ASPEN MOUNTAIN PRESS SUSPENDS OPERATIONSAll Rights Revert to Authors

If you've been following the AMP debacle, you know this was coming.  I've kept pretty quiet about the whole thing because I'm adamant about not burning bridges in this business, but today I need to shout out the news.  This is the letter I sent to Aspen Mountain Press, reclaiming my rights to The Cowboy and the Cougar and Calendar Boy:

Dear Ms. Hicks:

On October 16, 2011, Aspen Mountain Press suspended operations "due to the current health of the owner." Today, December 17, 2011, the website is still down and operations remain suspended.

Section XIX of the contract I signed for The Cowboy and the Cougar and Calendar Boy states in part:

If Publisher suspends operations for more than sixty (60) continuous days, other than for technical difficulties such as a loss of Web Server, all rights hereunder shall immediately revert to the Author.

Because Aspen Mountain Press has suspended operations for more than sixty continuous days, all rights to The Cowboy and the Cougar and Calendar Boy granted to Aspen Mountain Press have now reverted to me as per the contract. This letter serves as notice to you that I now control the rights to those two stories and I am free to take them elsewhere.

I wish you the best in your professional and personal life.

Helen Hardt 

To all AMP authors -- congratulations!  I hope to see all your work elsewhere soon.