Diggory Did What?
We acquired the Diggory domain after the previous owners let the name expire, for whatever reason. At the time, we had no idea of the battle that had occurred between Diggory Press and a number of extremely unhappy customers (and frustrated would-be customers).
We’ll try to summarize the situation as objectively as possible, though we must stress that most of the available information is coming from the notoriously non-objective Internet (and on that note, you may help us by clicking on our online slots links!). Seriously, though, readers are welcome to contribute to the arduous fact-checking (and BS-sifting) process. We just can’t promise that we’ll get back to you in a timely manner…
Anyway, on one side of the ring, you have Rosalind Franklin, the owner of Diggory Press. On the other, Stephen T. Manning, the owner of Checkpoint Press, and a number of authors (five at the very least, and possibly over one hundred) who feel that they have yet to receive all (or, in many cases, any) of the services that were promised. Many complain of a difficulty in contacting the company, and a lack of timeliness in fulfilling the terms.
In response to such criticisms, Rosalind Franklin has demonstrated a frequent lack of professionalism and tact — going so far as to threaten legal action against blogs and forums in which complaints have been posted, and posting comments in such places under various alternate names. Even if all of her assertions are true, she does not strike us as the sort of person with which we would choose to have any sort of relationship.
Likewise, Stephen Manning has not restricted himself to making only completely factual assertions, and in many cases colors his responses with derogatory remarks (the publisher’s religious views have been mentioned time and again, and even her appearance is fair game). As the owner of a POD himself, Manning could be seen as a competitor, and has made at least one similar complaint against another publisher — though we must re-state that the vanity press industry is full of unscrupulous companies and chronically-dissatisfied customers.
Our own business deals largely with online casinos, which occupy a similar position as PODs and vanity presses; there are a sizable amount of sleazy dealings and dissatisfied customers, each threatening the other with legal action (that most often goes nowhere). Yet we can alternately offer a number of examples of an above-board online casino USA, and of happy players who have taken the time to understand exactly what they are signing up for!
All that we can conclude at this point is that we would not be interested in being Mr. Manning’s publisher, or doing business by any company that is affiliated with Ms. Franklin (including Diggory Press, Exposure Books, Meadow Books, Kingdom Come Publishing, et cetera). In both cases, it’s not a legal or economic judgment, but a simple desire to avoid unpleasant people and unnecessary hassle whenever possible.