1. WriterDude

    WriterDude Contributor Contributor

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    Anyone have experience with AuthorHouse.com? (self-publishing company)

    Discussion in 'Self-Publishing' started by WriterDude, Sep 9, 2011.

    I know having a professional publisher or agent take care of everything is the best option, but I've been thinking about alternatives. I've been in contact with a company called AuthorHouse who claims to have 14 years of experience, publshes thousands of books each year and so on. They will help me design the book (layout etc), publish it and even help promote it - for a price, of course. It's a bit expenice (about £795 for the cheapest option), but it does sound tempting. But before I pay anything, I want to know if anyone has any experience with them. Can they be trusted? If I let them publish the book, how likely is it to sell? Can I make money of this, or at least make enough to cover the expenses? Any feedback would be appreciated.
     
  2. Fantasyphanatic

    Fantasyphanatic New Member

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    Thanks for posting this question, as I've also been trying to find out more about them. Have you tried Xulon Press? They also do a self-publishing program that's almost identical to what AuthorHouse offers.
     
  3. TWErvin2

    TWErvin2 Contributor Contributor

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    That is a lot of money to pay a publisher to produce your work, and then you'll only get a royalty in return. The odds of earning it back are small.

    To check on pricing, I went to the webstie and went to fiction to look up fantasy books. The closest I could find is fiction and then mythololgy and faiery tales, etc. I picked a random book titled: Alice In Sik Fathom: Alice

    The price is okay, but it hasn't sold one print copy on amazon.com that I can tell. If you look at the description at amazon.com and on the authorhouse website...well, how many errors can one pack into a novel description of one line? And on Amazon, the about the author isn't much better.

    That's my two cents.
    As I said, I only picked one random novel. Before you go with any publisher, do a lot of research. If nothing else, your work will be judged by the company it keeps--who/what was published by the same publisher.

    Many would not call what Authorhouse does 'self-publishing' but more of a subsidy or a vanity press. It all depends on your perspective, but if I were you, I'd seek a 'traditional' publisher first, before considering Authorhouse. There won't be any out of pocket expenses, and the publisher will be as interested in your work selling well as you are. With a subsidy press, the press earns its keep through author fees and payments more than through sales of an author's work.
     
  4. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

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    I think that it's very, very unlikely that you will make back even a fraction of your costs. If you do this, it would be wisest to think of it as a hobby, with a hobby's associated expenses, rather than any sort of business enterprise. And you should also assume that your book will be read by very few people - self-published books normally sell very few copies, and once you've self-published, traditional publishers are unlikely to be interested in your book.

    That's not a comment on your book, it's just the reality of self-publishing. People argue that electronic self-publishing is on the verge of a bright future - I disagree, but in this case I think that you're talking about paper self-publishing anyway, which has far fewer advocates.

    ChickenFreak
     
  5. WriterDude

    WriterDude Contributor Contributor

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    Thanks the advice. The problem is i've more or less given up on traditional publishers. I was looking at Amazon's Kindle-solution, and as far as I can tell, that one's free. I've checked the forums there, and some of those authors sell a lot of books that way. Amazon will require a bit of royalty pr sale, but it can still be a lot of money if I'm lucky.

    The thing with AuthorHouse is I've already been in contact with them, and they seem professional enough. They claim to sell a lot of books each year, and can help with everything from formatting the book to helping you design a cover and illustrations, all the way to promotiing it. But you're right, the price is a bit high, and that's just the cheapest I could find. They have other offers that runs nearly twice as expensive. But that said, I wrote them again and said I'm not interested.

    I think I'll go for Amazon Kindle this time this time around. I don't write for money anyway, and if it's free to publish there, everything I make is a bonus. ;) Besides, if I self-publish, it doesn't mean I won't sell anything. It just means I'll have to do more promotions on my own. That can be a fun challenge. :) Just wish you were allowed to link to your books in your signature, not risk getting banned for it. (Thanks for that one. all-mighty Cog...) :rolleyes:

    I checked Xulon Press, but they publish Christian books. For some reason I think they could have a problem with my books. :p
     
  6. Shay

    Shay New Member

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    self publishing

    I have been published with Golden Sky Books. I paid half of that amount. They charge on average $500 for up to 99000 words. It goes up a hundred bucks after that. They were professional and have done so much work for me. I am now on Amazon in several countries and Barnes and Noble and a few others. They are based in New York and work with people in any country. Check them out. The editor is actually the editor of Mondial (a publishing house) they are a sister company. I will work with Golden Sky Books again.
     
  7. psychotick

    psychotick Contributor Contributor

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    Hi,

    Yes kindle is free and if self publishing is your intent, that's the one I'd recommend. And if you want to put it in paper format, Createspace is also free and also Amazon. (They do offer a publishing formatting option which they charge for, but Ithink its cheaper then the price you got quoted.)

    Also, as far as putting your books link in your signature line on the kindle forums - yes they will get a bit tetchy about that. But you can put your link in the body of the text.

    Cheers.
     
  8. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    here's their listing on preditors & editors:

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
  9. Gottagocit

    Gottagocit Member

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    Tate publishing sometimes advertises here on top of this board. At first glance they appear to be a traditional publisher but after visiting their website I learned they are essentially a no fee publisher however they "require" a writer to employ one of their publicist if I'm reading it correctly. Is this unusual?
     
  10. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    Tate is "not recommended" on Preditors and Editors.
     
  11. shadowwalker

    shadowwalker Contributor Contributor

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    I would be very, very leery of any 'publisher' who charges you upfront. If you want to self-publish, there are ways to do it and yes, it will cost you (for a competent editor, cover designer, etc). But that's a cost as your own publisher. You have control. While I'm not a huge fan of self-publishing (way too many cheerleaders and far too few facts floating around), it's a much better route than the vanity publisher. But I would definitely give commercial publishers an honest go first. There are many reasons why a book isn't picked up, including just not having a decent query letter. So don't self-publish because of impatience, and do your homework thoroughly before signing any contracts (with anyone).
     
  12. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    requiring the writer to pay up front for anything whatsoever is not done by any legit agent or traditional [= they pay you] publisher... only scam artists and vanity presses do that...
     
  13. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    deleted duped post... site is screwy again today!
     
  14. Thato

    Thato New Member

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    Author House

    I just learnt too late that Author House is contaminated and venomous, and awful and terrible scam. My first hell started the moment I gave them my contact details. I was conned into paying them around $1000 to publish which I was promised uncountable benefits which never happen till now a year later. With smooth talk and flattery, they toiled 24/7 to deceive people’s minds with stupid fabrications. Author House is formed to take advantage of people and imperceptibly fuck up their money. It is like sparkling washed tombs which appear stunning on the outer part while within are occupied with useless dead men’s skeletons. Anyway, we all know that the devil often works in smart slyness habits; he acts as an angel of the light while his motive is just to deceive. They fail to realize that they have become victims of the devil one. I will do whatever it takes to make sure the world knows about this hell scam.
     
  15. swhibs123

    swhibs123 Active Member

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    I think it is a big mistake to ever use a "self publishing company."

    Do it yourself, if you're going the self publishing route. Hire professionals on a piece by piece basis. Find a cover artist. Find editors, find formatters... do it piece-by-piece. Don't hand it over to someone who is going to go for bottom dollar stuff.


    I just released my first title on my own. I'd be happy to answer questions about what I learned, but there are loads of SP authors who know more than me. B
     

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