Caught between a book and a hard place

A while back I received a press announcement from a book publisher. This happens ever so often when new fishing or fly tying books come out. Publishers want press coverage of course, and the Global FlyFisher is a good place to get contact with potential buyers.
Since the site has no news section as such, I usually don't do much with these press releases. Sometimes I blog about them provided they are interesting enough. Sometimes just I take note of the product or book if it has my interest.
And this one had.
The book announced was a book on steelhead flies, entitled "Tying Steelhead Flies with Style". It was written by Dec Hogan and Marty Howard, of which I already knew Dec Hogan from his many activities around steelhead fishing and two hand casting. Marty Howard was a new name to me, but he was presented as a "master steelhead fly tier and traditional cane-rod builder", a good enough CV for me.
The book was announced as "Dec Hogan’s encore to his classic, A Passion for Steelhead", and sounded sufficiently interesting to have me make a mental note of looking further into it once it was on the streets.
I had already had a few whiffs of the book through social media. Messages from both Dec Hogan and Marty's daughter late 2017 indicated a certain anticipation from the authors.

The Hogan/Howard book

Wild River Press

Liana Howard Sorenson, December 28, 2017 (shared by Dec)

Dec Hogan, December 28, 2017

I was definitely going to look into this once it was out in March 2018.

I thought no more of it until said press release arrived late February and my memory was rekindled. I checked out the Wild River Press web site, and liked what I saw: a large and richly illustrated book with really good looking flies tied by people who definitely knew both how to tie and how to take pictures.
The price was a little harrowing: 100 US$, but I have bought books at such prices before, and immediately added it to my wish list.

But something odd happened online. During the same days in late February and early March, a message from Dec Hogan started to spread in the various fly tying and fly fishing communities online.

Dec Hogan, February 27, 2018

Dec's message was shared more than 100 times, and probably as many times indirectly as shares of shares. I personally jumped on the bandwagon, and posted this on Facebook:

Myself, March 1, 2018

Dec's message stirred quite a lot of commotion, and as it is online, also spawned some pretty unpleasant attacks on the publisher, as it's often the case when emotional posts like this are shared.
Most, like my own reaction, were based on that one side of the story. The one posted by Dec.
I became virtual friends with Marty Howard on Facebook in early March and could also see his reaction to the book. Like Dec's, not positive.
Dec dropped a note on the Global FlyFisher's Facebook page, not realizing that we were already in contact:

March 6, 2018

The fire on the social media continued and only slowly died out.
About one week later, I received an email from Thomas Pero, the person at Wild River Press who had handled the book. I have been in touch with Tom before in connection with reviews of some of the many excellent books Wild River Press publishes.

He wrote

Attached to the mail was a long – like really long – account of the whole story seen from Tom's seat. Needless to say that it told a different story. Long as it was, 22 pages actually, I did read it to the end. As I already said: it outlined a story, which didn't seem quite as unfair towards the authors as their own postings had indicated. The whole write-up can be found online here (October 2022: the site hoganhowardsteelheadfliesbook.com has since been taken offline, but in case someone has the interest, I have the document saved and available - but not online. There might be a reason why it was removed.)

I replied

Tom's write-up did account in detail for most of the communication between the publisher and the authors, and revealed an increasing level of misunderstandings and disagreement between the parties, which I will not elaborate here. Hard pressed by a production plan and a publishing date as well as people tied up in delivering work and material for the book, Pero tried to bring things together. It still ended as the above posts indicate: a break between the two.
But in spite of that, the book was still published. Of course, I almost have to say. Having been in publishing for most of my life, I know the mechanisms. You don't just just break contracts with layouters, web designers, printers, distributors – or authors for that matter. Once the train is in motion, it's not a thing that just stops. Especially not when the publishing date is close.
Contracts have been signed. In this case too. Also with the authors, who will get paid as agreed when the book is sold.
So Wild River Press published the book.

And it's gorgeous!

During my mail exchange with Tom Pero, I told him how I usually try to stay as neutral in these conflicts, and try not to be biased or choose side. Sure, I had posted online and howled with the rest of the wolves, but still, I tried to hold my tongue, and just express sympathy with a couple of authors who felt unfairly treated.
During the same mail exchange, Pero also offered to send me a complimentary copy of the book. Now, I'm not one who turns down a book, so I said thank you. There were no strings attached to the offer: no expectation of writing about it, no expectation of a review, no expectation of writing something like this.

The book soon arrived. Thanks to Danish customs control, and the fee and VAT added to anything of value that enters the country, I had to shell out 65 US$ to get it. Still that's way less than 100 US$ for the book plus postage to have it sent over.
So the book is now on my desk.
And it's gorgeous!

I was asked by Dec Hogan not to review it, and I'm probably not going to do a detailed review. But I have to say that it's a pity that the authors are fighting to keep people from buying this book, because it really is an excellent book. It's nowhere near "very incomplete and sloppily and hastily assembled" as Hogan described it, but seems well worked through and beautifully produced.
It's huge: 8.5 by 11 inches (Letter format) and 379 pages, spiral bound so it lies flat when open. Illustrations are are large and beautiful, and the tying is exquisite. Hogan and Howard know what they are talking about, and convey their favorite patterns in the best possible way.

So here I am...
I can't really recommend it because I kinda promised the authors not to. On the other hand there's no denying that it's a beautiful book that would make many a steelhead fly tyer happy.
Sigh...