Parker Publishers Reviews 82

Wonderful people like Maxine, Rachel and Hazel are the ladies that led my book through the process of being published. Wonderful experience!

Self-publishing wasn’t as simple as I thought, but luckily, I found Parker Publishers. They refined my book while keeping my voice intact and their well-planned marketing gave my book the visibility it needed, amazing experience.

What went wrong, you ask? What went right? I started working with Betsy in November. Turn-around time for their "editing" was 2-3 weeks. Okay, mine was a 450-page manuscript, no-one is going to get through it in a couple of hours. And 2-3 weeks would have been acceptable if the editing itself had been acceptable. But it wasn't. They were doing weird things to the manuscript, and their changes to the layout made the manuscript confusing. After five months and three rounds of their edits and my rejections, I finally had enough and said goodbye. My advice, learned too late, is (a) if a chat window pops up on their website, run; and (b) if they want an upfront payment, they are making money from you, not from your book, so, again, run.

UPDATE:
Since I posted this review, I have received phone calls and emails from Betsy, a couple of people in their "Compliance" department, and a marketing manager, in which they stress how seriously they are taking my review, to the point of suspending Betsy. Daniel from "Compliance" supposedly sent my manuscript to their "formatting team", after which it would be returned to me in four days for my approval. Given my past experience with their "formatting", this filled me with trepidation.

On the fourth day I did not receive a file for my approval. Rather, on April 1 I received an email from Daniel stating that "Betsy has been suspended from her duties for a period of two months", BUT "should [I] choose to revoke the review, it may be possible to re-evaluate the duration of Betsy's suspension." So now they are holding Betsy hostage. And still no sign of the book.

Update 2: On April 11, I finally received the books I had ordered in November, and they are beautiful. Once we got beyond the editing nightmare, the printing process proceeded smoothly, if not swiftly. They helped with the spine labeling, and the final product is better than I expected.

In the interim, I sent my manuscript to Amazon KDP. Their process was much easier. They made zero changes to the manuscript, but ran the manuscript through a quality check and advised me of issues, leaving me to address the issues myself, in my own way. Amazon offers fewer printing options than Parker, and the end product isn't as handsome as Parker's, but the process was far easier.

I'm upping my overall rating from one star to three stars: One star for Parker's pre-printing manuscript handling, but five stars for their printing.

i found the experience very good, and the outcomes were what i was expecting.

I am so pleased to have found Parker Publishers they are very professional and friendly. My contact was Betsy Williams and she took me through each step making sure I was happy at all times, always available for contact if you had any concerns.
It was a privileage to work alongside Betsy and her team who turned my dream into reality.

Parker Publishers are fantastic! They made my dream of becoming a published author into a reality! They did everything they said they would, they went above and beyond. Thank you!

My experience with Parker publishers has been wonderful. Everything they promised to do has become true. This is my first book that I have had published, and it’s been the experience of a lifetimem. Betsy and her team have been with me every step of the experience and their patience and understanding proved to me their professionalism. And they promise, there’s more they will doing for me in the future beginning in the in the new year to come.
Peter Daut (Peter Beck)

The company, have been very professional in their approach. In particular Betsy Williams who project managed the whole process without missing a detail. I was very happy with the customer service and care I received as all my wishes and needs were met.
Overall Parker Publishing did an excellent job of publishing my book The Aegean Enigma. Thank you!

I want to take a moment to publicly thank Betsy at Parker Publishers for her incredible support and partnership. From the very beginning, Betsy believed in my work and have been nothing short of amazing throughout this entire journey. Betsy expertise, professionalism, and dedication have helped me bring my vision to life in ways I never could have done on my own.
Working with such a talented team has been a dream, and I’m truly grateful for every step we’ve taken together. If you're an author looking for a publisher who truly values great storytelling and offers unmatched support, look no further than [Parker Publisher].
Thank you, Betsy, for everything you’ve done and for continuing to help me grow as a writer. I’m beyond excited for what’s to come!
M.A. Floyd

They made the whole process feel so easy and were there with great advice every step of the way.

My book is already published and I was looking for marketing. They did a great job with my books promotion.

Bryant Riley and Betsy were superb in being welcoming and attentive. After Betsy listened attentively she knew just what to do to have Bryan take it from there. My concerns I felt were met so far and we moved on a little further.

I was researching how to get published because I am interested in finally writing a book for myself. Sarah reached out to me through the chat option and really encouraged me and made me feel like it's possible! We had a no-commitment chat and I feel more confident going forward now that I know there is a chance that my life-long dreams will come to fruition.

Sarah Edwards was a pleasure to speak with! She built my confidence even more to complete my story. I am looking forward to working with her.

The relaxed conversation between Betsy and myself. She was supportive and understanding. Answered all my questions and gave me some tips.

Betsy, the agent, was helpful and my questions were answered directly and promptly, without getting any runaround, Much appreciated.

Betsy was very kind and honest. I appreciate the advice given and hope to be able to work with a company like Parker in the future. I appreciate the time she spent

Originally, I had left a five-star review, but I've had to go back and drop the score. My own personal experience with Parker Publishers started well, but it has quickly spiraled. I want to be fair to them, but I want to also be transparent. I've felt that the additional costs have been significant, dwarfing my initial payment, that I thought would cover the majority of my expenses. Second, my release date was a big deal to me. This was my first book. I had many family and friends supporting me. They waited with anticipation to purchase my book, and the release date came and went, but my book was not released. After wondering what was going on and feeling embarrassed that people who wanted to purchase my book couldn't, I reached out to find out what was happening. The team handling my book delayed my release without my knowledge.
I've been very discouraged by the process so far. I would encourage first time authors to be sure that you get transparency on pricing, printing costs, marketing, etc. Ask up front for detailed price guides! I failed to do this, and now I'm wishing I'd went with another publisher.

I am an armed private detective..
dba the :.Defective ? Detective..
I am trying to have a publication of my Expose' about the cover-up of a murdered child and her relationship to 911 terrorist who came to Vermont.. the local political machinery has kept this under wraps for years with the same gangs that progressed into the 'Essex School shooting.. To3 bring these issues to light I sought a publishing company for a ghost writer.. I am having an important dialog with two of your professional contacts.. they are accommodating. professional. friendly and confirmed to me I got in touch with the right people.. I can say more.. but it's all good news.. Thanks to you Sarah Edwards and Betsy Williams.. 5 star reviews..

Both Maxine Black & Betsy Williams were very professional, kind, and personable... which I would think would usually be hard to pull off through simple messaging, but they did it.
I am impressed so far, and hope to be a customer.