FAQ: Xlibris Shuts Down Inkspot

• Why is Inkspot being shut down?
• Can't Xlibris sell Inkspot to another company who -can- fund Inkspot?
• If Xlibris can't afford to fund Inkspot anymore, can't you take it back?
• What about Inklings, the newsletter?
• What about the discussion forums?
• Since Inkspot is shutting down anyway, can I have it (or part of it)?
• Couldn't Inkspot be transferred over to someone else?
• My article is on Inkspot. What happens to it?
• What are you going to do now?

Why is Inkspot being shut down?

Because of severe budget cuts, Xlibris can no longer afford to fund Inkspot. Xlibris is also shutting down its New York and European offices. See this Inside.com story. All Inkspot staff have been laid off.

Can't Xlibris sell Inkspot to another company who -can- fund Inkspot?

Xlibris has considered this option but has decided against it.

If Xlibris can't afford to fund Inkspot anymore, can't you take it back?

Unfortunately it's not that simple. Because advertising was taken off the site because of the merger with Xlibris, there is no income and therefore would be no way of paying staff and contributors until advertising income is ramped up again.

One of the reasons I sold Inkspot in the first place (see the official announcement/FAQ from July and letter from CEO John Feldcamp) was because I was stretched too thin and needed help, especially with administration and marketing. If I take Inkspot back now, I will have less resources than before.

And to be perfectly honest, I'm burned out. I was working 12-hour workdays (often on weekends) until recently, with my workload and work-related stress increasing instead of decreasing; it was starting to affect my health and my marriage.

And finally, the process of selling Inkspot to Xlibris was far more complicated than I expected (fortunately, Xlibris was willing to pay those legal fees). I have been warned that the transfer of Inkspot back to me would be similarly complicated. I simply cannot afford the legal fees that would be involved.

What about Inklings, the newsletter?

Inklings is part of Inkspot and owned by Xlibris, and therefore will also be shut down. The last issue was sent out on February 14th.

What about the discussion forums?

Xlibris has agreed to give the discussion forums to Brian Rickman of The Writers' BBS, where they are currently being hosted.

Since Inkspot is shutting down anyway, can I have it (or part of it)?

Since Xlibris still owns Inkspot, you would need to contact them. Their phone number: 1-888-795-4274. Inkspot may be shutting down, but all freelance editorial content is still owned by the authors, and Xlibris still owns the rest of Inkspot, including the name.

I've had at least a few people say they were going to copy Inkspot (or part of Inkspot) onto their own site so that it wouldn't be lost completely to the writing community. While I appreciate the motivation, please do NOT do this. You will be violating copyright.

Couldn't Inkspot be transferred over to someone else?

"Transferring" Inkspot to another owner or server is not as simple as it sounds. Inkspot is not simply an entity that can be moved from one location (or owner) to another. It is a collection of materials that are owned by many different people, including nearly 200 articles that are owned by their authors. Transferring the site at this point would require the permission of all those authors, many of whom may now choose to market those articles somewhere else.

Inkspot has also been a "living" site throughout its six-year history -- a site that was regularly updated and actively maintained. One of the reasons I sold the site was the tremendous burden involved in trying to find enough advertising to support the site's growth, pay contributors, and compensate staff. Without the funds to support the active maintenance of the site and pay for new content, the site will eventually become obsolete -- and it simply wouldn't be Inkspot.

My article is on Inkspot. What happens to it?

All authors retain copyright to their material. Once Inkspot is shut down (no longer accessible), exclusivity clauses can be ignored. i.e. If your contract gives Inkspot exclusive rights to your article for three months and Inkspot shuts down before then, you can resell your article elsewhere.

Do you regret selling Inkspot?

I'm sure a lot of people are wondering about. Unfortunately, I didn't really have a choice. Inkspot had grown to the point where I could no longer manage it on my own, or even with my husband's help. Also, I knew that I could not continue to improve Inkspot without more resources. I have no marketing or investment background, and had no clue how to go about looking for investors.

It was also clear to me that Inkspot had tremendous potential. I had clear ideas about how to make it even more valuable to the online writing community, but first needed the resources to stabilize the existing structure, and then to improve it.

Over the past two years, at least half a dozen companies approached me about acquiring Inkspot. Some small ones, a few very big ones. I did a LOT of research during this time, interviewing people at the company, checking customer references, examining their attitude towards authors, seeing how they treated their employees. I consulted lawyers and industry experts. And then I had to make a decision.

Inkspot has been around for six years, which is a longer lifespan than that of most Internet companies these days. Yes, I do wish it could have continued to help writers for years more, and I am disappointed by the fact that it was shut down despite growing traffic, awards, and accolades in the press.

I'm glad, however, that Inkspot was able to help as many writers as it did. :-)

What are you going to do now?

I'm taking a sabbatical. Spending time with my husband, reading, going on canoe trips, just relaxing. The past few years have been increasingly hectic and stressful. I need a break. :-)

Then I plan to return fulltime to my own writing. If you're curious about what I'm up to in the future, you can always check out my husband's and my personal Web site. And do check out Moira's Web site for writers, Writing-World.com! :-)