Penguin Publishers Reviews

4.9 Rating 209 Reviews

100 %

of reviewers recommend Penguin Publishers

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Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 1 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“I signed with Penguin Publishing in November, brimming with optimism after their promises of responsive communication, organized processes, and a team dedicated to bringing my vision to life. At first, everything seemed seamless: emails answered within hours, enthusiastic assurances that my manuscript would receive top-tier editorial attention, and the excitement of collaborating on a cover design that captured the heart of my story. But that illusion shattered the moment I began working with my project lead, Chris Reed. He sent me rewrites that weren’t even from my manuscript—pages that belonged to someone else’s book—then blamed the oversight on an invisible “team” whenever I demanded accountability. When he did return my actual pages, they bore almost no sign of revision: typos left untouched, structural issues ignored, and characters still flat. Despite more than twenty rounds of cover feedback, the changes I requested were never implemented; each time I pointed out a missed correction, Chris would deflect responsibility, insisting the mystery “team” was at fault. In meetings, his focus shifted alarmingly from my work to trying to secure a glowing testimonial and upsell me on expensive marketing packages—none of which produced any tangible results. By midwinter I was convinced he was leaning on AI to churn out generic marketing copy and superficial edits, so when I insisted on speaking with the broader team, Chris repeatedly promised a group meeting that never materialized. Frustrated beyond measure, I demanded a new project manager—and was stonewalled until I called the main office and insisted on a supervisor. Enter Danny Brown: courteous, engaging, but clearly unfamiliar with my manuscript. In marketing sessions he peppered me with questions about timelines and promotions while sidestepping my urgent request for diverse representation. For four grueling meetings I asked for images featuring queer couples and people of color; only after relentless prodding did they finally deliver visuals that didn’t feel like stale stock photos of white, heterosexual pairs. The final straw was the in-house printing fiasco. Penguin guaranteed I’d receive a full author’s copy order—over \$700 worth—in time for my February book signing. I placed the order at the end of December; by event day, nothing had arrived. Amazon pre-orders showed up for readers, while I stood empty-handed at my own launch. I canceled the order, demanded a refund, threatened legal action and a BBB complaint—and still no money. Penguin’s response was a hollow offer of three more months of “free” marketing, an insult after the soul-crushing series of broken promises and unfulfilled obligations. I poured my heart into this book, invested thousands of dollars, and ended up with nothing but frustration and regret. If you value your work, your time, and your sanity, steer clear of Penguin Publishing.”

Helpful Report

Posted 6 months ago

Penguin Publishers is rated 4.9 based on 209 reviews