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Doce Blant Publishing / Marie M. Irvine Literary Excellence Award

elysezane

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Does anyone have any knowledge of / experiences with Doce Blant Publishing and their Marie M. Irvine Literary Excellence Award?

Here's the site: http://www.doceblant.com/marie-m-irvine-literary-excellence-award/

I write historical fiction, so I was thinking of entering the contest, but I can't afford to throw $$ away.

I notice there are two typos on the award page, which gives me pause. Also, should contests announce their judges' names?

Under Author's Resources, they seem to be drumming up business for marketers, cover designers, etc. whom their authors would have to pay?

I'm new to this business, so I would appreciate any insights/instincts you can pass along. Thank you!
 

Thedrellum

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I've never heard of this company, and from their website it doesn't seem like they offer much of anything to the author that the author couldn't do themselves. And while I'm not against fee-charging contests in general--many literary presses and poetry presses charge from $15 to $25 for an entry--such contests usually offer, at the very least, a monetary reward (usually $1000). What it looks like here is that Doce Blant Publishing is helping to fund their publishing house with the money from the entries rather than using that money as an award/to publish the winning book.

Also, with those fee-charging contests I'm okay with, the presses have credibility within the literary publishing world, so even if they DIDN'T have an award, the fact that your book was published by them would mean something. I'm not sure what DBP provides their authors, especially since they say marketing is the burden of the author.
 

foxfeet

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No personal experience, but I did a quick skim of their website. Nothing about it immediately screams run to me, but there are some red flags that make me wary.

They offer paid editing services.

Their publishing contract is non-negotiable according to their FAQ.

You mentioned the lack of information about who judges the contest, and I agree that that's a concern, especially since I couldn't find a list anywhere on their site that shows who actually works at/runs Doce Blant. In fact, the wording on their 'contact us' page seems almost designed to avoid mentioning any names. Either they're inexperienced, or they're trying to hide something. (someone please correct me if I'm wrong and just missed whatever page they've got their bios on)

Other than the $200, the prizes for the award only seem to matter if you're a) already published, or b) want to publish with Doce Blant. They do at least specify that they're awarding the option to publish, which seems to suggest you wouldn't lock yourself into anything by submitting an unpublished manuscript.

I only glanced at what they've got up in their shop. First impressions are that the covers look decent, but the sparse offerings suggest they are still fairly new to the business. Most people would advise you to wait and see what happens rather than jump in with a publisher that might disappear in the next few months.
 

CaoPaux

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Per their press releases, CEO is Marti Melville (author page here).
 

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I'm absolutely happy to answer questions about this award. Let me give some background:

The Marie M. Irvine Award Literary in Excellence Award is an award in honor of a historical writer who passed away three years ago. She was a major contributor to writers, history, and specifically the Ogden City Library system. This award is funded by the family members of Marie M. Irvine. The $25 entry fee pays the judges (whose names are not listed per their request, however their notes are available to all authors who enter).

Addressing other questions: Doce Blant Publishing is a small traditional press. The authors pay NOTHING for publication. Submissions are vetted by an acquisitions team. Editing services offered on the site are in support of the freelance editors, cover artists, and other team members' business outside of Doce Blant. The decision to include these professional freelancers as services available (posted on our website) came about from many requests for, "who does Doce Blant Publishing use." I have always been happy to share Doce Blant Publishing's resources.

The contract is negotiable and has been negotiated for a few of the authors without issue. We're currently revising it to include audio books, which we hope to have underway beginning in 2018. Our business attorney (media, film, and business) oversees the contract and we encourage every author to have the contract reviewed (and red-lined) by their personal attorney prior to signing.

Funding for Doce Blant Publishing was initially exclusively from the owner/CEO. Additional funding comes from the sale of the books. Doce Blant Publishing is a member of the AAP (Association of American Publishers) and IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association).

I hope that answers your concerns. Please feel free to approach me with any questions you have: [email protected]

Thanks ~

Marti Melville
CEO
Doce Blant Publishing
 
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