About DCP

Our Past…

Publishing as we know it has evolved by leaps and bounds, from earliest civilization throughout human history. From cuneiform tablets to hand-painted hieroglyphics to annotations in clay, from sonnets to encyclopedias to political pamphlets, from William Shakespeare to Benjamin Franklin to J.K. Rowling… as a species, we have consistently engaged in ever-inconsistent systems of written communication. Since our inception, the very definition of the published word has adapted as the millennia have passed.

Our Present…

We find ourselves on the threshold of another evolutionary leap.

Restrictive methods of publishing via ink on paper have given way to countless capabilities involving electronic connectivity and wireless transmission. Those who fail to cross the straits of industry are doomed to be left behind—to perhaps surface again one day for study by future historians.

We twelve undersigned refuse to become relics of an outdated system. We twelve embrace the freedom and potential of today’s media and communications options. We twelve see the future of publishing laid out before us in myriad intersections of partnership and innovation, and we set forth together to pave a road less traveled for those who opt to pick up our paths henceforth.

Thus, we twelve have formed an authors’ cooperative by the name of Dark Continents Publishing: an organization working to entrepreneur today’s publishing opportunities and model tomorrow’s writing businesses. As an international authors’ cooperative, Dark Continents Publishing seeks to unite the self-steering wordslingers of the world who are dedicated to taking back control over their own work and who commit to exploring new realms of possibility for their own career success.

We are…

Managing board members -

• David M. Youngquist – President and Publisher
• Tracie McBride – Vice President, Associate Editor and Australian Liaison
• Julia Messina – Secretary and Editor in Chief
• John Prescott – Treasurer and Chief of Design
• Adrian Chamberlin – Board Chair and United Kingdom Liaison
• Sylvia Shults – Board Chair and Group Publicity Director

Ordinary board members -

• Serenity J. Banks
• John Irvine
• Maureen Irvine
• Dave Jeffery
• Stephanie Schmitz
• Simon Kurt Unsworth

We twelve bring to this authors’ cooperative over one hundred years of combined experience in the fields of fiction, nonfiction, editing, publishing, graphic design, advertising, marketing, print journalism, digital media, business communications, public relations, event coordination, content strategy, audience engagement, and more. Backed by our diverse array of professional skills and talents, we draw deep from our pool of proven experience and business know-how, and, together, we heretofore seize our destinies by our own hands. Today, we band together to turn the tides of our own new era of publishing industry evolution.

Our Future…

Dark Continents Publishing operations are inspired by successful models and best practices currently utilized by industry and warehousing visionaries. The principles of streamline manufacturing dictate that only product ordered is product produced. Therefore, no “extra” is created, and no surplus remains to be stored at expense.

Dark Continents Publishing uses the printing company Lightning Source for its print books.  Lightning Source uses Print On Demand technology and operates plants in the UK, US and Australia, thus reducing shipping costs for global customers.   Dark Continents Publishing incurs no massive print runs to fill… no unsold copies to recycle… no books to sell at a loss. By minimizing overhead, we maximize profit.

In this modern age of global business communications, e-commerce is a fact of life. Dark Continents Publishing  offer print versions of its members’ books in conjunction with distribution of electronic titles. A number of titles may initially be made available only in e-book format. Decisions regarding availability will be made on a case-by-case basis to control overhead costs while increasing profit ratios. Electronic versions of books produced through Dark Continents Publishing will be made available in multiple formats to ensure compatibility across a variety of consumer devices and platforms. From 2012, customers can expect our first audio books to become available.

Board membership is now closed.  However, in June 2011 Dark Continents Publishing held its first open submissions period, and will be looking to sign promising new authors and established authors.  For more information on our submissions periods and guidelines, please visit our website.

Our Vision…

We founding twelve undertake these steps toward developing our mutual future in an effort to separate and distinguish our careers from the death spiral of the traditional publishing industry. We have watched from the sidelines as honored publishing firms perish in throes of failure to adapt. Outdated models are dying of self-inflicted wounds, while longstanding business discrepancies continue to go unresolved.

Together, we individuals are the solution. Together, we authors are the future of publishing.

There will always be books, for there will always be writers, and there will always be readers. The challenge we face lies in bringing together these elements to create catalysts for change. The opportunity we embrace lies in taking up our existing capabilities and exploring our untapped potential to guide our own destinies—and, by extension, our business success and mutual gain.

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