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Author House


  • DisposablePaperDoll
    Jan 12 7:09 AM 2006
    Reply
    Has anyone ever heard of author house and whether its worth giving it a shot or not?

    http://www.authorhouse.com/GetPublished/PublishPoetry.aspx

  • Unbridled1
    January 12, 2006
    Reply
    Just some info I came across. My biggest concerns would be...they charge YOU to print your book...and...THEY own ALL RIGHTS...YIKES!  They are definitely a vanity press and I would be sure to check into them further before using their services...but from what I have already seen...I would be extremely wary. Good Luck. :)

    http://www.printondemand.com/MT/archives/006462.html (excerpt from this site):

    Highlights of Chapter 3: Cutting Through the Author House Hype and Small Print - An Inside Look at America's Largest Vanity Press with Bryan Smith, President of Author House, the largest online pay to be published publisher with over 25,000 titles in print.

    In 2004 they had 18,500 authors and had printed 2 million books (108 book average)

    Today in 2005 they have 25,000 titles and print over one million books per year. (133 books if not a single copy of the first 18,500 titles sold in 2005.)

    200 employees including 45 commissioned sales people.

    Considers the author as the customer. (Not the wholesalers and retailers buying the books, as would a traditional publisher.)

    Say they are not a Vanity Press yet have the #1 paid advertisements in Google for the keyword phrase "vanity press".

    Offer a $700 option to make a book returnable yet their average sale comes no where close to warranting it.

    One and one half pages out of a four page contract is taken up with legal remedies should a complaint arise.

    The $698 signup fee covers layout and design yet the author does not own the resulting file.

    http://splash.selfpublishing.com/question4.php  (the following is an excerpt from this site):

    "The other right that the author does not have 99% of the time is the right to the digital file used to produce their book.  This is by far the most controversial aspect of vanity publishing and their unsuspecting authors. Author House is as good an example as any.  It appears that the $499 setup covers the "text formatting and cover design".  There is not a single thing on the main section of their website to make one think any differently. It is not until you look closely at section 3.7 of their contract where one discovers that "Author agrees that Author House indefinitely will retain possession of the materials submitted by Author to Author House and used to format the Work.  Author House also retains all rights to the versions of the work formatted by Author House and the Author will have no right to receive such formatted versions upon termination of this agreement or otherwise . In other words, you "Don't own squat".

    UB :)

  • Barbara
    January 12, 2006
    Reply
    Vanity Publishing.

    There are many print on demand publishers out there that do not charge you to publish your book.  They will charge to print the book, but that's the same as any online book order place.  If you want to have your book so that you can sell it yourself, then you're going to pay.

    Don't settle for the first site you come across.  Check out Consumer Reports, and other web site.  Compare the costs, site rules, etc.  If someplace lets you upload your book, then you could try doing it, then order one of your books, just to see the finished product.  But, make sure that you're not stuck in some contract and have to remain there if you don't like the book.

    I use lulu.com.  I've seen it mentioned by other poets on this site.  They've always been pleased with the product, and I have no complaints yet.
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