Angela's Desk

MORE SCATHING COMPLAINTS about Author Solutions, the owner of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, Westbow Press, Archway Publishing, Balboa Press, Abbott Press, and others!

May 25, 2024

MORE SCATHING COMPLAINTS about Author Solutions, the owner of AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, Westbow Press, Archway Publishing, Balboa Press, Abbott Press, and others!
Print Friendly

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve checked up on Author Solutions. We were not surprised to find that things do NOT appear to have gotten any better there. NOTE: We compete directly with Author Solutions. When we reject a manuscript, we never refer those authors to any of the Author Solutions’ companies.

As many of you know, Author Solutions owns many other firms as well. Author Solutions used to call itself “The Most Trusted Name in Self-Publishing,” which we always thought was HILARIOUS since they have been sued twice (class action!) in the past.

Author Solutions owns not only AuthorHouse, but also Xlibris, iUniverse, Trafford, Westbow Press, Archway Publishing, Balboa Press, Abbott Press, and others!

At BBB.org, there were 145 complaints posted in the past 3 years, and 50 customer reviews with an average rating of 1.38 out of 5 stars. Author Solutions has an A+ rating at the Better Business Bureau. How is that possible with that many complaints? Read this: Angela explains why an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau is TOTAL B.S.!

Brief quotes from just some of the complaints are below:

“Today I received a call from someone calling himself ****** to discuss marketing for my existing books. I took time to explain that I write books for my own satisfaction, to give me some credibility in retirement academic activity and that I wasn’t really concerned about sales.****** was very pushy. He constantly interrupted…”
– Peter, an Xlibris author

“I called to inquire about a publishing package. I received so many texts and calls pressuring me to pay now if I want a discount. It was like speaking to a car salesman…”
– Alec E.

“I spent nearly ten thousand dollars on a publishing package from this company…”
– Rick S., an Xlibris author

“This was a mistake that I made by choosing a self-publishing company that was only concerned about the money and not the way that they published my work. I could’ve sat at my kitchen table and critique my work better than this. I can’t tell you how many grammatical errors, and mispunctuations that were left visible in my book…”
– Pamela G.

“I’m so tired of hearing people with thick accents clearly reading from a prompt on a screen calling me so often just to ask for more money…”
– Skylar B

“Are you kidding me? The project was not published because you simply could not print my novel without more mistakes. Over and over my manuscript came back to me with more mistakes, wrong paragraph indentations, so I kept paying and paying for more and more corrections…”
– R.G.

“I got very frustrated everytime I tried talking to them, They’re very rude! Mocking me at one point. I’m still not making even a cent! Its been 10 years…”
-Tina B.

“TRAFFORD.COM PART OF AUTHOR SOLUTIONS IS SUPREME GARBAGE! and NEVER EVER DEAL WITH AUTHOR SOLUTIONS AND TRAFFORD PUBLISHING!!!”
– Lupco S

“AuthorHouse is under Author Solutions. I will not do business with them ever again. In recent years their arrogance has become appalling.”
– James H.

On RipOffReport.com:

“In January 2023 I paid around $2,000. for my book to be edited and printed. Then they needed an additional $1,200. to be edited the ‘correct’ way.'”
– Nancy

“I paid AuthorHouse to edit my manuscript, but they destroyed it, so I had to pay someone else to re-edit it.”
– Sherriel

“Authorhouse Be Warned!!!!!!”
– Tom

“AuthorHouse Author Solutions Misleading and Refusal to Response…”
– Angela

“When I politely explained that I couldn’t afford to pay for their publishing deal (And that theirs was the most expensive I’d gotten) he told me I’d never get published and hung up on me.”
– Mia

“I have never made a single penny from author house. It cost me £3000.00.”
– Jean

“Please please please do your research before signing on with this company! I have been self-published through them for 6 years now, have not received any calls other than through the marketing department to have me pay more money for their services…”
– Lauren

“I’ve published several books with AuthorHouse, and I know of people who have bought a copy or more of my books. That’s strange as I’ve never – as in NEVER! – received any royalties.”
– Else

There are MANY more complaints on that page.

Several authors discussed initiating a class action lawsuit HERE.

MORE

1-star reviews on TrustPilot.com.

93 one-star reviews on PissedConsumer.com.

59 reviews with an average rating of 1.1 stars on Yelp.com.

107 reviews and 107 complaints on ComplaintsBoard.com with an average of 1.5 stars.

The ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT AUTHORS has issued a “Watchdog Advisory” about the Author Solutions’ companies.

RELATED



HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT SELF-PUBLISHING A BOOK?

Angela is not only the publisher of WritersWeekly.com. She is President & CEO of BookLocker.com,
a self-publishing services company that has been in business since 1998. Ask her anything.

ASK ANGELA!