We are one of the companies being compared in this article. We want to be clear about that upfront because it matters for how you read what follows.
We have tried to represent this comparison accurately. We have read author reviews of both companies on independent platforms, spoken with authors who have worked with Hemingway Publishers before coming to us, and done our best to present the differences as they actually exist rather than as we would like them to appear.
We encourage you to do your own research. Read reviews on Google, Trustpilot, and the Better Business Bureau. Ask both companies the same direct questions before you commit. Make your decision based on what you find, not on what either company tells you about itself.
With that said, here is the comparison.
Company Overview
Digi Book Studio was founded in 2013 and is based in Pennsauken, New Jersey with additional offices in Texas. We provide editing, cover design, interior formatting, print publishing, eBook publishing, audiobook production, distribution, and marketing services. All production is handled in-house. We have worked with over 3,000 authors and hold over 500 verified reviews across Google and Trustpilot.
Hemingway Publishers is a self-publishing service company that offers editing, design, publishing, and distribution services. They market primarily to first-time authors and position themselves as a full-service publishing solution.
Services Offered
Both companies offer the core suite of self-publishing services: editing, cover design, interior formatting, publishing, and distribution.
Digi Book Studio additionally offers audiobook production, author website design, Amazon Ads consulting, book video trailer production, and direct sales through the Digi Book Studio Bookshop. These services are available as standalone add-ons or as part of the Global Publishing Package.
Hemingway Publishers’ marketing services are more limited in scope. Authors who have worked with them and later come to us frequently describe their marketing package as surface-level, press releases sent to unverified lists, social media posts on low-follower accounts, and limited accountability for results.
Production Model
This is the most significant structural difference between the two companies.
Digi Book Studio handles all production in-house. Your editor, designer, formatter, and Publishing Specialist are all members of our team. When something goes wrong, a cover concept misses the mark, an editing pass is delivered late, a platform submission gets rejected, one person on our team is accountable and you have a direct line to them.
Hemingway Publishers outsources significant portions of their production work to third-party contractors. This is not unusual in the publishing services industry and is not inherently a problem. It becomes a problem when contractor coordination introduces delays, quality inconsistencies, or accountability gaps that the author ends up managing on their own.
The pattern of feedback we have seen in author reviews of Hemingway Publishers consistently references difficulty reaching the right person when problems arise, inconsistent communication between the editing and design stages, and revision processes that take longer than quoted because of third-party scheduling.
We cannot verify every review we have read. What we can say is that the pattern is consistent enough to be worth asking about directly before you commit.
Pricing Structure
Digi Book Studio publishes its pricing framework on our pricing page. Every quote is itemized by service. Revisions are included in our stated prices. There are no additional charges for file conversions, ISBN registration, or distribution setup. The price you receive in your quote is the price you pay.
Hemingway Publishers has received repeated feedback in author reviews, across Google, Trustpilot, and publishing forums, about pricing that was not fully disclosed before the project began. Common complaints include charges for revision rounds beyond the first, additional fees for file format conversions, and service packages that did not include what authors expected based on the initial sales conversation.
We are not in a position to audit Hemingway Publishers’ pricing practices. What we can tell you is that before you sign with any publishing service company, you should ask for a fully itemized quote in writing and confirm specifically what is and is not included before you make any payment.
Author Rights
Both companies state in their marketing that authors retain their rights when publishing through their services.
Read the contract from both companies carefully before signing. Confirm in writing what rights are granted to the company, what exclusivity if any is required, and what the terms are for terminating the relationship and taking full control of your book and your accounts.
The marketing statement and the contract language are not always the same thing. What matters is what is written in the document you sign.
ISBN Ownership
Digi Book Studio registers every ISBN in the author’s name or their publishing imprint. You are listed as the publisher of record in the Bowker Books In Print database. Your retail accounts list you as the publisher. This is our standard practice across every project we handle.
Authors who have published through Hemingway Publishers have reported receiving ISBNs registered under Hemingway’s imprint rather than their own name. This is worth confirming directly with them before you publish. Ask specifically: whose name will appear as the publisher of record on my ISBN?
Communication & Support
Digi Book Studio assigns every author a dedicated Publishing Specialist from the first consultation through launch. Your Publishing Specialist knows your project, your timeline, and your goals. You have one point of contact who is accountable for your book’s progress.
Author reviews of Hemingway Publishers frequently mention difficulty getting timely responses during production, being passed between multiple contacts when problems arise, and a support experience that felt less engaged after the initial payment was made.
We cannot speak to their internal processes. The pattern of feedback across independent review platforms is consistent enough to be worth raising as a question before you sign.
Contract Terms
Before you sign with any publishing service company, ask these questions in writing:
- Who owns my ISBN and who is listed as publisher of record?
- Do I retain 100% of my intellectual property rights?
- What is included in the quoted price and what costs extra?
- How many revision rounds are included for editing and cover design?
- Can I exit this agreement at any time and take full control of my accounts and distribution?
- What is the minimum contract term?
Ask Hemingway Publishers these questions. Ask us the same questions. Compare the answers you get in writing. Make your decision based on specifics.
What Authors Who Have Worked With Both Say
We have worked with a number of authors who published their first book through Hemingway Publishers and came to us for their second. We asked several of them if they were willing to share their experience for this article. These are their words.
“With my first book, I did not know what I was paying for until after I had paid for it. With my second book through Digi Book Studio, everything was itemized in the quote before I signed anything. The finished products are also different in quality.” — Robert Castillo, Business Author
“I had used another service before coming to Digi Book Studio. The difference in the level of attention was clear from the first pass.” — Published Author, Business Nonfiction
We are aware that publishing testimonials on a comparison article written by one of the companies being compared is not neutral. We have included them because they are real feedback from real authors and we believe they are relevant. We also encourage you to search for reviews of both companies on platforms we do not control.
The Bottom Line
If you are deciding between Digi Book Studio and Hemingway Publishers, or between any two publishing service companies, the process is the same. Ask both companies the same direct questions about rights, pricing, revision policies, ISBN ownership, and contract terms. Ask for answers in writing. Read the full contract before you sign.
We believe our model, in-house production, transparent pricing, author ownership, dedicated support, is the better one. We also believe the best thing we can do to earn your trust is to tell you exactly how to evaluate us and every other company you are considering, and let you reach that conclusion yourself.
Request a Free Consultation with Digi Book Studio → Read Our Author Reviews → See Our Publishing Packages and Pricing →
