Subsidy press Authorhouse is worst among the major print-on-demand (POD) presses based on how fairly its contracts treat authors, according to a new book, The Fine Print: What Print-on-Demand and e-Publishing Contracts Really Say.
Authorhouse received a rating of 2 out of 10 in the book. “They were the lowest because their contract was terrible, [and] their upfront fees were ridiculous for what you get,” said self-publishing author Mark Levine.
iUniverse received the best rating, 8.9, and Xlibris was in the middle of the pack at 4.6. One other major subsidy house, PublishAmerica, didn’t receive a rating because not enough information was available, Levine said. In all, 74 subsidy or vanity presses are described in the book, which is available in electronic format here. By educating themselves about POD contracts, authors can increase the royalties they receive for their work by up to 600 percent, Levine said.
The book explains how contract language can work against authors, said Levine, an attorney. Alternative language is included in the book, so authors can ask that it be inserted into their POD contacts.
Levine was recently interviewed on Publishing Basics radio by host Ron Pramschuffer. The complete interview is available here.
4 Comments
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Linda D. Roberts
Thanks for the comment, Linda. I had heard (incorrectly) that the site was IhatePublishAmerica.com and wasn't able to find it.
I know it has been a few years since the last post, but the website link recommended by Linda Roberts is now a triple-XXX porn site. Maybe it's best to remove that link?
Mark Levine is right on about AuthorHouse. They are not about selling books to the public but about making money from their authors through sales to the authors and production costs. This has nothing to do with the quality of the books. Some are poorly written, but when AuthorHouse is charging so much that a paperback novel cost $24 on Amazon.com (from which the author makes $1 or less), there is no way anyone will buy that book. If you are going to self-publish a book, read THE FINE PRINT OF SELF-PUBLISHING just to know what you should be looking for in a publisher. I know because I published with AuthorHouse and now regret dearly having done so.