Tate Publishing & Enterprises

Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC was a Christian publisher that printed books that operated on the vanity press model. They ceased operations in January 2017 and owed their customers about $900,000 at the time.

Background

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Tate Publishing & Enterprises, LLC operated, in general, on the vanity press model in which most authors paid for the publication of their books.[1][2] Its publishing charges may have been refunded for books with sufficient sales volumes.[3] The company was founded by Richard and Rita Tate and was located in Mustang, Oklahoma. The company also ran the Tate Music Group record label.[4]

In May 2012, 25 employees, out of over 200, were fired. According to the company president, this was a disciplinary action rather than a layoff, in response to employee leaks of confidential information related to rumors that the company would be outsourcing its operations to the Philippines.[5][6]

In January 2017 Tate ceased operation and notified the public that they would no longer accept new authors.[7]

In December 2019, Richard and Ryan Tate, respectively the former founder and CEO, pleaded no contest to 44 criminal charges, including embezzlement, attempted extortion, conspiracy and racketeering, that were laid in a Canadian County, Oklahoma district court. The presiding judge in the case issued an order related to how customers would be granted reimbursement for their estimated $900,000 in losses over the next 20 years.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "10 Publishing Mistakes And How to Avoid Them - by Patricia Fry". Matilijapress.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  2. ^ Book Publisher Watches and Warnings: Vanity Publishing, Publisher Standards Board, 2006, retrieved September 4, 2009
  3. ^ "Publishing on paper". Quentinslist.com. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Eric Feuerborn. "USAO Alumni Reunion Happens Everyday [sic] At Tate Publishing | The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma". Usao.edu. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  5. ^ "Tate Publishing President Ryan Tate Fires 25 - Journal Record". The Journal Record. May 31, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. ^ "Oklahoma CEO prays with, insults, then fires employees". News OK. June 1, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  7. ^ "Mustang's Tate Publishing winds down its business amid lawsuit". NewsOK.com. January 19, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  8. ^ "Canadian County judge approves restitution for Tate Publishing victims". Oklahoman.com. December 13, 2019.