• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Donard Ghosts (formerly Donard Publishing)

Kagome75

hello!

I often read this Forum and go through the beware site, and I thank you all very much for the suggestions you give there, they're very useful for one like me, who's trying to have her book published.

I am really sorry if this question has allready been asked. I made a "search" on "Donard" and nothing came out.

I wanted to know if somebody received complains about Donard Publishing. You can find its site at www.donardpublishing.com I wanted to know, because they make monthly competitions, and I planned to partecipate to them.

But I was left doubtful, because recently they have made a new type of competition (called "winner take it all") where people is required to pay a fee to submit the entry. The story will be then judged from the votes of the visitors of the site and the winner wins the full amount and also gives the permission to Donard to publish the story for one year.

Then, they have a sort of POD service, with also editor and everything. They say that, "if you don't get your book published or accepted by an agent after having had it edited by our service, we will publish it".

Did Writers Beware have received complains about this publisher?

Thank you for your help! :grin
 

vstrauss

Re: Info on Donard Publishing

I've gotten a few questions about Donard (no complaints). It's basically yet another variant of the fee-based POD service, which, as has been discussed at great length on this board, is a kind of cross between vanity publishing and self-publishing, and rarely results in a book that sells many copies or gets attention for the writer.

There's a growing number of contests at the Donard site. The entry fees don't seem unreasonable. However, while winning might be nice monetarily, winning is not going to carry any professional cachet. The winner of the novel contest gets a publishing contract (no prize, I suspect).

- Victoria
 

Minoterrae

Re: Info on Donard Publishing

I suppose having an ugly web site is no crime and has no bearing on whether Donard Publishing can do what they promise to do.

But that is one ugly web site.
 

Judith

Donard Publishing

I have been reading this fascinating website! Should be writing instead..

But I wonder if anyone has heard of Donard Publishing? I understand they are self-publishing. However they have a contest on novels, first prize being published hard cover and paper back.

I know I could just ask them, but I'd rather not at the moment, as they are putting me on the short list. Wait, wait, my question is in the next paragraph.

Know I'm imagining all kinds of things. Could they ask me for money if they tell me they will publishing my novel?
'Cause I aint giving them any:hat

Thanks for your input
 

Kyrah Malan

Re: Donard Publishing

Ya know, I'm new to this world, too, but (correct me if I'm wrong) isn't the publisher supposed to pay YOU? No matter who it is with their hand out, agent or publisher, I'd question their methods. A friend of mine was scammed last year by a publisher who said, "Congratulations, your poem has been accepted for our new coffee table book. Just pay us xx dollars and buy xx number of books." Sad to say, she did, and only found out afterward that the book isn't marketed or advertised anywhere. Only the writers are buying the books. I'd like to hear Victoria's opinion on this:hail .
 

Whachawant

Keep looking elsewhere

I ran the name Donrad Publishing through various sites and checked out scams. One comes up but the link to it didn't work. I also checked out a couple of their 'so called' published books. One listed the publisher as iUniverse. Kinda odd if you ask me.

When I ran the name, I didn't find any other scam alerts except for the one that didn't work.....problem is,...I didn't find anything else on this company either. I wouldn't bother with them.
:thumbs
 

vstrauss

Re: Donard Publishing

I've gotten a few questions about Donard's contest, but no complaints. Donard seems to be an "imprint" attached to iUniverse-published books. Apart from this, I don't see huge red flags here--but winning this contest is not going to carry any professional cachet, and as Johanna pointed out, the publishing deal that's being offered is no prize.

- Victoria
 

Judith

Re: Donard Publishing

Thanks everyone for your interesting posts.:grin

No, I won't be giving Donard anything. But I would like them to be a normal publisher who will publish my story (if I win) in hard and soft cover, make it available for purchase whatever way (except e-publishing) and in contract agree to pay me a percentage of the royalties. Of course, it has to sell, so if they live up to their end and it doesn't sell, so be it, but I'll have to work at it too.

Isn't that how it looks that they will handle it?

Judith wishing she'd never heard of Donard:head
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,746
Location
Coastal Desert
Donard Publishing

Website's still ugly. :tongue
 

Tsu Dho Nimh

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
1,534
Reaction score
248
Location
West Enchilada, NM
Donard update

Still just a POD Vanity Press.

I saw a link to a Donard "contest" ... the website is STILL ugly. And you have to pay to get one of the 100 openings in the contest. Let's see ... they get 1000 Euros ($1800 USD) for the contest, then "give away" a publishing package that costs them _?_. It's clearly a profit center.

They have a $700 editing service, but at least they are upfront with it. They have publishing "packages" ranging from $350 to 1,000 USD, which ibnclude some overprices estimates as to the worth of the ads on their front page.

Compared to PA, the contract is almost reasonable, but they don't do the critical part, which is have a catalog and put books on shelves in bookstores.

Looks like the retail prices are lower than PA's prices.

LuLu.com is sitll the best place for POD, if you have a clue and outsource your editing, layout and cover design.
 

Gordon Phipps

Request info on Donard

If would love to hear from any other "winners" of publication in a Donard Short Story anthology, to compare experiences. After paying for the privelege, and "winning" a place in the competition, the anthology has been on sale on Amazon for almost 12 months. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1904988113/?tag=absolutewritedm-20
But it seems that Donard has vanished along with the promised "royalties". Sure, it would be peanuts, but I was looking forward to being a published author, and receiving a few cents in royalties to prove it. But all I am is another sucker. One born every minute.
Donard does not respond to emails, their web site has not been updated for months, and I cannot find a phone number or mail address.
Does anybody know what happened to Donard?
 

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess
Kind Benefactor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
6,704
Reaction score
1,314
Location
Far from the madding crowd
Website
www.victoriastrauss.com
Does anybody know what happened to Donard?
I suspect it's what happens to a lot of small Internet-based publishers. They get overcommitted, or the owners get busy with their real lives (often publishers like this are a hobby rather than a real business), or it just gets to be too much of a hassle, and they quietly vanish--usually without bothering to let their authors know.

- Victoria
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,746
Location
Coastal Desert
Ghosts busted. No sign of further ventures.