Digital Publishing Expert (Marlene Diaz)

Well, for one thing, that web address won't open in Firefox. That doesn't seem promising.

Dunno, but I can't open either link you included and I've never seen that before.

Here's a link we can start with - http://digitalpublishingexpert.com/

Poking around the site, I guess my first question would be about what books they've already put into production. They don't have a link to any ebook they've done.

Somebody's gotta be the first, but do you want that to be you?

Ms. Diaz started her Twitter account 5 days ago. This is not a red flag as far as her intentions, it's just something to think about when looking to sell your work.

Why would you go that route instead of a more established e-publisher or a trade publisher? "Better than nothing" is probably not the attitude that's going to get you through the grinding times ahead. And believe me, no matter which way you go, this is an endeavor with teeth.

I know it's frustrating. I'm sorry.

Their website is about attracting authors, not selling books to readers. That's a red flag.

They're using Amanda Hocking's name and likeness as a selling point: If she can do it, so can you! A bit misleading, I'd say. Some people could interpret this as her endorsement.

DocZack said:

So if a foolish but desperate new writer sent her his manuscript on request for review but did not sign anything, how much trouble did he just invite into his life?

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That's the wrong question. Why would said foolish, desperate writer do this? What has foolish, desperate writer done to have this as his choice?

-Has he edited the manuscript until it shines?

-Has he sent it to a few trusted & honest readers?

-Has he developed a query letter with people who are willing to help (as in AW's Query Letter Hell?)

-Or has he thoroughly researched small presses that accept unagented submissions?

-Or has he thoroughly researched what self-publishing will offer him and demand of him?

If the answer to these questions is 'no', then the hypothetical writer really needs to examine why he's desperate. If it's that he's impatient or tired of rejection, that's not really the path to success.

I was turned off by her letter. The language, style, and punctuation leave a little to be desired. For example, "the brilliance that beholds authors"—what the hell is she talking about? And they are to both "find and discover." I think that's called being redundant. And then there's the comma splice, easy to see so I won't reprint it, where she uses a comma when a semicolon is demanded. When I taught effective writing, this was a three-point, i.e., major, error.

Al Stevens said:

Their website is about attracting authors, not selling books to readers. That's a red flag.

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Agreed.

DocZack said:

I'm wondering what the hook is, though. They don't ask for money at all, so that seems to make me think that it is not a scam or am I a bit naive?

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It doesn't have to be a scam to be a bad idea.

DocZack said:

So if a foolish but desperate new writer sent her his manuscript on request for review but did not sign anything, how much trouble did he just invite into his life?

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It depends. If they grab rights to all submissions then that foolish but desperate new writer (that's so harsh...) might be stuffed. If not, all he has to do is withdraw his submission.

I can't see any real benefit from working with these people, but I haven't looked into them in any significant way. If you want to self-publish then you're probably better off doing the work yourself; if you want to be published by a publisher, approach the better, more well-established ones first.

Moving this from E-Publishing to BR&BC.

45% on the net isn't bad, but how is the net calculated? Why do they capitalize Authors everywhere?

And yes, the other errors suggest this site was put together in a hurry.

They're also touting a workshop from Hay House.

Here's the link to the workshop on the Hay House site. I'm not convinced the two entities are connected.

DocZack said:

I'm wondering what the hook is, though. They don't ask for money at all, so that seems to make me think that it is not a scam or am I a bit naive?

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Looks more like an ebook publisher than anything else. They want submissions, pay royalties (net of proceeds, though), and provide publishing services. So they'd appear to make their money the way any publisher would - by sharing in the proceeds of book sales.

But I don't see:

a) evidence of any track record in publishing for the company - it seems brand new;
b) evidence of any track record for the principal, Ms Diaz - there's nothing I could see on the website to say who she is or what her expertise consists of;
c) evidence that they're very good at procuring web design services, as their site is full of clip art, poor layout, and somewhat egregiously a picture of Amanda Hocking.

If I were an author looking for a publisher, I would tend to cross them off my list of companies to consider until I saw all of that change.

If you are looking to publish an e-book (Kindle, Nook, etc.), most people don't need to pay an expert to manage this. The websites where this is done practically walk you through it.

Assuming you have a manuscript in good shape to start with (edited, proofed, and critiqued), the mechanics of getting the book into digital form can be learned. I did it, and I'm no genius by a long shot.

Now I'm trying to learn the marketing end. Being a genius would be a big help right now.

tbrosz said:

If you are looking to publish an e-book (Kindle, Nook, etc.), most people don't need to pay an expert to manage this. The websites where this is done practically walk you through it.

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Yeah, but just to split hairs for a second, that isn't publishing an ebook. That's making an ebook available for sale, which is indeed a fairly simple procedure.

Torgo said:

Yeah, but just to split hairs for a second, that isn't publishing an ebook. That's making an ebook available for sale, which is indeed a fairly simple procedure.

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You make a good point. I guess the question in this case (from my point of view) is what this publishing company can deliver in the marketing area to make them worth their percentage. A lot of marketing outlets and social sites on their list are accessible to anyone.