Don’t get ripped off by Author Solutions or any of its subsidiaries

Recently I received a pitch from a publicist offering me a review copy of a new book. I was interested in the subject matter (Christianity and American history) and captivated by the story behind the book (a family wanted to share a manuscript they discovered after their husband/father died).

The manuscript didn’t disappoint. I loved it and was comfortable giving it a glowing review.

The book’s design and production were an entirely different matter. It was so unprofessional that I am both angry and aching for the family that probably paid thousands (maybe even tens of thousands) of dollars to have it published.

The page layout was amateurish and the designer (using the term loosely) failed to follow basic book design best practices. The page headers were not sufficiently separated from the text. Footnotes were in the same font as the text. The text font was too large (unless this was intended to be a large print edition, in which case it was too small) and had excessive leading (space between the lines). Images were placed one to a page without any thought to effective placement or to having text wrap around them.

Paragraphs were too long; if an editor touched this book, shortening the length of the paragraphs for easier readability is one of the first things they should have recommended.

The citations and sources section includes website links that are between two and five lines long—no one is going to be able to type those into a browser bar. A good editor would have recommended ways to shorten them.

The back cover copy is in small white text on a dark blue background, very difficult to read, and shifts from first person to third person and back to first person.

The Amazon sales page is just one single paragraph of copy with no headers or bullet points or anything to give it eye appeal if someone clicks on it.

I could go on, but I won’t.

My point is: If you’re going to pay a company to publish your book, you should get a product that is comparable to what a traditional publisher would produce.

AuthorHouse didn’t do that.

And it’s not just the sloppy presentation of the book that’s an issue with AuthorHouse.

Do a search on “AuthorHouse reviews” and you’ll find thousands of unhappy customers who cite poor quality production, high pressure sales tactics, high costs and upcharges, failure to pay royalties, and other complaints. You may have to dig past the glowing reviews AuthorHouse has on its website; check the source of each review as part of your evaluation.

In fact, Robin Levin, an AuthorHouse customer, wrote a book about her experience: The AuthorHouse Scam. It’s available on Amazon; the Kindle edition is only $2.99.

AuthorHouse is one of the imprints of Author Solutions, which is one of the largest vanity presses in the United States. It’s also one of the most notorious.

Whether you call it hybrid publishing, vanity publishing or self-publishing (and it’s not really self-publishing when you pay a company to be your publisher), there are few industries that have as many scammers as the pay-to-publish business. They prey on your emotions, your dreams, and yes, your ego. And when they’ve taken all your money, they’ll come back and try to get more.

There are reputable pay-to-publish companies out there, but they’re few and far between and hard to find.

Before you sign with any publishing business that wants you to pay them, do your homework. Talk with several different companies. Research their reputation. Take a critical look at the books they produce.

Be your own devil’s advocate.

Get a copy of my book, Simple Facts About Self-Publishing: What authors and indie publishers need to know to produce a great book, to educate yourself on the industry in general, and consider being your own publisher.

Just don’t get scammed by a company like AuthorHouse.