted here in its entirety with his permission.

Well it’s no surprise, I suppose, that publishing has its share of loons, scammers and reprobates, but the increasingly bizarre case of Ellora’s Cave deserves its own chapter.

Last week, avid reader, book blogger, and lawyer Jane Litte published The Curious Case of Ellora’s Cave, in which she discussed the growing turbulence inside the publisher of erotic romance (the company and the person), where authors, editors and tax collectors remain unpaid as owner Tina Engler brags about “her Rodeo Drive shopping trips and her new property purchase in West Hollywood.” It’s a jaw dropping article, worth a trip over there to see.

Now news comes that, in response to Jane’s post, Ms. Engler and her company have sued Jane Litte personally for defamation. Of all the blogs in the book community that have reported on the Ellora’s Cave debacle, Engler sues the lawyer.

Well, it must have been her security detail that recommended this course of action. They’re on the case!

When Jane establishes a legal fund, I’ll be helping out.

UPDATE: The Complaint can be read here.