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 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. You’re 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 seemed to evince a chronic lack of professionalism and tact, threatening legal action against blogs and forums in which complaints have been posted, and posting comments in such places under various pseudonyms. We make no judgment as to the truth or falsity of her claims, we’re simply describing how her behavior appears to us.
Likewise, her ‘opponent’ Stephen Manning has not restricted himself to making only neutral, factual assertions. In many cases, he colors his responses with derogatory remarks (the publisher’s religious views have been mentioned time and again, and even her appearance seems to be 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.
We have no connection whatsoever to any personal or business concern of either Mr. Manning or Ms. Franklin (including Diggory Press, Exposure Books, Meadow Books, Kingdom Come Publishing, et cetera).