If you or anyone you know has dealt with – or is thinking of dealing with – Author Solutions or any of its related companies (iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Trafford, and Xlibris), please, please, please – read this article and think again.
Author Solutions is essentially a telemarketing company looking for unsuspecting, uninformed authors to whom they can sell bogus promises related to publishing books.
80% of Author Solutions sales staff is based in the Philippines and, despite having titles of “Publishing Consultant” and “Marketing Consultant,” are not required to have any publishing or marketing experience. Being ‘money-driven’ is what’s important, according to their hiring ad.
There is zero concern on the part of Author Solution for the quality of any book they produce, the viability of any book in the marketplace or the value of any of their services. They sell worthless, exceptionally overpriced services and pressure authors to buy more copies of their own books.
Author Solutions is now facing two class action lawsuits which allege fraud and deceptive practices as well as exploitation of seniors. The lawyers for both lawsuits are still looking to hear from anyone who has published with Author Solutions. Here’s a link if that’s you.
Whatever your situation is regarding a book publishing project, please do your research carefully before signing on with a publishing partner.
Update: Although the two lawsuits filed against Author Solutions in recent years have been settled, they haven’t changed their business tactics. Whatever your situation is regarding a book publishing project, please do your research carefully before signing on with a publishing partner.
Hi my name is Raymond Taylor and I’m a victim of Author House. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit against Author House is going on will you contact me my telephone number is 1-779-475-3968 and my email address is raytaylor539@gmail.com. I’m hoping to hear from somebody?
Raymond – I’m so sorry that you were victimized by Author House. Two class action lawsuits against the parent company, Author Solutions, were settled in 2018 without the company admitting to any responsibility. Author Solutions with its subsidiary companies AuthorHouse, iUniverse, Trafford Publishing, Xlibris, Palibrio, and Booktango, was sold by Penguin House to a private equity firm earlier this year. Scams, pressure-selling of useless services, and sophisticated marketing designed to extract the most dollars from the biggest dreamers will continue. Self-publishing has become one of the hottest markets for products and services that consistently make promises that can’t be delivered – just like the other hot markets of weight loss, relationships/sex and money/wealth. That’s why we are a hybrid publisher. We tell the truth to prospective clients so that you know what you’re getting into and what it’s going to take to become a successful author.