I was hoping my next post would be pointing where people could purchase my novella, but unfortunately, I’ve run into an experience I’m quite flummoxed over. I didn’t see anyone talk about this particular issue when I was researching platforms for my self publishing adventure, so I’m sharing it here.
Most self publishers use a third party platform. Draft2Digital was attractive due to positive reviews, especially as it related to its customer service, how easy it was to format ebooks for sale, and how many places Draft2Digital would be able to funnel my book. The whole story is after the picture, but if you just want the highlights:
Your welcome email from Draft2Digital will not include extremely vital information that you have 30 days to adhere to Know Your Customer (KYC) policies else your account will be permanently suspended. This email is provided separately. You have 30 days with a 15 day extension to get your account in compliance, and the timer starts on the day you create your account. Since I created my account late January, my account should have been suspended early March.
You do not receive any reminder emails about the 30 day deadline. Draft2Digital also confirmed they don’t send an email about the 15 day extension. If for whatever reason you do not see the one and only email about KYC and its corresponding deadline (whether that’s your own user error, it going to spam, your email service provider blocking it from your inbox, etc) you do not get any other kind of notification. No second chances.
Logging into your account will not show a KYC notification or that your account is at risk of being suspended. Or even that your account is suspended if you’re beyond the deadline.
You are able to access your account after the 30/45 day deadline. If you make an edit to anything associated with KYC and their third party system isn’t able to validate it, you will be told to contact customer service. I updated my KYC info in May, but it failed third party validation, notifying me to contact their CS for assistance.
Would my account still have been suspended if their third party system had been able to validate it? Unknown.
Your account will be suspended, and you will no longer be able to access it. Note, an email is not sent to you informing you of your account suspension. I had to find out on my own when I tried to look at the CS error again. The reason for my account suspension was sent to me in a reply to the original email I sent regarding the validation failure. Essentially, I was not given any opportunity to be in compliance since I missed the 30/45 day timeframe.
Any appeal will be denied because you’re not compliant with KYC.
You are told multiple times creating a second account is against their terms of service.
Creating my Draft2Digital account is what partially spurred me to consider a sole proprietor LLC, primarily because I didn’t want to use my social security number.
Note: creating a business is very confusing, especially if you are in specific states. In my state, it takes over 30/45 days to create the single entity, sole proprietor LLC.
To my understanding, I created a sole proprietor LLC, complete with an EIN that is also associated with my personal name.
I created my Draft2Digital account in January.
I felt ready to input my business information in May.
When I went to update my business and tax information on Draft2Digital, I saw something that confused me — essentially I couldn’t provide my business EIN, only a personal EIN or my SSN. Since my EIN documentation HAS my personal name on it, I thought it was fine.
It was not fine.
My account was flagged to contact customer support, so I did.
I went to log in to my account two days later, only to find they had terminated my account.
A day later, the reason for my account’s termination was given in reply to the email I sent them in an attempt for my account to be tax and business compliant.
Apparently, I was supposed to submit specific information for Know Your Customer (KYC) within thirty days of my account creation.
My welcome email did not include this information.
According to Draft2Digital, a separate email was sent advising me of KYC and the 30 day deadline. I was not able to find this in my inbox.
I was also told I received a 15 day extension (later, I was told I would not have received an email about the extension).
I have been told my appeal is denied because my account is still out of compliance (I know, because I emailed about it) but since I was suspended, I was not given a chance to fix or rectify it due to the 30/45 day timeline being passed.
Draft2Digital has been unable to advise why I was able to access my account in May, long after the 30/45 day deadline. This is a very bad user experience with a terrible user interface. If my account was supposed to be suspended after 30/45 days then suspend the account—don’t wait until after I try to submit my tax, business, and payment information.
Once I was forwarded to a real person, it became clear they didn’t like I used my business EIN, even though it’s also associated with my legal, personal name. They are indicating I am not a sole proprietor LLC (or not doing it right according to the IRS) even though that’s what I registered as to the best of my understanding (and I used a third party for that too so it should be right). If I had provided my SSN instead of my EIN, my account likely wouldn’t have flagged to contact customer support.
I’m unsure if my account would have still been suspended for KYC issues—I’m still not sure why I was allowed to log into my account at all.
Currently, I’m still working with Draft2Digital, but every email they’ve sent me has told me my appeal is denied and my account currently suspended for KYC issues. I also cannot remake the account as it’s against their terms of service.
At no point has a customer service agent acknowledged the following:
That it’s weird I was able to access my account after early March which is the end of the 30/45 day timeframe.
That I’m not given a second chance or a new 30 day timeframe when I have not acted in bad faith. In truth, I have not used the account. I have not tried to upload books. The delay was because I was trying to do the right thing.
No customer service agent has acknowledged that I didn’t do anything wrong, and that me missing the deadline was due to trying to do it right. No one has acknowledged that their UI is confusing, misleading. No one has acknowledged that if you miss the initial 30 day advisory, you’re up shit creek and out of luck.
Talking to their customer service has been extremely painful, shocking to me after everyone praising the quality of their customer service. I was receiving canned responses that did not acknowledge anything I had said about my experience. When I asked to speak to a manager, I was forwarded to someone who was clearly a real person. Even now, I’m not quite sure if my earlier correspondence was with a real person or with an AI bot.
Even if I am able to get a do-over (unlikely even though I never attempted to sell books with them or do anything illegally), I’m unsure if I will keep using them. Clearly, their site’s UI allows you to access the account even if it’s supposed to be suspended.
Since important information is communicated only via email (and only once, at that), if you miss an important notification that might jeopardize your account—there’s no consideration for human nature. People miss emails. People make mistakes.
Draft2Digital does not allow you to make mistakes. You miss it for whatever reason, you’re up shit creek and you won’t be allowed to rectify your mistake or be given a second chance, even if you never tried to sell books with their services.
They don’t care.