SIGNATURE BOOKS FIRED ME! Wait, did It Actually Pay Us? and Barbara Jones said WHAT!?
SB has concluded its sponsorship of this podcast, but thankfully they are not an unahallowed hand!
First, I want to express my mixed feelings about SB’s previous sponsorship of the Mormon News Roundup. They took a risk on us when we had just one episode released, and for that, I am thankful. However, there were ongoing minor issues and a lack of oversight throughout our partnership, and the way it ended was quite disappointing.
Because SB used PayPal business instead of PayPal friends and family for transactions, we faced monthly shortfalls for the first eight months. In fact, we received no payment at all for the last four months, despite consistently releasing episodes. My emails to SB staff regarding payment and other routine matters often went unanswered, leading me to ultimately stop pursuing compensation. SB expects people to work for them but fails to pay them—this is a fact. Moreover, they terminated our partnership with a simple email? That lacks any sense of leadership.
The timing was particularly poor. The termination email came just four days after we had a formal, in-depth review of the podcast and its content—a review we passed with flying colors! We even published this 20-minute review as episode 54.
During that episode, I asked Devery Anderson, the SB marketing manager, multiple times if we were meeting SB’s vision. His response was always positive. I inquired whether the podcast was worth the investment, and he confirmed it was. I even asked if we needed to make any changes, to which he responded that we were hitting a home run. Then, just four days later, he ended the sponsorship. What changed? Why say everything is going well only to pull the plug shortly after? Is this bad business, incompetence, or both?
In an email, Devery mentioned, “The state of the podcast” would be limited to disclosures about demographics and progress. He requested the immediate removal of our episode.
Pro tip 1: Don’t assume anything. I provided Devery with the full episode notes and slides days in advance. If he had concerns about discussing something during the recorded podcast, he could have brought it up at any time. There were no surprises. The recording was clearly visible on his screen; it wasn't a secret. It seems he didn’t review the materials beforehand, which is disappointing.
Pro tip 2: Do your homework before co-hosting a podcast episode. It’s ironic that SB criticized the MNRU for lacking scholarly rigor when Devery didn’t even review the materials he was supposed to discuss.
Final Thoughts: I doubt Devery is behind the cancellation since he doesn’t seem to care. He appears more interested in promoting his books to audiences that don’t have the means to buy them, all while engaging with C-list civil rights activists, wrapped in a white, Mormon savior complex. Devery fundamentally failed in his role as my boss at SB, displaying incompetence in management.
It’s likely that Barbara is the driving force behind the cancellation. It seems she only recently listened to the podcast.
Hey Barbara! As the director of an influential publishing company, you should act like it. Provide basic oversight, listen to the episodes you sponsor, and establish a clear vision followed by consistent follow-up. Don’t send your marketing manager to publicly support our podcast only to reverse that support four days later, especially when nothing has changed. If you’ve neglected to monitor your marketing team and their messaging, then take responsibility and make it right.
Pro tip 3: Pay your employees and contractors on time, every time. And Barbara, if you ever want to shift directions with someone or something, have a conversation. That’s called leadership—do your job.
Addendum: After sharing this video with Signature Books, they finally compensated us, and they no longer owe Al or me anything.
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