xlibris/Authorhouse |
| United States, Tennessee |
|
|
Consumer reviews about xlibris/Authorhouse |
|
BillB5678
|
Jan 28, 2012
|
Royalties
I almost went with this crooked POD and am glad I didn't. They hounded me for months until I told them to stop calling me. They kept telling me they had a special deal and I had to get in on it right now. It started off as a one-time special deal to celebrate their anniversary and it would never be available again (one half off one of their packages). Then a few weeks this deal came up again with a deadline of the day they called.
It was obvious to me this company was in the business to rip-off writers and keep adding more fees. They also said even if my book wasn't finished, I could submit it within a year after paying all fees upfront. They didn't answer my question when I asked what happens if the book isn't ready within that year. I figured I would lose the money.
I'm a first-time publisher and I've heard to stay away from all POD's. They're all crooks. I also don't trust sending in manuscripts to any publisher unless we copyright it ourselves first. I don't trust any of them. The last time I checked, online copyright fees were only $35 while Xlibris was charging in excess of $200. Why so high?
Their royalties for authors is also extremely low: 25% for the author, 25% for Xlibris, and 50% for their in-house printer. In essence, I see 75% going to them and, if I'm lucky, I would get 25%. From reading the complaints, it looks like they get 100% and I would get nothing.
|
|
GodsDreamCatcher
|
Jan 30, 2012
|
Royalties
I published my first two books with Xulon Press and then signed a second contract with them. Then that company grossly lied to me. That company still has the book description totally incorrect for one of my books. It was correct before publishing, and then was published incorrect. They promised the mistake would be corrected and it never has been. ALL listings are incorrect. So, I decided to try Xlibris for the next book. My book was published about eight months ago and they have never sent me any sales report. They state the report is within the author center, and that report is very vague!
As for PODs, actually they really are rip-off artists. However, so are the name brand publishers. Since most submitted manuscripts are not returned, if a writer does not copyright the submitted manuscript, the writer is at the mercy of ALL publishers for being copied.
As for copyright costs, they do vary. It depends on what is being copyrighted. Books are usually $165 with the U.S. Copyright Office. So, any charge over the $165 is a profit by the PODs.
As for myself and PODs, I am done with them. The last two books I published myself with me as the publisher. I done all the interior layout and cover design work, copyrighted them, and listed them on Amazon. SInce they have been listed on Amazon, dozens of others vendors have also picked up the books. Additionally, I used an excellent book printer in my home state for printing over 100 books for local area marketing. This new approach for me has saved me many hundreds of dollars!
|
|
Previous 1 Next |
|
|
