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Distinguished Press

Sage

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Cheering you all on!
http://distinguishedpress.com/

They're favoriting twitter pitches, so I thought I'd start a thread. They are specifically interested in series rather than standalones, which is cool for us series writers, as long as the rest of the company holds up, of course.

Founded January 2014, according to their website.

They list their team, but no specifics in where they worked in publishing before.

Looks like they have four books for sale at this time, one in print (POD?), but they list more authors than that. One of their published series may be authored by the head of their marketing department. I couldn't figure out the author of the other series in their store, but if I had to guess based on what I could see of the name, I think it's also one of their editors.

No details on royalties--they're upfront on choosing not to disclose it--except that they're paid every month for books bought from their store and 2-3 months from other vendors.
 

veinglory

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"By being a creation of an author there is an understanding of this business from multiple standpoints that drive it forward for the success of the entire team, and not single members. Unification for success makes the difference."

?


My best guess is that this is intended to mean: you are obliged to cross-promote.
 
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Channy

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I found their page on SmashWords... they seem to have quite a few novels through the same authors, the ones listed off their website, all e-pubbed. The quality of the summaries for all their books and the cover art leaves something to be desired.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/DistinguishedPress
 
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DreamWeaver

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They seem to think genre is the plural of genre. A nitpick, but one really thinks a publisher website should be edited to the same standard as their books. It's their public face and the first example of their output that readers and prospective authors see.
 
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Cel_Fleur

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Hmm. Got a fave from #SFF, and honestly their website is not impressing me. Besides, most small presses contract series anyway, so it's hardly a unique selling point of the company.
 

folieadeux

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This publisher recently moved toward a "co-op" format of the authors receiving a higher percentage of profits, but in exchange must do the majority of not only their own promotion, but that of the other authors in the company. The owner also just stepped down and is leaving the company entirely in the hands of its authors -- this following an apparent mass exodus, as many of the books previously published by them are no longer available on Amazon. I also don't see many other books published by the authors remaining, so I doubt their publishing expertise.
 

folieadeux

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Distinguished Pres

DP has essentially been resurrected by the owner as Midnight Rose Publishing. Can an admin update the title of the thread to reflect such?

rkvm90.png


Edit: And yes, precisely what the post behind me points out. Owner separated from the company and left it in the hands of the remaining authors, essentially now self-publishing. Vanity press but not by choice.
 
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fionnabhar

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They "split" from the company. More like they declared all contracts to be null and void and left seven authors holding the bag to self-publish as part something they called a "co-op."
 

WordswithFriends

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I think there is a relationship between Distinguished Press and the recently launched Fantasy Works Publishing.

Some author and editor overlap - but oddly is kind of obscured. Distinguished Press lists Jen Felts as acquisitions editor. I'm reasonably sure that Jen Felts = "Jen Leigh", Chief Editor at Fantasy Works Publishing.

From DP site:
Jen Felts is the acquisitions editor. With many years of experience running a bookstore while managing both customers and employees she has achieved an understanding of people that allows her to find the best fit for our team. With more than five years editing experience her knowledge is an asset to everyone we work with. As an avid reader she’s able to assess a manuscript rapidly, and determine the viability of the story line.

From FWP Site:
Jen Leigh - Chief Editor
She is the former owner of several businesses including a computer repair shop and book store. Most recently, she spent two years as Managing Editor of a small press. Prior to that, she was a freelance editor with a client list ranging from self-published to award winning, traditionally published authors. She is an avid reader and author. She earned her business degree in 1998 and now lives on a hill, with her husband, surrounded by forty acres in the middle of nowhere–just the way she likes it. - See more at: http://www.fantasyworkspublishing.com/about-us.html#sthash.SPGMOhqt.dpuf


 
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