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Dear Writers,

I want to share my personal experience with Ashbery Publishing (AshberyPublishing.com) as a cautionary note for those considering their services.

I never signed a contract with Ashbery Publishing for them to represent me as my publisher. I hired them strictly as a marketing provider, and paid over $18,000 for services including advertising, distribution, PR support, and an additional $599 for manuscript editing and book cover design.

However, Ashbery Publishing took control of much more than marketing. They registered the ISBN under their name, took ownership of my website domain and social media accounts, and listed themselves as my publisher in press releases all without my consent.

Despite their claims, they did not secure any bookstore placements or bestseller status. Promised ARC reviews never materialized and their PR efforts lacked transparency and measurable results.

My book ended up only on Amazon instead of multiple platforms as promised. Deadlines were repeatedly missed, and promised marketing efforts were not delivered. When I refused to pay an additional $12,000 for an audiobook contract they pushed, they pressured me to “find the money” anyway.

Lisa, the representative I originally worked with, disappeared, and communication became nearly impossible. Additionally, the domain for michaelealdophe.com was registered under Ashbery Publishing, despite my payments. I am currently working with GoDaddy to recover control.

I was promised significant returns on my book, over $39,000 in revenue, but those promises were never fulfilled. The repeated delays, broken commitments, and lack of transparency caused me great stress.

I asked Ashbery Publishing for a full refund but they refused.

I share this story to warn other authors to be cautious, and protect their work. Don’t let your creative efforts be taken over without your control.

If you would like to discuss or ask questions, feel free to reach out.

Best regards,
Michaele Aldophe
Author of It Wasn’t for Nothing: A Powerful Story of Faith
uptownwithmickaa@gmail.com

EDITORS NOTE:

Ashbery Publishing / ashberypublishing.com
Committing several violations on THIS LIST. They claim to have been in business since 2012 but their website wasn’t created until 2024!

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