I receive the following from a Dog Ear Publishing author last week:
I published a book through Dog Ear in 2011. I recently tried to contact Dog Ear to order more books. I couldn’t reach them at any of their 3 phone numbers (317-228-3656, 866-823-9613 and 888-568-8411). Then I discovered another number (317-719-2677). That apparently is Ray Robinson’s direct number. I did get through to his voicemail but the mailbox was full so I couldn’t leave a message. I also tried to reach him by email, but it didn’t go through. I now have another email address for Ray which I just tried. I can’t get to my website, which Dog Ear is supposed to maintain…
On that day, as well as today, more than week later, this is the message we’re seeing when we try to access that author’s website:
The author confirmed to me in a follow-up email:
The package I purchased from Dog Ear included website design and hosting. But now I can’t access it.
As we have preached before, never, Ever, EVER give another company control over YOUR website. If they go belly-up, your entire website will disappear in the blink of an eye. In some cases, that can be years and years of posts. All of it – instantly GONE.
Always buy your own domain yourself, and never set up a website under a domain that someone else owns (like yourname.any-website-you-don’t-own.com).
So, not only can previous Dog Ear Publishing authors no longer order their own books (neither can anybody else), but they also can’t contact the company to get copies of their files, AND, for those who paid for website hosting services, they might all be screwed, too.
SHAME ON DOG EAR PUBLISHING!!!
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Dog Ear Publishing authors say they were scammed
You’re Big Enough For Your Own Website By Eric D. Goodman
Got questions about Print On Demand and Self-publishing? Ask Angela Hoy.
About The Author
Angela Hoy is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the author of 19 books, and the co-owner of BookLocker.com (one of the original POD publishers that still gets books to market in less than a month), PubPreppers.com (print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish), and Abuzz Press (the publishing co-op that charges no setup fees).
Angela has lived and traveled across the U.S. with her kids in an RV, settled in a river-side home in Bradenton, FL, and lived on a 52 ft Irwin sailboat. Angela now resides on a mountaintop in Northwest Georgia, where she plans to spend the rest of her days bird watching, gardening, hiking, and taking in all of the amazing sunrises.
WritersWeekly.com - the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday.
BookLocker.com - According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker is: "As close to perfection as you're going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I've ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can't go wrong here. Plus, they're selective and won't publish any manuscript just because it's accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors' books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know."
Abuzz Press offers FAST and FREE book publication, but only accepts a small percentage of submissions, and only works with U.S. authors.
PubPreppers.com - "We Prep, You Publish!" Print and ebook design for authors who truly want to self-publish. Offers formatting and design services only, and then provides simple instructions for authors on where to sign up to have the print and ebook editions printed/listed/sold. Cut out the middle man. Keep 100% of what bookstores pay for your book!
Angela's POD Secrets Revealed Series can be found HERE.
Have a POD Book with another publisher? See if BookLocker can give you a better deal. (BookLocker offers "disgruntled author discounts" to those who want to move from other POD services.)
See BookLocker's publishing packages HERE.
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Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
Read More Of Angela's Articles HERE
7.625 STRATEGIES IN EVERY BEST-SELLER - Revised and Expanded Edition
At this moment, thousands of would-be authors are slaving away on their keyboards, dreaming of literary success. But their efforts won’t count for much. Of all those manuscripts, trade book editors will sign up only a slim fraction.
And of those titles--ones that that editors paid thousands of dollars to contract, print and publicize--an unhealthy percentage never sell enough copies to earn back their advances. Two years later, most will be out of print!
Acquisition Editor Tam Mossman shares seven essentials every book needs to stay in print, and sell!
Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/5635.html
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape - SECOND EDITION
Completely revised edition of the ground-breaking travel writing book that provides a road map to success in the digital age. It dives headlong into the entrepreneurial world of blogging and digital books, while still acknowledging the real money to be made in declining print forms.
Drawing on interviews and survey responses from more than 100 successful travel writers and bloggers, this is the definitive guide to creating success instead of waiting for permission. Written by a veteran, award-winning writer with two decades of experience as a book author, online publisher, freelancer, and blogger.
Read more here:
https://writersweekly.com/books/4814.html
someone needs to write a book that tells the full history about all the scam vanity publishers and what they did to people over the years. and warn them about what they are still doing now.
There is a collection of posts about bad actors here:
https://writersweekly.com/tag/complaints-about-specific-publishers
🙂
Angela