In short:
Despite positive online reviews, authors have accused Patrick White Publishing of poor quality service and pushing them into removing negative comments.
asserted
authors → accuse → comments
The company is also charging authors hundreds of dollars for AI-generated illustrations, and is using an Australian Business Number belonging to an unrelated company.
asserted
company → charge → company
While Patrick White Publishing does not claim association with the late Australian author, the literary estate of Patrick White has asked the company to stop using the name.
uncertain
estate → claim → name
Kerry Stewart regrets the day she signed with Patrick White Publishing.
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she → regret → Publishing
The author from Mudgee in New South Wales had been submitting her dark fantasy manuscript to traditional publishing houses when she stumbled upon a Facebook advertisement for Patrick White Publishing.
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she → submit → Publishing
The company, which also goes by PW Publishing House, offers services including editing, illustration, marketing and assistance to publish online and in print through platforms such as Amazon.
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which → go → Amazon
Ms Stewart filled out a form and spoke with the company over the phone.
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Stewart → fill → phone
"I'd had a look at reviews and things like that, and I told them that I wasn't going to go with them because of the reviews," she said.
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she → have → reviews
But she said the company representative convinced her to sign on.
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representative → say → her
Her experience went downhill.
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experience → go → ?
"Their editing was crap,"she said.
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editing → say → ?
"All they'd done was like grammar and things like that, they hadn't done anything else to enhance the book."
Ms Stewart found it odd that the staff often called from the same mobile number.
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staff → do → number
She also said they inserted mistakes, and after she would edit the manuscript and return it to them, they would then edit an old version.
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they → say → version
She told them she was not happy.
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she → tell → them
"They told me that they would fix everything and they would give me a completely professional editing team this time, and I wouldn't have any more worries," she said.
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she → tell → worries
"And I had the same issues over and over again."
Ms Stewart had paid the company $500 so far, and she wanted it back.
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she → have → it
The website states there is a "100% satisfaction & money-back guarantee".
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website → state → ?
But she said the company told her "they don't give refunds out to people who simply changed their mind".
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who → say → mind
Ms Stewart made a post on Facebook in a writer's group, warning others about the company.
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Stewart → make → company
She said a company representative got in touch requesting she remove the post, and that they would refund her money if she did so.
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she → say → money
Ms Stewart wanted the refund first, but she said the company refused.
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company → want → refund
The ABC has seen an email where Patrick White Publishing asked a different author to remove a negative review, saying they would continue with the work on the book after that was done.
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that → see → book
For Ms Stewart, the worst part was she crowdsourced the money for her book.
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she → crowdsource → book
"So it's not even my money, I wasted other people's money," she said.
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she → waste → money
Author accuses company of high pressure sales tactics
Tulin Salis, who lives in Melbourne, exchanged messages with a representative from Patrick White Publishing about working on her children's book.
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who → accuse → book
"I asked for the price and they said there was a special and that I should jump on," she said.
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she → ask → that
She asked if the $400 they quoted would be followed by other fees.
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they → ask → fees
"No, there won't be any other payment required after $400 for your book publishing process on 10 major platforms," the company told her, in messages seen by the ABC.
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company → require → ABC
But after she sent through her manuscript and paid the money, Patrick White Publishing sent an email containing details for a "5-Star Ghostwriting Bundle" for $1899.
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Publishing → send → 1899
That included $999 for a "ghostwriting and manuscript expansion" and $900 for "custom-designed illustrations".
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That → include → illustrations
The company wanted to expand her book from 27 pages to 100–150, but Ms Salis said it was intended to be a short book for children.
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it → want → children
A company representative told her, in an email seen by the ABC, he would not argue with her "over every dollar or every sentence of an email".
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he → tell → email
"That's what we have a leagal [sic] department for.
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we → have → department
They do this all day," he said.
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he → do → this
"But I will not accept being accused of scamming or misleading you when I have been transparent about the work and the options from the beginning.
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I → accept → beginning
"Maybe you weren't aware of these costs earlier, but you also told our front-end team that your manuscript was completed, when in fact, it was not."
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it → tell → fact
Ms Salis said she asked for a refund, but had not received one.
asserted
she → say → one
Storefront images on Google Maps generated by AI
The invoices sent to multiple authors list Patrick White Publishing's address as 118 Liverpool St, Hobart.
asserted
invoices → generate → St
A Google Maps listing also places the company at that address, and contains an image of the storefront.
But an OpenAI tool shows the storefront image contains an imperceptible watermark generated by its software — meaning it is an AI image.
asserted
it → place → software
The real building at 118 Liverpool St contains a food company, its head office, and an accountancy firm — none of which appear to be related to the company.
asserted
none → contain → company
…and 27 more, not listed.
The Aporia