Fans who paid up to $500 for a ticket to a Sept. 4 Norah Jones concert that was canceled by organizers may not get refunds until January.

The nonprofit Hawai'i Writers Foundation, which organized the concert, blames the delay on the singer's decision to keep half of the $100,000 deposit she was paid for the show — after initially saying it would be refunded in full.

It's fairly standard for artists to receive half their fee in advance — and to keep the payment if someone other than the artist cancels a performance, said Honolulu event promoter Tom Moffatt, who had no connection with the Jones concert.

The Hawai'i Writers Foundation had planned the show as a fundraiser for aspiring writers as part of the Hawai'i Writers Conference Sept. 4-7 at the Sheraton Waikiki. But three days before Jones was scheduled to perform, the foundation canceled the concert, saying that not enough tickets had been sold to make the fundraiser profitable.

John Tullius, co-director and founder of the Hawai'i Writers Conference, wrote in an e-mail sent to ticket holders Wednesday: "Although Norah Jones through her representatives promised to refund the deposit paid to Creative Artists Agency (Norah Jones' agent), she has instead decided to keep $50,000."

Creative Artists Agency was paid a $100,000 deposit for the show, but has refunded only half of it, Shannon Tullius, co-director and founder of the Hawai'i Writers Conference, said by phone from the Mainland yesterday.

$150,000 IN LOSSES

Shannon Tullius couldn't say yesterday how many tickets had been sold, and John Tullius wasn't reachable.

"Unfortunately, the Hawai'i Writers Foundation is a small nonprofit that simply cannot easily absorb this kind of financial loss," John Tullius said in his e-mail.

He wrote that the foundation will continue seeking a refund from Jones' representatives. The foundation will send ticketholders a small check soon "as a token of good faith" and the remainder of their refund by January, he said.

"We have been paying our bills for the last 17 years, and we have every intention of paying back each and every person who bought tickets," he wrote.

"The Foundation has lost more than $150,000 on the concert so far, and therefore, is going to struggle to go on with our work of helping people get published and encouraging literacy amongst the young in Hawai'i," John Tullius wrote. "But we have every faith that we will go on, and that we will pay back each ticketholder."

Moffatt noted that ticket-buyers for events held at the Blaisdell, where Jones appeared in the past, are guaranteed a refund of their tickets if a show is canceled for any reason. The box office holds ticket income until the show is completed, he said.

Messages left yesterday for Jones' agent, Macklam Feldman Management in Vancouver and Creative Artists Agency were not returned.

DISAPPOINTED FAN

One ticketholder left waiting is Feroza Jussawalla, a "huge Norah Jones fan" who bought two $500 tickets for Jones' concert and a gala dinner before the show.

Jussawalla, a poet who moved to O'ahu this year, said she splurged on the tickets for her and her husband as a treat while she is undergoing chemotherapy to battle cancer.

Jussawalla did attend the Hawai'i Writers Conference, which was held as planned.

"It was a very good thing, very useful," she said.

"I don't hold a grudge or anything against the conference. I just think Norah Jones should return the money."

Asked whether Jones might have incurred some expenses for the abruptly canceled concert, Jussawalla said, "I doubt it. I think you can rent a piano in Hawai'i."

The Tulliuses started what was then known as the Maui Writers Conference 17 years ago and built it into a well-known gathering for aspiring writers and literary professionals.

POPULAR ARTIST

Jones is a Grammy Award-winning piano player and singer who covers jazz standards, country-pop and an array of original tunes.

Her 2005 concert in Honolulu sold out 6,500 seats at the Blaisdell Arena at $45 each, Moffatt said. The concert at the Sheraton Waikiki would have seated only 2,500, with ticket prices ranging from $100 to $500.