Year: 2014

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part Two.

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Continuing Part One about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against a bystander to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it.

5) There’s copious corroboration about fraud – that’s how to catch Connor Cochran lying.

We’ve noticed another blogger who recently posted a long, long, LONG list of broken promises they experienced from Conlan Press.

Read it and wince.  It’s bad.  Check this quote from Connor Cochran in March 2008:

For the most up-to-date details, remember to check the new UPDATES page at Conlan Press. Actual release dates will be announced there first.

Repeated on July 18, 2011:

For updates on projects and products, always check the UPDATES (http://www.conlanpress.com/html/updates.html) page on the Conlan Press website first. That’s where to go to get the latest news.

But then excuses are contradicted.  Straight from Connor Cochran on the website:

The status of all delayed items has been regularly and accurately updated to customers through the company’s email newsletter.

How very slippery. Emails send cheated customers to the website (currently listing broken 2013 promises). The website sends them to emails. That’s the “runaround” reported by angry buyers – part of the Conlan Press attrition process we reported.

6) Fraud was done with classic con games and manipulation of victims.

Doing business involves keeping costs as low as possible.  Unfortunately, stealing is the cheapest way to get something.  It’s an inherent temptation for businessmen of weak conscience – as many cheated Conlan Press customers experienced

Connor Cochran may have started with intentions to fulfill promises.  But since 2004, he over-sold what he would really deliver.  Countless customers got nothing.  Maybe he thought new sales could help fulfill the backlog, so he made more promises.  Over-selling becomes a habit and a self-feeding cycle.  That’s how a publishing company became dishonestly run like a 10 year chain of Kickstarter campaigns gone bad.

It starts with white lies.  Soon, good intentions are forgotten.  New victims are deceived with confidence tricks to quell suspicion.  Excuses play on their sympathy and beg tolerance for bad business.  It becomes a dirty game of capitalizing on devotion.  Lovers of fairy tales are treated like easy targets for emotional ploys.

Love for Peter Beagle is the key. What fan can get angry at poor, wise old Peter? It’s how this went on for 10 years. Fans were strung along for much longer than they’d allow for any other business. But the company that uses Peter’s name isn’t owned by Peter. It all inflates value of Cochran’s properties.

“Connor Cochran is so nice!” – say people who trust him. Predators groom trusting believers. The success of con artists depends on charismatic lying. Consider the biggest fraudster ever, Bernie Madoff, who claims to be a victim even from jail:

“His voice is the most amazing, soothing voice,”… “You really feel like you’re talking to your uncle, your nice, rich uncle who’s a nice guy and, you know, you don’t feel like you’re talking to an arch-criminal.”

A cheated buyer’s opinion of Connor Cochran:

he may be very polite and nice to speak to but he is still a no good, rotten, dirty worm who steals from people none the less.

Confidence tricks play on natural human instincts: love, greed, want.  When Cochran offers something that sounds too good to be true – he entices people’s want for special things supposedly worth much more than they’re paying. They walk into the con.

His 2009 “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn sales (still not produced) heavily pushed this trick.  Cochran promised the $85 sales were valuable enough to sell elsewhere for $300.  That’s a con man working you until you want him to steal your money.

A reader commented about the list of “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn book buyers:

Screen Shot 2014-12-27 at 5.12.27 AM

Did separate lists manipulate people to think there were fewer buyers than there really were, so they believe they might not wait long? (5 years later, still waiting…) A red flag: no edition limit was mentioned. 79 sales are documented here, but at least 350 are reported.

If you have other lists, please send them to help other victims!

7) There was a history of poor integrity.

We previously asked: What made you go bad, Connor? Why did you stoop to this? 

What breeds a con man without a conscience?  As a little boy growing up in Kansas, maybe he was never taught not to lie and steal.  Or maybe his parents were too strict.  Take a guess from a story about ditching his family (on page 14, where he was named “Talky Li’l Blaggard.”)  But it doesn’t matter for cheated buyers – an adult can’t be excused what Cochran did.

There’s more clues in this commenter’s story.  A partnership that failed in 1984 was meant to pair Connor “Freff” Cochran with dependable creator Phil Foglio:

D’arc Tangent was a magazine-sized black and white comic with impeccable art and what seemed to be a really interesting storyline, published by “ffantasy ffactory,” a company that Foglio and Freff formed together to publish the thing. It was supposed to run 16 issues, but only 1 was published before the partnership dissolved amidst much finger-pointing. Foglio accused Freff of being incredibly late in producing his part of, well, everything, and I’m fairly sure I remember at the time that Foglio had other accusations about the way Freff conducted business in general, although I can’t find any documentation for that now…  Freff in turn accused Foglio of kind of half-assing, well, everything, and later claimed most of issue #1 was actually his work.

Both Freff and Foglio have claimed to hold rights to continue the story at various points, but neither one ever did. My (possibly not so) wild suspicion is that legally neither one could really move forward without the other’s permission, and neither one would cross the street to piss on the other one if he was on fire.

Who was at fault?  Take a guess by comparing Foglio’s successful history of delivering creative works, with the sad record of non-delivery by Connor Cochran.  We’re glad that Foglio left a bad partnership to produce with integrity on his own. Beware of giving trust to frustrated artists who can’t produce.

Here’s what a Beagle fan thinks about Cochran:

I’m so disappointed that Peter S. Beagle hasn’t left to find a publisher with actual integrity.

Watch for part 3 soon.

Lessons to learn from guilty denial of fraud by Conlan Press – Part One

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The secrets are out about the mess Connor Cochran made by defrauding Peter Beagle fans.  So far, pressure forced him to make a public refund promise, and retract attacks he made against a bystander to distract attention. But he plays victim about the harm he did.  Here’s what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about it..

1) All of the deflection and smokescreening is admitting guilt for delivering no goods.

Conlan Press made countless sales under false pretenses, and gave buyers nothing for ten years.  Beneath the excuses and blame, everything circles back to this fundamental, undeniable harm. 

TEN YEARS.  Are you sick of lies yet?

New tips have been sent in about sales of Last Unicorn audiobooks around 2004.  They estimate 1,000 cheated buyers never got what they paid for – roughly $40,000.

(How far did it go after that?  Compare: The Last Unicorn did 2.5 million video sales in ten years and the “novel has sold 6.5 million copies.“)

The “Extra Deluxe” Last Unicorn hardcover has 79 sales in 2009 recorded here.  New tips estimate at least 350 sold.  At $85 per sale, that’s – roughly $29,750.

Connor Cochran is STILL expecting victims to trust that goods will be delivered.  He expects suckers to believe that the long chain of promises won’t be broken again. (Until it is.)  Here’s a few of countless lies through the years until now:

From 2005:

…we expect the MP3-On-CD audiobook edition to start shipping in 3-4 weeks.  …we expect the 8-CD audiobook edition to start shipping in 6-7 weeks.

From 2006:

* The MP3-on-CD Last Unicorn audiobook edition will go to press in February and ship along with Two Hearts.
From 2007:

The manufacturing problems that delayed the Conlan Press CD audiobook editions of THE LAST UNICORN (and the free illustrated hardcover collector’s edition of TWO HEARTS) have now been solved, and all orders should be shipping by late March or early April.

“Team Beagle” attempts to help in 2008:

I know that some of you have been waiting for two years and some of you have even been waiting for three years.

From 2011:

 GOOD NEWS DELAYED PRODUCTS UPDATE:  Nearly all of them will be done and shipped by the end of the year. Those that aren’t will be at the printing plant and on their way for shipping in early 2012.

IN 2014, THE CONLAN PRESS WEBSITE STILL SHOWS BROKEN PROMISES OF DELIVERY OF THESE GOODS FOR 2013. Some hold futile hope:

Hopefully Cochran can find the time and resources to ship out all those back-orders soon—and I’m really looking forward to seeing them in my hometown in 2016.

2) Buyers will still never get their goods.

Time marches on – and audiobook CD’s aren’t manufactured, because they don’t sell any more.  You might as well publish an 8 track tape.

Many buyers have forgotten or lost proof, making the attrition process pay well.

Some have begged for refunds (forced to initiate responsibility for Cochran’s job to fulfill what he owes).  Attention from this site is now forcing him to address them.  Some accept downloads, a Bait and Switch for what was promised.  Many resign themselves to perpetual waiting because Cochran refuses to tell the truth.

3) Fraud was done by promising products, like a business – but dishonestly operating like a Kickstarter campaign gone bad.

Buying a product is not pledging to a crowdfunding campaign:

I placed an order for a set of Last Unicorn audiobook MP3 CDs on April 15, 2005 and it still hasn’t shipped yet. But that’s not due to any sort of malfeasance on Cochran’s part, other than perhaps being a bit more ambitious in some of his projects than was truly wise for a one-person business. Given the number of Kickstarter projects that have failed to deliver over the last few years, he’s hardly alone in that.

Disingenuous comparison!  Here’s the malfeasance:  Cochran did not promise to “try” to deliver with terms of a crowdfunding platform or pledge drive. He directly took money for promised goods, not philanthropic support.  And this was not ONE failed amateur, first-time project, it was a series representing a publishing company.

Instead of fixing a failure, before accepting money for a new one – he repeated it again, and again, and again.

Beaneath supposed nobility of creator support, the profit goes to a crooked businessman, with old fashioned greed for lining his pockets.  It may or may not be cash.  But it is inflating property value of his company.

4) Conlan Press wastes ill-gotten money of YOURS on silencing complaints… instead of producing what’s owed.

In the Conlan Press attrition process, see massive effort wasted by Connor Cochran to deflect complaints – instead of doing a promised drawing to complete a book he owed.

It’s the true test of this crooked businessman’s principles. Instead of fixing a mess he made and repairing harm to cheated buyers, now he threatens with expensive lawyers to silence criticism and hoard ill-gotten gains.

Unfortunately, when he tried to play victim about this story, he lashed out to falsely accuse an innocent bystander for telling it.  It revealed him to be an ill-tempered abuser who loves throwing weight around to get his privileged way.

But you can read the truth here, and demand fairness. Look for Part Two soon.

New readers report being “sickened” by Conlan Press.

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Here’s new reader reports sent in response to this site:

For my wife’s birthday 10-12 years ago I ordered a special edition of “The Last Unicorn” which had new art, new stories, and IIRC a copy of the movie. It was due to come out well before her birthday in June so I didn’t think about it until it was July, then August, etc.

I tried to get a response for a long time, almost harassing the “customer service” but to no avail. Promises of delivery never were kept and at the end I gave up. I wrote it off as a “buyer beware” story and promised myself that I would avoid this guy in future. The fact he is still scamming people after all these years is not too surprising. We still get emails saying that the items are “coming soon”.

And another:

I was at DragonCon 2009 in Atlanta, GA when I first met Connor Cochran and Peter Beagle. I purchased an autographed DVD of The Lord of the Rings and an autographed book for my wife. I also purchased an Extra Deluxe Collectors Edition Last Unicorn hardcover and that’s when my troubles began.

I understood that handwritten pages had to be added by Mr. Beagle as well as a custom illustration by Cochran so it would be shipped later. Boy, did I underestimate what “later” meant. After about six months my wife asked me if I had received my book. I had not, so I called Conlan Press. Thus began a five year slog via email, phone calls, and Twitter messages.

I heard every excuse under the sun. Someone had just been hired and was working to get the books “out the door”, someone had just quit and left everything “in a mess”, someone’s relative had died, they had been on tour, they were fighting a “legal battle”. In 2012 I was assured the handwritten pages were done and all that was left was a sketch and the book would be mine by Christmas. I should have asked, “Christmas in what year?”. All the while I was also receiving Mr. Beagle’s email newsletter detailing all the wonderful things he had been or would be up to.

Finally (I know) this year, 2014, I had enough of waiting. I went full-court press on Conlan Press via email and Twitter; I couldn’t stomach the thought of having to listen to Cochran’s voice again so I skipped calling. I reached out to everyone associated with Peter Beagle and Cochran including the Twitter account claiming to be the “official” Twitter account of Peter S. Beagle; surprise, it isn’t. It was just another layer between the fans and Mr. Beagle set up by Cochran.

Then, after posting and re-posting via Twitter, Cochran actually contacted me to accuse me of harassment. I explained all I wanted was the book I paid for. Well, apparently that did not sit well with Cochran and he outright told me he would not be sending me the book but would refund my money. Needless to say I was skeptical. I contacted the BBB in California where Conlan Press is located and filed a complaint. Cochran continued to libel and harass me via Twitter but shockingly I did receive a check for $85 about a week after I filed my complaint. I am happy to have the refund but still sickened to know that others are going through the same thing.

I will always advise anyone to never purchase anything from Conlan Press.

They echo many reports of abusive customer service by Connor Cochran:

In May (several weeks since I ordered the book) I e-mailed Conlan Press and asked them about my order. A few weeks later (in June) I decided to call the company in CA since I had received no reply from them. I spoke to a guy who from the start gave me nothing but excuses. I told him that the book was a birthday present and that I really needed it. He started telling me that his company was small and that a female employee who handled everything had left suddenly and they were trying to pick up the pieces. He said that since it was for a birthday he would make sure the book was signed and sent that Monday (it was a Friday that I called.) I told him that I was not “Oprah” and did not need all his excuses – just the book. He said he didn’t need the “abuse” I was giving him and so I told him I expected the book to be signed and mailed on Monday as he said and when he tried to give me more excuses I hung up on him. A few minutes later he called back and asked if I could be “civil” with him so we could resolve the problem. I was biting my tongue so I wouldn’t tell this CA laid-back idiot what I really thought of him. The call ended and I was expecting the book in a few days.

The book never arrived. I was waiting another week to call back and see where it was (since it could have been mailed and just in transit.) I then received a generic e-mail from the company explaining that my book was being delayed because they were a small company and a female employee was getting divorced and had left the company to work on her personal issues. It did not mention the call I had made to them about getting the book that Monday and so I called them again.

I explained everything to the guy I spoke to (including about it being a birthday present and I had been told before that it would be delivered by a certain date and that date had come and passed.) He started out with the same excuse as I have received from everyone at this company – about the female employee. I told him that I had heard that excuse for months, but that this time the mistake was due to a male employee (the one I spoke to the first time I called.) He kept repeating that they were a small company and that it was misplaced, etc. I told him that if they were a small company then it should be easy to know who had made the mistake and to correct it. He did a stupid laugh at that and said that perhaps I had made the mistake. After hearing him blame me I went off on him and told him what I thought of him and his company and told him that I had better receive the book within the next few days or I would file official complaints with anyone and everyone in CA (including the Feds) and then I hung up.

At the BBB:

Screen Shot 2014-12-04 at 2.06.03 PM

Watch for more info soon.

A big surprise for those who read Connor Cochran’s response to the Conlan Press fraud scandal.

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We’re shocked and disgusted at what Connor just did.

To shift blame, this report was blamed on an ex-employee named Mike. Connor trashed him at length across the internet. We answered the attack with: TL;DR.  Here’s why: it had nothing to do with us. Non-sequitur. Irrelevant. Not Applicable.

Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool – You’re a hero for standing up to cover this. But never trust Connor Cochran.

“Full Refunds Offered Over Last Unicorn Lateness, Connor Cochran To Sue Mike Bolger” – (Article now edited. We’re independently verifying ID with Rich.)

Connor’s friend- beware of white-knighting for frauds:

“Connor Cochran rebuts ex-employee’s allegations over Conlan Press product delays.”

Hey Connor:  You’ve been called out for 10 years of stealing. You responded by trashing an uninvolved bystander. What you wrote is very bad for you:  

A pseudonymous troll at “fansagainstfraud.com” is fixated on attacking Connor Cochran and Conlan Press. In real life he is a conspiracy theorist whose name is Mike Bolger. 

Everyone,

We’re Not Mike

It’s news retraction time. Our brief delay in letting you know was required for consulting lawyers. (Cochran has now been forced to heavily edit and remove his defamation against Mike- but we have it all screenshot.)

We never pretended to be Mike. We never mentioned his name or hinted it. We’re not trolling or doing a “thing”. He simply had nothing to do with this exposé of fraud. The leap to conclusions was 100% on the part of Connor, and his outrageously overwrought backlash about being called out.

We’d never known Mike, until Connor smeared his name all over the internet, all of his own accord.  (Sometimes outing people’s bad behavior happens as a last resort… it’s all one can do when a bully silences victims. But when Cochran smears people, that’s just the bully thing he does.)

Thank you, Connor, for revealing that there is more corroborating evidence about the fraud you do.

Thanks for revealing that you caused MORE people to suffer bad experiences, besides ones we already knew.

Thanks for validating complaints.

Thanks for showing how you act to get your way.  You don’t hesitate to throw innocent people under the bus, like you don’t hesitate to hurt loyal fans.  This story struck a nerve so much that you lashed out at an innocent target who hasn’t even spoken to you for years (according to your friend’s post). He likely would have done anything to avoid this mess you made.

Again, we never pretended to be Mike. We never mentioned his name or hinted it.  We didn’t know him.  We couldn’t read Connor’s mind about him.  We have nothing to do with Connor’s lashing out at him. (Sorry he went through that.)

Now this bystander was turned into collateral damage, against his will and ours – but this is revealing.  It goes to show what kind of bully Connor is, and what he does… and what we do to back our mission of fairness.

What Connor did is inexcusable.

If he chooses to bring a lawsuit, we’re putting money behind the countersuit.

We back our mission so sincerely, that we’ll pay for other victims of Connor Cochran to get fairness.

Everyone else who’s been abused, please share, and let’s be friends.

 

There’s a way out, Connor. We’re not sue-happy. People are just WRONGED.

Let’s have honest, transparent accounting about every fan you’ve hurt, and prove that it will never happen again. Time to come clean.

We ARE about fairness.  We’ll drop the issue if that happens, and stop publicizing it. 

People can change – but until now, all we’ve seen is rationalizing, excuses, and blame-shifting for Cochran’s bad behavior. Same old, same old.

Just to finish the topic – we did learn things from “unreliable narrator” Cochran’s INCREDIBLY DUBIOUS and TRANSPARENTLY SELF-SERVING recounting of stories. (Funny, how so many things supposedly quoted from others build super-convenient excuses. As if the quotes come from Cochran.)

Previously, we’d shared the Conlan Press attrition process, where a long chain of fake excuses helped push customer claims into limbo.  Many excuses blamed other people.

In Post #1, we talked about the “Smokescreen of employee abuse” – here it is.

Did Peter Beagle hear about this?  Now we get to a sad thing at the bottom of Cochran’s bag of tricks.  That’s for the coming post of “what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about this from Conlan Press.”

 

Bleeding Cool update: empty threats and backpedaling defense from Conlan Press.

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Our cause for consumer rights is blowing up!  Thank you, Bleeding Cool and Rich Johnston.  Update:

Full Refunds Offered Over Last Unicorn Lateness, Cochran To Sue Mike Bolger.

Believe it when you see it!  Let’s do a reality check: Conlan Press and Connor Cochran have a long history of refund promises that never happen.  Promised checks never arrive.  A small portion of customers put through the wringer of their claims attrition process have spent far more effort than a refund is worth to secure one.  So what does a promise mean?  As much as all the ones that came before it.

When Connor Cochran puts his money where his mouth is, countless customers have gone empty-handed.    

Bleeding Cool’s forum reacts:

Bleeding Cool often serves the community through its posts – by spotlighting indies, gender-crunching, noting charity opportunities and so forth – but outing people when they try to take advantage of others is my personal favorite, avid justice-porn lover that I am. Good on you again, Rich.

Deepest gratitude from us as well, Rich.  You’re a hero.  Without your help, and without this info coming out… every cheated fan would be isolated and powerless, thinking they were the only ones who paid for goods never received for 10 years.

It’s so encouraging to see Cochran FINALLY having to answer to the history of abuse.

Know this: Cochran’s public statement isn’t an honest action.  It’s a reaction to being Called Out.  It’s been forced out of him through public demand for fairness.  If he could have gotten away with it, he wouldn’t have said a thing at all.  Countless customers would have been left damaged. 

He’s on the defense now.  And man, does he have a lot to answer for.  Don’t forget the real reason for defense when you read this.  (Update: it is now heavily edited to remove a litany of abuse against innocent bystanders- but we’ve got it all screenshot.)

Connor Cochran shovels out another pile of bullshit about the scandal he caused.

Oh, Connor!  Outing your abuse certainly struck a nerve, didn’t it?

Readers: are you waiting for a response?  We’ve got the perfect one.  Later, when events have run their course, you can look back and nod:

TL;DR

You don’t know it yet, but you will.  This moment is one for the highlights reel.

Let’s cut through the bullshit. Here’s a bottom line fact:

Despite Connor Cochran’s cockiness about courts… if you see this site live, he doesn’t have a thing to do about it.  If he can’t get this site taken down, take it as a firm clue that Connor Cochran is lying.  This site reveals the truth of the scandal he caused.  We won’t be silent until fairness is won.  We PROMISE.

Them’s fightin’ words!

But let’s emphasize:  YES, we really ARE about fairness.

Our goals:

1) Every cheated customer is owed what they paid for, or a full refund.  NOW.  Not bait-and-switch.  Not digital download instead of manufactured goods.  Not another 10-year chain of broken promises.

2) Conlan Press owes full, transparent accounting to every cheated customer.  Come clean about who was cheated and how, and how it’s repairing damage done for 10 years.  Not a promise – an accounting.

3) It must not happen again. NO fake pre-sales of goods that won’t exist.

It’s not an easy task to expose a story that’s been suppressed and is crying for fair resolution. We ARE fans and do-it-yourselfers.  We aren’t professional muckrakers, or bringing “astroturf” support.  That’s the situation when David stands up to the Goliath of a connected business owner, power abuser, and bully.

Abuse caused by Conlan Press is their responsibility.  We aren’t afraid to publish the truth about it.  It’s far past time for fairness.  That’s what this site represents, as long as it’s live.

More info soon.

 

 

Bleeding Cool news blog and others react to Conlan Press fraud scandal.

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Bleeding Cool is a comics news blog with 3-4 million monthly views.  Founder Rich Johnston, “the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet”, covers this scandal and call for Consumer Rights:

Last Unicorn Publisher Targeted With Accusations Of Fraud

Rich’s story throws another failure on this Dumpster fire of a story caused by Conlan Press.  It adds evidence that Last Unicorn comic artists were also accused of non-delivery of work for years, on many other projects.  Customers who bought Last Unicorn comics can add that to the list of reasons why promises were broken.

Bleeding Cool forum members respond:

…for those who haven’t gotten the education either the easy or hard way yet: I would not give Ray Dillon, his wife Renae De Liz, or any organization affiliated with Connor Cochran any money prior to receiving something of value in return, not for yourself and not for charity. They are very good at playing on your desire to be sympathetic to whatever hardships or miscommunication they are presently claiming, but not about about getting people what they paid for in a remotely timely fashion, if at all. It’s an established pattern going back many years. You’ve been warned.

Bad partnership choice doesn’t necessarily reflect on an innocent person.  But with Connor Cochran’s choice to also work with an ex-lawyer disgraced for literary world fraud – and all the other reasons his reputation belongs at the bottom of a dumpster – how can we not assume the worst?  Now ask: how complicit is he with the artists’ history of bad behavior?

The forum raises a comparison to a notorious scammer who also pre-sold goods that were never delivered: “Connor Cochran is the Geoff Beckett of fantasy publishing.”

And a reader raises a comparison that will mean a lot to fans of The Last Unicorn.

“After reading thru the stuff I’m pretty convinced Peter Beagle is being Mommy Fortuna’ed by the publisher, Conlan Press.”

Mommy Fortuna’s carnival pimped sad, chained-up animals as pretend magic things, for a show that abused the little magic it did possess.  No refunds!  The analogy gets WAY too easy: The character is Twitter header for Peter Beagle’s sales manager.

Peter Beagle’s Twitter (which states it’s NOT managed by him, but by her,) supposes that naive, gullible fans will soak up a secondhand statement about this story like sparkles from a Unicorn’s ass.

On Twitter, proxied Peter says it’s all lies.  Everyone who didn’t get these 79 sales is supposed to be lying. “You can take my word for it.”  Conlan Press says that’s good enough… ignore inconvenient stuff posted here like EVIDENCE and CORROBORATION.

Watch this site for a new article soon, to learn what you’re really hearing when you hear denial about this from Conlan Press. 

 

More reader reactions:  link

 

Yep, I ordered this in 2005. Got nothing.

__________

Holy shit I just read through all of that on that site. Does this Author Peter Beagle not give a single shit about what this guy is doing?

I mean seriously what’s the deal with his silence? All I saw was “I’m not connected to the publishing house…” or some such craziness.

I mean from what I saw, this Connor Cochran douchebag had total control of his works and is dicking around people like this? Are you kidding me? Damn reading through all that pissed me off and I’m not even one of the ones that have bought anything.

I sure as hell will NEVER buy anything from those guys ever. Unless I just feel like throwing money down the crapper.

That asshole needs to give these people their money back or give them those deluxe last unicorn books, which it doesn’t even sound like there is any. And he needs to go the fuck to jail for swindling people out of unpaid wages as well as fraud.

__________

This year a friend and I went to a local screening of the Last Unicorn meet-the-author tour. We were extremely excited and it was a great experience at the time, we even dressed up in Lady Amalthea and Red Bull cosplays and put a lot of effort into them.

Connor Cochran was there with Mr. Beagle; he was extremely friendly and charismatic, telling us all about the cool tour book they planned to put together and would we be interested in having our cosplay photos in it? They would mail us movie filmstrip pieces with the characters we were cosplaying and everything. Naturally we were stoked, took lots of photos with the author, and gave our addresses.

We were told that the tour was going so well, they’d sold out of a lot of books. I ordered two that were missing as signed copies to be sent to me. Months have gone by now. According to their Facebook they’re having ‘unforeseen trouble sending the books across the border.’ I’ve sent many messages that have gone unanswered since the last update. Pretty sure I’m never getting my copies, and who knows if this tour book will ever materialize.

 

 

 

Document: cheated Last Unicorn buyers frustrated by Conlan Press claims attrition process.

fan Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

If you’ve previously seen cases of fraud, you may know how delay and denial is used to stifle claims, drain costs, and run out the clock for timely solutions.  Uncovering the story is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.  It’s a forensic process of comparing many sources.  It requires asking victims to step forward.

This consumer rights campaign is calling for public input.  10 years of broken promises means it’s time for public light.  People of conscience need to call for REAL solutions to end ongoing harm.  Our goal is fairness for fans.

In Victim list of “extra deluxe” Last Unicorn book buyers, we outlined the claims attrition process used by Conlan Press to get away with fraud.  Now, we’re sharing details of how it’s done.

In the 10 year chain of broken promises, a delay and attrition process has happened over and over. It’s a consistent experience corroborated by many victims.

When buyers ask for goods, instead they get a chain of delaying excuses: Someone died, someone put their back out, an employee left, an employee was stealing, the post office lost the book, the post office lost the check, we’ll send a replacement (but it doesn’t come…)

Excusing fraud from 2004 to 2014.

At each step, Connor Cochran shifts responsibility. He puts claims off to shed more and more of them.  Each time, fewer persist. (The below claim persisted through three house moves.) The Statute of Limitations is run out to make them powerless. If a few make it through- paying them off costs a small portion of the total take.

The Better Business Bureau has a new corroborating complaint, just noticed and attached here after completion of this article:

Screen Shot 2014-12-04 at 2.06.03 PM

In the chain of excuses, the common denominator is Connor Cochran.  He’d like you to believe that he’s a victim of circumstances beyond his control – but supposed coincidence after coincidence tells a different story.

Since we began reporting, new victims have come forward. One writes:

Hi, I have some tales to tell about Connor Cochran and his scam company. I ordered the Last Unicorn audiobook way back in 2005 and stuck with my order for 8 long years and 3 moves. I ate the BS he shoveled at me regarding why the CD’s never materialized and continued to be patient. So patient that when Connor personally called me to let me know about the deluxe Last Unicorn book with Peter’s extra story and a sketch to be done by Connor, I jumped at the chance to purchase it. It was 2009 when I ordered that one.  Here’s the string of emails I sent and received regarding the status of and cancellation of my orders. I did eventually get my money back for the CDs and the book, but I still have yet to get the book despite Connor telling me finishing his sketch and mailing it to me was “the least he could do” for me waiting so long.  That was last year.

Feel free to use these emails on your site.

The emails are below. This is only one case of countless others.

NOTE:  Conlan Press insiders refute claims made by “unreliable narrator” Connor Cochran in his emails.  Timing clues even indicate Connor posed as employees he then blamed.  Uncovering truth requires comparing consistently bad experiences of victims.  IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU, PLEASE STEP FORWARD.

Names are edited by request to protect identities of victims.

Connor Cochran <connor@conlanpress.com> 4/27/10

Hi!

This is just a quick note to let you know that your LAST UNICORN comic book order shipped out yesterday from California, and is now on its way to you. Sorry about the slight delay — IDW printed the issue later than planned, so we didn’t get our shippable copies in until just last week. Thanks for supporting Peter S. Beagle’s work by shopping with us.

All best,
Connor Cohran
Conlan Press

<customer@xxx.com> 4/27/10

Excellent, thanks Connor. I was wondering if you had news about hardcover version of The Last Unicorn that I ordered late last year. Do you have an estimate of when that might be shipping? I was excited to hear the audiobooks will be coming out late this year.  Thanks!

Connor Cochran <connor@conlanpress.com> 4/27/10

Working on the extra deluxe TLUs. They are taking longer than I’d like, obviously, but I hope to be done with all of them before midsummer, and maybe sooner.

<customer@xxx.com> 4/27/10

Thanks very much!

Connor Cochran <connor@conlanpress.com> 7/30/10

Hi!

Just a quick note to let you know that your current LAST UNICORN comic order shipped earlier today. I have to apologize — It would have gone out sooner, but I was away doing necessary business at Anime Expo and then Comic Con, and my part-time assistant <FirstEmployee> wasn’t able to come in to work because she threw her back out while on a family vacation. When one of us is gone, things slow down. When *both* of us are gone…well…we try not to let that happen very often. Now I’m back from Comic Con, and <FirstEmployee> is back in the office working, so shipping is once again under way. When your order arrives, please let me know by email so I can cross it off the list.

All best,
Connor

<customer@xxx.com> 9/27/10

Hi Connor,

The first issue of the comic was beautiful, but I still haven’t received the second issue.  If it went out in July then I’m afraid it must’ve gotten lost.

Connor Cochran <connor@conlanpress.com> 9/27/10

Hi:

I’ve filed a complaint with the Post Office and they’re going to run a search. Supposedly I’ll get a report in a couple of days. Meanwhile, I’m shipping out a replacement comic to you today. Thanks for letting me know about the problem.

Connor

<customer@xxx.com> 1/25/11

Hi Connor,

I just got the newest issue of the Raven and I’m really excited to hear the bluray of The Last Unicorn is coming out! I also saw that the graphic novel of The Last Unicorn will be coming out soon. I ordered the 6 issue comic series, but I only received issues 1 and 2. Would you be able to check and see if there was a shipping problem? Also, I thought I’d ask about the status of the hardcover novel I ordered.

Thanks!

<SecondEmployee@conlanpress.com> 2/14/11

Hi,

I have your Extra Deluxe scheduled for sketching on the 21st. The comics are still on order as well as the Graphic Novel. Once we have them in our hands I’ll be able to give you a rough estimate for timing on shipping. We are excited about the blue ray as well! I’m not sure if you got my email about your comic order, so I’ll tell you now.

In mid-December we sent an email out to all our LAST UNICORN comic subscribers explaining the delay which had taken place with issues 3-6. (Recapping briefly: thanks to a communications problem, IDW only printed enough copies of issues 3-6 for their comic shop outlets, and none for us. They *are* reprinting the ones we need, but it is going to take a while, possibly even a few more months.)

In that email we offered everyone two options for dealing with the remainder of their subscriptions.

1) Wait for IDW to complete the reprinting, and get a special LAST UNICORN art print along with the remaining issues as thanks for their patience, or

2) Cancel the remainder of their subscription and take a signed, personalized copy of IDW’s hardcover graphic novel version instead. This hardcover (which is now shipping) contains all six issues, interviews with Peter S. Beagle and Peter Gillis, and a gallery of additional art.

Unfortunately, we haven’t heard back from you about your choice. Please write or call and let me know which option you’d prefer — and if you are going with option #2, please also tell me how you would like Peter S. Beagle to personalize your copy when he signs.

You can reach me at 650-728-8098 during my normal work hours (M-F from 11 AM to 5PM, California time) or email me.

<customer@xxx.com> 2/15/11

Thanks! I look forward to seeing Connor’s drawing and reading what Peter wrote. I guess my email crossed in the mail, so I would like to cancel the comic subscription and instead get the graphic novel.

Thanks again!

<SecondEmployee@conlanpress.com> 2/16/11

Hello,

Thanks for that! I’ve updated your comic order. I look forward to sending you all of your items!

<customer@xxx.com> 3/6/12

I thought I would check in to find out the status of the hardcover version of The Last Unicorn I ordered a few years ago. Last year you mentioned it was due to be sketched around the 21st of January, which I believe was the only thing holding it up from being shipped.

Thanks!

<ThirdEmployee@conlanpress.com> 3/6/12

Thank you for writing.

<SecondEmployee> quit their position with Conlan Press last April in order to deal with personal matters involving a divorce. The departure was extremely abrupt. Some of the cascading problems this created are still being sorted out, so I ask your patience while I put everything on the product shipping/customer service side back together, and hire and train suitable replacements.

Meanwhile, all customer support queries should be sent directly to contact@conlanpress.com. Or you can call the office at 650-728-8098 between 9 AM and 5 PM California time. If I’m not in (or can’t pick up), just leave a message and I’ll return your call as soon as I can.

All best,

Connor Cochran

<ThirdEmployee@conlanpress.com> 3/7/12

Thanks for contacting us about this. I apologize that you were quoted an incorrect turnaround time that Conlan press was not able to honor. We’ve had problems with former employees making promises they could not keep so I’m going to refrain from making that mistake again.

I see that the last time we spoke you mentioned that you were planning to move soon. If that has happened please let us know so we can update our database. I currently have XXXXXX as your current address.

Again, thank you for your patience.

<customer@xxx.com> 3/7/12

Thanks for getting back to me.  You’re correct, I actually just recently moved.  Here’s my new address: XXXXXX.

I’m not trying to be a jerk, but can you tell me if I can expect the book this year at least? Is it possible to just forget the sketch and send me the book with what Peter wrote in it? The sketch was a cute idea, but what I really want is the book and the extra writing that Peter wrote into it. I ordered the book 3 years ago now and I’ve been patient, but, unlike the audiobook, which I’ve had on order for 7 years, the book has already been manufactured and, unless I was told incorrectly, Peter’s already done his part of the order. Would you be able to look into it and see if Peter did finish his writing and, if so, could you ship the book to me?

Thanks for your help.

<ThirdEmployee@conlanpress.com> 3/8/12

Thanks for being patient. I wanted to double check with Connor before replying to you and yes, we’re planning on completing all outstanding Deluxe Last Unicorn books and the Last Unicorn audio CDs this year. Connor thinks your sketch request is a creative one and is looking forward to finishing it. Unfortunately the agreement with these books was that they were to be released with both the hand written chapters and the sketch. Connor plans to finish his sketches as quickly as possible but if for whatever reason this does not sit well with you, you are always welcome to a full refund at any time.

Again, thank you for your patience.

<customer@xxx.com> 3/24/13

I would like to cancel my orders for the Deluxe Last Unicorn hardback and the Last Unicorn audiobook cds. Previously, I heard that I would be getting them by the end of last year, but it is now March of 2013 and according to the answer I received via the Peter Beagle handle on Twitter, there is no longer an anticipated manufacture or delivery date. I have been waiting for the audiobook since 2005. If/when it is actually manufactured I may reorder, but as of now I am asking for a full refund.

As mentioned below, I would very much like to receive the hardback book with Peter’s writings, which has been manufactured and that I have also been waiting years to receive, but as that is apparently impossible without waiting for Connor to complete his drawing, I would also like a refund for that product as well.

<customer@xxx.com> 5/5/13

Thank you,

I can only assume that <ThirdEmployee> has also quit Conlan Press as I never received a reply to the email below. Again, I would like to cancel my order for the Last Unicorn audiobook, which I have been waiting for now for 8 years. I do not know if I will reorder if/when it ever comes out.  I would also like to cancel my deluxe hardcover Last Unicorn book order unless I can get it without Connor’s art as I understand that’s the hold up on me getting it. I’ve also been waiting several years for that order.

Please issue a refund check to the following address: xxxxx

Connor Cochran <connor@conlanpress.com> 5/5/13

We had to terminate <ThirdEmployee> ‘s employment last October when we discovered they were stealing from the company – something which would have been difficult enough to deal with under any circumstances, but since the company operates out of our house it was particularly traumatic for my wife. Shortly after the termination I had to go to New York with Peter for a convention and other business, and the entire time I was gone she was unable to sleep properly because she was scared that <ThirdEmployee> might come back to the house to steal something else and/or commit some major act of vandalism. Because of what he did, we determined that there would be no more Conlan press employees until the company was big enough to have its own office somewhere other than where we lived. As a result I’m doing everything, which means that a short work-week for me is 80 hours, and more than once since last fall I’ve actually hit 100+.

Through all of that I have continued to finish drawings and send out books, though obviously at a reduced pace.

Thanks for writing to my email address instead of <ThirdEmployee> ‘s old one, since that account had to be closed as part of the new security measures and password changes put in place after <ThirdEmployee> was fired. I never received the 3/24/2013 email you included in your newest message. If I had, I would have responded as promptly as I am to this one.

Regarding THE LAST UNICORN audiobook, regular updates on our progress have been posted to the UPDATES page atwww.conlanpress.com. All we are waiting on is for John Howe to complete his illustrations for the TWO HEARTS book, which he says he will be sending soon (though obviously I have to wait for him to fit our drawings in around his work on THE HOBBIT movies). If you are certain you want to cancel, please confirm that you want a refund and it will be sent immediately.

Regarding the extra-deluxe LAST UNICORN, although Peter has completed his handwritten pages and the inscription on your copy, I can’t send it to you without my sketch. That’s not my call, but Peter’s: he is adamant that none of these special copies ship incomplete. Given that, please let me know if you are willing to wait a little longer or would prefer a refund now.

I do apologize for how long things are taking, but the delays are all for reasons outside my control, and I am doing my best to bring both projects to the quickest possible conclusion.

All best,

Connor Cochran

<customer@xxx.com> 5/7/13

Hi Connor, I’m very sorry to hear about <ThirdEmployee> ‘s stealing. I’m sure that must’ve been really traumatic and I’m glad he was sacked. I appreciate your getting back to me so fast. Yes, please refund me for the audiobook. As I mentioned, I may reorder once it’s manufactured and complete. I do still want the deluxe hardcover The Last Unicorn so I can wait until July, which is when I may be moving again. If I don’t have it before then, I will unfortunately have to cancel.

<customer@xxx.com> 6/3/13

Hi Connor, please see my previous email (below) and refund me for the Last Unicorn audiobook.  I will wait until July 1st for the deluxe hardcover The Last Unicorn.

<customer@xxx.com> 7/5/13

Hi, Connor, as I mentioned in my previous email, I am canceling my Last Unicorn audio book order and, as it is now July and I have still not received it, my order for the deluxe Last Unicorn hardcover with Peter’s story and your artwork.

Please send me a refund now for both items to XXXXX.

Connor Cochran <connorfc@earthlink.net> 7/8/13

I am in Pittsburgh with Peter right now, so I can’t do anything about this until I get back home later this week. Will do so immediately on return.

<customer@xxx.com> 8/5/13

Hi Connor, has my refund been mailed?  I have not received it yet.

Connor Cochran <connorfc@earthlink.net> 8/5/13

Mailed it, as promised, the day I got back from Pittsburgh — July 10th. If you haven’t gotten it by now then the post office has clearly mislaid it somewhere. This is not annoying, but not entirely surprising. Since I started shipping products in 2005 I’ve encountered an average USPS failure rate of around .5%, meaning that 1 in 200 things that are mailed either never show up, show up months past when they should have, or eventually show up back home in some mangled state. (I actually got one book shipment back that was literally in tattered chunks, and the pst office returned them to me in a sealed plastic bag.)

Will stop payment on the 7/10 check and send a new one today. Please note: the new check will be #2270 on the Conlan Press account. Should the original check (#2236) show up at your place someday instead of coming back to me, please tear it up.

By the way: I’m going to complete your book anyway and send it when it is done. Least I can do. And I really want to do your suggested drawing.

Connor

The Last Unicorn “Extra Deluxe” edition (sold since 2009) and audiobook (sold since 2004) have STILL not been produced at the end of 2014.

AGAIN: Conlan Press insiders refute claims made by “unreliable narrator” Connor Cochran above.  Uncovering truth requires comparing consistently bad experiences of victims.  IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU, PLEASE STEP FORWARD.  You are not powerless!

Fraud story views rise – Connor Cochran scrambles to cover up.

fan Consumer Complaints, Publishers, Writers , , , , ,

 “They shouldn’t be selling stuff and taking your money unless the product is ready for shipment IMO. Those hundred books with the special pages and illustrations etc should have been all done before they announced they were selling them.” – link

Cochran has been very upset by fan anger about 10 years of scams.  He’s had a few short days to react since this expose went public.  In private discussions, people close to him have started asking questions he can’t answer.  So far, he has responded with a liberal helping of denial – calling these numerous sources and documents “lies”.

Cochran quickly scrambled to mount a defense for fraud, and smooth things over on the fan email list.  It offers nothing new.  It’s the same old story… he can only send excuses, instead of what fans paid for these past 10 years.  

The scams continue: Cochran’s email to the Peter Beagle fan list on 12/1/14 –

 

…But even as extraordinary things that have been years in preparation finally come to pass (the Kubo prints, the screening tour, the prospect of a Broadway-bound Last Unicorn musical, and more)…

TRANSLATION: COCHRAN HAS BEEN GROWING HIS BUSINESS PROPERTIES TO ENRICH HIMSELF.   Peter Beagle has no ownership of Conlan Press. Quote- he is “not connected to” the publisher.  

… there are some things which are still making their way out the door. Here’s a quick update for those who are waiting:

The Last Unicorn Audiobook/ Two Hearts hardcover combo — ready to send to press just as soon as John Howe (the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit artist) finishes his final two drawings.

WE SPOKE to involved parties.  Confidential communication leaves responsibility for this old, many-times repeated excuse with Connor Cochran. More info forthcoming.

… The Special Beagle Double and Green-Eyed Boy — ready to send to press when Peter is finally satisfied with the stories in these books. (Seventeen drafts and counting, in one case. But that’s Peter. We know he’ll get there, eventually, and it will be great when he does.)

Writing Sarek — new research sources have become available which might require changes in this manuscript. We’re looking at them now to see if that’s the case…

LOOKING AT THEM NOW is the same thing Cochran said about new sources, when he promised Writing Sarek to be fully completed in 2013.  Nondelivery was blamed on a death in 2006!

Conlan Press’s expired promises – website screenshot on 12/2/14:

Screen Shot

… The Extra-Deluxe Last Unicorn hardcover with handwritten Schmendrick text by Peter and uniquely-personalized unicorn sketches by Connor — every month a few more of these go out, as Connor completes more drawings despite the demanding schedule Peter and he are on. Eventually all copies will be finished and shipped. Since each sketch is based on the buyer’s suggestion, some pictures take as much as 6-8 hours to complete. When these are done Connor will have put in more than 2000 hours of drawing time! …

Please step forward if you have seen a single copy of The Extra-Deluxe Last Unicorn.  THE LIST OF 79 CHEATED BUYERS SAYS NO SINCE 2009!  If a few copies had gone out every month as claimed, for 5 years- all of these buyers would have goods they paid for but were never produced.

… The last of the delayed 2014 Canadian Screening Tour print and book orders — all the bureaucratic tax and banking tangles that got in the way are now cleared. Many of these purchases have already been shipped, and by the end of December the rest will be. As for customers whose credit cards were never charged back in April and May, even for things they collected at the shows, we will get in touch personally to finalize all arrangements.

If you have any questions about the above, please email contact@conlanpress.com. We’ve just added two new customer service team members to improve our email response time, and they look forward to helping you.

Buyers are complaining that they paid for goods not delivered, not “collected at the shows”.  

Is delivering goods sold in early 2014 supposed to fix scam sales that fans paid for 10 YEARS AGO, and never received?

Is adding new team members going to deliver the scam sales?  Will these workers be stiffed on wages, like those who came before, so they can be blamed when they quit?

Watch this site.  We’ve got many more documents to release.  

Document: victim list of “extra deluxe” Last Unicorn book buyers, cheated since 2009.

fan Consumer Complaints, Publishers, Writers , , , , , , ,

If you are one of the scam victims who paid $85 for at least 261 sales of this book in 2009, please step forward. You are not alone!

Forum topic: Was anyone else here ripped off (purchased Last Unicorn Deluxe Edition)?

UPDATE: 182 additional sales are documented, with a list provided by a reader, raising total known sales from 79 to 261. There may be more.

Sales are documented below. 79 x $85 = roughly $6700 for this scam alone. And this is from ONE offering (out of how many offerings?) of ONE title out of many.

For 10 years, Connor Cochran has consistently offered “reservation” pre-sales for “special”, “deluxe” goods that are never intended to be produced.

The scam method starts by offering something that sounds almost “too good to be true”. (It is.) Buyers extend trust because of the name Peter Beagle attached to it. That’s the CONfidence that CONnor counts on for a CON game.

After the sale, the goalposts move. Connor makes promises of extended delivery times: later, “soon”, “end of the year”.  They move again… and again… hanging from a fraying thread of buyer confidence.

Connor strings victims along until the Statute of Limitations runs out to bring claims to court. He counts on attrition of claims by delaying them.

If an angry buyer does run out of tolerance, and makes pressure- Connor promises to send a refund check or replacement goods. Nothing arrives. If a buyer complains AGAIN… oops, it was lost in the mail! Wait again for another promise. And the process repeats. (This site holds piles of private emails documenting it.  We are preparing to release some. If you are one of the victims, please share. EDIT: here.)

If an angry buyer wants to take it to court, Connor has free service from disgraced ex-lawyer Charles Petit to fend them off.

If the claim persists through this attrition process, Connor counts on the amount of sale being less than the effort to legally pursue a claim. Few will go that far.  The cost to pay off a few claims will be only a small portion of the total take.

That’s the method of these scams: keeping them under the radar in size, spreading the net widely, and keeping individual claims isolated from one another. This is why fans need to help each other and tell their stories.

What a way to raise $6700 at a time! The saddest part is, if a person worked an honest job… they’d probably make twice as much in honest pay for the work.

What made you go bad, Connor? Why did you stoop to this? How did you go from being a fan, to scamming them? Where did your conscience go?

In late 2014, the Conlan Press website refers buyers to a long-expired promise, in a string of broken promises of delivery.

___extradeluxe

Buyers (of this title) have been strung along since 2009.  As a buyer said in 2010:

“They shouldn’t be selling stuff and taking your money unless the product is ready for shipment IMO. Those hundred books with the special pages and illustrations etc should have been all done before they announced they were selling them.”

Documents of sales:

From: Connor Cochran connorfc@earthlink.net
Subject: Your Extra-Deluxe LAST UNICORN reservation request
Date: October 25, 2009

Hi.

You are getting this email because you sent in a reservation request for the Extra-Deluxe LAST UNICORN hardcover.

Good news! Your request came in while we still had copies. So you are now officially on the Reserved List.

Send your payment via PayPal to customersupport@conlanpress.com. For those of you who live within the United States, payment will be $75 each for your books and $10 for shipping/handling. If you live outside the United States, payment will be $75 each for your books and $15 for international shipping/handling. When you pay, make sure you use the message portion of your payment form to send (a) your correct mailing address, (b) how you would like Peter to sign your book, and (c) a conceptual cue for me to use as a starting point for your unicorn sketch. You can also send all that information via separate email, to connor@conlanpress.com, if the form doesn’t have enough room.

Peter and I will add our material to these Extra-Deluxe copies in the order that they are purchased, so the sooner you pay, the sooner you will get your special books.

By the way — even if you pay right away, I’ll still be calling you in person to chat and thank you for diving in to get this extra-special book. I’m looking forward to speaking with as many of you as possible.

All best,
Connor Cochran
Business Manager for Peter S. Beagle
& Publisher, Conlan Press

And then the goalposts moved…

From: Connor Cochran connorfc@earthlink.net
Subject: YOUR EXTRA-DELUXE LAST UNICORN HARDCOVER (TEXT & SKETCH UPDATE)
Date: December 29, 2009

Hi!

Peter and I have been working through these, in order, as fast as we can. It’s taken much longer than either of us thought it would, for which we both apologize. The simple truth is that we both seriously underestimated how much time it would take for us to make our additions to all these copies. Now that we’ve been at it a while we know better.

For all of you receiving this email, here’s where things stand: because we are working through these in purchase order, Peter hasn’t yet gotten to adding his extra material to your books. He is taking one day a week out of his writing schedule to work on this, and finds that he can usually get through 15 copies before his hand starts to cramp up. Based on that you should be able to look at where you are on the list, below, and see roughly when he will be getting to your copy.

After he completes his part, your book will go on the sketch stack for me to make my addition. But there are still a lot of books ahead of you, even then– it usually takes longer for me to add a sketch to each copy than it does for Peter to do his part — so it could be several more months from now before your finished copy ships to you. Peter and I think you in advance for your continued patience.

SOME IMPORTANT NOTES:

1) If you see asterisks next to your name, below, it’s because I’ve never gotten a cue/suggestion from you for personalizing your unicorn sketch. If there is anything you’d like me to keep in mind when doing your drawing for you, something that might make it a little more specifically your own, please get that to me ASAP.

2) Please send me a quick note verifying your best current shipping address. Some of you have moved since making your purchases — and for those of you who haven’t, I still want to make sure the shipping address I have on file is the correct one.

All best
Connor Cochran
===================================================
1 Juliet Fox
2 Bob Kennett 2 ***
3 Kwok Ting Lee 1 ***
4 Kwok Ting Lee 2 ***
5 Jane Ludgate
6 Elizabeth Larsson 1
6 Elizabeth Larsson 1
7 Elizabeth Larsson 2
8 Honora Foah 1
9 Honora Foah 2
10 Honora Foah 3
11 Melissa P. Mosley
12 Sabeen Mapara
13 Art Morris
14 Geoff Guthrie
15 Robert Neal Coulter
16 Veronica Victoria Hough
17 Lorian Taylor
18 Rachel Baker 1
19 Rachel Baker 2
20 Rachel Baker 3
21 Patrick Lake
22 Angela Dalton
23 Katherine Stokke
24 Meghan Martin
25 Eliza Coleman 1
26 Eliza Coleman 2 ***
27 Eliza Coleman 3 ***
28 Jennifer Allen
29 Jill D. Horne ***
30 Erin Osborne-Martin
31 Kristen Cass
32 Sean & Laura Holland
33 Nicole Monelle ***
34 Natasha Christenson
35 Joshua Villines 1
36 Joshua Villines 2
37 Kim Holec 1 ***
38 Kim Holec 2 (for Mike Langford) ***
39 Ashley Armstrong
40 Ashley Armstrong
41 Sherry Bovee
42 Deirdre McLeod
43 Charles Hill
44 Alesia Tom
45 Amanda Tripple
46 Heather Boyer
47 Eva Richeson
48 Jeanine Holscher
49 Marysia Przeslawski-O’hear
50 Aziza Khan
51 Edward Geoghegan ***
52 Seth Breidbart
53 Sarah Rosenthal
54 Linda Williams
55 Linda L. Pang ***
56 Linda L. Pang ***
57 Erin Murphy ***
58 Edward Ecklund
59 Edward Ecklund
60 Marvin Prather
61 Cody A. Aichele
62 Kenn Quist
63 Annie Williams
64 Charles E. O’Bryan 1
65 Charles E. O’Bryan 2
66 Charles Edward Hardin gift
67 Ivan Yakubovich
68 Rebecca Edgeworth 1
69 Rebecca Edgeworth 2
70 Margaret May C. Lambert
71 Susan Kanner
72 Amanda Grosvenor
73 Angela Clayton
74 Marty Sandler (for Alyn Darnay) ***
75 John Mooney
76 Larry Womack
77 David Ray
77 David Ray
78 Jose Gabriel Dominguez Reyes
79 Anita Thomaston

5 years and many broken promises later, still waiting…

UPDATE: 182 additional sales are documented, with a list provided by a reader, raising total known sales from 79 to 261. There may be more.

Open letter to Chris Rickert, of Rickert and Beagle Books.

fan Consumer Complaints, Publishers , ,

Chris,

It must be one of the most wonderful experiences of your life, to have your indie book store partnered with loved author, Peter Beagle.

You seem like a passionate person. Many Beagle fans are. It seems part of your commitment to justice.

On 11/28/14, your Twitter account retweeted public comments that show your concern for justice. It’s noticed as part of the issue at hand.

Chris – you must be working with Peter Beagle’s manager, Connor Cochran. He holds Peter’s copyrights.

Did you know that Connor has run his business by stiffing wages to under-the-table workers?

Really… we’ve had the conversation with former workers, corroborating multiple sources. We’ve compared to defenses that Connor has made in piles of private email we hold. And They Just. Don’t. Add. Up.

Imagine: you’re a fan of Peter. You see Connor advertising for company helpers. You apply, dazzled by the prospect of working for a loveable cause. You’re hired with promise of full time pay. That’s so exciting! But pay doesn’t come. You’re treated as an intern. “That wasn’t the bargain”, you think… but the company is poor, says Connor. You’ll get paid later… whenever the money comes.

Later becomes months and tens of thousands owed. As you work, you start to notice a pattern of broken promises to others, never intended to be kept. You’re under financial strain from no pay… barely getting by and only doing it for Peter. Just as Connor counts on. Finally, disillusionment sets in. You admit to yourself you’ve been conned, too. It’s a bitter feeling.

Conlan Press holds the records of your labor, plus you’re afraid that under-the-table work means tax trouble. (It does, but the EMPLOYER is the ower of withholdings to the IRS.) You can do nothing but quit.

And you’re silenced. Connor has a new con… he’s blaming YOU for causing problems. That’s so convenient, isn’t it? It’s the oldest story in the book when it comes to employer abuse. But it’s not just you… there’s coinciding others. The common denominator is Connor. Isn’t that curious?

This is the story corroborated by multiple sources we’ve consulted.

Chris, Peter Beagle’s work is being put out using the very labor exploitation that you care about changing.

Have you asked Connor about this? Would you rather not rock the boat when things are so close between you and Peter? Please, think… what does it mean if you indirectly benefit from stiffed labor in his name?

Records of these very sensitive matters are being held in confidence, because some named in them are sickened by the experiences and want to put it behind them. It’s like court cases where victims don’t want to be re-victimized. But you CAN ask questions.

Please, do the right thing, and ask those questions.

We wish you success in business, and hope for change with Peter’s management and fairness for his fans.